People v. Korn

185 N.W. 817, 217 Mich. 170, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 834
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 22, 1921
DocketDocket No. 177
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 185 N.W. 817 (People v. Korn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Korn, 185 N.W. 817, 217 Mich. 170, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 834 (Mich. 1921).

Opinion

Wiest, J.

Defendant was convicted of receiving stolen property. At the close of the people’s case he moved the court to direct a verdict of not guilty on the ground that there was not sufficient evidence to show that the goods found in his possession had been stolen. The motion was denied and defendant offered no evidence. While the question is a close one, we are not prepared to say, upon the whole record, that there was error in leaving the issue to the jury.

Against objection, the prosecutor was permitted to question the complaining witness about his testimony given at the examination. This might have been proper for the purpose of refreshing his recollection, but not to get before the jury as substantive evidence what he testified to on the examination. The jury should have been warned at the time, or at least instructed in the charge, of the only legitimate purpose of such questioning. We note, however, that this was not done, and that the prosecutor in his argument to the jury said:

“I will refer again to police court testimony on page 8, being the questions and answers of the complaining witness in this case. Am going to read it to you at this time for the purpose of letting you know whether or not the complaining witness in this case knew what was taken from him at that time and whether or not he knew he had sold the identical article to Nathan Korn. Here are the questions:
[173]*173“ \Q. Did Korn buy nigbt gowns from you in tbe regular course of trade?
‘A. Yes.
‘Q. Isn’t tbis one of tbe nigbt gowns?
‘A. No, sir.
“ ‘Q. How doi you know that?
‘A. I know. I know tbe number be bought and tbe style be bought*
‘Q. Is it possible this nigbt gown was bought by someone else, because you haven’t tbe exclusive agency of this' nigbt gown in tbe United States?
‘A. I have tbe exclusive agency for this nigbt gown in Detroit.’
“Now, what, did he mean when he gave that testimony in police court? Did he mean at that time that he had sold two night gowns and whether one of these exhibits was a night gown he sold to Nathan Korn, and he said it was?”

This was highly prejudicial, but no ruling and no request to charge upon the matter or exception appearing, we can do no more than express disapproval thereof. We find no error in the prosecutor having more wearing apparel in the view of the jury than was finally identified.

Defendant’s counsel requested the court to charge and the court did charge:

“Mere possession of stolen goods, without evidence tending to show guilty knowledge, has no tendency to establish guilt.”

And the court added thereto:

“The Supreme Court of this State has so held, and the court has also held that recent possession of stolen property, unsatisfactorily explained, is some evidence of guilt.”

Both the request and the added instruction by the court stated abstract propositions of law. There was evidence of conduct on the part of the defendant tending to show he had knowledge that the goods had been stolen, and this called upon him to explain his [174]*174possession. See People v. Tantenella, 212 Mich. 614. This he did not do. While the charge as given is open to the criticism that it stated “unsatisfactorily explained” instead of unexplained, we are not inclined to split hairs over this.

It is claimed it was error for the court to charge:

“There has also been some argument to you, gentlemen of the jury, by counsel here as to the punishment that might be meted out to this respondent if convicted by you. I want to say to you, gentlemen of the jury, that punishment is a responsibility and duty that devolves upon the court. That matter is not to be taken into consideration by you at all. That is a duty that you are free from. You are to take the evidence as submitted and determine what the true facts are, then be governed by the law, as the court gives the law to you, and then bring in a verdict according to the law and evidence submitted. Whether £>r not this man is placed on probation, if convicted, or whether he be sentenced to a short or long term, is a matter of responsibility that this court has to shoulder.”

It will be noted that this portion of the charge was brought forth by reason of something said in the argument of counsel, and that being true we discover no error.

The record discloses the following:

“The jury thereupon returned a verdict of guilty of receiving stolen property of the value of $30.
“Mr. Barnard: Your honor, under the provisions of section 15302 of the Compiled Laws of the State of Michigan for the year 1915, a man who is convicted of receiving stolen property for the first time; where the larceny of the property is simple, not aggravated, such as robbery from the person, armed, that if he shall make restitution to the party injured he shall not be imprisoned.
“The Court: Does it say anything about $25?
“Mr. Barnard: No, sir, it says simple larceny.

There is no law for petty larceny in the State of Michigan unless aggravated by such circumstances as—

[175]*175“The Court: Your contention is that your client has a right to make restitution after conviction, and not within the power of the court to impose sentence — •
“Mr. Barnard: He shall not be imprisoned in the State prison but you have a right under the law to impose a sentence in the county jail.
“The Court: My interpretation is where the sum does not exceed $25. In other words, it is a misdemeanor.
“Mr. Barnard: Your honor, the Michigan Supreme Court, has held that larceny under $25 is a felony. The only larceny known in the State of Michigan— I have here the case of the People v. Hubbard [86 Mich. 440] — and here restitution was made before sentence and the amount involved was over $25, and still they held it—
“The Court: The court feels he is pretty well informed on the subject and will deny that motion.”

When defendant was called up for sentence the record shows the following:

“Mr. Sehlissel: Your honor, Mr. Barnard is coming over. Said he wants to make a motion before passing sentence.
“The Court: He has made four or five motions now. He detained- me in this court about a half hour.
“Mr. Sehlissel: Your honor, if you don’t care to wait for Mr. Barnard, want to repeat one motion. Under the Comlpiled Laws, section 15302, I m,ake an offer of two hundred dollars, the amount that is claimed to have been stolen from Mr. Botvinich on that date in satisfaction of the claim. I offered it to Botvinich and he didn’t take it.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 N.W. 817, 217 Mich. 170, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-korn-mich-1921.