State v. Gibbons

364 P.2d 611, 228 Or. 238, 1961 Ore. LEXIS 368
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 6, 1961
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 364 P.2d 611 (State v. Gibbons) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon 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. Gibbons, 364 P.2d 611, 228 Or. 238, 1961 Ore. LEXIS 368 (Or. 1961).

Opinion

ROSS-MAN, J.

This is an appeal by the defendant Louis Gibbons *241 from a judgment of the circuit court which adjudged bim guilty of the crime of assault while unarmed by means likely to produce great bodily harm. The conviction w'as for a lessor offense than that charged in the indictment, which was assault with a dangerous weapon (ORS 163.250).

The facts of this case will not be recited here, since they are stated in the companion case involving the co-defendant, Charles Junior Hood in State v. Hood, 225 Or 40, 356 P2d 1100.

The first assignment of error complains that the indictment for assault with a dangerous weapon did not apprise the defendant of the crime of assault while unarmed by mean's of force likely to produce great bodily harm. It is also claimed that it was prejudicial error to permit mention of the glass bottle in the indictment. The indictment charged the defendants Gibbons and Hood with:

“* * * then and there being, and then and there acting together, and then and there being armed with a dangerous weapon, to-wit: a stove poker, did then and there wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously assault one Cyril Bierle by then and there striking and beating the said Cyril Bierle on the head and face with said dangerous weapon and with a glass bottle.”

It is recognized that Section 11 of Article I of the state .constitution guarantees to every person accused of a crime the right to “demand the nature and cause of the accusation against him.” This, of course, does not prevent the simplification of the indictment through the elimination of “unnecessary verbiage.” State v. Smith, 182 Or 497, 188 P2d 998; State v. Dormitzer, 123 Or 165, 261 P 426. It is “unnecessary verbiage” to include in indictments the lesser included *242 offenses derived from the offense charged. It is a well established rule that an indictment of one offense includes, by necessary implication, charges of lesser included offenses. State v. Wilson, 172 Or 373, 142 P2d 680; State v. Roy, 40 NM 397, 60 P2d 646; 27 Am Jur, Indictment, §§ 105, 193. Since the indictment charged assault with a dangerous weapon, it follows that the lesser degrees of assault are included therein. The defendant, therefore, had no justification for not being prepared to meet an accusation of unarmed assault.

As for the allegation of the use of the glass bottle made in the indictment, if the state wished to prove such other act which tends to establish the commission of the crime charged in the indictment “it should allege it in the indictment”: State v. Willson, 113 Or 450, 455, 230 P 810, 811, 233 P 259, 260. We dismiss this assignment of error as without merit.

The second assignment of error objects to the admission into evidence of photographs of Bierle, the complaining witness. The photographs were taken the morning after the alleged assault and after Bierle had been treated by a physician. The defendant argues that the photographs represented Bierle in a changed condition, since the physician had stitched the lacerations and put 'bandages over the wounds. It is further argued that the photographs were immaterial, not properly verified 'and were calculated to arouse the sympathy or prejudices of the jury.

Considering the change effected by the physician’s treatment of the wounds between the time of the alleged assault and the next morning when the pictures were taken, it can not be argued 'that the lacerations were not in a better condition than before. The defendant was benefited, not prejudiced, by the change in *243 condition which, he mentions. The admission of photographs taken not immediately after the event is usually a matter within the trial court’s discretion. Wigmore on Evidence, Vol II, §437 and Vol III, §792. Since we believe that the photographs were material to the staters burden to establish the commission of the crime charged in the indictment, State v. Hood, supra, the trial judge’s discretion was not abused.

As to the claim cf improper verification of the photographs, the complaining witness testified that he looked at himself in a mirror shortly after the photographs were taken and that the latter accurately portrayed his condition. The authenticity ’of a photograph may be established by any witness who is competent from personal observation to testify that the photograph is a true representation of the subject. State v. Casey, 108 Or 405, 213 P 771, 217 P 632; 20 Am Jur, Evidence, § 730, page 610. The sufficiency of the verification is a preliminary question for the trial court. The testimony of neither the photographer nor the physician is required if the trial judge is satisfied by other evidence, as he apparently was, that the photographs were substantially accurate representations of the complaining witness’s person.

The defendant further complains that the pictures were prejudicial. As we stated in State v. Hood, supra, “the photographs did not depict gruesome scenes — and even if they had, they would be admissible. Wigmore on Evidence, 3rd ed, § 1157, and State v. Henderson, 182 Or 147, 184 P2d 392.” We reject this assignment of error as lacking in merit.

The third assignment of error asserts that it was prejudicial error to prevent the defendant from showing, through a witness, that he was originally Charged with disorderly conduct. The trial court failed *244 to perceive, and we likewise do, the relevancy of the original charge upon which the defendant was arrested; It had no bearing on the question of whether or not the crime charged in the indictment was committed. This, .testimony was properly excluded on the basis that it was irrelevant and immaterial to the issues of this ease. We dismiss this assignment of error as lacking merit.

The fourth assignment of error submits that the court committed prejudicial error in excluding testimony on cross examination of the complaining witness as to his present employment. If there was any error in excluding the complaining witness’s answer to the question concerning his employment it was not prejudicial. Bierle, the complaining witness, was allowed to answer the question a few moments later:

“Q (By Mr. Ramirez) Now, Mr. Bierle, on November 11, 1959, were you employed?
“Mr. Beddoe: I would make the same objection, your Honor. I don’t think it has a thing to do with the issues of this case.
“The Court: I think I am going to let him answer this one question.
“A I was employed, but I wasn’t drawing any pay. I was working up there at the Quarter Circle A Bar ranch.”

The governing rule is expressed as follows in 58 Am Jur, Witnesses, §673, page 368:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
364 P.2d 611, 228 Or. 238, 1961 Ore. LEXIS 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gibbons-or-1961.