People v. Husar

318 N.E.2d 24, 22 Ill. App. 3d 758, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2094
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 10, 1974
Docket58421
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 318 N.E.2d 24 (People v. Husar) 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. Husar, 318 N.E.2d 24, 22 Ill. App. 3d 758, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2094 (Ill. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE LEIGHTON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Gregory Húsar was convicted of possession of marijuana, an offense defined and punished by the Cannabis Control Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1971, ch. 56%, pars. 701 et seq.). 1 He was sentenced to two years probation with the requirement that he serve the first ten days in the Chicago House of Correction. The following are the facts.

On December 16,1971, at about 9 P.M., an informer told three Chicago police officers that at the intersection of Armitage and Fremont, for the sum of $5, he purchased a plastic bag of crushed green plant from “Fred” who, the informer said, was driving a yellow Cam aro convertible with Illinois license number 7212. A few moments later, the officers went to that intersection and they saw a yellow Camaro convertible with Illinois license number 7212 making a righthand turn. The owner and driver was Lawrence Barba. The front seat passenger was Gregory Húsar. Acting on the information given by the informer, the officers stopped the car. When one of them looked into it, he saw a clear plastic bag resting on a console between the driver and the front seat passenger. On the floor, in front of the passenger, was a brown bag. Subsequent laboratory tests showed the two bags contained 230 grams of marijuana. Húsar and Barba were arrested; a short time later, they were charged possession of cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana.

On the day their case came to trial, the court appointed the public defender of Cook County to represent them. The assistant public defender who undertook the assignment was given the files of the case, given an opportunity to talk with the defendants and told that he could have as much time for trial preparation as he thought necessary. Then, speaking directly to the two defendants, the trial judge told them that if they desired, they could have a continuance to obtain private counsel. No request was made either for additional time or for a continuance. Instead, the assistant public defender, after conferring with the defendants, announced he was ready, that jury would be waived and that he was prepared to begin with a motion to suppress evidence. Defendants were admonished concerning their right to trial by jury, and the cause proceeded.

In support of the motion, the assistant public defender called two witnesses: one of the arresting officers and Barba. After the two had testified, and the lawyer had urged a ruling in defendants’ favor, the trial judge denied the motion. Thereupon, the parties stipulated that the evidence which had been heard could be considered as part of the State’s case in chief. To supplement the stipulation, the State called as its witness the same arresting officer, who then testified concerning the two bags and the chemical tests which determined their contents were marijuana. With that, the State rested its case and defendants moved for a directed finding of not guilty. The court denied the motion.

After this ruling, Húsar testified in his own behalf. He admitted he was the front-seat passenger in the yellow Camaro; and at the end of his testimony, he admitted that the two bags of marijuana found in the car belonged to him. When he was cross-examined, Húsar again admitted that the marijuana was his, and then insisted that Barba did not know the bags were in the Camaro. Barba then testified and denied that on the occasion in question he knew the two bags of marijuana were in his automobile. After hearing the evidence and counsel in summation, the trial judge acquitted Barba and found Húsar guilty.

In this appeal, and in accordance with Supreme Court Rule 711, 2 his brief has been prepared by three senior DePauI University law students, Lee Boyd, Hank Browne and Ruth Schmitt, who volunteered their services and whose work has been supervised by Ronald D. Goldberg, a member of the bar of this court and assistant professor in the College of Law, DePauI University. On Husar’s behalf, and from these facts, they present seven issues for our review. 1. Whether Húsar had the right to appointment of separate counsel to represent him. 2. Whether the dispatch with which the assigned assistant public defender proceeded with the defense deprived Húsar of his right to effective assistance of counsel. 3. Whether Husar’s court-appointed counsel was incompetent. 4. Whether this court will consider extrinsic evidence which would show that Húsar was denied effective assistance of counsel. 5. Whether Húsar waived his claim that the trial court erred when it denied the motion for directed finding at the close of the State’s case. 6. Whether Húsar was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 7. Whether probation subject to the requirement that Húsar be imprisoned for 10 days is now, for this case, a legally permissible sentence.

I.

The right to counsel that is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States does not include an automatic right to separate counsel in a case involving more than one defendant. (People v. Chacon (1968), 69 Cal. 2d 765, 773, 774, 447 P.2nd 106, 73 Cal. Rptr. 10, 15.) One counsel in a case against multiple defendants can represent more than one, as long as the representation is effective and it does not appear that conflicts of interest between or among defendants can be anticipated. (Powell v. Alabama (1932), 287 U.S. 45, 71, 77 L. Ed. 158, 53 S. Ct. 55; People v. Robinson, 42 Ill.2d 371, 247 N.E.2d 898; see People v. Williams, 36 Ill.2d 194, 222 N.E.2d 321.) However, a criminal conviction will not be reversed because of conjectural or speculative conflicts of interest which are envisioned for the first time on appeal. (People v. McCasle, 35 Ill.2d 552, 556, 221 N.E.2d 227.) The record must show that at the time counsel was appointed, there existed a possibility of prejudice from joint representation. Compare People v. Chacon (1968), 69 Cal.2d 765, 73 Cal. Rptr. 10.

In this case, the claim of conflict of interest is based only on the fact that Húsar testified and admitted that the marijuana involved belonged to him. It is argued for the first time in this appeal that Husar’s testimony showed an interest different from that of Barba. We do not agree. The fact that a jointly represented defendant confesses his guilt in court does not prove a conflict of interest. In People v. Bass, 101 Ill.App.2d 259, 243 N.E.2d 305, two defendants were charged with robbery. Near the end of their trial, one of them testified and on direct examination admitted that he committed the robbery and insisted that his co-defendant was not involved in the crime. We held that this did not show a conflict between defendants, one that precluded their being represented by the same court-appointed counsel. Therefore, we conclude that Húsar did not have the right to have separate counsel appointed to represent him. Compare People v. Mason, 91 Ill.App.2d 118, 234 N.E. 2d 351; see Annot., 34 A.L.R. 3d 470, 484 (1970).

II.

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

Related

State v. Coomes
309 Neb. 749 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2021)
Hernandez v. Cooper
28 F. Supp. 2d 498 (N.D. Illinois, 1998)
People v. Hawkins
600 N.E.2d 923 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
People v. Elliott
587 N.E.2d 639 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1992)
People v. Barrios
483 N.E.2d 16 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1985)
People v. Taylor
443 N.E.2d 699 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1982)
People v. Miller
413 N.E.2d 143 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
People v. Kreienheder
381 N.E.2d 752 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1978)
People v. Jovicevic
379 N.E.2d 665 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1978)
People v. Bullock
366 N.E.2d 475 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Thompson
366 N.E.2d 375 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Precup
365 N.E.2d 1007 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Wilson
363 N.E.2d 374 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Craig
361 N.E.2d 736 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Halluin
344 N.E.2d 579 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1976)
People v. Brown
343 N.E.2d 700 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1976)
People v. Barren
335 N.E.2d 779 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)
People v. Benford
335 N.E.2d 106 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)
People v. Williams
333 N.E.2d 674 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
318 N.E.2d 24, 22 Ill. App. 3d 758, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2094, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-husar-illappct-1974.