People v. Hammond

403 N.E.2d 305, 82 Ill. App. 3d 839, 38 Ill. Dec. 217, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 2611
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 11, 1980
DocketNo. 15484
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 403 N.E.2d 305 (People v. Hammond) 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. Hammond, 403 N.E.2d 305, 82 Ill. App. 3d 839, 38 Ill. Dec. 217, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 2611 (Ill. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE GREEN

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Donald Hammond, appeals from judgments of the circuit court of Adams County convicting him, after a jury trial, of the offenses of pandering and conspiracy to keep a place of prostitution, and sentencing him to concurrent sentences of 2 years’ imprisonment for each offense and additionally fining him $5,000 for the conspiracy offense. The sentences were imposed on April 30,1979, and arose from an indictment returned June 7, 1978.

He asserts that (1) the evidence was insufficient to support either conviction; (2) he was denied due process of law by the State’s failure to inform him of the address of its principal witness and that she had been offered immunity; (3) he was denied his right to a speedy trial; (4) the trial court erred (a) in admitting testimony showing another offense by defendant, (b) in admitting evidence of declarations of a co-conspirator before the introduction of evidence of a conspiracy, and (c) in ruling on jury instructions; and (5) the sentencing procedure was improper.

Section 8 — 2(a) of the Criminal Code of 1961 defines the inchoate offense of conspiracy in the following manner.

“(a) Elements of the offense.

A person commits conspiracy when, with intent that an offense be committed, he agrees with another to the commission of that offense. No person may be convicted of conspiracy to commit an offense unless an act in furtherance of such agreement is alleged and proved to have been committed by him or by a co-conspirator.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 38, par. 8 — 2(a).

Section 11 — 17 of the Criminal Code of 1961 includes within the definition of the offense of keeping a place of prostitution the following:

“(a) Any person who has or exercises control over the use of any place which could offer seclusion or shelter for the practice of prostitution who performs any of the following acts keeps a place of prostitution. 0 6 0

(2) Grants or permits the use of such place under circumstances from which he could reasonably know that the place is used or is to be used for purposes of prostitution.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 38, par. 11 — 17.

Section 11 — 16(a) of the Criminal Code of 1961 describes in these words the type of pandering with which we are concerned here:

“(a) Any person who performs any of the following acts for money commits pandering: 6 0 0

(2) Arranges or offers to arrange a situation in which a person may practice prostitution.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 38, par. 11— 16(a).

The prosecution’s main witness was Dorothy Roscetti, a/k/a Tommi Roscetti, who testified to the following sequence of events. In February 1976, she met co-conspirator Lavada Woolums in Springfield, Illinois. Shortly thereafter, Woolums’ sister-in-law took Roscetti to the New Virginia Hotel in Quincy, Illinois. After a few days at the hotel, Roscetti and defendant held a conversation wherein defendant told her that Woolums had called him and made arrangements for Roscetti to work as a prostitute at the hotel. During this conversation, Roscetti and the defendant also discussed money arrangements. The defendant told her that the prices she charged would be left up to her. After making a pickup in the bar she was to give the desk clerk $5 and sign in. When she came back downstairs, she was to give the bartender $5. She should then have at least $10 or $20 left. The defendant told her that he would take the money she made every night and put it in the safe. When Woolums or “someone” came into town, they would pick up the money. Roscetti testified that Woolums’ brother did come and pick up the money.

About a week and a half after she had arrived at the hotel, Roscetti went to Wpst Quincy, Missouri, and spent the night there. After she returned to the New Virginia Hotel, she had another conversation with the defendant. He told her that he would let Woolums take care of the problem of her escape. He stated that he would call Woolums and inform him of her conduct. The next day, Woolums met with Roscetti. He beat her and told her not to leave anymore. About a week later, Roscetti again left the hotel for a weekend. When she returned, she had a similar conversation with the defendant. He said that he was going to call Woolums and inform Woolums that she had “messed up again.”

Most of the remaining evidence in support of the prosecution came from Charles Baley who testified to the following occurrence of May 26, 1976. At that time, he was a special agent of the Illinois Bureau of Investigation. He and a partner gave a male informant $25 and sent the informant into the New Virginia Hotel. Upon returning, the informant purported to have had intercourse there with a prostitute. The agents then went to the hotel to find the prostitute. There, they met defendant who aided them in their search. He produced the guest register cards for them and told the desk clerk to assist them. The prostitute had apparently left the hotel. Defendant said that the prostitute “would not return.” When Baley pointed out to defendant the informant who claimed to have visited the prostitute, the defendant told Baley that if “his girl” were to be arrested, the informant should also be arrested. Baley testified that when he asked the defendant what “his girl” meant, the conversation ended abruptly.

We conclude that the foregoing evidence was sufficient to make a prima facie showing of defendant’s guilt of conspiracy to keep a place of prostitution, but not sufficient to make such a showing as to his guilt of pandering. The latter offense as involved here requires that the accused act for money in arranging or offering to arrange a situation in which a person may practice prostitution. There was no evidence here that defendant acted for money. The pandering conviction must be reversed.

Most of the proof of the elements of the conspiracy offense came from Roscetti’s testimony regarding statements made to her by defendant on their first meeting. His statement to her that Woolums had arranged with him for her to practice prostitution at the hotel constituted an admission (1) that he had agreed with Woolums to keep a place of prostitution, and (2) that he had sufficient control of the hotel to do so. His explanation to her of her future operating procedure (1) was a substantial step towards keeping a house of prostitution, and (2) evidenced intent upon his part that the offense be committed. The testimony of these admissions by defendant constituted direct evidence. (See People v. Mancl (1977), 55 Ill. App. 3d 41, 45, 370 N.E.2d 664, 667.) Roscetti’s testimony that Woolums later came to the hotel to pick up the money was circumstantial evidence corroborating the existence of an agreement.

Other circumstantial evidence of substantial significance came from the testimony of Baley that when he later went to the hotel, defendant (1) stopped Baley to inquire as to his activities there, (2) procured room registration cards for Baley, (3) instructed a clerk to accompany Baley to the room where the prostitute was supposedly located, (4) sent someone to pry open the door to that room, and (5) told Baley that if “his [defendant’s] girl” was arrested the informant should also be arrested.

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Related

People v. Laws
586 N.E.2d 453 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
People v. Hammond
433 N.E.2d 1329 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1982)
People v. Perez
427 N.E.2d 229 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
403 N.E.2d 305, 82 Ill. App. 3d 839, 38 Ill. Dec. 217, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 2611, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hammond-illappct-1980.