State v. Johnson

487 P.2d 115, 6 Or. App. 195, 1971 Ore. App. LEXIS 679
Court of Appeals of Oregon·Decided July 1, 1971·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

FORT, J.

Defendant was convicted of the crime of malfeasance in office under ORS 162.240. He assigns as sole error the trial court’s denial of his motion for an order dismissing the indictment on the ground that the state had faded to prove proper venue. The case was filed and tried in Clatsop County. A statement of the facts is necessary to dispose of the venue issue.

The state’s evidence established that in 1970, Klass Bros., Inc., a California concern, had a contract with the State of Oregon to paint the Astoria bridge, a major interstate bridge crossing the Columbia River at Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon. The paint superintendent for Klass Bros., Inc., was Alfred Dreher. He was the immediate supervisor of Ronald A. Owens, who was the job superintendent on the Astoria bridge project. The defendant, Richard Johnson, was employed by the State of Oregon on the Astoria bridge job as a paint inspector.

Owens first met the defendant in Astoria around the latter part of April, 1970. Owens testified that he then believed Johnson was requiring Klass Bros., Inc., to do more work in sandblasting the bridge than the specifications of the contract required, which cost his company “extra money.” Accordingly, about May 18, 1970, Owens talked to the defendant at “the Cinders” in Astoria. He testified:

“A I simply asked Mr. Johnson that night at the Cinders that I was new in the state of Oregon and new with the State inspections and how they operated and if it was — if it was something that I [197] was doing, I wanted to know now so that I could do something about it.
“Q And what did he say?
“A He simply said that it was pretty simple. Before I tell you this I asked him not to beat around the bush, that I might misunderstand him, to just give it to me point-blank, and he said, ‘It’s very simple.’ He says, ‘All you have to do is pay me.’
CC* & *
“A * * * [H]e could help ns with his duties as an inspector by eliminating a coat of zinc by not forcing us to sandblast so hard, and, if I remember, he could also eliminate lots of miscellaneous inspections which he and I both knew was unnecessary. * * *”

On the following day Owens “talked to Mr. Johnson more * * * about it” at the bridge site. Owens, to establish defendant’s sincerity, asked him “if he was willing to shoot me a game of pool for $100.00,” and this offer was accepted. They met that night and Owens and the defendant bet $100 on an otherwise friendly game of pool being played in Astoria between Owens and one of his foremen, and Owens lost the game. Defendant pocketed the $100. When defendant next “went up to make our daily inspection, which he did every day on the sandblasting * * * it was just a matter of 10 minutes that it took him to make the inspection.” Prior to that time each inspection had occupied about one and one-half hours. The defendant told Owens, as he was coming out from under the bridge, “That’s a sample of how it can be.”

Owens kept his supervisors notified of his conversations and activities with the defendant, and Johnson’s superiors were notified by them. About May 23, 1970, the defendant’s supervisor and the state district bridge engineer called on Owens regarding the matter [198] and shortly afterwards Owens talked to the Clatsop County district attorney.

About May 21, Owens had a further conversation with the defendant, and the defendant “in this conversation told me that he expected between five and 10 thousand dollars.” Owens told the defendant “that he couldn’t make these kinds of deals with me; he would have to go to somebody higher than me.”

Accordingly, Owens talked to the defendant in Astoria to arrange a meeting between the defendant and Alfred Dreher for the purpose of “pay-off.” Owens told the defendant that Dreher “would be flying in” from California and that an appointment could be arranged. According to Owens, the defendant “said that Dad’s Restaurant in Portland would be a good spot since A1 Dreher was flying in through the Portland Airport.” Owens called Dreher, and Dreher, who was in Los Angeles, later called the defendant to confirm the meeting at Dad’s Restaurant in Portland for May 29, 1970.

Dreher and Owens next met with the Clatsop County district attorney in Astoria on the morning of May 29, 1970, before going to Dad’s Restaurant in Portland. At this meeting, Dreher, Owens, the district attorney and some state policemen were present. Five one-hundred dollar bills that had been supplied by Klass Bros.., Inc., were identified and placed in a marked envelope which Mr. Dreher put into his pocket. After leaving the district attorney’s office Mr. Dreher had called the defendant again to confirm the meeting.

Dreher and Owens then went to Dad’s Restaurant in Multnomah County where they met defendant and sat with him in a eorner booth. Police officers, dressed in civilian attire, followed Dreher and Owens into the restaurant.

[199] According to Owens and Dreher, the defendant there demanded $7,500 for easing np on inspections. The defendant wanted half of the money immediately and half when the job was 50 per cent completed. Dreher told the defendant that he didn’t carry that much money, bnt that he did have $500, and asked defendant if he wanted it. Defendant said yes, and Dreher gave him the envelope containing the five one-hnndred dollar bills. When defendant put the envelope into his pocket Dreher took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief as a signal for the police. Six officers immediately came np to the booth where the three men were sitting, arrested defendant and seized the $500 as evidence.

The indictment charged, in effect, that defendant, in Clatsop Connty, received $500 compensation from Alfred Dreher “for services promised in connection with” the Klass Bros., Inc.- — State of Oregon contract for painting the Astoria bridge, with intent upon defendant’s part “to make official inspections” of the work done by Klass Bros., Inc., under the contract “so as to produce a result favorable to the said Klass Bros., Inc.” In fact the $500 was paid in Multnomah Connty, as stated above.

Defendant’s sole claim of error is that of improper venue. Oregon Constitution, Art I, § 11. He contends that the crime was committed in Multnomah County where the $500 charged in the indictment changed hands. The state contends that under ORS 131.340, the prosecution can be brought either in Clatsop County or Multnomah County. That statute provides :

“When a crime is committed partly in one county and partly in another or when the acts or effects thereof constituting or requisite to the con[200] summation of the crime occur in two or more counties, an action therefor may be commenced and tried in any of such counties.”

We pointed out in Kneefe v. Sullivan, 2 Or App 152, 465 P2d 741, Sup Ct review denied (1970):

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State v. Johnson, 487 P.2d 115, 6 Or. App. 195, 1971 Ore. App. LEXIS 679 (Or. Ct. App. 1971).

487 P.2d 115 (State v. Johnson) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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