Paschall v. State

1952 OK CR 165, 252 P.2d 175, 96 Okla. Crim. 198, 1952 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 255
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 17, 1952
DocketA-11667
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 1952 OK CR 165 (Paschall 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
Paschall v. State, 1952 OK CR 165, 252 P.2d 175, 96 Okla. Crim. 198, 1952 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 255 (Okla. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

JONES, J.

The defendant, Fred Paschall, was charged by an information filed in the district court of Stephens county with the crime of burglary in the second degree; was tried, convicted, and pursuant to the verdict of the jury, was sentenced to serve two years imprisonment in the penitentiary, and has appealed. We shall consider the assignments of error in the order in which they are presented in the brief of defendant.

It is first contended that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction in that there was no competent evidence corroborating the testimony of the accomplice.

We shall briefly summarize the evidence: Louis Tate and Johnnie Bantau, policemen of the city of Duncan, each testified that while engaged in patrolling the streets of the city sometime after midnight and in the early morning of January 23, 1951, they noticed an empty car parked near the Rock Tavern with the motor running; that the officers commenced an investigation at the tavern and noticed a torn screen at the back door; the back door was unlocked; they attempted to open it but found that some one was holding it from the inside; that they commanded the parties on the inside to come out but got no response; finally a woman known as Helen Mae Jones or Gibson emerged, but the men on the inside of the building refused to come out; that the officers entered the building and found the defendant, Paschall, near the end of the bar and Orvil Ohisum was hiding behind the bar. Several packages of cigarettes were scattered on the floor. A juke box had been pulled away from the wall and one end of a hasp which was on the back of the machine was pulled loose. Both the defendant, Paschall, and the codefendant Chisum had canvas gloves. The outside door had *200 a padlock, but the hasp which held the padlock had been pried off to where the parties could enter the place; that a crowbar also was found inside the building.

Mable Stevens testified that she was in charge of the Rock Tavern on January 23, 1951, and was the person who closed the tavern immediately prior to the time that it was broken into; that she distinctly remembered placing the padlock on the west door and trying it to see if it was locked: that when she left the building the juke box was sitting against the wall and the cigarettes were behind the bar; that as manager of the tavern she did not give anybody permission to enter the building after it had been closed for the night.

Grady Gossett testified that he was the owner of the Rock Tavern on January 23, 1951, and that he gave no one permission to enter the establishment after it was closed for the night; that Mable Stevens was the manager in charge of the place the night it was entered; that the building had been left open on two or three previous occasions and had been broken into about six months prior to this breaking, but this was the first time he had ever seen the lock torn off; that the building had never been left open since Mrs. Stevens had been employed to operate the place.

Helen Mae Jones, sometimes known as Helen Gibson, testified that she lived in Marlow and had known the defendant Paschall and Orvil Ohisum for about a year; that she went to Duncan with Ohisum on the afternoon of January 22, 1951 and met the defendant, Paschall, at a beer joint; that about midnight they took Gene Goza to Marlow; that when they returned to Duncan they discussed breaking into the Rock Tavern; that Paschall suggested that they break into the building; that they went to Paschall’s house and got two pairs of gloves and a crowbar; that Paschall said he was getting the gloves so that they would leave no fingerprints; that they went to the tavern in Ghisum’s car and she remained in the automobile and the engine was left running while Paschall and Ohisum opened the west door to the building with the crowbar; that while she was sitting in the car she noticed the police car pass so she decided to go in the building and tell Ohisum and Paschall what had happened; that while she was in the building the policemen came to the tavern and called for them to come out; that she finally went out to the officers but Paschall and Ohisum refused to leave the building; that she pleaded guilty to the crime and is now serving a term in the State Penitentiary; that she had previously been convicted of burglary in Cotton county and served three years in the penitentiary, and had served a term upon conviction for assault of six months’ imprisonment from Marietta.

This was all of the evidence for the state. The only witness who testified on behalf of the defense was the codefendant, Orvil Ohisum, with the exception that counsel for the accused testified in regard to an alleged conversation had with the witness Mable Stevens to rebut certain testimony given by her in regards to statements which she allegedly made to said counsel.

Orvil Ohisum testified that he worked in the oilfield pulling easing east of Comanche; that he was in the city of Duncan to have a company pickup truck repaired and met Fred Paschall in Floyd Oheeves place of business where they drank a bottle of beer; that Mae Jones sat down at the table with them and drank a beer and stated she wanted some whiskey and told them they could get it cheaper at Marlow; that they drove to Marlow and Paschall bought one pint and Mae Jones bought a pint of whiskey; that when they returned to Duncan they drove out to Herman’s Drive-In on East Main street where they remained for about an hour. Mae Jones was intoxicated and so was Paschall; that he stated that he had to return home so that he could get up early and go to work next morning; that Mae Jones wanted to go to the Rock Tavern; that he drove to the tavern but found it was closed; that as he started around the building Mae Jones, *201 who was sitting in the middle of the ear, placed her foot on the brake and killed the motor; that she got out of the automobile and went toward the building which was about 50 yards away; that she hadn’t returned in a few minutes so he and Paschall decided to go see about her as she was drunk; that they went to the building and could not see her and hollered for her and that she .answered from inside the building stating, “Come on in”; that he and Paschall entered and told her to get out of there, “that she had no business in there”, and as they were talking to her they heard the officers on the outside of the building; that Mae Jones ran to the door and held it but defendant told her to open the door and they all walked out; that he had no intention of breaking into the building and did not break into it and that there had been no discussion about breaking into the building between him and Paschall and the woman; that he had the type of white canvas gloves used by oilfield workers in his pocket; that he used them constantly in connection with his oilfield work and did not have the gloves to wear in the building to prevent leaving any fingerprints.

There is not only competent evidence of the guilt of the accused but the evidence as to his guilt is conclusive. The proof of the state showed that the lock on the building was broken and the building was entered without permission of the owner or manager. The interior of the building showed that the persons who entered the building had the evident intention of stealing cigarettes and money from the juke box; they were surprised by the officers while they were in the building.

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Related

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811 P.2d 1337 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1991)
Jackson v. State
811 P.2d 614 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1991)
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Fisher v. State
1983 OK CR 122 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1983)
Myers v. State
1982 OK CR 191 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1982)
West v. State
1980 OK CR 82 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1980)
Burks v. State
1979 OK CR 10 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1979)
Riggle v. State
1978 OK CR 121 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1978)
Blanton v. City of Oklahoma City
1977 OK CR 236 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1977)
Mason v. State
1977 OK CR 78 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1977)
Leppke v. State
1977 OK CR 21 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1977)
Wampler v. State
1976 OK CR 179 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Fitzpatrick v. State
1975 OK CR 216 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1975)
Williamson v. State
1975 OK CR 35 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1975)
Rider v. State
1972 OK CR 56 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1972)
Johnson v. State
1971 OK CR 246 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1971)
Songer v. State
1969 OK CR 221 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1969)
Williams v. State
1968 OK CR 205 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1968)
Grant v. State
1963 OK CR 86 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1963)
Evans v. State
1957 OK CR 61 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1952 OK CR 165, 252 P.2d 175, 96 Okla. Crim. 198, 1952 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 255, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paschall-v-state-oklacrimapp-1952.