People v. Myles

271 N.E.2d 62, 132 Ill. App. 2d 962, 1971 Ill. App. LEXIS 1607
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 16, 1971
Docket70-104
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 271 N.E.2d 62 (People v. Myles) 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. Myles, 271 N.E.2d 62, 132 Ill. App. 2d 962, 1971 Ill. App. LEXIS 1607 (Ill. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE ALLOY

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant Richard LeRoy Myles was indicted on two counts, one charging burglary, and the other count charging possession of burglary tools. He was indicted with Robert Sheffey and Robert Hardin as co-defendants. The burglary involved entry into a tavern and the theft of money, cigarettes, and liquor. Both Sheffey and Hardin pleaded guilty to the burglary. Defendant was sentenced to from 5 to 15 years for Burglary and from 1 to 2 years for Possession of Burglary Tools with the sentences to be served concurrently.

Defendant was arrested at the scene of the burglary by police officers. At the time of his arrest warnings were read to him from a card carried by one of the officers. These warnings were patterned on directives outlined in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 16 L.Ed. 694, 86 S.Ct. 1602. Defendant was then taken to the Rock Island Police Department, together with some evidence which had been seized, and with various burglary tools which were found in the automobile which defendant was operating at the time of his arrest. Additional burglary tools were later seized from the trunk of defendant’s automobile. At about 6:00 A.M. on the morning following defendant’s arrest, defendant was removed from his cell at the police department and brought to the detective division by one of the detectives. Prior to any questioning the defendant was given a sheet of paper entitled “Your Rights”. He was told to read, initial and sign it if he understood it. Defendant stated that he already had received one and that he knew what his rights were. This did not satisfy the police detective who read the “Rights” sheet to defendant. Defendant then initialed five of the enumerated seven rights but refused to initial two of the rights and also refused to sign the waiver at the bottom of the “Rights” sheet.

Following the explanation of defendant’s rights and defendant’s indication that he did not wish to make a statement without an attorney present, defendant voluntarily initiated a conversation with the police detective in which inculpatory statements were made. During this conversation questions were asked by the detective. Defendant testified that in spite of the conversation which followed two or three explanations of defendant’s rights, he, the defendant, did not realize he was being questioned for the purpose of obtaining a statement nor did he realize that an oral as well as a written statement could be used against him in a court of law. He also stated that he made the inculpatory statement because he wasn’t awake at the time, and, also, that he believed he was drunk at the time the statement was made. There was no supporting evidence as to the claim of intoxication.

On appeal in this Court, defendant contends that the court erred in denying that defendant’s motion to suppress defendant’s admissions principally on the ground that the State did not demonstrate that defendant was sufficiently warned of his constitutional rights under the precedent of Miranda v. Arizona, supra, and, also, on the premise that the evidence showed that defendant refused to waive his privilege against self-incrimination and his right to counsel. Defendant likewise contends that it was reversible error for the trial court to enter judgment on the verdict of guilty of possession of burglary tools and argues that such possession of burglary tools was a “lesser included offense” of the crime of burglary.

It is clear that defendant was arrested at the scene of the burglary and was immediately read a card describing his rights under the Miranda precedent. He was advised that he had the right to remain silent; that anything he would say could or would be used against him in a court of law; that he had the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present while he was being questioned; that if he could not hire a lawyer, one would be appointed to represent him before any questioning, if he desired. Again, at 6:00 A.M. the following morning, when he was brought to the detective division he was given a sheet of paper entitled “Your Rights” and was told to read, initial and sign it if he understood it. He stated that he already had received one and that he knew what his rights were. Despite this, the detective read the rights on the sheet to defendant which again reminded defendant that he had the right to remain silent; that anything he said or answered to any question could be used against him in a court of law; that he had a right to have an attorney present during the questioning; that if he could not afford an attorney, the court would appoint one for him without charge; that if he gave a statement now without an attorney present he would have the right to stop answering questions at any time. As indicated, defendant initialed five of the seven rights but refused to sign a waiver. At the time of the making of the motion to suppress the admissions, there was no contention that there was a failure to sufficiently warn defendant of his rights, but only that there was no waiver of those rights signed by defendant. Defendant had verified by his own testimony, on cross-examination, that he was told he had the right to remain silent and had the right to an attorney. The trial court, on examining the defendant, found that the inculpatory statement was completely voluntary by defendant’s own admission.

While defendant failed to raise the issue of the alleged insufficiency in the constitutional warnings in his motion for a new trial, and may have waived such issue on appeal (People v. Irwin, 32 Ill.2d 441, 207 N.E.2d 76), we believe that the evidence showed that defendant had received ample warning of his rights, and that the Miranda decision had been followed by the arresting officers and the police detective. It is apparent from the record that the admission of defendant was voluntarily initiated in a conversation with the police detective and the incriminating remarks were made as a result thereof. The fact that defendant refused to sign the waiver at the bottom of the “Rights” sheet under such circumstances would not preclude the State from using the subsequent admission which was voluntarily made by defendant (People v. Long, 119 Ill. App.2d 75, 255 N.E.2d 491). In the Long case it was indicated that where a defendant freely answers questions after an explanation of his rights, this is sufficient to rebut the normal presumption against a waiver of his constitutional rights.

In the cause before us, defendant had admitted that he had been given his rights “two or three times” prior to making the incriminating admission. No promises or threats were made, and even though he was told he had a right to have a lawyer present, he “didn’t remember” if he had asked for one. The incriminating remarks resulted from a conversation which defendant had with the detective after defendant had asked the detective what he was charged with. What he said to the detective was voluntarily offered. There was nothing to show that defendant was of substandard intelligence, and, on the basis of his criminal record, the impact of being in custody was apparently not a new experience for him.

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Related

People v. Kennedy
383 N.E.2d 713 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1978)
People v. Watson
342 N.E.2d 398 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1976)
In Re Stiff
336 N.E.2d 619 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)
People v. Dennison
300 N.E.2d 300 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1973)
People v. Murphy
277 N.E.2d 721 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1972)
People v. Myles
275 N.E.2d 691 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
271 N.E.2d 62, 132 Ill. App. 2d 962, 1971 Ill. App. LEXIS 1607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-myles-illappct-1971.