State v. Colohan

286 N.W. 888, 69 N.D. 316, 1939 N.D. LEXIS 154
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1939
DocketFile No. Cr. 165.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 286 N.W. 888 (State v. Colohan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota 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. Colohan, 286 N.W. 888, 69 N.D. 316, 1939 N.D. LEXIS 154 (N.D. 1939).

Opinion

*320 Burr, J.

The defendant was convicted of the crime of “Operating a Motor Vehicle While under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor,” under the provisions of § 2 and § 62 of chapter 162 of the Session Laws of 1927, the specific facts charged being that “the said defendant did wilfully and unlawfully operate and drive a motor vehicle upon the streets of Pargo, North Dakota, while being under the influence of intoxicating liquor.” The maximum penalty set forth in § 62 of the act is imprisonment in the county jail -for one year and a fine of five hundred dollars for the first offense and imprisonment in the county jail for not less than one year and a fine of one thousand dollars for the second offense.

The defendant entered a plea of “not guilty.” After the case was called for trial, but before the jury was drawn, he asked and obtained leave to withdraw this plea in order to demur to the information. The demurrer alleged that the information did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, basing the same upon the subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) hereinafter set forth. The demurrer was overruled. The record does not show any entry of plea thereafter. A jury was im *321 paneled and sworn and testimony introduced by the State. The case was submitted to the jury under instructions by the court and the verdict of “guilty” returned.

When the verdict was returned the defendant made a “motion to vacate verdict, dismiss complaint and discharge defendant,” basing the motion upon the identical grounds used as the basis for the demurrer. This motion was overruled. The defendant then made a motion “in arrest of judgment, or in the alternative for a new trial . . .,” basing this upon the same grounds. This motion was overruled, and sentence was pronounced. Thereupon the defendant appealed to this court.

The notice of appeal states the appeal is taken from “the following orders and judgment, to wit:

“1. From that certain order refusing Motion in arrest of Judgment or in the alternative for a new trial, a copy of which Motion and Order is hereto attached and made a part hereof;

. “2. From that certain other Order refusing defendant’s Motion' to vacate the verdict, dismiss the Complaint and discharge the defendant, a copy of which said Motion and Order thereon is hereto attached and made a part hereof;

“3. From that certain final Judgment of conviction entered herein upon the same grounds and reasons specified in the two preceding Motions and Orders thereon, a copy of which said Judgment is hereto attached and made a part hereof.”

Thus, the appeal is limited to these grounds.

In the specifications of error the defendant sets forth as Nos. 1, 2, and 3 grounds used as a basis for his demurrer and the various motions which were made. As No. 4 he specifies as erroneous a portion of the charge to the jury; as No. 5, “that the court was without jurisdiction to try the case without a plea of ‘not guilty’ by the defendant” and “erred in not obtaining a plea from the defendant.” As No. 6: “That the evidence was insufficient to sustain a verdict of guilty in that the evidence did not prove that the defendant was driving a Motor Vehicle while under the influence of liquor as contemplated by law under the directions of the court as to what constituted being under the influence of liquor.”

• As No. I and No. 8 he specifies the overruling of objections to the taking of testimony and of his motion to dismiss made at the close *322 of the case. -As No. 9 he alleges: “That the court erred in staying the progress of the trial and allowing a jury, composed of members of the same panel to bring in and announce a verdict of guilty in a similar case against another defendant previously tried all in the presence of the jury herein. The same being prejudicial to the rights of the defendant.”

As No. 10 appellant complains of excessive penalty under the statute.

Specifications No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 7, and No. 8 will be considered together.

No exception to any portion of the charge was taken or filed, and therefore we do not consider specification of error No. 4. See State v. Shoars, 59 N. D. 67, 228 N. W. 413; State v. Johnson, 68 N. D. 464, 281 N. W. 16; State v. Gibson, ante, 70, 284 N. W. 209, 221.

There is no dispute as to the facts. They are ample to justify conviction and need not be set forth. There is no merit in specification No. 6.

With reference to specification of error No. 9 the defendant says in his brief: “There is no specific legal authority that we have found upon the prejudicial effect of the foregoing, but it will appear from the standpoint of equity and justice that the effect upon the jury of a verdict of guilty in a similar case in the presence of the jury, the verdict being rendered by members of the same panel would have an influence upon the minds of the jury in the case.”

The record does not show that during the progress of this trial the court paused to receive a verdict of a jury drawn in another case, and if the court did so, there is nothing in the record to show that the defendant made any objection to this action at that time. The alleged error was never called to the attention of the trial court. It is not made a ground for new trial, and no prejudicial error has been shown. We cannot consider matters not shown by the record, nor on the appeal to .the supreme court may the defendant specify as a basis for a new trial any ground not urged in the lower court as the basis for the new trial. See State v. Krantz, 55 N. D. 683, 215 N. W. 157; State v. Potter, 60 N. D. 183, 190, 233 N. W. 650, 653; State v. Grams, 65 N. D. 400, 259 N. W. 86.

As set forth hereinbefore the record shows the defendant had entered a plea of “not guilty,” which plea was withdrawn in order to *323 interpose a demurrer, and there is nothing in the record which shows that thereafter a plea of “not guilty” was entered. The record shows the defendant was present in court and with his counsel during all of the proceedings and the trial proceeded as if the plea of “not guilty” had been entered. When testimony was offered defendant objected to the taking of testimony but only on the grounds stated in his demurrer, the objection being overruled. At the close of the State’s case the defendant moved for dismissal “on the same grounds set forth in writing in the demurrer which has been filed . . . ,” and this motion being denied, he rested. He fully cross-examined all witnesses who testified; he had full opportunity to present any defense he eared to offer and offered none. When making his motion to dismiss at the close of the State’s case he said: “This case depends a good deal on some legal questions that have arisen, and which have been presented to the court,,, and which cannot be submitted to the jury, and the defendant and myself in discussing this situation have determined to stand upon our legal grounds as have been presented to the court and with which you have nothing to do. Consequently under that situation the Defense rests.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
286 N.W. 888, 69 N.D. 316, 1939 N.D. LEXIS 154, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-colohan-nd-1939.