State v. Brock

633 P.2d 805, 53 Or. App. 785, 1981 Ore. App. LEXIS 3249
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedSeptember 8, 1981
Docket35639, CA 17453
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 633 P.2d 805 (State v. Brock) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Brock, 633 P.2d 805, 53 Or. App. 785, 1981 Ore. App. LEXIS 3249 (Or. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinions

[787]*787RICHARDSON, J.

Defendant appeals from a judgment of conviction for theft in the first degree (ORS 164.055) entered following a jury verdict. He assigns as error the trial court’s denial of his motion for judgment of acquittal on grounds of insufficient evidence, the failure of the court to give certain requested instructions and the denial of his motion to suppress evidence seized in a nighttime search of his residence pursuant to a warrant. Additionally, he claims that the cumulative effect of certain alleged prosecutorial misconduct during the trial resulted in a denial of his due process rights. We affirm.

In material part, the indictment alleged that the defendant

"* * * did unlawfully and knowingly commit theft of one (1) General Electric brand washer, one (1) General Electric brand dryer, one (1) General Electric brand refrigerator, one (1) carpet marked 'Golden West,’ and one (1) full length mirror of the total value of more than Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00), by withholding said property from Barrett Mobile Home Transport, Inc., the owner thereof, * * *.”

The victim, Barrett Mobile Home Transport, Inc. (Barrett), maintained a lot for storage of fully equipped mobile homes which were awaiting transport. An employee of Barrett testified that from December, 1978, through February, 1979, several of the mobile homes were broken into and numerous items removed. The stolen items included several General Electric refrigerators varying in size from 14.2 to 16.5 cubic feet with a replacement cost of approximately $450 each. A General Electric washer and dryer in their original cartons were taken and had a replacement cost of $300 each. Also taken was a large roll of special order carpet marked "Golden West” and containing an individual run number, and two full length mirrors with a replacement cost of $75 each.

Dale Morford, a witness for the state under a grant of immunity, testified that he and defendant broke into mobile homes stored on the Barrett lot on several occasions during the December to February period. On one occasion they removed a General Electric refrigerator. In the process of loading the refrigerator in defendant’s van it was [788]*788damaged with a crease down one side. On other occasions they removed a General Electric washer and a dryer still in the original cartons, a large roll of carpet and two full length mirrors. The refrigerator, washer and dryer and one of the mirrors were taken to defendant’s residence where they were installed for use. A portion of the large carpet roll was cut and installed in a bedroom there. Morford testified he had been in defendant’s home a number of times following the thefts and had observed the items in use there. He identified the items after they were removed from defendant’s home by the police, pursuant to the warrant, as those taken from the mobile homes and used in defendant’s residence.

Defendant was arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant at approximately 9 p.m. on June 29, 1979. On that same day a police officer submitted an affidavit for a search warrant to search his residence. It was executed shortly after 10 p.m. on June 29, 1979. The police seized a 14.2 cubic foot General Electric refrigerator with a crease on one side, a General Electric washer and dryer, a piece of carpet and one full length mirror.

Defendant’s first assignment contends that his motion for judgment of acquittal should have been granted. His principal contention under this assignment is that there was not sufficient evidence identifying the items seized in defendant’s home as the property stolen from Barrett. His first argument is that there was no evidence that the serial numbers on the appliances in defendant’s home matched serial numbers of appliances stolen from the mobile homes. The state did not produce serial numbers of the stolen appliances. He cites State v. Oster, 232 Or 396, 376 P2d 87 (1962), and contends the serial numbers are the best evidence of identification and the failure of the state to identify the appliances by serial numbers is fatal.

In Oster, the defendant was charged in Marion County with receiving and concealing check blanks stolen from the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company in Multnomah County. An accomplice testified that she observed defendant and certain other individuals hide a purse under a log in Marion County. The witness later led the police to the hidden purse. A police officer testified the purse contained [789]*789Pepsi Cola Bottling Company check blanks. The checks were not further identified nor were they offered in evidence. The court held the evidence was insufficient to identify the checks in the purse as those stolen from the bottling company. The court noted that the evidence showed that each of the checks stolen bore the name and address of the company and a serial number and said that if the checks in the purse were among the checks reported stolen that fact would have appeared from a comparison of the serial numbers. It concluded:

"* * *That rule [the rule in larceny cases] is that identification of property found in the possession of the accused as that stolen in the theft with which he is charged must be by the most direct and positive testimony of which the case is susceptible * * (Citations omitted.) 232 Or at 403.

We do not read Oster as saying as a matter of law that if serial numbers are arguably available identification by comparison of serial numbers is the only proof which will be sufficient. The inquiry is whether the evidence viewed in a light most favorable to the state is sufficient for the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the items in defendant’s possession were stolen from the named victim. In the case under review, Morford positively identified the appliances taken from defendant’s residence as those he and defendant had stolen from Barrett. We conclude there was sufficient evidence.

Defendant’s second argument under this assignment is that if serial number identification was not required, there was still insufficient evidence to establish that the appliances were stolen from Barrett. He contends the Barrett employee was unable to identify the property seized from defendant’s residence as that taken from the mobile homes. The witness was only able to identify the appliances as of the same brand and color taken from the mobile homes. However, the testimony of that witness in conjunction with the testimony of Morford was sufficient to identify the seized property as that stolen from Barrett.

Our conclusion that the evidence sufficiently identified the appliances disposes of defendant’s final argument in support of his motion that, absent the appliances, the remaining property was not valued in excess of $200 as [790]*790required to sustain a conviction for theft in the first degree.

Defendant’s second assignment of error is that the court improperly declined to give two of his requested instructions. In substance, the two instructions were to the effect that if the state offers weaker and less satisfactory evidence when more satisfactory evidence is available, the evidence offered should be viewed with suspicion. The requested instructions, when read together, limited application of the principle to evidence submitted by the state. The instructions are based on ORS

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837 P.2d 941 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1992)
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595 N.E.2d 302 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1992)
United States v. Shelton
742 F. Supp. 1491 (D. Wyoming, 1990)
State v. Seyferth
397 N.W.2d 666 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1986)
State v. McNassar
712 P.2d 170 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1986)
State v. Sellers
709 P.2d 768 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1985)
State v. Lewis
683 P.2d 448 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Huffman
672 P.2d 1351 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1983)
State v. Woodfield
659 P.2d 1006 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1983)
State v. Ness
635 P.2d 1025 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1981)
State v. Cochrane
634 P.2d 273 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1981)
State v. Brock
633 P.2d 805 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
633 P.2d 805, 53 Or. App. 785, 1981 Ore. App. LEXIS 3249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brock-orctapp-1981.