People v. Bournes

370 N.E.2d 1230, 55 Ill. App. 3d 237, 13 Ill. Dec. 203, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3799
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 13, 1977
Docket76-274
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 370 N.E.2d 1230 (People v. Bournes) 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 v. Bournes, 370 N.E.2d 1230, 55 Ill. App. 3d 237, 13 Ill. Dec. 203, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3799 (Ill. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE GUILD

delivered the opinion of the court:

On November 12, 1975, as a result of plea negotiations in which the State’s Attorney agreed to recommend 1-3 years in the Penitentiary, the defendant pled guilty to burglary of a motor vehicle in violation of section 19—1(a) of the Criminal Code. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 19—1(a)). The court heard the undisputed facts that the defendant was apprehended in the act of unbolting and displacing a citizen’s band (C.B.) radio from a motor vehicle after forcibly entering it. The defendant waived a hearing in aggravation and mitigation but nonetheless the court ordered the same. On December 16, 1975, the court considered the presentence report, refused to follow the State’s recommendation of 1-3 years, and sentenced the defendant to 6-18 years in the penitentiary.

Thereafter, the defendant filed a motion to withdraw his plea of guilty and vacate the judgment, as required by Supreme Court Rule 604(d) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 110A, par. 604(d)), and later filed a separate motion in arrest of judgment. On March 17, 1976, a hearing was had on both of defendant’s motions. In support of these motions the defendant argued that he was erroneously charged with burglary under section 19—1(a) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 19—1(a)) because the offense committed by him comprised only misdemeanor “tampering” in violation of section 4—102 of the Vehicle Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 95½, par. 4—102(a)). Based on this major premise, the defendant further contended that the indictment filed against him was defective because it did not negate the exception in the burglary statute which excludes offenses described in section 4—102 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Also based on his major premise, the defendant contended that, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 402, the trial judge improperly admonished him concerning the provisions of the burglary statute rather than the tampering statute. In addition to the arguments referring to the appropriate offense, the defendant went on to contend that the trial court did not consider the applicability of the Dangerous Drug Abuse Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 91½, par. 120.1 et seq.). Finally, the defendant contended that the sentence imposed by the trial court was excessive. The trial court heard and weighed the arguments of counsel and denied both motions of the defendant. The defendant appeals, raising these same issues for our consideration.

We turn to the initial arguments of the defendant concerning the appropriateness of the charges against him and the allegedly erroneous consequences thereof. The heart of the defendant’s position is that the acts committed by him constituted the offense of “tampering” rather than burglary. The statutes cited by the defendant read, in pertinent part, as follows:

“A person commits burglary when without authority he knowingly enters ° 9 ° a ° ° 9 motor vehicle as defined in The Illinois Vehicle Code 9 9 9 or any part thereof, with intent to commit therein a felony or theft. This offense shall not include the offenses set out in Section 4—102 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 19—1(a).
“It is a violation of this Chapter for: (a) A person, without authority to do so, to damage a vehicle or to damage or remove any part or component of a vehicle.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 95½, par. 4—102(a).
“It is a violation of this Chapter for 9 9 9 (b) A person, without authority to do so, to tamper with a vehicle or go in it, on it, or work or attempt to work any of its parts or components, or set or attempt to set it in motion.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 95½, par. 4—102(b).

In essence, defendant advances the proposition that his acts on the night of July 25,1975, constituted the removal of a “part” of a vehicle. He places great weight on three alternative arguments in this regard. First, he argues that a C.B. radio becomes a “part” of a motor vehicle through the doctrine of accession. Second, he maintains that a definition of the term “part” includes “a fragment” and not solely a “substantive member” of the whole and that a C.B. radio is just such a fragment of a motor vehicle. Third, he contends that the definition of a “component part” in section 4—100 of the Illinois Vehicle Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 95½, par. 4—100) includes items with identification numbers, and the C.B. radio in question is presumed to have such an identification number making it a “part.” Based on his construction of the statutes cited above, the defendant contends that the indictment and the trial court’s admonishment to him under Supreme Court Rule 402(a) are reversibly erroneous.

To settle what is essentially a question of statutory interpretation in a case of first impression we have carefully examined the briefs and arguments of the parties and those statutes raised by the defendant, as well as other related statutes.

The principles of statutory construction have long been applied by the courts of this State. It is a judicial function to determine and follow the intention of legislative acts. (Lipsey v. Michael Reese Hospital (1970), 46 Ill. 2d 32, 262 N.E.2d 450.) In ascertaining the legislature’s intention, the entire statute must be considered, as well as the evil to be remedied and the object to be attained. (People v. Bratcher (1976), 63 Ill. 2d 534, 349 N.E.2d 31.) The consequences resulting from various constructions of an act must also be taken into consideration. (People ex rel. Holland v. Edelman (1975), 27 Ill. App. 3d 793, 327 N.E.2d 338.) It is to be presumed that the legislature in passing legislation did not intend absurdity, inconvenience or injustice. (Illinois Crime Investigating Com. v. Buccieri (1967), 36 Ill. 2d 556, 224 N.E.2d 236, cert. denied (1967), 389 U.S. 848, 19 L. Ed. 2d 117, 88 S. Ct. 74.) Therefore, where several constructions may be placed upon a statute, the court should select that which leads to a logical result and avoid those which would be absurd. Board of Education v. Community High School District Number 211 (1967), 89 Ill. App. 2d 481, 232 N.E.2d 316.

In the instant case the defendant contends that entry into a motor vehicle to commit the theft of a C.B. radio which is attached to or built into the vehicle constitutes the misdemeanor offense of “tampering” while entry into the same vehicle to commit the theft of the same C.B. radio lying unattached on the front seat is the offense of burglary. We find that this construction of the statutes at hand is absurd on its face and would be manifestly unjust. A clear examination of the statutory scheme enacted by the legislature yields quite a different result. The locus of such an examination is the proper construction of the word “remove” as it appears in section 4—102(a) of the Illinois Vehicle Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
370 N.E.2d 1230, 55 Ill. App. 3d 237, 13 Ill. Dec. 203, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3799, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bournes-illappct-1977.