Silas v. State

337 S.W.2d 644, 232 Ark. 248, 1960 Ark. LEXIS 393
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 23, 1960
Docket4978
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 337 S.W.2d 644 (Silas v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Silas v. State, 337 S.W.2d 644, 232 Ark. 248, 1960 Ark. LEXIS 393 (Ark. 1960).

Opinion

J. Seaborn Holt, Associate Justice.

January 6, 1960, appellant, A. C. Silas, was tried and convicted on an information charging the crime of possessing stolen goods, under § 41-3938, Ark. Stats., 1947 (1959 Supp.). His punishment was fixed at ten year's in the penitentiary.

The original information, filed August 6, 1959, charged “the defendant, A. C. Silas, of the crime of Possession and disposal of stolen goods, committed as follows, to-wit: The said defendant in May and July, 1959, in the Eastern District of Clay County, Arkansas, did unlawfully, willfully, knowingly, and feloniously possess stolen goods which exceeded the aggregate value of thirty-five dollars ($35.00), knowing said goods to be stolen, with the intent to deprive the true owner thereof, and did dispose of same for a valuable consideration, and that said goods possessed are as follows: One 10 horsepower Evinrude outboard motor, Serial No. 10008-02643; One 10 horsepower Johnson outboard motor, Serial No. 1927540; One 10 horsepower Evinrude outboard motor, Serial No. 10014-09212; One 12 horsepower West Bend outboard motor, Serial 1652, Model 12902; One 2 horsepower West Bend outboard motor, Serial 1983 or 1980 Model 2901; and against the peace and dignity of the State of Arkansas.”

The information was later amended by striking out the words “and disposal” from the charge; by correcting and changing the serial number of one of the motors from 10008-02643 to 10018-02643; and by adding another outboard motor describing it as follows: £ ‘ One 18 horsepower Evinrude Outboard Motor, Serial No. 15024-14804.” A long list of the State’s witnesses was also attached to this information at appellant’s request.

From the judgment comes this appeal. For reversal appellant contends that the trial court erred in allowing the information to be amended, as indicated above, and in refusing to quash it; that the court erred “in allowing the trial to proceed after amending the original information by striking the words ‘and disposal’ without any notice to the Appellant or Appellants Counsel;” that the court erred in refusing to grant appellant a continuance; and “by proceeding to trial without the State having first filed a Bill of Particulars as requested by Appellant.” And finally Silas contends that on account of the above alleged errors, he has been deprived of due process of law. We do not agree to any of these contentions.

Appellant, although a barber by trade, dealt in buying and selling many things, among them being automobiles, firearms and outboard marine motors. The evidence appears to be overwhelming that appellant induced several teenage boys to steal outboard motors for him and pursuant to this arrangement, six outboard marine motors were stolen and possession delivered to Silas. Silas paid the boys $300.00 for four of these motors. The owners of the stolen motors testified as to the ownership and identified them. One of the youths instrumental in stealing them testified that he, along with companions, delivered the stolen goods to Silas during the late hours of night. Serial numbers of the motors stolen corresponded with those in Silas’ possession. Numerous advertisements appeared in the local newspaper offering the sale of motors by Silas with horsepower identical with those stolen.

At the outset appellant is confronted with the fact that he did not file a motion for a new trial incorporating his alleged errors. Therefore, under our long established rule, only such errors as may appear on the face of the record will be considered by this court on appeal. In Holliman v. State, 213 Ark. 876, 213 S. W. 2d 617, we said: “There is no motion for a new trial in this record, and * * * it is a well settled rule of this court that, where there is no motion for a new trial, only errors appearing on the face of the record will be considered on appeal. ’ ’ As to what constitutes ‘ ‘ the record”, we said in Baker v. Allen, 204 Ark. 818, 164 S. W. 2d 1004: “The record proper includes the pleadings, any exhibits thereto, statement showing service of summons, any material order of court preceding judgment, the judgment iself, motion for new trial, the order overruling same, and the grant of appeal.”

The trial court did not err in allowing the State to amend the information by striking out the charge of “disposal” of stolen goods and thereby eliminating and reducing the charge to the one charge of “possession” of stolen goods. Obviously the nature and degree of the crime charged (§ 43-1024, Ark. Stats.) was not changed. The change made was clearly to appellant’s benefit and he cannot complain. “The only limitation on such amendment is that it relates to ‘matters of form,’ and not ‘change the nature or the degree of the crime charged,’ ” Ingle and Michael v. State, 211 Ark. 39, 198 S. W. 2d 996. In 42 C. J. S., Indictments and Informations, § 237, the author says: “No amendment of the information is necessary in order that the prosecuting attorney may abandon a greater charge and proceed against accused on a lesser one included therein; a simple motion, made verbally in open court, or an announcement of such intention, suffices if made before the trial begins,” and § 240, “Accused is not prejudiced by an amendment of an information to charge an offense included within that stated in the original information; and it has been held that an amendment which diminishes the accusation cannot injure accused.”

In 27 American Jurisprudence, Indictments and In-formations, § 118, we find this language: “Amendments in respect to the description of the offense or of the property involved, where they do not change the nature or degree of the offense are generally held to be proper under statutory authority permitting amendments as to form, ” and § 121, “ * * * it has been held proper, where no substantial change in the nature or degree of the offense is worked thereby * * * to permit an amendment * * * as to the property forming the subject matter thereof.”

Appellant contends that the amendment to the information “correcting the serial number of one of the outboard motors, which was otherwise properly described, by the changing of one number, was prejudicial error, and that the amendment of the information by the addition of an outboard motor also constituted error, alleging that these amendments were made without leave of the court.” The record reflects that these alleged errors were not made in appellants motion to quash the information, in his motion for bill of particulars, or in his motion for a continuance and were not made to the court prior to trial, and, as indicated, were not presented in a motion for a new trial; therefore, these contentions came too late and he is now estopped.

We find no merit in appellant’s contention that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to grant his motion for a continuance. Since this alleged error, as indicated, was not preserved in a motion for a new trial, it comes too late. We also quickly dispose of it on its merit by holding that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying a continuance. The court pointed out in overruling this motion that Mr. Hugh Trantham, appellant’s attorney of record, contacted the court concerning the bond at the time of appellant’s arrest in August and that attorney Trantham had represented appellant since August, 1959.

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Bluebook (online)
337 S.W.2d 644, 232 Ark. 248, 1960 Ark. LEXIS 393, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/silas-v-state-ark-1960.