State v. Hunter

750 S.W.2d 134, 1988 Mo. App. LEXIS 526, 1988 WL 31984
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 12, 1988
DocketNo. 52783
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 750 S.W.2d 134 (State v. Hunter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hunter, 750 S.W.2d 134, 1988 Mo. App. LEXIS 526, 1988 WL 31984 (Mo. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

STEPHAN, Presiding Judge.

After a change of venue from Franklin County, defendant was tried and found guilty in Gasconade County of receiving stolen property of a value in excess of $150.00 in violation of § 570.080 RSMo 1986, a Class C felony. He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment after he was determined to be a prior offender. Defendant appeals the conviction and sentence; we affirm.

The victim, Albert Tessmer, owned a home in Beaufort, Missouri, where he lived alone. Mr. Tessmer, who was seventy-eight years of age at the time of trial, did not stay at his home at night because there was no phone service or electricity. A member of the neighboring Holtmeyer family would regularly pick him up in the evening; he would sleep at their home, and they would return him to his home in the [136]*136morning. Returning home on the morning of August 25, 1985, Mr. Tessmer noticed that a break-in had occurred. Mr. Tessmer owned a number of antiques, which were taken, including clocks, chairs, lamps, tools and quilts.

Mrs. Holtmeyer, a friend of Mr. Tessmer, spoke to an acquaintance, Mrs. Julius, about the incident. After hearing a description of some of the stolen items, Mrs. Julius took Mrs. Holtmeyer to the homes of Glen Frankenberg, a part-time antique dealer, and defendant. They observed several items belonging to Mr. Tessmer at both places. Defendant allowed Mrs. Holt-meyer to take three antique wood planing tools home to show her husband. Mr. Tessmer identified the tools and they were taken to the sheriff’s office.

Later that evening, Detective Tom Yoder went to defendant’s home, but he was not there. The police located defendant’s white truck across the street from Glen Frankenberg’s home and placed it under surveillance. Approximately twenty minutes later defendant and Kelly O’Toole arrived in O’Toole’s van. Defendant got out of the van and O’Toole drove off.

Detective Yoder asked defendant to join him in the police car, and advised defendant that he was not under arrest. Yoder read the Miranda rights to defendant who acknowledged that he understood them. Yo-der told defendant that the police were investigating the theft of a number of antiques. Yoder was then notified by radio that O’Toole’s van had been stopped by Lieutenant Jones of the Union, Missouri, Police Department, that it appeared to have a large number of antiques in it, and that O’Toole was going to drive it to police headquarters. At Yoder’s request, defendant drove his van to police headquarters, and Yoder followed.

While defendant waited inside the headquarters, police searched both vehicles. O’Toole’s red van was full of antiques. Defendant’s truck was empty. Mr. Tess-mer arrived at the scene with Mrs. Holt-meyer and identified most of the articles found as his.

Defendant was questioned. He told police that after Mrs. Holtmeyer left his house that afternoon he decided to get rid of the antiques before the police came after him. Defendant told them that the rest of Mr. Tessmer’s things were at his house.

Detective Yoder requested permission to search defendant’s house, and defendant consented. Numerous items belonging to Mr. Tessmer were recovered as a result of the search.1

Defendant raises four points on appeal. They are: (1) The trial court erred in admitting items seized and testimony regarding the search of defendant’s house because the search was illegal since defendant’s consent was not voluntarily given. (2) The trial court erred in not declaring a mistrial because the prosecuting attorney’s comments during his closing argument could only be construed as a comment on defendant’s failure to testify on his own behalf. (3) The trial court erred in submitting Instruction No. 15 to the jury because it was a misstatement of the law and confused the jurors. (4) The trial court erred in submitting Instruction No. 12 to the jury because it did not contain essential elements of the crime charged, did not list the items allegedly stolen and did not clearly set forth that Count III was an alternative to Counts I and II.

Appellant first claims that the search of defendant’s home was illegal because his consent was the product of duress and coercion. We do not agree.

A search without a warrant is lawful if it “is a search conducted pursuant to consent.” State v. Clark, 671 S.W.2d 1, 3 (Mo.App.1983). Whether a consent is valid is determined by the totality of the circumstances. Id. at 4. Voluntary consent is not necessarily precluded merely because [137]*137the defendant is in police custody. State v. Johnson, 618 S.W.2d 191, 193 (Mo.1981).

In this case, defendant volunteered that other items belonging to the victim could be found at defendant’s house. The police requested permission to search and permission was granted. At the time he gave this permission defendant had not been arrested or handcuffed. He voluntarily drove his van to the police station. The only evidence of “duress” is that defendant’s Miranda rights were read to him.

Defendant has not presented any viable evidence of coercion. The police did not abuse their authority in any way. In fact, it seems they made sure defendant was informed of all of his rights before proceeding. We therefore hold that the consent was given voluntarily and the search was lawful.

Defendant next contends that the trial court erred in not declaring a mistrial because of prosecutor misconduct. Defendant did not testify at trial. During closing argument the prosecutor stated, “[s]o let’s look at what the defendant did as well as what he said. Incidentally, what he told Tom Yoder, those statements are un-contradicted here in evidence today.” The court, after defense objection, admonished the prosecutor not to come too close to crossing the line and inadvertently pointing out that defendant did not testify. Defense counsel’s request for a mistrial on the same grounds was also denied. While it is true that the prosecutor may not comment on the fact that defendant did not testify, he may, however, characterize the evidence as uncontradicted as was the case here. State v. Raiford, 716 S.W.2d 434, 436 (Mo.App.1986).

The statement here was not a direct and certain reference, it was merely a comment on the weakness of defendant’s case. Defendant’s comments to Detective Yoder were uncontradicted by any evidence. The statement did not cross the line, therefore, the point is denied.

Defendant’s third point is that Instruction No. 15 was confusing to the jurors. Instruction No. 15 read as follows:

The defendant is charged with a separate offense in Counts I and II submitted to you. Each of these offenses and the evidence and law applicable to it should be considered separately. Any evidence which was or has been limited to one of the offenses charged or one purpose should not be considered by you as to another offense charged or for any other purpose.
You may find the defendant guilty or not guilty on either or both of Counts I and II submitted against him.

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Bluebook (online)
750 S.W.2d 134, 1988 Mo. App. LEXIS 526, 1988 WL 31984, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hunter-moctapp-1988.