People v. Tomaszek

204 N.E.2d 30, 54 Ill. App. 2d 254, 1964 Ill. App. LEXIS 1056
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 7, 1964
DocketGen. 49,449
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 204 N.E.2d 30 (People v. Tomaszek) 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. Tomaszek, 204 N.E.2d 30, 54 Ill. App. 2d 254, 1964 Ill. App. LEXIS 1056 (Ill. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

MR. PRESIDING JUSTICE MURPHY

delivered the opinion of the court.

On December 2, 1963, after a jury trial in which Gerald George Tomaszek was found guilty of the offense of theft, he was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of from four to five years. After pronouncing sentence on the theft charge, the trial court then revoked probation granted defendant in 1960 on a charge of attempted burglary and on that charge sentenced defendant from four to five years, both sentences to run concurrently. Defendant appeals from the theft conviction and from the revocation of his probation on the attempted burglary charge.

As to the theft conviction, defendant contends error because (1) the jury verdict did not contain a finding of the value of the property stolen; (2) there was a fatal variance between the indictment and proof as to the ownership of the property stolen; and (3) prejudicial conduct by the State’s Attorney, which violated defendant’s constitutional privilege against self-incrimination, when the State’s Attorney placed eyeglasses, in evidence, on defendant during cross-examination. As to the probation revocation, defendant contends error because tbe order was not entered by tbe judge wbo granted tbe probation and because of tbe summary nature of the bearing.

In September, 1962, defendant was indicted for tbe offense of tbeft of property “of tbe value of more than one hundred fifty dollars, tbe property of Donald S. Kanak, intending to deprive said Donald S. Kanak permanently of tbe use and benefit of said property.” The jury verdict found tbe defendant “guilty in manner and form as charged in tbe indictment.”

Tbe record shows that on September 12, 1962, Donald Kanak, while making a sales call, parked bis company’s 1962 Cadillac near bis customer’s store. In tbe trunk were a typewriter, a dictating machine, and two adding machines. When be returned, tbe car was gone, and be immediately reported tbe tbeft to tbe police.

Within an hour, police officer, John Hincby, driving an unmarked police automobile, observed defendant, whom be bad known for three years, driving a 1955 Oldsmobile, with another man in tbe car, sitting to his right. Defendant looked in Officer Hincby’s direction, put tbe car in reverse, and at a high rate of speed made a “U” turn over a median strip. Tbe officer also made a “U” turn, put on bis headlights and spotlight, and pursued tbe Oldsmobile through a red light at a speed of 65 to 70 miles an hour. Tbe Oldsmobile attempted to make a turn, skidded and came to a stop, with tbe police automobile stopping behind it. Officer Hincby approached on foot, and from tbe rear of tbe car shouted be was a police officer, to get out of tbe car, and that they were under arrest. Defendant started tbe car in reverse motion, toward tbe officer, wbo jumped aside and fired several shots at tbe right rear tire, deflating it. Tbe car pulled away at a high rate of speed, with Officer Hincby pursuing it, until be lost sight of tbe car.

As the officer continued looking for the Oldsmobile, some man waved in the direction of a school, which the officer entered, found defendant and took him into custody. On searching defendant, the officer found two sets of keys. A short time later, he found the 1955 Oldsmobile in a nearby alley, and in it was a typewriter and adding machine. With the keys taken from the defendant, which fitted the trunk and the ignition of the car, he opened the trunk and found several office machines, a tire and wheel, and a briefcase.

Donald Kanak testified that he was employed by Kanak & Sons, Inc., sold office machines, and was its treasurer. On September 12, 1962, he placed items of office equipment in a 1962 Cadillac, which the corporation owned and for which it paid $5,200. While he was making a sales call, the car was stolen. That afternoon, at “5th Area, Burglary,” he identified a typewriter, two adding machines, a dictating machine, a briefcase, and a tire, as articles that were in his care, custody and control from the time he left Kanak & Sons until the Cadillac was stolen. The items were then returned to him. He identified the articles by means of a police photograph in evidence. He testified that the value of the typewriter was $279; the value of the dictating machine was $250; the value of the two adding machines was $350 and $335. He stated that all of the items were the property of Kanak & Sons with the exception of the typewriter.

Two other police officers testified that, in another squad car, they joined Officer Hinchy in pursuit of the Oldsmobile. One of them identified defendant as the driver and as the man who, while fleeing from the Oldsmobile, dropped a valise in which was found a pair of eyeglasses. At that time, defendant was not wearing glasses.

Officer Hinchy testified defendant was wearing eyeglasses when he first saw him in the Oldsmobile, but that defendant was not wearing glasses when arrested. Another police officer testified that at “Area 5” headquarters, he questioned defendant about a pair of eyeglasses found in the valise dropped by defendant. He asked defendant, “Are these your glasses?” and defendant said they were. He further said, “You need them, don’t yon?” and defendant said, “Yes, I do.” Defendant then put on the glasses for a few minutes. The officer then returned the glasses “to inventory.” On cross-examination, this officer testified that the glasses were “prescription glasses,” and after an investigation, he was unable to identify the glasses “as belonging to or prescribed for the defendant.” Over objection, the eyeglasses were received in evidence as People’s Exhibit 5.

Defendant testified in his own behalf. On the day in question, he had worked from eight o’clock in the morning until noon. While looking for an apartment, he heard a lot of shouting and turned around to see a man, dressed in civilian clothes, with a gun in his hand. Defendant started to run down the street, and as the man started to fire the gun, defendant ran into the school. “I had seen Sergeant Hinchy on two or three occasions before this time. I saw him in a tavern where I go once in a while .... I was walking out of the door of the Seneca High School when Sergeant Hinchy was walking in. He grabbed me, put a gun on me, threw me against the wall, searched me and took my house keys. Exhibits 7 and 7a are the keys for my mother’s house that Sergeant Hinchy took from me. The other set of keys that are on a separate chain were not taken from me. I saw Mr. Hinchy in the Seneca High School but I had not seen him before that day.”

Defendant denied any knowledge or control of the 1962 Cadillac or of any of the articles identified as being stolen. He denied operating a 1955 Oldsmobile or any other car on September 12. When arrested, he was wearing “prescription sun glasses.” He denied ownership of the eyeglasses previously identified as People’s Exhibit 5, or that he had told any police officer that he needed them or owned them. On cross-examination, and at the request of the State’s Attorney, and over objection, defendant put on the glasses (People’s Exhibit 5) and was questioned as to their type and his ability to use them.

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Bluebook (online)
204 N.E.2d 30, 54 Ill. App. 2d 254, 1964 Ill. App. LEXIS 1056, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-tomaszek-illappct-1964.