State v. Bell

370 P.2d 508, 84 Idaho 153, 1962 Ida. LEXIS 196
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 2, 1962
Docket8999
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 370 P.2d 508 (State v. Bell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho 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. Bell, 370 P.2d 508, 84 Idaho 153, 1962 Ida. LEXIS 196 (Idaho 1962).

Opinion

*156 TAYLOR, Justice.

Defendant (appellant) was convicted upon a charge of misuse of public moneys received by him as a justice of the peace. The charge is alleged in the information as follows:

“That said defendant, Kenneth G. Bell, was from January 12, 1959, to and including July 31, 1960, a duly elected, qualified and acting Justice of the Peace of Boise Precinct in and for the County of Ada, State of Idaho; that in his, the said defendant’s, capacity as Justice of the Peace of said Precinct, as aforesaid, said defendant was charged with the receipt, safekeeping,, transfer and disbursement of public monies; that during the period from January 1, 1960, to and including the 30th day of June, 1960, said defendant, in the course of his duties as Justice of the Peace of Boise Precinct, as aforesaid, did receive public monies in the sum of Eight Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty and 7%oo ($8,850.70) Dollars; that said defendant, Kenneth G. Bell, in his capacity as Justice of the Peace, as aforesaid, did wilfully, intentionally, unlawfully and feloniously omit to transfer said monies to the County Treasurer as required by Section 31-3016, Idaho Code.”

Defendant contends the information was insufficient to confer jurisdiction upon *157 the district court, for failure to allege therein that the offense was committed in the county where the information was filed, and that it fails to allege that the offense was committed in the State of Idaho. The information sufficiently alleges that the offense was committed in the “County of Ada, State of Idaho.” The allegation that the defendant was acting as justice of the peace of Boise precinct in the County of Ada, State of Idaho, and “in his capacity as Justice of the Peace, as aforesaid, did wilfully” omit to transfer the moneys to the county treasurer, is sufficient as an allegation that the offense was committed in Ada County, State of Idaho. The use of the reference words “as aforesaid” refers hack to and incorporates in the allegation detailing the offense, the prior allegation that the events occurred while he was acting as justice of the peace in the County of Ada, State of Idaho. People v. Nelson, 399 Ill. 132, 77 N.E.2d 171; Chambers v. State, 212 Ind. 672, 10 N.E.2d 731; Post v. State, 197 Ind. 193, 150 N.E. 99; Traughber v. Commonwealth, 198 Ky. 596, 249 S.W. 770; McElvene v. State, 105 Fla. 639, 142 So. 216; 42 C.J.S. Indictments & Informations § 122d, p. 1004.

Moreover, the law required the defendant to transfer and pay the moneys to the county treasurer. Therefore, the allegation that he failed to pay the moneys to the county treasurer was equivalent to an allegation that he failed to pay the money to the treasurer in Ada County. People v. Rogerson, 4 Utah 231, 7 P. 255, 410.

Defendant further contends that the statute under which he was charged was repealed, at least as to the bulk of the money handled by him, by a later enactment. The offense charged is defined in I.C. § 18-5701, as follows:

“Each officer of this state, or of any county, city, town or district of this state, and every other person charged with the receipt, safe keeping, transfer or disbursement of public moneys, who either:
******
“9. Wilfully omits to transfer the same when s«ch transfer is required by law; or,
“10. Wilfully omits or refuses to pay over to any officer or person authorized by law to receive the same, any money received by him under any duty imposed by law so to pay over the same;
“Is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than one nor more than ten years, and is disqualified from holding zi\y office in this state.”

This statute was first enacted by the territorial legislature in 1864. I.C. § 18-5704 provides:

*158 “If any clerk, justice of the peace, sheriff or constable who receives any fine or forfeiture or costs arising out of a judgment in a criminal action, refuses or neglects to pay over the same according to law, and within thirty days after the receipt thereof, such officer is guilty of a misdemeanor.”

This statute was first enacted by the 12th territorial legislature in 1883 (12th S.L. p. 32).

Implied repeal of an earlier statute by a later one occurs only where the two are inconsistent and irreconcilable. Golconda Lead Mines v. Neill, 82 Idaho 96, 350 P.2d 221; Idaho Wool Marketing Association v. Mays, 80 Idaho 365, 330 P.2d 337; Storseth v. State, 72 Idaho 49, 236 P.2d 1004; State v. Teninty, 70 Idaho 1, 212 P.2d 412; Poston v. Hollar, 64 Idaho 322, 132 P.2d 142.

There is no conflict between these two statutes and they are not inconsistent. I.C. § 18-5701 defines a felony. The word “wilfully” as used therein means “knowingly” or “intentionally,” and does not encompass inadvertence or mistake. State v. Parish, 79 Idaho 75, 310 P.2d 1082; State v. Johnson, 74 Idaho 269, 261 P.2d 638; In re Huston, 27 Idaho 231, 147 P. 1064. I.C. § 18-5704 defines a misdemeanor, and includes cases of inadvertence and mistake. The California district court of appeal correctly distinguished similar statutes in People v. Floyd, 78 Cal.App. 11, 247 P. 917.

Defendant also urges that since the bulk of the money which he failed to remit consists of fines, forfeitures and costs in criminal cases, he should have been prosecuted under I.C. § 18-5704 for a misdemeanor. This contention is without merit. The “public moneys” referred to in I.C. § 18-5701, as defined in I.C. § 18-5703, includes all of the moneys which came into the defendant’s hands in his official capacity. I.C. § 31-3016 requires all fees and costs received by defendant in both civil and criminal cases to be transmitted to the county treasurer. I.C. § 19-4701 requires all fines, forfeitures and costs likewise to be remitted to the county treasurer.

Defendant’s further contention is that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict. Attention is called to the testimony of the auditor showing that defendant remitted moneys to the treasurer through the auditor’s office as follows: January 8, 1960, $3,332.50; February 25, 1960, $1,-006.00; July 21, 1960, $4,288.20; and that on July 28, 1960, defendant endorsed salary warrants totaling $2,167.61, payable to him as justice of the peace, which had been withheld by the county, and left them with the auditor for payment into the county treasury. Defendant urges that if these payments had been credited against the amount due from him to the county for the *159

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
370 P.2d 508, 84 Idaho 153, 1962 Ida. LEXIS 196, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-bell-idaho-1962.