State v. Arndt

553 P.2d 1328, 87 Wash. 2d 374, 1976 Wash. LEXIS 662
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 5, 1976
Docket43612
StatusPublished
Cited by242 cases

This text of 553 P.2d 1328 (State v. Arndt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Arndt, 553 P.2d 1328, 87 Wash. 2d 374, 1976 Wash. LEXIS 662 (Wash. 1976).

Opinions

Horowitz, J.

This case arises from a grand larceny conviction for fraudulent receipt of public assistance. The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction. State v. Arndt, 12 Wn. App. 248, 529 P.2d 887 (1974). We affirm.

The defendant, having received public assistance for approximately 2% years, was charged with violating RCW 74.08.331. A copy of the amended information is set out in the opinion of the Court of Appeals. RCW 74.08.331 provides in part:

Any person who by means of a wilfully false statement, or representation, or impersonation, or a wilful failure to reveal any material fact, condition or circumstance affecting eligibility of need for assistance, including medical care, surplus commodities and food stamps, as required by law, or a wilful failure to promptly notify the county office in writing as required by law or [sic] any change in status in respect to resources, or income, or need, or family composition, money contribution and other support, from whatever source derived, or any other change in circumstances affecting his eligibility or need for assistance, or other fraudulent device, obtains, or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets any person to obtain any public assistance to which he is not entitled or greater public assistance than that to which he is justly entitled shall be guilty of grand larceny and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not more than fifteen years.

The charge was made with respect to allegations that the defendant’s husband had returned home, that he was employed, that she paid no rent for her house and that her son [376]*376who lived with her was employed and occasionally gave her money for food. The jury found the defendant guilty of grand larceny.

Defendant’s primary contention is the trial court erroneously instructed the jury could find defendant guilty of one or more of the alternative means charged without a further requirement the jury agree unanimously as to the particular mode of commission. The jury was instructed, however, there must be a unanimous agreement defendant committed the crime of grand larceny as defined in RCW 74.08.331. In instructing the jury as to alternative means, the trial court used the language of the statute, stating that guilt could be based upon a finding defendant

either made a false statement or representation of material facts, conditions or circumstances affecting her eligibility of [sic] need for assistance, or that the defendant failed to reveal any material facts, conditions or circumstances affecting her eligibility of [sic] need for assistance, or that the defendant failed to promptly notify the county office in writing as required by law of any change in status with respect to resources or income or money contributions from whatever source derived . . .

(Italics ours.)

The Court of Appeals rejected defendant’s contention on the ground that when alternative means of committing a single crime are charged, and there is substantial evidence presented to support each of the alternative means, and the alternative means are not repugnant to one another, unanimity of the jury as to the mode of commission is not required. State v. Stuhr, 1 Wn.2d 521, 529, 96 P.2d 479 (1939); State v. Talbott, 199 Wash. 431, 437-38, 91 P.2d 1020 (1939); State v. Medley, 11 Wn. App. 491, 497, 524 P.2d 466 (1974) (rule approved but not applied). The Court of Appeals held: “RCW 74.08.331 does not list multiple crimes, but merely one crime, grand larceny, which can be committed various ways.” State v. Arndt, supra at 252. Therefore, the court held, since the several means charged are not repugnant to one another, the trial court was not [377]*377required to instruct the jury to unanimously agree upon the particular mode or modes of commission.

We agree with the Court of Appeals that the resolution of this first issue requires a determination of whether RCW 74.08.331 describes (1) a single offense of grand larceny committable in more than one way, or (2) several separate and distinct offenses, each constituting grand larceny. As stated in State v. Kosanke, 23 Wn.2d 211, 213, 160 P.2d 541 (1945):

[W]e must have in mind that there are two classes of criminal statutes to be considered. One class defines a specific crime, or makes a certain act or acts a felony or misdemeanor, or either, or both, and provides different ways in or means by which the crime may be committed, all in one statute, and the other class may set forth several distinct acts and make the commission of each a separate crime, all in one statute.

Accord, State v. St. Clair, 21 Wn.2d 407, 413-14, 151 P.2d 181 (1944); State v. Adams, 41 Wash. 552, 83 P. 1108 (1906).

If RCW 74.08.331 falls within the first category, it is unnecessary to a guilty verdict that there be more than unanimity concerning guilt as to the single crime charged, i.e., grand larceny, regardless of unanimity as to the means by which the crime is committed provided there is substantial evidence to support each of the means charged. State v. Talbott, supra; State v. Stuhr, supra; State v. Medley, supra; State v. Carothers, 9 Wn. App. 691, 694, n.2, 514 P.2d 170 (1973); State v. Metcalf, 14 Wn. App. 232, 239, 540 P.2d 459 (1975). Cases from other states are generally to the same effect. People v. Nye, 63 Cal. 2d 166, 173, 403 P.2d 736, 45 Cal. Rptr. 328 (1965); People v. Chavez, 37 Cal. 2d 656, 670-72, 234 P.2d 632 (1951); People v. Nor Woods, 37 Cal. 2d 584, 586, 233 P.2d 897 (1951); State v. Souhrada, 122 Mont. 377, 385, 204 P.2d 792 (1949); People v. Sullivan, 173 N.Y. 122, 127-30, 65 N.E. 989 (1903); State v. Flathers, 57 S.D. 320, 321-24, 232 N.W. 51, 72 A.L.R. 150 (1930). On the other hand, if RCW 74.08.331 falls within the second category, and the statute describes more than one crime, there [378]*378must be a unánimous verdict as to each separate crime described. See People v. Failla, 64 Cal. 2d 560, 567-69, 414 P.2d 39, 51 Cal. Rptr. 103 (1966), citing inter alia, People v. Scofield, 203 Cal. 703, 709-11, 265 P. 914 (1928), and People v. Dutra, 75 Cal. App.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
553 P.2d 1328, 87 Wash. 2d 374, 1976 Wash. LEXIS 662, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-arndt-wash-1976.