State v. Buffington

588 S.W.2d 512, 1979 Mo. App. LEXIS 3005
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 19, 1979
Docket10997
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 588 S.W.2d 512 (State v. Buffington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Buffington, 588 S.W.2d 512, 1979 Mo. App. LEXIS 3005 (Mo. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

PREWITT, Judge.

Defendant was convicted, after a jury trial in Greene County Circuit Court, of stealing a motor vehicle in Kansas and bringing it into Missouri in violation of § 541.040 RSMo 1969. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

On September 13, 1976, a blue 1977 Lincoln Continental with a white top and a “moon-roof” disappeared from Bob Sight Lincoln Mercury, Inc. in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. Shortly before the vehicle was missing, defendant was seen in the showroom looking at other cars, and then later looking over the missing vehicle. It was parked near the service area with the keys in it.

On September 15, 1976, a police officer for the City of Maryville, Missouri, was looking for stolen stereo speakers and talked to defendant at an apartment house. On the apartment house parking lot was a white over blue Lincoln Continental with a “moon-roof”. Defendant stated that it was his car, and he had a key to the ignition, but that he had just purchased the vehicle and did not have a trunk key. Defendant said he did not have registration papers for the vehicle as the dealer was awaiting an invoice, and that he was given a blank Missouri title to use in place of the registration. It was dark, and the officer took down the vehicle information number with aid of a street light. He wrote the number down as 7Y32A304920. The number was given to the dispatcher at the police station to put into a computer system to see if the vehicle was reported as stolen. A reply came back that it was not. The number of the Lincoln Continental taken from Bob Sight Lincoln Mercury, Inc. was 7Y82A804920. The officer identified three photographs of the Lin- *514 coin Continental missing from Bob Sight Lincoln Mercury, Inc. as the vehicle that he saw on the apartment parking lot.

On September 17,1976, David R. Spencer, a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was in Springfield, Missouri acting as a purchaser of stolen property. He received a call from Kansas City, Missouri inquiring if he would like to purchase a stolen 1977 Lincoln Continental with a blue exterior, white top and blue interior. The next morning Spencer called back and agreed to purchase the vehicle for $3,500. He was told that “Bob” would be down with the vehicle in approximately five hours. Agent Spencer was asked by defendant’s counsel if he was told whether anyone else would come down with Bob. After checking his notes, the witness replied: “He referred to them in the plural, stating ‘they’ ”. At 10:32 p. m., on September 18, 1976, Agent Spencer received a call from Bob, who told him that the vehicle was parked at a local nightclub next to a Cadillac. He described the vehicle as being a white over blue Lincoln Continental with a “sun-roof or moon-roof”. Agent Spencer then went to see the vehicle and observed that it had a Kansas license plate. He then met with Bob and defendant at a Springfield restaurant. He had known Bob before but had not met defendant. He was with them at the restaurant approximately forty to forty-five minutes. All his conversation was with Bob and not defendant. Spencer then went to a different Springfield nightclub and took possession of the Lincoln Continental. Bob gave him the keys. He drove it to a storage place and then returned and paid Bob $3,500 in cash. Defendant and two other persons were with Bob when payment was made. They then got into another vehicle and left. The motor vehicle identification number of this Lincoln Continental was the same as the vehicle missing from the car dealership in Overland Park, Kansas.

Defendant claims two points of error by the trial court. He first contends that the trial court erred in overruling his motion for acquittal, “since no evidence was produced which established defendant brought a stolen motor vehicle into Greene County, Missouri”. In testing whether the evidence is sufficient, the evidence and all favorable inferences must be considered in the light most favorable to the State and all evidence and inferences to the contrary disregarded. State v. Sherrill, 496 S.W.2d 321, 323 (Mo.App.1973). We determine if there is sufficient substantial evidence to support the verdict, not weigh the evidence to determine if the charge has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. That is for the jury to determine. State v. Sherrill, supra.

There was no direct evidence that defendant stole and brought the vehicle into Greene County, Missouri, as the jury was required to find. However, any fact can be established by circumstantial evidence. State v. Chase, 444 S.W.2d 398, 402 (Mo.banc 1969). While the circumstances must be such as are inconsistent with defendant’s innocence, it is not necessary that they be absolutely conclusive of his guilt, and the evidence need not demonstrate an absolute impossibility of innocence. State v. Taylor, 445 S.W.2d 282, 284 (Mo.1969). The jury was justified in finding that defendant did steal the vehicle. There was evidence from which they could find that he was on the premises and looking at the vehicle just before it disappeared. They could find that he had possession of it in Maryville two days after it was taken. Recent possession of stolen property is a circumstance from which guilt may be inferred. State v. Lewis, 482 S.W.2d 436, 437 (Mo.1972); State v. Chase, supra, 444 S.W.2d at 402-403. In Chase, the defendant was on the premises of a jewelry store looking at rings just before a ring disappeared. The ring was found in his car shortly after he was removed from it fourteen days later. The presence on the premises with opportunity to have taken it and possession of the ring were held sufficient to sustain a conviction. Here the jury could find defendant was on the premises, was in a position to have taken the vehicle, and had possession two days later. If they so believed, they could find he stole it.

*515 Defendant was still in Maryville with the vehicle on September 16, 1976. The following day, in Kansas City, a call was placed to Agent Spencer offering to sell the vehicle to him. Agent Spencer was told the vehicle would be brought down. He was told that “they” would be bringing it. When he received a call to go look at the vehicle in Springfield, he was told that “we” are at the nightclub. Defendant was present when Agent Spencer discussed the vehicle with Bob and was present when payment was made. Defendant argues that there was no evidence that he had ever driven the vehicle or received any of the money. There was evidence that he admitted possession and claimed ownership of the vehicle on September 15th in Maryville and had a key to the door. He was in Springfield when the vehicle was there. He was present when the sale was discussed and present when the money changed hands. He was with the person who delivered possession of the vehicle and received the money. If defendant stole the vehicle, it follows that he would have had an interest in its disposition. No other reason or explanation was given for his being present with Bob at these times. The jury could have determined that he brought, or participated in bringing, the vehicle to Greene County for the purpose of resale.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Gleason
813 S.W.2d 892 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1991)
State v. Miller
772 S.W.2d 782 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1989)
State v. Brown
749 S.W.2d 448 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
State v. Antone
724 S.W.2d 267 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
State v. Cook
711 S.W.2d 208 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
In the Interest of M_A_C
693 S.W.2d 225 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1985)
State v. Smith
684 S.W.2d 576 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Casey
683 S.W.2d 282 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Garrett
682 S.W.2d 153 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Neal
680 S.W.2d 310 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Delaney
675 S.W.2d 105 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Hodge
655 S.W.2d 738 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1983)
State v. Gamble
649 S.W.2d 573 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1983)
State v. Mintner
643 S.W.2d 289 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)
State v. Maggard
633 S.W.2d 290 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)
State v. Thurber
625 S.W.2d 931 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)
State v. Williams
623 S.W.2d 552 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1981)
State v. Mangan
624 S.W.2d 156 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)
State v. Dennis
622 S.W.2d 404 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)
State v. Mitchell
611 S.W.2d 223 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
588 S.W.2d 512, 1979 Mo. App. LEXIS 3005, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-buffington-moctapp-1979.