People v. Sagehorn

294 P.2d 1062, 140 Cal. App. 2d 138, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 2226
California Court of Appeal·Decided March 22, 1956·No. Crim. 3180·Published·Cited by 33 cases

Opinion

KAUFMAN, J.

This is an appeal by defendant Alden Sagehorn- from an order granting probation under certain conditions, after jury verdict of guilty on all three counts of an indictment. Appellant was charged with violation of Penal Code, section 182, subdivision 2 (conspiracy falsely and mali *142 ciously to procure another to be charged and arrested for a crime), violation of Penal Code, sections 236 and 237 (false imprisonment), and perjury. The appeal is also taken from the order denying a new trial.

Appellant was tried with his codefendants Raymond Gaudinier and Oliver Yothers who were also charged with the first two offenses set forth in the indictment. Gaudinier and Yothers were acquitted. The conspiracy count charged that appellant had conspired with these codefendants and with “others unknown.”

William McClure, out of whose alleged false arrest and imprisonment this case arose, was a merchant engaged in a hardware and paint business at 5221 Foothill Boulevard, Oakland. The defendants named in the indictment were all members of the Oakland police force. Late one evening in November, 1954, Sergeant Simin of the Oakland police found McClure asleep in his automobile in front of his store. Simin awakened him and asked for identification. He handed the officer his wallet which contained between $1,200 and $1,300 in currency. Simin handed it back, asked McClure if he had shotgun shells in his store, and when McClure said that he did, Simin said he would be in the next day. The officer came into the store the next morning, asked for two boxes of shotgun shells which McClure procured for him. Simin told McClure that he could have rolled him for $1,000 on the previous night and could have put him in jail. He then left without paying for the shotgun shells.

Appellant Sagehorn, a lieutenant in the Oakland Police Department, first met McClure early in November, 1954, at Benny Campisi’s Fairfax Tavern. Campisi had asked McClure to join the Footprinters, a club of which appellant was secretary. McClure gave appellant his application and the $15 initiation fee. The initiation was to be held on November 19, 1954.

On the evening of November 16, 1954, McClure had been drinking at Campisi’s tavern. He and Campisi decided to go to McClure’s store, a few blocks from the bar. Each took his own car. As McClure was making a left turn into a parking lot he collided with another vehicle, but drove on into the lot. Campisi tried to convince the driver of the other car that everything could be taken care of without calling the police, but since the other driver insisted that it be reported, Campisi put in a telephone call from McClure’s store. Shortly thereafter a police officer arrived at the store *143 and escorted McClure out to the sidewalk where Campisi was talking with two other police officers. They placed McClure in the back of a patrol car. Sergeant Simin was among the officers present but he took no part in the investigation. McClure was given a citation for an illegal left turn with the notation “HBD,” meaning “had been drinking.” He and Campisi then went back into the store where Campisi asked him for money to take care of the officers. There was $60 in McClure’s wallet. Campisi took $50. There were then five police officers in the store. McClure went behind a partition, telling Campisi that he didn’t want to see to whom he gave the money. When he came out again, Campisi had gone but the officers were still there. Simin then asked if he wanted to take care of the patrolmen and McClure asked him, “Well, how about tomorrow?” Simin then said “When do you want to take care of me?” McClure replied, “How about Monday or Tuesday?” Simin said “O. K.” and then helped himself to two boxes of shotgun shells which he had McClure put in a bag, saying that otherwise someone might think he had stolen them. Two other officers also took boxes of shotgun shells. The officers left and McClure went to the rear of his store. When he looked to the front again, Simin was approaching him. He told McClure that he could go to jail, be charged with drunk driving, probably lose his license for a year, and perhaps cost him $1,000. He said McClure could make it easy on himself if he wanted to. When McClure asked him what the deal was, Simin asked him if it wasn’t worth $1,000 to avoid the publicity. McClure then took $1,000 from the safe and gave it to Simin.

On the evening of November 17, 1954, Officer Morehead, who had been one of the officers at the scene of the accident, came into McClure’s store and asked him for money. McClure said there was no money after last night as the shakedown had been a little heavy, that all he had was his merchandise. He told Morehead that he had given the sergeant $1,000. The officer then looked around the store, took a skillet without paying for it, and had McClure put it in a box for him.

The following morning when McClure was in Campisi’s bar, Simin came in, berated McClure for being a “blabbermouth,” saying that he had 21 years’ seniority on the Oakland police force and was not going to have it jeopardized. He told him to keep his mouth shut or he would find himself in the estuary.

*144 On November 20, MeClnre complained of these matters to the Oakland chief of police who sent Lieutenant Guidici and Inspector Lawrence to see him. They gave him ,a card with their names and telephone number and asked him not to discuss the fact that they had seen him. They commenced an investigation and on December 2,1954, questioned Campisi. That same day Campisi told appellant Sagehorn about the investigation. On December 4, 1954, Officer Warren, who had been at McClure’s store on the night of the accident, was called from duty for questioning at about 6 p. m., returning to duty afterward.

On the evening of December 4, 1954, McClure went to the Here’s How Tavern at Laverne and Foothill in Oakland between 8 and 9 p. m., parking his station wagon in front of the tavern. He had two bottles of beer, two sandwiches and two cups of coffee during the time he spent there. He talked to a Carol Bowers for about two and one-half hours during which time he drank nothing alcoholic. While there, he created no disturbance. When he left, Miss Bowers went with him to the ear, and stood talking to him after he had got in behind the wheel. An officer in uniform came from across the street, opened the car door, and took McClure by the arm, saying that he was wanted.

Officer Beedle, who took McClure in to Eastern Station with him, was assigned to districts 55 and- 56 which did not include the area where the Here’s How Tavern was situated. At about 1:15 a. m. on the morning of December 5, Officer Beedle had reported in by radio, and a message was broadcast to him to call his lieutenant at once. He called in and was connected with appellant. Appellant informed him that there was a man in a bar at Foothill and Laverne, about 55 years old, with grey hair, wearing brown pants and brown shirt, and that he had a green station wagon. Beedle was told to find this man and bring him into the station. After receiving these orders, Beedle went to the corner of Laverne and Foothill, parked across the street from the tavern, and waited till he saw a man answering the description, enter the station wagon.

When Beedle and McClure arrived at Eastern Police Station, Beedle showed McClure to appellant, asking if he was the man.

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People v. Sagehorn, 294 P.2d 1062, 140 Cal. App. 2d 138, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 2226 (Cal. Ct. App. 1956).

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