Shannon v. State

631 S.W.2d 772, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 4260
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 24, 1982
DocketNo. 09 81 044 CR
StatusPublished

This text of 631 S.W.2d 772 (Shannon v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shannon v. State, 631 S.W.2d 772, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 4260 (Tex. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

[773]*773OPINION

KEITH, Justice.

Appellant was indicted for credit card abuse, and the indictment contained an enhancement paragraph. The jury having found him to be guilty and that he had been convicted of the prior offense, fixed his punishment at confinement for ten years.

The indictment under V.T.C.A., Penal Code, Sec. 32.31(b)(1)(A), charged that appellant

“... did then and there with intent to fraudulently obtain gasoline from Beverly Ferguson, use a Conoco credit card knowing the use was without the effective consent of the cardholder, Royce C. Rhodes, and knowing that the credit card had not been issued to the Defendant.”

The card in question was stolen from the vehicle of Betty Rhodes on January 16, 1980. During the morning hours of January 17, 1980, appellant drove his automobile to a gasoline pump on the outside of a Sak-N-Pak convenience store in Beaumont. He went inside, picked up several cans of transmission fluid, and presented the credit card to the attendant, Donald Warner.

Warner handed the card to the assistant manager of the store, Beverly Ferguson, who recognized it as one reported as having been stolen. She notified the police and gave the officers the license identification of appellant’s car. Appellant tried to regain possession of the card; but, when unsuccessful, drove away. He was apprehended some time thereafter. Warner did not testify.

Appellant testified that he was given the card by an acquaintance by the name of Greg Genne; that he did not know the card was stolen; and, that he sought only to purchase transmission fluid, not gasoline.

Appellant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence on the ground that the State’s proof failed to sustain the descriptive averments contained in the indictment. The challenge has merit.

Ms. Ferguson was “doing paper work” when appellant entered the store but was within about three feet of where appellant was doing business with Warner. On cross-examination of Ms. Ferguson, this testimony was presented:

“Q. Did you hear the individual [appellant] tell Donald [Warner] that he wanted gasoline or did Donald come and tell you that’s what the individual wanted?
“A. I don’t believe I heard him say that he wanted gasoline. I believe Donald told me that he did.
“Q. What about oil? Did the individual set the oil cans on the counter? “A. Yes, he did.
“Q. You could see it, I take it?
“A. Yes.
“Q. Now, as far as hearing the individual say he wanted gasoline, though, you did not hear that yourself?
“A. No, I didn’t, or I don’t remember hearing that.”

Upon appellant’s motion, the court ordered the testimony relating to the attempted purchase of gasoline stricken because it was hearsay.

There was no other direct evidence relating to the purchase of gasoline by appellant at the time the card was presented. However, State’s counsel did establish that appellant’s car was seen parked “in the position [on the premises] that people park in when they get gas” rather than where the non-gas buying customers normally park.

The statute involved, Penal Code, § 32.-31(b)(1), provides that a person commits an offense if:

“(1) with intent to obtain property or service fraudulently, he presents or uses a credit card with knowledge .... ” (emphasis ours)

The indictment charged a violation of the statute by the use, not simply the presentation, of the credit card.

In Baker v. State, 593 S.W.2d 719, 720 (Tex.Cr.App.1980), the Court wrote:

“[T]he essential elements of credit card abuse under Sec. 32.31(b)(1)(A) are (1) a [774]*774person; (2) with intent to obtain property or services fraudulently; (3) presents or uses; (4) a credit card; (5) with knowledge that it has not been issued to him; and (6) with knowledge that it has not been used with the effective consent of the card holder.”

See also, Ex parte Kimberlin, 594 S.W.2d 438, 439 (Tex.Cr.App.1980).

Obviously, all of the essential elements of the offense set out in Baker v. State, supra, were shown. However, the State undertook in the indictment to prove use of the credit card in an attempt to obtain property which was described as gasoline. It proved the use of the card in an attempt to obtain property which the evidence showed to be transmission fluid, not gasoline.

The proper test for determining which allegations must be proved was stated in Cohen v. State, 479 S.W.2d 950, 951 (Tex.Cr.App.1972), quoting from 1 BRANCH’S ANN.P.C, Sec. 518, at 498 (2d Ed. 1956):

“ ‘When a person, place or thing necessary to be mentioned in an indictment is described with unnecessary particularity, all the circumstances of description must be proved and cannot be rejected as sur-plusage for they are thus made essential to the identity.’ ” (citations omitted)

And, the corollary to this rule is also stated in the following paragraph taken from Cohen v. State, supra:

“Where the allegation is not a necessary part of the pleading, the particularity of description is surplusage and need not be proved. Malazzo v. State, 165 Tex.Cr.R. 441, 308 S.W.2d 29 (1957).”

It was not charged that appellant sought to obtain service by the fraudulent use of the card and the word property was not mentioned in the indictment. Instead, the pleader substituted the word “gasoline” for “property”. Consequently, the description of the property sought to be obtained was required to have been proved as alleged, and the particularity of the description of the property may not be disregarded as surplusage.

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Related

Burks v. United States
437 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Greene v. Massey
437 U.S. 19 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Ex Parte Kimberlin
594 S.W.2d 438 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Baker v. State
593 S.W.2d 719 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Cohen v. State
479 S.W.2d 950 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1972)
Chase v. State
573 S.W.2d 247 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1978)
Smallwood v. State
607 S.W.2d 911 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Robinson v. State
570 S.W.2d 906 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1978)
Indo v. State
502 S.W.2d 166 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Malazzo v. State
308 S.W.2d 29 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1957)

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631 S.W.2d 772, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 4260, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shannon-v-state-texapp-1982.