People Ex Rel. Vasquez v. Pratt

322 N.E.2d 74, 24 Ill. App. 3d 927, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3566
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 13, 1975
Docket74-336
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 322 N.E.2d 74 (People Ex Rel. Vasquez v. Pratt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People Ex Rel. Vasquez v. Pratt, 322 N.E.2d 74, 24 Ill. App. 3d 927, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3566 (Ill. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE GUILD

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from a judgment quashing a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. On this appeal, relator contends that he should be released from custody since he was held for 3 days beyond the 30-day commitment period authorized by section 15 of the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 60, par. 32) while awaiting requisition without recommitment for an additional 60 days pursuant to section 17 of the Act being ordered until the 33rd day of his confinement. On the 33rd day of his confinement, recommitment for an additional 60 days was ordered and it appears that the requisition warrant was filed on the same date.

The relator herein, Joe Vasquez, was arrested and incarcerated in the Winnebago County jail on June 12, 1974. On June 17, 1974, a warrant was issued charging the relator with being a fugitive from justice. On June 18, 1974, Vasquez was brought before an associate judge on the fugitive warrant and complaint. The court ordered Vasquez held for 7 days pending the filing of the requisition warrant from the Governor of Michigan. On June 25, 1974, Vasquez again appeared in court and the trial judge ordered him to reappear 30 days from the date he was incarcerated, which was June 12, 1974. On July 12, 1974, a hearing was held to determine whether Vasquez should be held an additional 60 days or should be discharged. On that date the hearing was continued for decision to July 15, 1974. On July 15, 1974, the court ordered that Vasquez be held for another 60 days. While the record before us is not clear, it appears that on the same date, July 15, 1974, the Governors warrant of the State of Michigan, dated July 1, 1974, was filed. The relator asked leave to file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and the trial judge allowed him until September 12, 1974, to file his application for the writ. In the meantime, on August 13, 1974, the Governor’s rendition warrant of the State of Illinois, dated August 2, 1974, was filed. The petition for habeas corpus was filed on September 3, 1974, and the matter was continued to September 20, 1974. On that date a witness from the State of Michigan testified that he had seen Vasquez within the State of Michigan on the date of the alleged murder. The petition for writ of habeas corpus was denied and Vasquez was ordered delivered to the Michigan authorities. The execution was stayed pending appeal to this court.

The application for the writ of habeas corpus was based on the fact that the defendant was held more than 30 days, to-wit: 33 days, as computed from the date of his arrest, June 12, 1974, to the date recommitment for an additional 60 days was ordered and the Michigan Governor’s warrant was filed. In People ex rel. Mack v. Meyering (1934), 355 Ill. 456, 463, 189 N.E. 494, 497, the appellant contested the validity of his detention pursuant to a warrant issued out of the municipal court of Chicago charging appellant with an offense different from that for which his extradition to New Jersey was-sought. When the rendition warrant was served, the preliminary proceeding pursuant to the warrant issued out of the municipal court of Chicago was dismissed. In affirming the dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus, the court stated that after the rendition warrant was served:

, ” appellant was held by authority of the rendition warrant. If he thought the warrant from the municipal court caused him to be held illegally, he could have asked for a writ of habeas corpus at that time. It was too late to question the validity of the preliminary arrest after he had been arrested by the authority of the Governor s warrant.”

The same principle would apply in the case before us, and that is, the determination of the validity of the relators preliminary detention should have been determined by a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed prior to the service of the rendition warrant by the Governor of Illinois. See People ex rel. Emerson v. Pratt, 23 Ill.App.3d 340, 319 N.E.2d 108.

The most closely analogous case to the situation before us is found in People ex rel. Gummow v. Larson (1966), 35 Ill.2d 280, 220 N.E.2d 165. In Gummoto the relator was originally arrested by the Lake County sheriff on December 11, 1964, pursuant to a warrant issued upon a complaint of the Racine, Wisconsin, authorities as provided by section 13 of the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1963, ch. 60, par. 30). He was released on bail, and the cause was continued to January 5, 1965. The relator remained at liberty until March 23, 1965, when, pursuant to an extradition warrant issued by the governor of Illinois, he was arrested and taken into custody by the sheriff of Lake County. He then filed the habeas corpus petition considered by the court. The relator contended that the provisions of the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1963, ch. 60, pars. 32, 33, 34) were not complied with, contending that he could be admitted to bail or he could be committed to the county jail for not more than 30 days awaiting the extradition warrant to be issued by the Governor. He further contended that if the Governor’s extradition warrant were not executed within 30 days, as specified in section 15, supra, that he might be recommitted for a period not to exceed 60 days. The relator went on to allege that, inasmuch as more than 90 days had elapsed between the date of the relator’s admission to bail and the date of his subsequent arrest pursuant to the Governor’s warrant of extradition, the spirit of the extradition law required his discharge. In rejecting the relator’s contention, the court stated the following with reference to the purpose and effect of the time limitations contained in sections 15 and 17 of the Act.

The purpose of these sections of the extradition law is to prevent unreasonably lengthy periods of confinement of fugitives pending consummation of extradition proceedings by the demanding State. (Cf. Lott v. Heyd, (5th cir.), 315 F.2d 350; Bolton v. Timmerman, 233 S.C. 429, 105 S.E.2d 518.) There is, however, no indication of any legislative intent to restrict the period within which the Governor of Illinois may issue his rendition warrant to the period within which the court which issues the fugitive warrant may commit the accused or require him to give bond.” (People ex rel. Gummow v. Larson (1966), 35 Ill.2d 280, 282, 220 N.E.2d 165, 167.)

Citing Lott v. Heyd (5th Cir. 1963), 315 F.2d 350, and Lombardo v. Tozer (Mo. App. 1954), 264 S.W.2d 376, the court went on to hold that the legality or illegality of the fugitive warrant proceedings was moot since that warrant became functus officio upon issuance and service of the rendition warrant.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Beauchamp v. Elrod
484 N.E.2d 817 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1985)
Parks v. Bourbeau
477 A.2d 636 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1984)
United States Ex Rel. McInery v. Shelley
524 F. Supp. 499 (N.D. Illinois, 1981)
Commonwealth v. Brown
421 A.2d 1131 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Holcombe v. Strode
402 A.2d 1067 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
In Re Simpson
586 P.2d 1389 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1978)
Stynchcombe v. Whitley
242 S.E.2d 720 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1978)
Levick v. Smedley
553 P.2d 482 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
322 N.E.2d 74, 24 Ill. App. 3d 927, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3566, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-vasquez-v-pratt-illappct-1975.