State v. Clark

278 P. 776, 47 Idaho 750, 1929 Ida. LEXIS 184
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJune 26, 1929
DocketNo. 5257.
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 278 P. 776 (State v. Clark) 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. Clark, 278 P. 776, 47 Idaho 750, 1929 Ida. LEXIS 184 (Idaho 1929).

Opinion

GIYENS, J.

Appellant was found guilty of having as city clerk of the city of Burley embezzled from such city the sum of $5,869.72 as charged in the information filed against him. His first group of assignments is based on the action of the trial court in allowing the state’s challenges of certain veniremen on the ground that they were qualified jurors and that the trial court improperly dismissed them.

A defendant is not entitled to any particular juror and *754 even though these challenges should not have been allowed, defendant has not shown that the jurors actually chosen were not in every way qualified. No prejudice is shown. (State v. Hoagland, 39 Ida. 405, 228 Pac. 314; State v. Rodriguez, 23 N. M. 156, 167 Pac. 426, L. R. A. 1918A, 1016.)

Various amounts making up the total embezzlement consisted of the collection by defendant of charges against individuals in Burley for water and electricity furnished by the city. Defendant urges that there was no competent proof that the city owned the light and water facilities. There was ample evidence that the office of the city clerk collected these charges and that the defendant received them as charges for light and water service rendered and that they were paid by him to the city treasurer. The record shows these charges were received by the defendant as city funds and under the city ordinance he was charged with their receipt and distribution. (State v. Dawe, 31 Ida. 796, 177 Pac. 393.)

Defendant objected to certain questions asked of the clerks in his employ and of an expert accountant who had audited his accounts on the ground that the questions called for conclusions and were not the best evidence. Where there are records and numerous accounts consisting of many documents, books, entries, etc., a person properly qualified either as an expert or by reason of having made such accounts may testify as to the results of his examination. (Gurley v. State, 164 Ark. 397, 262 S. W. 636; People v. Wulff, 313 Ill. 286, 145 N. E. 108; State v. Ewert, 52 S. D. 619, 219 N. W. 817.)

The evidence clearly showed that records of the clerk’s office were kept by the defendant or the clerks under his direction and control.

All records from which the witnesses testified with the exception of the records of the school district, were before the court and no demand was made by the defendant for the school records.

A bill of particulars was requested by the defendant and two affidavits were made by the prosecuting attorney *755 which the court ordered should be considered as a bill of particulars. The defendant urges that these were insufficient and also that certain items, particularly Exhibits 166, 167, relating thereto, were admitted and that the bill of particulars did not refer to these items.

The first affidavit contained general statements which might have included the subject matter of these exhibits even though not particularly mentioning them. It will also be noticed that on first offering the exhibits the prosecuting attorney promised to connect them up and the court allowed them to stand. Later the court in connection with these exhibits admitted Exhibit 96 without objection and at that time no motion to strike Exhibits 166 and 167 was made. The court at the same time expressly sustained an objection to Exhibit 168. In view of the colloquy with regard to these exhibits extending through the testimony of the wii nesses, Steen and Painter, the court might have concluded that by the failure to object to the admission of Exhibit 96, defendant had concluded these exhibits had been properly connected. We believe that defendant was not prejudiced, especially in view of the fact that the trial court is given discretionary power in inflicting the extreme penalty in refusing evidence not referred to in the bill of particulars. (Miller v. Village of Mullan, 17 Ida. 28, 19 Ann. Cas. 1107, 104 Pac. 660.)

The above is a civil ease but there is no provision in the criminal code for a bill of particulars. Conceding that this court has held that a bill of particulars may be applied for in a criminal case, the reasoning applicable to a bill of particulars in a civil case is applicable to a criminal case.

Defendant contends that the ordinances introduced in evidence were not shown to be ordinances of the city of Burley. C. S., see. 4064, makes the city clerk custodian of all city ordinances and records of the city which, by C. S., sec. 4063, may be proved by the certificate of the clerk. Sections 3848, 3853-3858, provide in substance that where a village becomes a city, all remaining unrepealed ordinances of the village become the ordinances of the city. It is defendant’s contention that there is nothing to show that the *756 ordinances in question were unrepealed. Ordinance 82, which prescribes the duties of the city clerk, bore this certification :

“State of Idaho,
“County of Cassia, — ss.
“I, George Peacock, Clerk of the City of Burley, County of Cassia, State of Idaho, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original ordinance No. 82 found in Ordinance Book No. 2 on pages 282-286, of the City of Burley, State of Idaho, now on record in my office at Burley, Idaho.
“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal,
“Done at Burley, Idaho, this 19th day of April, 1928.
“(Seal) GEO. S. PEACOCK, Clerk.”

Ordinance 196, providing for lighting rates, was .an ordinance of the city of Burley and likewise contained such a certificate of the city clerk as of date April 19, 1928.

The ordinances having been adopted May 7, 1913, and February 2, 1920, respectively, there was thus a prima facie showing that the two ordinances were in effect during the period covered by the information.

Ordinance 265 was attested by the defendant himself.

Ordinances 249 and 267 were attested by the defendant as ordinances of the city of Burley and their dates and the date of the certificate show they were effective over the period when the defendant was in office. There was thus a prima facie showing that these ordinances were unrepealed and were valid and subsisting ordinances of the city of Burley. (State v. Dawe, supra.)

The language of the last case at page 806 of 31 Ida., 177 Pac. 397, is pertinent not only in regard to defendant’s contention as to these ordinances but also as to the ownership of the utilities and the receipt of the light and water charges and the duty of the clerk in connection with turning over these funds to the city treasurer:

“Granting, then, that these ordinances were not legally passed by the council, they were brought in evidence, certified *757

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
278 P. 776, 47 Idaho 750, 1929 Ida. LEXIS 184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-clark-idaho-1929.