State v. Kiefer

183 Iowa 319
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 26, 1917
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 183 Iowa 319 (State v. Kiefer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Kiefer, 183 Iowa 319 (iowa 1917).

Opinions

Ladd, J.

1. Indictment AND INFORMATION : amendment: proper procedure. I. The defendant, with his two brothers, W. H. and John Kiefer, is alleged in the indictment to have engaged in the banking business as a copartnership, under the name of Kiefer Brothers Banking Company. It is also alleged that the company became insolvent, and, while so insolvent, said defendant “did knowingly accept and receive from one E. S. Burr” a certificate of deposit, previously by [329]*329it issued, for $1,800, and issued to said Burr another certificate in its stead for $1,800. No copy of either instrument was attached thereto. It developed on the examination of E. S. Burr that his name was Eugene S. Burr; that the certificate issued was for $1,858.75, “payable to the order of self or wife,” and was made to Eugene S. Burr. When offered in evidence, it was excluded, on the objection that it was not the certificate described in the indictment. Thereupon, the State applied for leave to amend that instrument, under Paragraphs.7 and 8, Section 5289, Code Supplement, 1913,'which provides that:

“7. The county attorney may, at any time before or during the trial of defendant upon indictment, amend the indictment so as to correct errors or omissions therein as to matters of form, or to correct errors in the name of any person or in the description of any person or thing, or in the allegations concerning the ownership of property that may be described in the indictment; but such amendment shall not prejudice the substantial rights of the defendant, of charge him with a different crime or different degree of crime from that .¡charged in the original indictment returned by the grand jury;
“8. A notice of the time the' State will ask permission to file such amendment, together Avith a copy of such amendment, shall be served upon the defendant or his attorney and an opportunity be given the defendant to resist the filing of such amendment. No continuance or delay in trial shall be granted because of such amendment, except upon the defendant’s application, it appearing to the court that defendant should have additional time to prepare for trial because of the new allegations contained in the indictment.”

[330]*3302. Indictment AND INFORMATION : amendment: surplusage: effect. [329]*329The application to amend proposed: (1) To “substitute” the name “Eugene S. Burr” in all places therein for E. S. Burr; (2) to “change and correct” the amount [330]*330in tlie certificate surrendered by inserting $1,761.85, instead of $1,800, therein; and (3) to change and correct the certificate issued, by inserting $1,858.75 instead of $1,800; and (4) to insert, after the words “the property of the said E. S. Burr,” the words, “a more particular description of which is to the grand jury unknown.” Neither the proposed amendment nor a copj- thereof was attached, nor was a copy of the alleged amendment ever served on the defendant, but the application was duly served. Such amendment was, in form and substance, a new and complete indictment, without endorsements as having' been returned by the grand jury; and the State, while denominating it in the title, “amendment to indictment,” states that it “amends” in pursuance of permission of the court, and “hereto sets forth tlie amended indictment.” Then follows the amendment, in the form of an indictment, containing not only the changes sought, but enough else to make it apparently complete in itself. But the State was without authority to amend in any respect save that authorized by this statute. There is no provision permitting the filing of an amended and substituted indictment. Such an instrument can only be returned by the grand jury upon resubmission to that body. The State is limited by the.order of the court, on application, to precisely the changes or corrections therein permitted, and anything in excess thereof must be regarded' as surplusage. Had the amendment been served on the accused, as exacted by statute, and the same ruled on-by the court, it might cover every correction or change permissible thereunder. But only the motion was served and ruled on by the court; and therefore the State, in drawing the amendment, might not make other changes or corrections than authorized by the ruling thereon. Of course, it is not often material how an amendment is denominated: the important consideration is, what it really is. This [331]*331amendment in form is something more than a mere amendment; but, as said, anything other than within the order of the court was utterly without authority of law, and especially is this true of that part specifically charging the offense against him only. Doubtless the omission of the names of the other brothers from the amendment was due to oversight, owing to the fact that Adam Kiefer alone was on trial. The indictment was without defect in these respects. The law did not authorize an amendment in either respect, nor was it permitted by the court. Any matter included in the amendment by the county attorney other than permissible by statutes and authorized by court must be regarded as surplusage, as not being returned by the grand jury; and, as the trial' court proceeded on this theory, and the cause was tried on the original indictment as corrected by the amendment only in the respects proposed,.there was no error.

3. Indictment AND INFORMATION : amendment: service of copy on accused: waiver. II. In serving notice of the application to amend, a copy thereof also was served, but no copy of the amendment was ever served on the defendant. Hie specifically objected to the application on this ground: “(6) That no copy of the proposed amendment has been served on the defendant.” In overruling this objection, the court denied the defendant the benefit of Paragraph 8 of Section 5289 of the Code Supplement, 1913. The right to amend an indictment returned by the grand jury, accorded the county attorney, was on certain specified conditions, among which was the' service of á copy thereof on the accused. This was to advise him both of the substance and form of the proposed amendment, to the end that “an opportunity be given the defendant to resist the filing of such amendment.” Undoubtedly, the court erred in overruling the objection that a copy of the amendment had not been served, but the error was waived by the fact that counsel [332]*332for the defendant interposed objections to the amendment itself, when filed, and that his attention was directed thereto by the court, and he resisted the filing thereof. He could have done no more had the copy been served. Every purpose of such service had been accomplished, and we are of opinion that the error in the ruling of the court and the failure to serve a copy of the amendment on defendant were waived. In any event, he was in no .wise prejudiced. We are required to “examine the record without regard to technical errors or defects which do not affect the substantial rights of the parties” (Section 5462, Code), and it is plain that this could have had no influence on the course of the trial.

4. Indictment AND INFORMATION : amendments : scope: names of persons and things. III. Appellant contends that the amendment, in effect, substitutes different certificates from those described in the indictment, in that the application asks to “substitute” thq name “Eugene S. Burr” 'for “E. S. Burr,” and to change and correct the amounts of said certificates.

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Bluebook (online)
183 Iowa 319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kiefer-iowa-1917.