State v. Drummer

117 N.W.2d 505, 254 Iowa 324, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 771
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 16, 1962
Docket50699
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 117 N.W.2d 505 (State v. Drummer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Drummer, 117 N.W.2d 505, 254 Iowa 324, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 771 (iowa 1962).

Opinions

[325]*325Peterson, J.

— On March 5, 1962, the County Attorney of Humboldt County filed a County Attorney’s Information against Harold Drummer charging violation of the provisions of section 321.76, Code of Iowa.

The section is as follows: “Operating without consent. If any chauffeur or other person shall without the consent of the owner take, or cause to be taken, any automobile or motor vehicle, and operate or drive, or cause the same to be operated or driven, he shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary not to exceed one year, or be imprisoned in the county jail not to exceed six months, or be fined not to exceed five hundred dollars.”

The case was tried in the District Court and the jury found defendant guilty. On March 30, 1962, the trial judge sentenced defendant to one year in the Men’s Penitentiary at Fort Madison. On the same day defendant filed notice of appeal to the Supreme Court.

Appellant assigns only one error which merits our serious consideration. Such error pertains to trial court refusing to give instruction requested by defendant that “criminal intent” is an essential element of the offense created by the above cited section.

I. Defendant was a single man 29 years of age. John Lawrence Devine (commonly known as Jack) and his brother Frank Devine jointly operated a farm near Livermore. In August 1961 Frank Devine hired defendant to work for him and his brother on the farm. Neither operator lived on the farm, but ordinarily they were there every day attending to and supervising the work. Defendant, as a hired man, performed whatever labor was necessary in the operation of the farm. He worked under the orders and general supervision of both brothers.

When defendant started working for the Devine Bros, there was an old 1952 Chevrolet truck being used on the farm. Defendant used it for hauling corn and hay and all other necessary trucking.

The record divulges that he had worked during all of Tuesday, February 6, 1962. Frank Devine had not been working on the farm that day. Another farm worker by the name of Colin Kilts, whom defendant had known and told his employers about, had worked just for the one day to help on some special farm [326]*326work. Between 4:30 and five o’clock Jack Devine was leaving the farm and was taking Mr. Kilts to his home in town.

There is no specific explanation as to why Jack made the statement to defendant on that particular day, but he testified he told defendant he must not use the Chevrolet truck that evening for his private use. He also testified he was the owner of the truck. Mr. Kilts testified he heard Jack Devine make the statement to defendant. Defendant denies the subject of the private use of the truck was under discussion between him and Jack, and denies the statement was made.

As part of his evidence defendant testified as follows: “He [ J ack] did not tell me not to drive the pickup; I say that both he and Mr. Kilts are mistaken. * * # Most of the time the pickup was down at the. Livermore farm because Frank had driven it down to work. There were a few times it was there for about a month. Occasionally it was there at night. Frank worked down there and most of the time he drove the pickup back and forth from Britt to Livermore. * * * I had not noticed a registration certificate on the pickup. * * I thought Frank owned the truck. The 1962 license plates were put on the day before February 6. * * * Frank and Jack Devine drove the pickup without a registration certificate on it. * * * Frank would drive the pickup when J ack was not there. He drove it off the place to Livermore and LuVerne. * * * I got the idea that Frank owned the truck when I hired out to him. He brought me into home at Liver-more; the folks were living there. The truck wasn’t working right and he asked me if I would get out and fix the spark plugs on it. He said ‘on my truck’. From that I assumed it was Frank’s truck * *

Defendant also testified he had used the truck for his personal use, with Frank present, on three different occasions. He said: “The first time was about the middle of December; that time I went to LuVerne to' get my laundry done at the laundromat there. Frank Devine knew about this incident; he was there on the place and saw me drive off with the truck. He didn’t say anything to me when he saw me drive off or before I drove off. * * * Frank was there at the farm when I arrived. He saw me arrive, but said nothing to me after I got out of the pickup. [327]*327The next occasion when I used the truck during evening hours was about three weeks later; that time I went to Algona. * * * I picked up clean laundry and after visiting with my folks I went back to the farm again. * * * I told Frank Devine about the trip the next day. After' I told Frank he said that if I needed ‘it in an emergency case like that, I could use it, but not to make a habit of it.’ On the Saturday night before February 6 I drove it to LuVerne. Frank went with me. He went to the pool hall in LuVerne. A buddy of mine was going to come down from Algona and pick me up at the farm. I asked Frank if he would take me back to the farm and he said, ‘no, you take the pickup and go home with it and leave it on the farm, and I will find a way home.’ I drove the pickup from LuVerne to the farm at Livermore. I got dressed and my folks picked me up there.”

On Tuesday evening, February 6, when defendant was going to take his laundry to town he drove the pickup partly on a blacktop road. The highway was very snowy, icy and slippery, •and in some way, which he was not able to fully explain, the truck ran off the road, upset, and defendant was thrown out and seriously injured. Someone found him and took him to a hospital. He testified he had no recollection of what happened after the truck ran off the road until he awakened in the hospital. The ten-year-old truck was wrecked and was taken to a junkyard.

II. The instructions given by the trial court were the usual and ordinary instructions given in a criminal case. The court properly instructed that defendant was presumed not guilty; that burden of proof was upon the State of Iowa to prove that he was guilty, and that he must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court cautioned the jury that the information itself was no proof of guilt and that the word “consent” in the statute means “voluntarily yielding the will to the proposition of another; acquiescence or compliance therewith”; that the crime involved two elements: That the defendant took the vehicle and operated it, and that he did so without the owner’s consent.

III. To place the one question in conflict in this case in sharp focus, suffice to say that appellant contends the trial court [328]*328should have instructed it was necessary for the State to prove beyond reasonable doubt that defendant had criminal intent. Appellee claims proof of such intent or knowledge is not necessary under section 321.76 of the Code.

There is a line of cases, cited by appellee, which hold that certain sections of the Code involving a crime do not need proof as to intent or knowledge. Appellee cites for example State v. Dahnke, 244 Iowa 599, 57 N.W.2d 553; State v. Dobry, 217 Iowa 858, 250 N.W. 702; State v. Dunn, 202 Iowa 1188, 211 N.W. 850. The cases contain some principles of value in the ease at bar.

The following theory is fundamental as it appears on pages 861, 862 of 217 Iowa in State v.

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State v. Drummer
117 N.W.2d 505 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1962)

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Bluebook (online)
117 N.W.2d 505, 254 Iowa 324, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 771, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-drummer-iowa-1962.