State v. Emmanuel

298 P.2d 510, 49 Wash. 2d 109, 1956 Wash. LEXIS 239
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJune 14, 1956
DocketNo. 33149
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 298 P.2d 510 (State v. Emmanuel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington 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. Emmanuel, 298 P.2d 510, 49 Wash. 2d 109, 1956 Wash. LEXIS 239 (Wash. 1956).

Opinion

Donworth, J.

This is an appeal by the state from an order of the trial court dismissing counts III and IV of the [111]*111second amended information, which charged respondent with asking and receiving a bribe and with asking a bribe, respectively. The order was entered some days after the trial was concluded, but was confirmatory of the oral ruling of the trial court sustaining respondent’s motion and withdrawing these two counts from the consideration of the jury at the close of all the evidence.

Respondent was tried on the second amended information, which contained four counts, in each of which he was charged with asking for a bribe while acting as clerk to the commissioner of public lands and secretary to the board of land commissioners. He was convicted on counts I and II and later was granted a new trial. The state has not appealed from the order granting the new trial.

The state’s two assignments of error are concerned with the dismissal of counts III and IV, in which it is asserted that the trial court erred in granting respondent’s motion to dismiss each count upon the ground that the state’s proof failed to sustain a prima facie case.

Appellant relies on the rule stated in 23 C.J.S. 651, Criminal Law, § 1139, as follows:

“Whether there is evidence legally sufficient to go to the jury is a question of law for the court, but where there is any evidence, however slight, and the evidence is conflicting or is such that reasonable minds may draw different conclusions therefrom, the question is for the jury.”

In support of this rule, appellant cites our decisions in State v. McDaniels, 30 Wn. (2d) 76, 190 P. (2d) 705, and State v. Cranmer, 30 Wn. (2d) 576, 192 P. (2d) 331, and. cases cited therein. Respondent does not take issue with the rules of law enunciated in these cases, but argues that they do not apply where there is a complete failure of proof.

In order to determine whether there was such a failure of proof as to either count III or count IV, we must review the evidence relating to each count.

The evidence in this case relating to respondent’s official duties is similar to that introduced in the previous trial, which was had on the original information. This evidence [112]*112was summarized in State v. Emmanuel, 42 Wn. (2d) 1, 253 P. (2d) 386, as follows:

“On January 12, 1949, the commissioner of public lands (commissioner) appointed appellant to the position of clerk in the commissioner’s office. On the same day, the commissioner, as chairman of the board of state land commissioners (board), appointed appellant secretary of that board. He occupied that position until December, 1951.
“The statute providing for a secretary for the board specifies no duties for the secretary. RCW 43.65.010 (Rem. Supp. 1941, § 7797-10). By established procedure, however, appellant, as secretary of the board, had certain official duties relative to the sale of state timber. One of these duties was to assign the cruisers who were to check the timber for which a purchase application had been filed.
“When this had been done and the cruisers had made their reports, it was appellant’s practice, at his convenience, to deliver to the administrative assistant to the commissioner the file containing such reports covering the particular application. The latter then prepared recommendations as to price and conditions of sale for submission to the board. If and when approved by the board, the timber was advertised for sale and sold at public auction at a price not less than the minimum fixed by the board. . . .
“In the instant case, unlike the Hart case [136 Wash. 278, 239 Pac. 834], there was evidence which the jury was entitled to believe, to the effect that appellant had official duties respecting the sale of state timber which could be affected by the payment or promise of payment of a bribe. As secretary of the board, appellant could prejudice the interest of applicants by delaying the assignment of timber cruisers, or delaying the delivery of the file to the administrative assistant to the commissioner. On the other hand, he could serve the interest of applicants by expediting such assignments, or by timing the timber cruising so that competition in the bidding would be minimized.
“It is true that the duties of board secretary, which gave appellant the opportunity to prejudice or serve the interest of applicants, are not prescribed by statute. The criminal statute, however, does not limit the crime of asking or receiving a bribe to cases where official duties prescribed by statute may be affected. Nor does State v. Hart, supra. It is sufficient if, as here, the state officer, agent or employee is given such official duties by direction of his superiors or by customary office practice.”

[113]*113The procedure relating to the sale of state timber which was followed while respondent was employed in the land office, is described in the testimony substantially as follows:

All state timber of a value exceeding two hundred fifty dollars sold by the state must be sold at public auction. When anyone desired to purchase state timber, the prospective purchaser made formal application on a form furnished by the land office and paid a deposit of ten cents per acre (but never less than ten dollars). After the application was given a number and placed in a separate file, respondent had the duty of assigning the timber cruisers to make a cruise of the timber. There were two groups of cruisers — one group who cruised for the land department, and the other for the land board. Respondent had charge of both groups and could choose the particular cruiser for each job and determine when such assignments should be made. When the cruises were completed, the department cruise was returned to respondent, and the board cruise was delivered to a member of the board. The latter was subsequently sent to respondent, who delivered them to the chief clerk of the land office for checking, pricing the timber, and recommending restrictions.

When the board, after considering the file relative to a certain application, decided to put the timber up for sale, it fixed the minimum price. Thereafter, the sale was advertised throughout the state, and on the date stated in the advertisement the county auditor of the county in which the timber was situated conducted the sale and reported the result to the board.

We now turn to a consideration of the evidence relating to count III, which charged that, on or about the 12th day of October, 1950, respondent asked for and received a certain sum of money from one Ben Wirkkala as compensation, gratuity, or reward upon an understanding that his action with relation to a certain application for the appraisal and sale of certain state timber then pending before the land commissioner and the board of land commissioners would be influenced thereby.

[114]*114Ben Wirkkala testified as a witness for the state that he and his brothers were partners in the logging business. About two years before April, 1950, one Schmand had applied to purchase certain timber located near where the Wirkkalas were logging, but no sale of it was held.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
298 P.2d 510, 49 Wash. 2d 109, 1956 Wash. LEXIS 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-emmanuel-wash-1956.