State v. Elmore

70 N.W.2d 166, 246 Iowa 1318, 1955 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 523
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 3, 1955
Docket48483
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 70 N.W.2d 166 (State v. Elmore) 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. Elmore, 70 N.W.2d 166, 246 Iowa 1318, 1955 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 523 (iowa 1955).

Opinion

Mulroney, J.

The defendant was indicted for larceny by embezzlement, the indictment charging that “Charles N. Elmore * * * between January 1, 1951 and June 3, 1953 did embezzle and convert to his own use, money that came into his hands by virtue of his office as County Superintendent of Schools, Warren County, Iowa, in the total sum of $1366.70, contrary to the provisions of Section 710.1 of the 1950 Code of Iowa, the same being public money belonging to Warren County, Iowa, and money coming into defendant’s hands by virtue of his said office.” After plea of not guilty, and trial, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. Under instructions that the jury fix the amount of the embezzlement, in the event they found defendant guilty, in an amount “not to exceed $1366.70”, the jury returned a verdict fixing the amount embezzled by defendant at $1055.72.

Many errors are asserted by defendant in his appeal. In general they challenge the correctness of the trial court’s rulings on various motions, including motions to direct the verdict for insufficiency of evidence, objections to the introduction of evidence, and the correctness of some of the instructions to the jury.

Charles N. Elmore had been a county school superintendent for seventeen years, coming to Warren County to hold that office in 1945. It appears the office operated partly as a sort of store for the sale of books and supplies to the various school districts and also as a depository for funds received from 'teachers for teachers’ banquets, their membership dues in the teachers’ Organizations, their magazine subscriptions, insurance premiums collected from pupils, and moving picture film money collected from ten of the districts. In the superintendent’s office there were two small boxes, one green and one blue which were used as money boxes for the office receipts. The practice was to deposit all of the funds that came into the office from the sale of books in the green box and periodically the superintendent would take this money to the county treasurer’s office and turn it over to the county treasurer. As will appear later this county was operating under the provisions of law (section 273.12, paragraph 4, *1322 and sections 301.15 to 301.23, Code, 1954) giving the county board of education power to purchase books for resale on requisitions which would be paid for by county funds, and the funds turned back to the county when the books were sold.

There is some dispute between the State’s testimony and defendant’s testimony as to the receipts that were deposited in the blue box. It is undisputed that this box received the money paid in by the teachers for banquets, dues to teachers’ organizations, magazine subscriptions, insurance premiums and film money. Portions of the testimony of some of the State’s witnesses, who were employees of the office, would seem to indicate part of the receipts from the sale of supplies to the school districts would be placed in the green box and part in the blue box. Other portions of their testimony would indicate the receipts from the sale of supplies all went into the blue box. Defendant testified the practice was to place all of the receipts from the sale of supplies in the blue box. The practice was for the superintendent to take the funds in the blue box periodically to the Peoples Trust and Savings Bank in Indianola where he deposited them in an account in his name as superintendent. In general the checks which the superintendent drew on this account were for the banquet expense, teachers’ dues, magazine subscriptions, insurance, and for the purchase of supplies for resale to the'school districts. At this point it would be well to* pause and examine the law and other evidence with respect to the purchase of supplies for resale and the disposition of receipts thereof.

There is no provision in the law for the county board of education or the school superintendent to purchase supplies with county money, similar to the statutes with respect to the purchase of textbooks. Section 273.13, paragraph 5, Code, 1950, provides the board shall “Purchase and provide such general school supplies, school board supplies, and other materials as are necessary to the conduct of its office.”

The record here shows the county board of education, through the superintendent, did purchase supplies on requisitions which were paid by warrants drawn against the board of education fund' — not the county fund — as is the case with respect to textbooks. The State’s evidence is that some of these supplies were used in the superintendent’s office and some were resold to the *1323 school districts. The defendant does not argne that he, or the county board of education for whom he acted, would have the right to purchase supplies for resale under the provisions of the above quoted law. But neither does the State argue he would not. We will not decide the point. Save as it makes for some difficulties as to auditing in this particular case, the point is not very material for in the analysis we will later make we will show defendant’s receipts from the sale of all supplies to the school districts were receipts of public money. As will presently appear, the bank account is most important in this case, SO' it is well to keep in mind its source and general use as shown by the State’s evidence. It was made up of deposits of private funds (teachers’ payments and the like) and public funds (deposits of all or part of receipts from sale of supplies and the moving picture money paid in by ten districts).

We have given the evidence with respect to the general operation of the office as related by the State’s witnesses, but the records of the office are inadequate to reconstruct a statement of all receipts and disbursements showing source and application. To begin with, the State’s witnesses, employees of the office, testified there were some cash transactions in the office. Here there would be no record at all, the employee merely placing the cash in the appropriate green or blue box. This will not make any difference because the State’s evidence is designed to establish the shortage by the credit transactions of which there was a record. If a record could be reconstructed of the cash transactions it would only increase the shortage.

Actually the only record in the superintendent’s office, as shown by the record in this case, showing the purchase of books and supplies by the school districts, consists of the State’s Exhibits 15, 16 and 17. These exhibits are three loose-leaf notebooks containing copies of itemized statements sent to the school districts, marked paid, for purchases of books and supplies for the years 1951, 1952 and to June 3, 1953. The State’s witness Mrs. Nine, who handled all of these sales, except as she was occasionally helped out by defendant and other employees, and who made up the exhibits, said this was the only record. She also said there was no record at all made of the cash sales. Thus the only record in the superintendent’s office of receipts of public money by de *1324 fendant from January 1, 1951, to June 3, 1953, consists of the payments for books and supplies, purchased only on credit transactions.

What are the records as to what was done with the money ? We have the record of the money called “textbook” money or “green box” money that defendant took to the treasurer’s office and turned over to- the county.

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Related

Warren County v. Elmore
93 N.W.2d 756 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
70 N.W.2d 166, 246 Iowa 1318, 1955 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 523, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-elmore-iowa-1955.