State v. Dickens

757 P.2d 321, 243 Kan. 574, 1988 Kan. LEXIS 161
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJuly 8, 1988
DocketNo. 62,020
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 757 P.2d 321 (State v. Dickens) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Dickens, 757 P.2d 321, 243 Kan. 574, 1988 Kan. LEXIS 161 (kan 1988).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Prager, C.J.:

This is an appeal by the State from an order, made at the close of the preliminary hearing, dismissing complaints charging the defendants, Leland Dickens and Lois Roberts, with felony theft (K.S.A. 1987 Supp. 21-3701) and conspiracy to commit felony theft (K.S.A. 21-3302). The dismissal of the complaints was based upon the finding of the trial court that there was a lack of venue jurisdiction in Johnson County.

The evidence presented by the State showed that the defendant Lois Roberts, a resident of Leavenworth County, parked her 1983 Cadillac Seville in front of defendant Dickens’ automobile repair shop in Kansas City, Kansas (Wyandotte County), on May 28, 1987. Later that day, Roberts checked to see if the necessary repair work had been done. Dickens reported to her that he had not seen the car all day. It appeared that the missing automobile had been stolen. The vehicle was discovered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in October of 1987.

After it was discovered that the car was missing, Roberts [575]*575reported the theft to the police and to her insurance company, State Farm Mutual. Susan Swailes, a claims adjuster in the State Farm office in Mission, Kansas (Johnson County), contacted Roberts and offered her $8,500 in settlement. Roberts was upset, thinking the offer was too low. Swailes explained that the Cadillac had a diesel engine which reduced the value of the car. Roberts then advised the adjuster that she had had the engine converted from diesel to gasoline. Based on the new information, Swailes offered Roberts $14,500 in settlement for the car and asked Roberts to bring in a receipt or billing statement from the mechanic showing that the engine had been converted from diesel to gasoline.

On June 11, 1987, Roberts submitted a receipt or billing statement signed by defendant Dickens which stated that the conversion of the car from a diesel to a gasoline engine had in fact occurred. The bill was dated January 1987. As the result of the presentation of the billing statement, Swailes gave Roberts a draft from State Farm payable to Roberts in the sum of $15,376.

According to the State’s evidence, the billing statement indicated that the conversion was done at Dickens’ shop at 905 North 16th Street in Wyandotte County. Apparently, Dickens told a KBI agent that he had completed the conversion in January of 1987 at that address. However, Dickens’ landlord testified that he did not rent the building to Dickens until May or June of 1987. Dickens’ landlord also testified that, due to a fire in January of 1987, no one occupied the 905 North 16th Street location from January to March of 1987. Furthermore, the State presented testimony of Roberts’ part-time mechanic that he had worked on the car in March of 1987, and that the car had a diesel engine at that time.

As noted, the car was discovered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in October of 1987. It had been stripped down and no longer had an engine, transmission, tires, or a rear bumper. An analysis of the gas tank revealed the presence of diesel fuel, which was additional evidence that no actual conversion of the car from diesel to gasoline had taken place. Roberts and Dickens were both charged in separate informations in the district court of Johnson County with conspiracy to commit felony theft and felony theft. The cases were consolidated prior to the preliminary hearing.

[576]*576When the preliminary hearing was completed, Judge Pro Tem Robert L. Morse took the case under advisement and issued a memorandum decision on February 10,1988. He held that there was no venue in the criminal cases in Johnson County, because the criminal acts complained of did not occur in Johnson County. Judge Morse based his conclusion on the fact that the draft, while delivered to Roberts at the State-Farm office in Mission, was not legally delivered until a bank accepted it and paid Roberts the money.. Because there was no evidence showing where the draft was accepted, Judge Morse concluded that no criminal act occurred in Johnson County and therefore dismissed the cases. The State filed a timely appeal pursuant to K.S.A. 1987 Supp. 22-3602(b)(l).

The sole issue presented on the appeal is whether the district court erred in dismissing the complaints because venue was improper in Johnson County. The two Kansas statutes governing venue which are applicable in this case are K.S.A. 22-2602 and K.S.A. 22-2603, which provide as follows:

“22-2602. Place of trial. Except as otherwise provided by law, the prosecution shall be in the county where the crime was committed.”
“22-2603. Crime committed in more than one county. Where two or more acts are requisite to the commission of any crime and such acts occur in different counties the prosecution may be in any county in which any of such acts occur.”

As a general rule, venue is a question of fact for the jury to determine. It may be established by proof of facts and circumstances introduced in evidence from which the place or places of commission of the crime or crimes may be fairly and reasonably inferred. State v. Pencek, 224 Kan. 725, 729, 585 P.2d 1052 (1978).

In order to determine proper venue, it is necessary to know where each element of the crime occurred. Conspiracy requires: (1) an agreement (2) with another person (3) to commit or to assist in the commission of a crime and (4) an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy. K.S.A. 21-3302. Felony theft (as alleged by the State) requires: (1) an intent to permanently deprive, (2) obtaining control of property through deception and (3) an amount over $150. K.S.A. 1987 Supp. 21-3701.

On the conspiracy charges, there is insufficient evidence to conclude where any agreement to defraud State Farm may have been formed. Roberts and Dickens were apparently social acquaintances, and the agreement to defraud State Farm may have [577]*577been made in Leavenworth County (where Roberts lived) or in Wyandotte County (where Dickens worked). It is clear, however, that the overt act of deception (the presentment of an allegedly phony receipt) occurred in Johnson County at the State Farm office. Under the guidelines of K.S.A. 22-2603, prosecution could be in any one of the three possible counties. Thus, Johnson County was a proper venue for the conspiracy charges.

The theft charges are not so easily disposed of. An intent to permanently deprive could have been formed in Leavenworth, Wyandotte, or Johnson Counties. Proof of venue based on the formation of intent presents practical problems and would be difficult to establish.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
757 P.2d 321, 243 Kan. 574, 1988 Kan. LEXIS 161, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dickens-kan-1988.