Simons v. State

1940 OK CR 54, 101 P.2d 852, 69 Okla. Crim. 265, 1940 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 31
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 18, 1940
DocketNo. A-9628.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1940 OK CR 54 (Simons v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simons v. State, 1940 OK CR 54, 101 P.2d 852, 69 Okla. Crim. 265, 1940 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 31 (Okla. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

BAREFOOT, J.

The defendant, George E. Simons, was charged in the district court of Okmulgee county with the crime of murder ; was tried, convicted of manslaughter in the first degree, and the court assessed his punishment at four years in the penitentiary, and he has appealed.

This charge arose by reason of the killing of Dave Franke upon the public streets of Okmulgee, on the 3rd day of August, 1938. He was killed by being hit by an automobile driven by defendant.

The first assignment of error is that the court erred in refusing to strike and suppress the evidence of certain officers for the reason that the same was based upon an illegal search and seizure. For the consideration of this error it becomes necessary to review the evidence presented by the record.

At about 8 or 8:30 a. m., on the morning of August 3, 1938, the deceased, Dave Franke, was walking from his home to his place of business, and while crossing Eighth street at the intersection of Oklahoma avenue, he was struck by an automobile and was injured, and from the injuries received he died on the 13th day of August, 1938. At the time he was injured he was walking north, crossing Eighth street. At this intersection there is a large “stop” sign. Just as the deceased was attempting *267 to cross the street an oil truck drove up going east, and was in the act of stopping at the stop sign. The deceased passed in front of the truck and just as he did so he was struck by an automobile which came around the truck, going east at a speed of 40 to 45 miles an hour, and which said automobile made no stop at the stop sign, and did not stop after hitting the deceased, but sped on east at a high rate of speed, as the witnesses for the state say of approximately 40 or 45 miles an hour. The deceased was whirled around and thrown to the pavement, and from the effects of the injuries received died on the 13th day of August, 1938.

There were three eye-witnesses to the occurrence. We shall not encumber the record with a statement of the evidence of each of these witnesses. Some saw more than others, but the testimony of each is about the same, and was to the effect that the driver of the automobile which struck deceased made no attempt to stop at the stop sign where the accident occurred. That he passed the truck which came to a stop at the stop sign. That he was traveling at the rate of 40 to 45 miles an hour. That he made no attempt to' check his speed, and that after striking deceased, he made no- attempt to stop but sped on.

The evidence was that none of the eye-witnesses were able to identify the defendant as the driver of the car. However, at the time of striking the deceased a knob of the door of the automobile was broken off, and also' a piece of the glass from the front door was broken. These were picked up by a boy who was present just after the collision, and were taken by him to the police station.

A deputy sheriff, J. J. Forbes, on the morning of the 3rd day of August, 1938, was going from his home *268 to the sheriff’s office. He saw an automobile driving at a fast rate of speed and weaving on Eighth street. His attention was attracted by the manner in which the car was being driven, and he turned around and followed the same. The car was driven into a garage, and the witness saiv defendant getting out of the same. He was drunk, and it was necessary for the witness to assist him into- the house and put him to bed. He testified that he arrested him at that time for driving, while drunk or for reckless driving, but left him at home on account of his condition, and proceeded to the office of the sheriff of Okmulgee county. When he arrived there he was informed of the collision in which Dave Franke was injured. He immediately went to the office of the police chief, and in company with Sheriff John Lenox, and Officers Albert Rhea, Johnny Hays and K. L. Alexander, proceeded to the home of defendant, and defendant was taken in charge, and taken to the county jail. That while they were there they made an examination of defendant’s car, which ivas in an open garage, and compared the door knob that had been found at the scene of the accident and found that defendant’s car had the door knob knocked off. They also returned to the city police headquarters after the defendant was in jail, and returned to his home with the piece of glass that had been picked up by the boy at the scene of the collision, and turned over to the officers. This glass was compared with the glass missing from defendant’s car, and was found to fit the same. The officers asked the defendant’s wife for permission to make the examination, and she suggested that they take the car to a garage for the purpose of dismantling the “wing glass”, which they did. The evidence revealed that the officers at no time procured a search warrant before making the investigation and comparisons herein- *269 before stated, and this was tbe basis for tbe objection to the introduction of the evidence hereinbefore stated.

In the first place, it does not occur to us that this comparison and investigation by the officers, where a felony had been committed, could be construed as a search. The car was in an open garage. The defendant had been arrested by one of the deputy sheriffs, who was present at the time the comparison and investigation was made, and who had arrested defendant for the commission of a crime committed in his presence, either of drunken driving or reckless driving. He had permitted him tO' stay at his home temporarily, because of his drunken condition. There can he no question that under the holdings of this court, that an officer who arrests one for the commission of an offense has the right to search.his person and immediate surroundings at the time of his arrest. Newton v. State, 61 Okla. Cr. 287, 71 P. 2d 122; Brumley v. State, 69 Okla. Cr. 122, 100 P. 2d 465; Washington v. State, 37 Okla. Cr. 415, 259 P. 150; Smith v. State, 52 Okla. Cr. 315, 4 P. 2d 1076. The officers did not know at the time of his arrest that defendant had committed the offense of murder. When he learned of this fact he in company with other officers returned to take custody of defendant, which he did, and the investigations and comparisons heretofore related were made. We certainly do not think it was necessary for the officers to be required to secure a search warrant before making this investigation and comparison as the facts here revealed. It would be just as reasonable to say that the officers wlm were called to the scene of a homicide could not make an investigation of the surroundings Avithout the securing of a search warrant. Certainly this Avas not the intention of the law. There is another substantial reason why the introduction of this evidence was *270 not error. It was introduced for the purpose of establishing the identity of the defendant as the person who was driving the automobile which struck and killed the defendant. The eye-witnesses to the collision being unable to identify the defendant, this evidence was introduced for the purpose of identification. The defendant seemed to take the position that he was not driving the car at the time of the collision, but when he took the witness stand in his own behalf, he practically admitted that it was his car1 which struck deceased, and that he was driving, the same.

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Related

Fitzgerald v. State
1945 OK CR 23 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1945)
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1944 OK CR 48 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1944)
King v. State
1942 OK CR 19 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1940 OK CR 54, 101 P.2d 852, 69 Okla. Crim. 265, 1940 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simons-v-state-oklacrimapp-1940.