State v. Hershberger

150 N.E.2d 671, 77 Ohio Law. Abs. 487, 1958 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 345
CourtWayne County Juvenile Court
DecidedApril 2, 1958
DocketNo. 2841
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 150 N.E.2d 671 (State v. Hershberger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wayne County Juvenile Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hershberger, 150 N.E.2d 671, 77 Ohio Law. Abs. 487, 1958 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 345 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1958).

Opinion

OPINION

By YOUNG, Jr., J.

This matter is a charge of contempt of court. Although it bears a separate caption and case number, it grows out of and is an inseparable part of a neglect case, styled “In the Matter of Sammy Hershberger, alleged Neglected Child,” Cause No. 2835.

The neglect case was originally commenced on November 26, 1957, by the filing of a complaint by Raymond C. Sidle, the County School Attendance Officer, alleging that Sammy Hershberger was a negiected child, in that his parents refuse to provide him with proper and necessary education.

Citations were issued to the parents of the child, who are denominated as the defendants in this action, requiring them to appear before the court on December 9, 1958. The child, by counsel, moved for a thirty day continuance. Thereafter, on December 16, by agreement the case was continued until January 22, 1958. This continuance was granted upon the representation of counsel that efforts would be made to have schooling arranged for the child.

On January 22, 1957, the defendants and counsel again appeared but the child was not with them. The Attendance Officer and a Deputy Sheriff were sent to the child’s home to bring the child into court, bui were unable to find him.

The Court then continued the matter upon its motion until January 29, 1958. New citations were issued to and served upon the defendants, requiring them to appear in court at 9:00 A. M. on that date and bring the child with them. In response thereto, on January 29 [489]*4891958, the defendants and the child appeared in court, with counsel, and the matter was heard upon the evidence and stipulations of counsel. At the close of the hearing, the Court stated in open court that the child was found neglected, and committed temporarily to the Wayne County Child Welfare Board. The hearing was then recessed while the Executive Secretary of the Board was called. Shortly thereafter the Court was advised that the Secretary was out of the County, and would not return until evening. Court was then reconvened, and counsel and the defendants were told that the child might return home with the defendants to stay until the representative of the Child Welfare Board came for him. Immediately thereafter, the following entry was made upon the Journal of the Court.

“This matter came on for hearing on the 29th day of January 1958, the parents of said child having been duly served with citation according to law and said parents and said child, being present in person and with counsel, and it appears that all interested persons are before the Court. The Court finds' from the evidence adduced that the said Sammy Hershberger is a neglected child in that his parents refuse to provide him with proper and necessary education and is in all respects within the statutes pertaining to neglected children.

“It is therefore ordered and adjudged that said child be made a ward of the Court, and temporarily committed to the Wayne County Child Welfare Board, to be received, cared for, and educated according to law.”

This order is unreversed and has not been appealed from, and the time for filing a motion for new trial or a notice of appeal has long since expired. The order is therefore final and conclusive upon all of the parties.

A few days after this order was made, the Executive Secretary of the Child Welfare Board advised the Court that he had been unable to get custody of the person of the child.

It should be mentioned that this case is one of five cases involving five different children. Two of the five children came with the representative of the Child Welfare Board without question; .one of the children refused to go with the representative of the Board, and his parents sat silently by; the remaining two children could not be found, although the representative of the Board made more than one trip to their homes.

The Executive Secretary then filed charges of contempt in the court, and the Court made an order requiring the defendants to appear on March 12, 1958, to show cause why they should not be punished as for a contempt for their disobedience of the order of the court. The court also ordered that notice of the rule and hearing be served upon the defendants, and this was done.

At the time set, the defendants appeared in court. The Executive Secretary of the Child Welfare Board testified as to his efforts to gain custody of the child, and his failure to do so. The defendants were given an opportunity to offer any testimony or explanation that they desired. The defendant John P. Hershberger stated that his religious [490]*490convictions would not permit him to give his child up. He also stated that when he left his home to come to court, the child was there. The defendant Salome Hershberger said nothing.

The Court then stated to the defendants that they had shown no cause why they should not be punished as for contempt; that as the contempt consisted of a failure to do an act which could still be performed, that is, to permit the Child Welfare Board to have custody of the child, that they should stand committed to the County Jail until the act was performed. An order was entered upon the Journal accordingly, and a warrant was issued to the Sheriff. At the same time, the Court issued a warrant to the Sheriff to arrest the child, but this warrant had not been returned at the time of hearing on defendants’ motion for new trial on March 25, 1958 nor had the child been taken into custody.

Thereafter a motion for a new trial was filed, and shortly after that, an amended motion for new trial was filed and argued to the Court. This amended motion states some ten grounds.

At the argument upon the amended motion for new trial, the defendants stated that they would confine themselves to the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh grounds stated in the amended motion.

Before addressing itself to these matters, the court wishes to consider briefly the grounds for new trial which were not argued, because so much has been said and written about this case, especially in relation to some of these contentions, that the law upon them should be stated.

The contention that “the defendants came into court without benefit of counsel, and were not advised of their right to counsel as provided by law” is utterly without substance. The only requirement of statute is the provision of §2151.35 R. C. that the court shall permit a child to be represented by an attorney-at-law. The child was in fact represented by counsel, so the statutory- requirement was met. Defendants had several weeks time in which to provide themselves with counsel, and failed to do so.

The argument that “the Court required defendants to go forward when no evidence had been offered against them, and to be cross-examined contrary to law” is contrary to both law and fact.

“Generally, in most cases of direct contempt, the judge needs no evidence since he himself is the percipient witness, 11 O. Jur 2d 155.

“5. Upon such trial it is competent for such judge to take judicial notice of pertinent facts connected with the transaction which come within the cognizance of his own senses.” Myers v. The State, 46 Oh St 473, 22 N. E. 43, 15 Am. St. Rep. 638.

However, the testimony of the Executive Secretary of the Child Welfare Board was offered, and defendants were given the opportunity of cross-examining him, but declined to do so.

Assuming, although the contrary is arguable (Bloomberg v.

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555 N.E.2d 674 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1988)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
150 N.E.2d 671, 77 Ohio Law. Abs. 487, 1958 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 345, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hershberger-ohjuvctwayne-1958.