Sedlacek v. State

25 N.W.2d 533, 147 Neb. 834, 169 A.L.R. 868, 1946 Neb. LEXIS 129
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 27, 1946
DocketNo. 32126
StatusPublished
Cited by99 cases

This text of 25 N.W.2d 533 (Sedlacek v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sedlacek v. State, 25 N.W.2d 533, 147 Neb. 834, 169 A.L.R. 868, 1946 Neb. LEXIS 129 (Neb. 1946).

Opinion

Simmons, C. J.

Plaintiff in error, hereinafter called the defendant, was convicted of the crime of burglary and sentenced. He presents the case for review. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The information served on defendant October 17, 1945, charged that on May 12, 1945, in Saline County, he “did then and there willfully, maliciously and forcibly break and ■enter into a certain warehouse located on Lots numbered 21 & 22 in Block numbered 121 in the City of Crete, Saline County, Nebraska; that the said warehouse is leased, operated and occupied by William Howlett; with the intent of him, the said Charles Sedlacek, then and there to steal property of value contained in said warehouse,” contrary to the statute, etc.

[838]*838The statute provides: “Whoever willfully, maliciously and forcibly breaks and enters into any * * * warehouse. * * * with intent to steal property of any value, * * *.” § 28-532, R. S. 1943.

By motion to quash made before arraignment, by demurrer ore tenus at the beginning of the trial, by motion at the-close of the state’s case in chief, by motion for a new trial, and by motion in arrest of judgment, defendant presented, the contention that the information does not charge, a crime under the laws of this state. The motions and demurrer’ were overruled. By his petition in error defendant presents the contention here. He contends that there is no sufficient allegation of ownership of the premises, and that the allegation that the property “is” leased, operated and occupied by William Howlett relates to the.date of the information and not to the date of the alleged offense.

We consider this assignment of error in the light of established rules. ' '

In this state all public offenses are statutory. Behrens v. State, 140 Neb. 671, 1 N. W. 2d 289.

“ ‘To charge a statutory offense, the information or complaint must contain a distinct allegation of each essential element of the crime as defined by the law creating it,, either in the language of the statute or its equivalent/ ”

Dickens v. State, 139 Neb. 163, 296 N. W. 869.

“Where a statute states the elements of a crime, it is: génerally sufficient, in an information or indictment, to describe such crime in the language of the statute.” Pandolfo v. State, 120 Neb. 616, 234 N. W. 483.

“* * * an indictment or information meets all constitutional requirements (1) if it shows that the acts which defendant is charged with committing amounted to a crime-which the court had power to punish, and that it was committed within the territorial jurisdiction of the court, (2) if it informs the defendant of the nature of the charge-against him, and (3) if it constitutes a record from which it can be determined whether a subsequent proceeding is: [839]*839barred by the former adjudication. And to the third requirement, it cannot be said that the indictment or information alone must be full protection against double jeopardy, for the reason that in many cases, such as where several •acts constitute a single crime, the defendant is often required to allege facts outside the record to support his plea •of former adjudication. If the information or indictment apprises the defendant with reasonable certainty of the accusation against him so that he may prepare- his defense and plead the judgment as a bar to a subsequent prosecution Tor the same offense, it meets the fundamental purposes of an information or indictment, as well as constitutional requirements.” Cowan v. State, 140 Neb. 837, 2 N. W. 2d 111.

‘‘No indictment shall be deemed invalid, nor shall the trial, judgment or other proceedings be stayed, arrested or in any manner affected * * * for any surplusage or repugnant allegation when there is sufficient matter alleged.to indicate the crime or person charged; nor for want of the averment of any matter not necessary to be proved; nor for any other defect or imperfection which does not tend to the prejudice of the substantial rights of the defendant xipon the merits.” § 29-1501, R. S. 1943.

The information here contains every element of the crime as defined by the statute. In addition, it contains the allegation by lot and block of the location of the warehouse in the city of Crete and the allegation that it “is leased, -operated and occupied by William Howlett.”

Is the ownership of the premises allegedly burglarized an essential element which must be charged in the information? The statute makes no such requirement. Defendant relies upon our decision in Winslow v. State, 26 Neb. 308, 41 N. W. 1116, wherein we said in the body of the opinion that “there must be an allegation of ownership” and in the .-syllabus: “In an indictment for burglary, it is necessary that the name of the owner of the building broken into -should be given, and for this purpose the person in the risible occupancy and control of the premises, at the time [840]*840of the burglary, may be set out as- the owner, whether he be-the owner of the title or a tenant.” However, it is to be noted that there the state conceded that “in an indictment or information for burglary, the name of the owner of the-building must be stated with reasonable certainty,” and. the question actually decided was that ownership should be alleged in the one in lawful possession of the premises. So the question here presented, while stated in the Winslow case, was not actually in- controversy there. See, also, Hahn v. State, 60 Neb. 487, 83 N. W. 674, where the rule -as to-alleging ownership was accepted as a premise for the opinion.

The rule stated in the Winslow case is in accord with the-earlier texts. See Maxwell, Criminal Procedure (2d ed.),. Ch. XIII, p. 104; 1 Bishop, Criminal Procedure (3d ed.), § 573, p. 353, and § 581, p. 356; 3 Chitty, Criminal Law (5th. Am. ed.), Ch. XVI, p. 110-9. However, the more recent texts state the rule as follows: “Except in so far as may be changed by statute, an indictment for burglary, whether at common law or under a statute, must allege the ownership of the dwelling house or other building broken and entered, if known, or it will be fatally defective. * * * There is some authority, however, to the effect that if the building is otherwise sufficiently identified, an allegation of' ownership is not necessary.” 9 Am. Jur., Burglary, § 48, p. 263. See, also, 12 C. J. S., Burglary, § 38, p. 698; Annotation, 20 A. L. R. 510; 2 Wharton, Criminal Law (12th ed.), § 1037, p. 1321.

We examine the history and purpose of the rule to determine whether or not the protection of the substantial rights of the defendant upon the merits requires an adherence to the rule of criminal pleading stated in the Win-slow case.

It appears that at common law the definition of the common-law crime of burglary involved the elements of time, place, manner, and intent. 2 Cooley’s Blackstone (4th ed.),.[841]*841p. 1383; 3 Chitty, Criminal Law (5th Am. ed.), Ch. XVI, p. 1101.

In the common-law indictments for burglary, in charging as to the place, it was held essential that it be alleged that the defendant broke and entered the “dwelling hduse of another.” 1 Bishop, Criminal Procedure (3d ed.), § 573, p. 353. The purpose of the rule, as hereinafter set out, that the name of the owner of the property should be stated as descriptive of the place was overlooked and in practice it became a requirement that ownership be stated as a substantive part of the offense itself.

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Bluebook (online)
25 N.W.2d 533, 147 Neb. 834, 169 A.L.R. 868, 1946 Neb. LEXIS 129, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sedlacek-v-state-neb-1946.