State v. Hartfield

624 P.2d 588, 290 Or. 583, 1981 Ore. LEXIS 695
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 4, 1981
DocketCA 14132, SC 27019
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 624 P.2d 588 (State v. Hartfield) 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. Hartfield, 624 P.2d 588, 290 Or. 583, 1981 Ore. LEXIS 695 (Or. 1981).

Opinions

[585]*585LENT, J.

There are two issues. The first is whether, after a witness has testified on direct examination by the state, the defendant is entitled to hear an existing tape recording of that witness’s testimony given in the grand jury proceedings that led to the return of the indictment upon which trial is held. We hold the defendant is so entitled. The second issue is whether one may be found guilty of the crime of burglary when, outside of business hours, he enters a retail store intending to commit arson of the store owner’s property, but the entry was invited by the manager of the store, to whom the owner had entrusted regulation of entry to the premises. We hold that one may be found guilty.

FACTS

On May 11, 1978, fire engulfed a Kinney Shoe Store in North Portland. Investigation led to one Richard Losh who had been hospitalized shortly after the fire for bums to his arms and upper body. Losh later negotiated a guilty plea to second degree arson, testified before the grand jury leading to the indictment of defendant, and subsequently testified as the state’s chief witness at defendant’s trial.

Prior to commencement of the trial defendant attempted to depose Losh, but Losh declined. Defendant also sought disclosure of the grand jury testimony of Losh and production of the prosecutor’s records of the investigation of the fire. The prosecutor supplied certain records, but omitted written reports by investigators of conversations and interviews with Losh and refused to disclose tape recordings of Losh’s grand jury testimony.

At trial Losh testified that he and defendant gained entry to the Kinney Shoe Store by means of a key given to defendant by the store manager for the purpose of setting fire to the business to destroy inventory and records prior to an upcoming audit. Losh related that he had used money given to him by defendant to purchase gas cans and gasoline which served as the incinerant to start the fire, that he and defendant had set the fire and that he received $200 for his participation in the arson.

[586]*586The trial judge, after Losh had testified, ordered disclosure of the written reports of investigatorial interviews with Losh and gave defendant the weekend to peruse the reports and prepare for cross examination but refused defendant’s request for production of the tapes of Losh’s testimony before the grand jury.

Defendant was convicted of arson in the first degree, arson in the second degree and burglary in the second degree.1 The Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions. State v. Hartfield, 45 Or App 639, 609 P2d 390 (1980).

I. Production of Grand Jury Tapes

The state contends that the trial court did not err in refusing to permit inspection of the tape of Losh’s testimony. The argument made in support of that contention rests upon ORS 135.855(l)(c), which provides:

"(1) The following material and information shall not be subject to discovery under ORS 135.805 to 135.873:
« * * * * *
"(c) Transcripts, recordings or memoranda of testimony of witnesses before the grand jury, except transcripts or recordings of statements made by the defendant.”

The state claims that this statute reflects a long established policy that maintains the secrecy of grand jury proceedings and cites State ex rel Johnson v. Roth, 276 Or 883, 557 P2d 230 (1976), as authority for that claim. In a sense, Roth may be read as so describing ORS 135.855(l)(c), but we believe a closer analysis reveals the true place of ORS 135.855(l)(c) in the statutory scheme.

In Roth this court noted the existence of a policy long established by the courts to maintain the secrecy of grand jury proceedings. We further noted that the statutes seek to preserve that policy and cited ORS 132.060,132.210 and 132.220. ORS 132.060 prescribes the form of oath to be administered to the members of the grand jury, and the oath provides, in part, "that you will keep secret the proceedings before you.” ORS 132.210 provides:

[587]*587"A grand juror cannot be questioned for anything he says or any vote he gives, while acting as such, relative to any matter legally pending before the grand jury, except for a perjury or false swearing of which he may have been guilty in giving testimony before such jury.”

ORS 132.220 provides:

"A member of a grand jury may be required by any court to disclose:
"(1) The testimony of a witness examined before the grand jury, for the purpose of ascertaining whether it is consistent with that given by the witness before the court.
"(2) The testimony given before such grand jury by any person, upon a charge against such person for perjury or false swearing or upon his trial therefor.”

In Roth we took note that ORS 135.855(l)(c) was a rejection of a proposal to "broaden” the opportunities for discovery of grand jury testimony and that ORS 135.855(1) reflected the policy already statutorily prescribed by ORS 132.220. We noted the official commentary of the Criminal Law Revision Commission contained in the Proposed Oregon Criminal Procedure Code, Final Draft and Report ("Report”), November, 1972, at page 190:

"Subsection (l)(c) is based upon the present secrecy oí grand jury proceedings, as prescribed in ORS 132.220.” (Emphasis added.)

Exceptions to the secrecy requirements of ORS 132.220 had existed long prior to the enactment of ORS 135.855(l)(c). As we observed in Roth:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Lander
339 Or. App. 641 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
State v. Tayborne
Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2024
State v. McLaughlin
505 P.3d 1088 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2022)
State v. Endicott
439 P.3d 510 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
State v. Covington
422 P.3d 276 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2018)
J-G-D-F
27 I. & N. Dec. 82 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 2017)
State v. Cockrell
395 P.3d 612 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2017)
State v. Angelo
385 P.3d 1092 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2016)
State v. Werner
383 P.3d 875 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2016)
State v. Klein
342 P.3d 89 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Lucero
335 P.3d 1275 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Etzel
333 P.3d 1147 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Nugent
323 P.3d 289 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Davis
323 P.3d 276 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Schneider
265 P.3d 36 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2011)
In Re Complaint as to the Conduct of Smith
236 P.3d 137 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2010)
Goldstein v. Superior Court
195 P.3d 588 (California Supreme Court, 2008)
State v. Hall
47 P.3d 55 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2002)
State v. Collins
39 P.3d 925 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2002)
State v. Riddle
8 P.3d 980 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
624 P.2d 588, 290 Or. 583, 1981 Ore. LEXIS 695, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hartfield-or-1981.