State v. Gladies

484 S.W.2d 261, 1972 Mo. LEXIS 1002
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedSeptember 11, 1972
DocketNo. 56868
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 484 S.W.2d 261 (State v. Gladies) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Gladies, 484 S.W.2d 261, 1972 Mo. LEXIS 1002 (Mo. 1972).

Opinion

HIGGINS, Commissioner.

Clinton Gladies was convicted by the court following jury-waived trial of a felonious assault. His punishment was assessed at five years’ imprisonment, and sentence and judgment were rendered accordingly. Rule 26.01, V.A.M.R.; §§ 559.-180, 559.190, V.A.M.S.

By information filed September 8, 1968, it was charged that Clinton Gladies “did * * * unlawfully and feloniously make an assault, forcibly and against her will, upon one Dorothy Lee Gentry, with the felonious intent * * * to ravish and carnally know * * a graded felony punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary not to exceed five years under Section 559.190. On September 19, 1968, defendant was arraigned on that charge and he entered a plea of not guilty. On December 9, 1968, the information was amended by interlineation to add “with malice aforethought” between the word “feloniously” and the word “make,” the intent being to charge a higher grade of assault under Section 559.180, punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than two years (and up to life imprisonment) .

Defendant then entered a plea of guilty which the court accepted and after which the court, the Honorable Harry A. Hall, did “reserve sentencing pending a presen-tence report.” On January 16, 1969, prior to his sentencing, defendant moved to withdraw his plea on grounds of surprise by the amendment of the information, inadequate opportunity to reflect on the amendment and possible punishment, undue haste, innocence of the charge as amended, and lack of possession of faculties. On March 6, 1969, this motion was overruled and the court sentenced defendant to five years’ imprisonment for the offense of “Assault with Intent to Rape with Malice Aforethought,” the offense purportedly charged by the information as amended under Section 559.180.

Upon appeal from the judgment of conviction based upon defendant’s plea of guilty and from the order overruling his motion to withdraw the plea of guilty, the supreme court determined in Cause No. 54,792 that the purported amendment and subsequent proceedings were a nullity because: The state attempted by amendment of the information to charge a higher grade of offense under Section 559.180, distinct and different from that charged by the information under Section 559.190 prior to its amendment; the purported amendment omitted an element of the higher grade of assault with malice under Section 559.180, i. e., an allegation that the assault was made with means or force likely to produce death or great bodily harm; and, accordingly, the court had no jurisdiction of a charge of assault with malice under Section 559.180 and could not accept the plea of guilty or sentence defendant thereon. State v. Gladies, Mo., 456 S.W.2d 23, 25[3-5].

Pursuant to these findings, the supreme court vacated the judgment and sentence for assault with intent to rape with malice aforethought, purportedly charged under Section 559.180, and remanded the cause with direction to strike the purported amendment “with malice aforethought” from the original information. The court provided further that upon remand “the State may proceed further upon the original information or dismiss the cause and file a new information, subject to any possible question of limitations, or proceed otherwise as it may see fit. It may not proceed further in this cause on any charge except that of assault with attempt [263]*263to rape under § 559.190.” 456 S.W.2d l.c. 25[6],

In the September 1970 term of the Jackson County Circuit Court, after the remand of cause No. 54,792, a grand jury charged by its indictment that Clinton Gladies “did * * * unlawfully and feloniously, and of his malice aforethought, make an assault, forcibly and against her will, upon one Dorothy Lee Gentry, with the felonious intent the said Dorothy Lee Gentry to ravish and carnally know * * *."

The charge contained in the indictment went to trial before Judge O’Leary, a jury having been waived. Appellant does not question the sufficiency of evidence to sustain conviction, and the statement of facts quoted from his brief demonstrates that the state made a case of assault with intent to rape with malice under Section 559.180 and, of course, of the lesser included offense of assault with intent to rape without malice under Section 559.190.

“Dorothy Lee Schmersey testified that on July 14, 1968, she lived alone at 4603 Summit, Kansas City, Missouri. She retired about 11 o’clock on July 13th and awoke later in the night and two men were standing by her bed. She identified Appellant as being one of the men. She said Appellant laid on top of her and said something to the effect that “You are really going to enjoy this.” ’ The other man was pointing a gun at her. She said she did not scream and Appellant did not touch her body. She said the man with Appellant pulled him off the bed after he had laid on top of her ‘about 30 seconds.’ Then, she said, the other man handed Appellant a gun and climbed on the bed and touched her breast; she then screamed and the man, who by then had taken back the gun, struck her with the gun and both men ran out the front door. Later she testified Appellant left first. She called the police and the police removed a window sill. She later selected Appellant in a lineup.

“On cross examination, Mrs. Schmersey testified that she had worn glasses for five years prior to July 13, 1968, and was not wearing them that night. There was no light inside the bedroom, but a street light provided lighting. She observed the person she said was Appellant for about two minutes. She was upset and dazed and excited. The man she identified as Appellant did not expose his private parts, never touched her except to lie upon her nor touched nor fondled her private parts.

“On redirection examination she testified that it was 3 to 5 minutes after she awoke until she screamed. She said she saw Appellant leave the bedroom and that Appellant was not in the bedroom when she screamed.

“Detective George Henthorne testified that he processed the apartment and removed a window sill from the north side of the bedroom on July 16. The prints on the sill were on the inside of the apartment underneath the sill.

“Ray Bowman, a fingerprint technician, testified that he received the sill from Detective Henthorne and that a print thereon, in his opinion, was the right middle fingerprint of Appellant.

“Appellant offered no evidence.”

At the conclusion of the evidence, the court found defendant “guilty as charged * * * of Assault With Intent to Rape With Malice * * and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment for “said offense of Assault With Intent to Rape With Malice * * *.” A credit on the sentence was ordered consisting of “time served in the penitentiary from the 6th day of March, 1969, to the 31st day of July, 1970.”

Appellant contends first that the proceeding resulting in his conviction was a nullity because the trial court and the state failed to comply with the directions of the supreme court. His argument is that the remand ordered in State v. Gladies, supra, 456 S.W.2d l.c. 25, limited [264]*264prosecution to a charge of assault with attempt to rape (without malice) under Section 559.190.

It is true that the supreme court limited further prosecution on the original information filed September 8, 1968, and purportedly amended December 9, 1968, to a charge under Section 559.190.

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Related

Hayes v. State
501 S.W.2d 508 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
484 S.W.2d 261, 1972 Mo. LEXIS 1002, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gladies-mo-1972.