O'NEAL v. State

1970 OK CR 24, 468 P.2d 59
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 25, 1970
DocketA-13982
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 1970 OK CR 24 (O'NEAL v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
O'NEAL v. State, 1970 OK CR 24, 468 P.2d 59 (Okla. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinions

BRETT, Presiding Judge.

The Plaintiff in Error, E. W. O’Neal, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged by Information in the District Court of Oklahoma County in case no. 31054, with the crime of Perjury; was tried by a jury, found guilty, and the punishment left to be assessed by the Court. On November 8, 1965, defendant was sentenced to one year imprisonment in the state penitentiary at McAlester, and costs, in accordance with the verdict of the jury, and from that judgment and sentence he now appeals.

The opinion rendered on May 21, 1969, in which this Court affirmed defendant’s conviction, was withdrawn from publication on February 25, 1970; and this opinion results from defendant’s Petition For Rehearing filed on June 3, 1969, in accordance with Rule 16 of the Rules of this Court, is rendered in lieu of the earlier opinion.

I.

The record shows that on October 25, 1965 — -the day preceding trial — defendant filed an “Amended Motion to Quash and Set Aside Information Filed Herein.” On the following day October 26th, the trial court entered the following order: “that the defendant’s demurrer, motion to quash, motion to suppress, and motion to dismiss to, and the same are hereby overruled.” Thereafter, defendant’s trial commenced.

The facts adduced at the trial reveal that an appearance bond1 in District Court, No. 29289, was submitted in evidence, which stated on its face that on January 8, 1964, defendant was worth in excess of $3,000.00 and freeholder of property described as Block 3, Artesian Springs Second Addition to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Aleñe McGowan testified that defendant signed said bond before her. A quit claim deed2 was admitted in evidence showing transfer of the aforementioned property from Vald-he F. Pitman to E. W. O’Neal on August 1, 1963, which was filed August 2, 1963.

[62]*62A quit claim deed3 was admitted into evidence which was dated August 2, 1963, and notarized the same day, showing the transfer of the same property from defendant back to Valdhe F. Pitman. This instrument indicated that it was filed February 11, 1964. There was also admitted into evidence, as State’s Exhibit #4 a Memorandum Agreement between Valdhe F. Pit-man and E. W. O’Neal, dated July 31, 1963; and two other exhibits were introduced.

In presenting its case in chief, in addition to the testimony of Aleñe McGowan the State offered the testimony of the following witnesses: W. H. Regan, deputy court clerk who identified the bail bond; Bryan Beaty, an employee of the County Clerk’s Office, who identified the two quit claim deeds as having been filed in that office, and who testified on cross-examination that defendant was shown to be the record property owner from August 2, 1963, to February 11, 1964, and that there were no encumbrances filed against the property during that period of time; Ruby Jewell Rodgers, a secretary who typed and witnessed the first agreement [exhibit #4] between defendant and Pitman; Robert F. Pitman, vice president and attorney in the Liberty National Bank and Trust Company Legal Division, who identified certain signature cards — exhibit #5; J. Floyd Askew, a professional appraiser, who appraised the listed property on April 1, 1965, as being worth $1,300.00 and stated its value was the same on the date the bail bond was executed; Robert R. Harbour the Foreman of the grand jury before which defendant was subpoenaed to appear; Richard Gibson a member of the same grand jury; and Curtis P. Harris the county attorney who assisted the grand jury.

Robert Harbour testified that at a grand jury proceeding he was the Foreman, and that defendant disclosed he and Valdhe Pit-man had entered into contract for a bail bond business by which defendant held certain properties in trust, but that defendant owned no property himself. Mr. Richard Gibson, also a member of the grand jury, testified to the same effect.

Curtis P. Harris testified that defendant disclosed to the same grand jury that he did not own the real estate in question, but merely held it in trust for Pitman and that the defendant testified before the grand jury that the quit claim deed from O’Neal to Pitman was executed on the date shown, the 7th day of August, 1963, and delivered back to Mr. Pitman.

The four propositions of error in defendant’s brief, urged by defendant on appeal are: (1) that the court erred in refusing to grant defendant’s Motion for Continuance ; (2) that the court erred in overruling defendant’s Amended Motion to Quash and set aside the information; (3) that the court erred in refusing to grant the defendant a mistrial when the County Attorney, Curtis Harris, while on direct examination voluntarily placed the defendant’s character at issue and further error of the court in refusing to strike voluntary statements made by Robert Harbour with reference to matters when he placed defendant’s character at issue; and (4) that the trial court erred in giving Instruction No. 14, and refusing to give defendant’s requested Instruction.

Defendant’s first assignment of error that the trial court committed reversible error in failing to grant his Motion for Continuance, is not properly before this Court, since neither the defendant’s Motion, nor the court’s ruling thereon, are contained in the casemade. This is also true in defendant’s second assignment of error that the trial court erred in overruling the defendant’s Motion to Quash the amended information since the record before us does not reflect the transcript of the testimony taken at the preliminary hearing.

In Cowan v. State, 5 Okl.Cr. 313, 114 P. 627, this Court said in Syllabus No. 3:

“If a defendant desires to bring a case here upon appeal, he must at least bring [63]*63up enough of the proceedings of the lower court to enable this court to pass intelligently and safely upon the questions presented for decision.”

And further, in Lem Sing v. State, 4 Okl.Cr. 544, 113 P. 204, this Court held in Syllabus No. 2:

“Matters occurring during the trial of a case which counsel desire to assign as error must appear by proper recitals in the casemade duly certified to as the law provides, independently of the motion for a new trial.”

Defendant’s third and fourth assignments of error will not be discussed herein for the reason such is not required. This matter is ultimately being determined on a Constitutional question, which is fundamental in nature and notwithstanding the fact that it is not treated in defendant’s four propositions urged in his brief, the error is listed as his fifteenth assignment of error in his Petition in Error, being: “Error of the Court in permitting the County Attorney and Members of the Grand Jury to testify as to statements purportedly or allegedly made before said Grand Jury.”

n.

The fundamental question squarely facing this Court is:

Is a prospective defendant, or a target of an investigation, who is required to appear before the grand jury by subpoena duces tecum, — who is not advised, of his constitutional rights against self-incrimination, who truthfully testifies before the grand jury thereby giving incriminating testimony, in the nature of a confession, concerning the commission of an earlier offense — immune from indictment and prosecution for the offense so confessed?

It is argued by the State that Title 22 O.S.

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O'NEAL v. State
1970 OK CR 24 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1970 OK CR 24, 468 P.2d 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oneal-v-state-oklacrimapp-1970.