State v. Elbaum

194 N.W.2d 660, 54 Wis. 2d 213, 1972 Wisc. LEXIS 1068
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 29, 1972
DocketState 169
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 194 N.W.2d 660 (State v. Elbaum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin 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. Elbaum, 194 N.W.2d 660, 54 Wis. 2d 213, 1972 Wisc. LEXIS 1068 (Wis. 1972).

Opinion

Beilfuss, J.

Two issues have been raised by the defendant :

(1) Is the crime of resisting an officer a lesser-inelud-ed offense in the crime of battery to a peace officer ?

(2) Do the Wisconsin and federal constitutional prohibitions against double jeopardy bar prosecution against the defendant for battery to a peace officer ?

The first issue has recently been resolved against the defendant by our opinion in State v. Zdiarstek (1972), 53 Wis. 2d 776, 785, 193 N. W. 2d 833. This case holds that resisting or obstructing an officer is not a lesser-included offense of the crime of battery to a peace officer:

“. . . it is first necessary to determine whether or not the crime of resisting or obstructing an officer is an included crime of battery to a peace officer. The definition of included crime as applicable to the instant situation is found in sec. 939.66, Stats.:
“‘(1) A crime which does not require proof of any fact in addition to those which must be proved for the crime charged; . . .’

The elements which must be proven to sustain a conviction for battery to a peace officer were stated by this court in State v. Caruso (1969), 44 Wis. 2d 696, 703, 172 N. W. 2d 195, and reaffirmed in State v. Helnik (1970), 47 Wis. 2d 720, 723, 177 N. W. 2d 881:

“ * “(1) Causing bodily harm to a peace officer or fireman;
*217 “ ‘ “(2) The peace officer or fireman is acting in his official capacity;
“ ‘ “ (3) Where the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or fireman;
““‘(4) Where the act is done with intent to cause bodily harm;
“‘“(5) Without the consent of the person so injured.” ’
The requirement that the defendant know or have reason to know that the peace officer is, at the time, acting in his official capacity is not an element of the offense described in sec. 940.205. State v. Caruso, supra, page 702. On the other hand, such a requirement is an element of sec. 946.41, which provides:
“ ‘946.41 Resisting or obstructing officer. (1) Whoever knowingly resists or obstructs an officer while such officer is doing any act in his official capacity and with lawful authority. . . .’

The elements of this offense are:

“ ‘First, that the defendant (resisted) (obstructed) an officer.
“ ‘Second, that the officer was doing an act in his official capacity and with lawful authority.
“ ‘Third, that the defendant (resisted) (obstructed) the officer, knowingly; that is, that the defendant knew or believed that he was (resisting) (obstructing) the officer while the officer was acting in his official capacity and with lawful authority.’ Wis J I — Criminal, Part II, 1765.
Because resisting or obstructing an officer requires the proof of this additional element (knowledge by the defendant that the officer was acting in his official capacity), resisting or obstructing an officer is not a lesser-included crime of battery to a peace officer.”

The fifth amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides, in relevant parts, the following:

“. . . nor shall any person be subject for the same of-fence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, . . .”

Art. I, sec. 8, of the Wisconsin Constitution, states in part:

*218 “No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law, and no person for the same offense shall be put twice in jeopardy of punishment, . . .”

An important descriptive phrase in both constitutional provisions is “for the same offense.”

As determined above, resisting an officer is not a lesser-included offense of the crime of battery to a peace officer as those crimes are statutorily described. Therefore, a prosecution for battery to an officer is not a prohibited second trial “for the same offense.”

In addition to the constitutional provisions, sec. 939.71, Stats., provides:

“Limitation on the number of convictions. If an act forms the basis for a crime punishable under more than one statutory provision of this state or under a statutory provision of this state and the laws of another jurisdiction, a conviction or acquittal on the merits under one provision bars a subsequent prosecution under the other provision unless each provision requires proof of a fact for conviction which the other does not require.”

A prosecution for battery to a peace officer is not barred under this section because of a prior prosecution for resisting an officer for the reason that each charge requires proof of a fact that the other does not.

The crime of battery to a police officer requires proof of causing bodily harm to a peace officer (or fireman) and an intent to cause bodily harm. These two elements are not necessary in proving the charge of resisting an officer.

The crime of resisting an officer requires proof that the defendant knew or believed he was resisting or obstructing the officer while the officer was acting in his official capacity with lawful authority. In a prosecution for battery to an officer it is not necessary to show that the defendant knew or believed the officer was acting in his official capacity and with lawful authority.

*219 The defendant also contends that the doctrine of collateral estoppel applies and a prosecution that violates this rule violates the prohibition of double jeopardy. In support of his position he cites the United States Supreme Court case of Ashe v. Swenson (1970), 397 U. S. 436, 90 Sup. Ct. 1189, 25 L. Ed. 2d 469. At page 443 the court defined collateral estoppel in these terms:

“ ‘Collateral estoppel’ is an awkward phrase, but it stands for an extremely important principle in our adversary system of justice. It means simply that when an issue of ultimate fact has once been determined by a valid and final judgment, that issue cannot again be litigated between the same parties in any future lawsuit. Although first developed in civil litigation, collateral estoppel has been an established rule of federal criminal law at least since this Court’s decision more than 50 years ago in United States v. Oppenheimer, 242 U. S. 85 . . . .”

The facts in Ashe completely distinguish it from the case at hand. In Ashe, three or four armed, masked men broke into a private home and robbed each of the six men playing poker there.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
194 N.W.2d 660, 54 Wis. 2d 213, 1972 Wisc. LEXIS 1068, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-elbaum-wis-1972.