Sanchez v. State

182 So. 645, 133 Fla. 160, 1938 Fla. LEXIS 950
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJuly 8, 1938
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 182 So. 645 (Sanchez v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sanchez v. State, 182 So. 645, 133 Fla. 160, 1938 Fla. LEXIS 950 (Fla. 1938).

Opinion

Chapman, J.

—This cause is here on writ of error to the Criminal Court of Record of Duval County, Florida. On August 17, 1937, Vincent Sanchez, plaintiff in error, along with Joe Blatzer and Pete Kouropi, was informed against by the County Solicitor of Duval County, Florida, in two counts. One count charged the defendants with breaking and entering a building with the intent to commit grand larceny. The second count charged them with the crime of grand larceny. On August 24, 1937, the defendants were each arraigned and each filed a plea of not guilty to each count of the information. Prior to the trial of the case on its merits a severance was granted and one of the defendants entered a plea of guilty.

Vincent Sanchez, plaintiff in error, was placed upon trial and was by a jury convicted of the crime of grand larceny *162 and was by the trial court sentenced to the State Penitentiary for a period of two years. Plaintiff in error filed a motion for a new trial, which was by the lower court overruled and denied. A writ of error was sued out, transcript of record perfected and the cause is here for review on 17 separate assignments of error.

On July 15, 1937, plaintiff in error moved the Court to suppress certain evidence obtained when he was unlawfully arrested and searched and certain coins commonly used in the operation of slot machines were found and when money was found in his home when an unlawful search of his home was made by the officers in violation of Section 22, Declaration of-Rights of the Constitution of Florida. The court below heard considerable testimony on the part of plaintiff in error on the motion to suppress evidence, and after hearing several witnesses declined to consume further time on hearing testimony on the motion, but obtained a jury and evidence was taken on the two counts of the information. It is contended here that the lower court erred in not hearing further evidence on the motion to suppress prior to entering an order overruling said motion. We have read the evidence offered at the trial of the case before the jury and observe that defendant’s counsel objected seasonably to evidence offered and obtained rulings as to its admissibility during the progress of the cause and the rights of plaintiff in error were fully protected as if all the evidence on the motion to suppress had been heard by the trial court. We fail to see how the rights of the plaintiff in error were affected adversely in the court below. In the case of Robertson v. State, 94 Fla. 770, text p. 775-6, 114 So. 534, when considering the functions of a motion to suppress testimony, this Court said:

“The functions of such a preliminary motion are (a) to test the legality of the search and seizure in advance of the *163 trial upon the issues, thereby enabling the trial judge to determine what ruling should be made if the illegality of the search be offered as an objection to the evidence at the trial; and (b) to establish a foundation for a timely objection at the trial if the motion to suppress be overruled. The necessity, in some instances, for the interposition of the motion prior to trial is found in the rule frequently applied that ordinarily, and subject to certain exceptions (see Amos v. U. S., 255 U. S. 313, 65 L. Ed. 654; Gouled v. U. S., 296 U. S. 20, 70 L. Ed. 145; Holmes v. U. S., 275 Fed. 49), a court will not halt the trial of the litigation in chief and embark upon the trial of a collateral issue for the purpose of determining the competency or admissibility of proffered evidence as against an objection that it was procured by illegal means.”

It is contended that there is a variance between the allegata and probata in that the ownership of the property the plaintiff in error was convicted of taking, was, as stated in Count Two, in one Robert B. Johnson, when the evidence shows that the stolen property was owned by Johnson and C. P. Heekin. The cases of McNealy and Roulaac v. State, 17 Fla. 199; Underhill v. State, 81 Fla. 234, 87 So. 637; Croft v. State, 109 Fla. 188, 146 So. 649, are cited to sustain this position. We are in accord with these authorities. We think the ownership of the property as being in Johnson is sufficient and certainly this is true when it was taken from- his possession, notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Heekin owned an interest therein, but trusted the possession of the stolen property to Mr. Johnson, from whom it was taken by plaintiff in error. See Mathews v. State, 85 Fla. 194, 95 So. 609; Kennedy v. State, 31 Fla. 428, 12 So. 858; Parker v. State, 75 Fla. 741, 78 So. 980.

It is next contended that the lower court erred in receiving evidence of an alleged confession prior to the time *164 the State, by competent testimony, had first established the corpus delicti of the larceny. A number of authorities are cited to support this contention. An examination of the testimony offered by the State shows conclusively that the State had proved the crime was committed prior to the admission of the confession. This assignment is without merit. See Smith v. State, 93 Fla. 238, 112 So. 70.

Counsel for plaintiff in error argues that the lower court erred in admitting evidence procured as the result of an illegal search and seizure without warrant or reasonable grounds. This assignment is solely a question of law and fact which the lower court fully considered and passed upon during the trial. The motion to suppress certain testimony was before the Court: (1) when evidence was heard on the motion to suppress, and (2) when it was offered by the prosecution during the progress of the trial and objected to by counsel for defendant and ruled upon by the court below. We fail to find error in this assignment. See Robertson v. State, supra.

The transcript shows that after all evidence had been taken and while Mr. Cannon, Assistant County Solicitor, was addressing the jury, the following occurred:

“* * * Following informal recess, arguments were presented to the jury by respective counsel; and during arguments by Mr. Cannon on behalf of the State:

“Mr. Donald DeHoff: We object to the statement of the assistant County Solicitor that Kuropi took the witness stand and endeavored to clear his buddy.

“The Court: The objection is overruled, exception noted for defendant.

“* * * And Mr. Cannon further arguing to the jury that the defendant, who inspired the testimony of Kuropi, is now before the jury expecting a verdict at their hands:

*165 “Mr. Donald DeHoff: .Your Honor, I object to the remarks of counsel by saying ‘that thief sitting right there.’ The presumption of innocence goes with the defendant until the jury goes out to consider their verdict, and the remarks of the prosecutor are very highly prejudicial; and I demand that one of the jurors be withdrawn and a mistrial declared.

“The Court : The motion is denied, exception noted for the defendant.

“* * * And during arguments to the jury by Mr. William DeHoff on behalf of the defendant, arguing to the jury that Mr. Cannon ranted to the jury to get the defendant sent to the State Penitentiary, at the beginning of his life:

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Bluebook (online)
182 So. 645, 133 Fla. 160, 1938 Fla. LEXIS 950, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanchez-v-state-fla-1938.