State v. Pettit

133 P. 1014, 74 Wash. 510, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 2085
Washington Supreme Court·Decided July 30, 1913·No. No. 11029·Published·Cited by 41 cases

Opinion

Main, J.

— The defendant, together with Florence Pet-tit, his wife, were charged by information with the crime of grand larceny. The information, so far as material at present, was as follows:

“On or about the 2d day of January, 1912, in the county of Snohomish, state of Washington, the said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and the said defendant, Florence Pettit, then and there being, did unlawfully, and with intent to deprive and defraud the owner thereof, obtain from one Hattie Martin the sum of twenty-nine hundred dollars ($2,900), in lawful money of the United States of America, of the value of twenty-nine hundred dollars ($2,900), in lawful money of the United States of America, the personal property of said Hattie Martin, then and there in the lawful care, custody, possession and control of said Hattie Martin, by color and aid of the false representations and pretenses by said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and said defendant, Florence Pettit, then there knowingly, intentionally and fraudulently made, that creditors of one Oscar Martin were about to subject and seize and would subject and seize said personal property and money in satisfaction of claims against said Oscar Martin, and that it was essential and necessary in order to save, preserve and protect said personal property and money to said Hattie Martin that the same should be placed in the care, custody, possession and control of them, said defendant C. M. Pettit, and said defendant, Florence Pettit; all of which false representations and pretenses so knowingly, intentionally and fraudulently made by said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and said defendant, Florence Pettit, were believed by said Hattie Martin, who, relying thereon and being deceived thereby and induced thereby so to do, did then and there deliver, pay and surrender said personal property and money aforesaid to said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and said defendant, Florence Pettit, and the said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and said de[512] fendant, Florence Pettit, did then and there receive and obtain said personal property and money aforesaid, with the understanding and agreement then and there had between said Hattie Martin and said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and said defendant, Florence Pettit, that they, the said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and the said defendant, Florence Pettit, would safely hold, keep and preserve said personal property and money for said owner thereof as bailees and trustees thereof ; and they, the said defendant, C. M. Pettit, and said defendant, Florence Pettit, having then and thei*e received and obtained said personal property and money as aforesaid, did then and there unlawfully and with intent to deprive and defraud the said owner thereof, secrete, withhold and appropriate said personal property and money to their own use and to the use of some person or persons unknown to your informant other than the true owner thereof and the person entitled thereto, contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the state of Washington.”

To this information a demurrer was interposed upon various grounds, but chiefly upon the ground that two crimes are charged. The demurrer was by the court overruled. The defendant pleaded not guilty; A separate trial being granted to C. M. Pettit, on April 3, 1912, the cause was tried before the court and a jury. At the opening of the trial, the defendant moved the court for an order requiring the state to elect upon which of the two offenses alleged to be charged in the information it would proceed; that is, whether the defendant was to be tried for the alleged crime of larceny by color or aid, etc., as defined in subd. 2, Rem. & Bal. Code, § 2601 (P. C. 135 § 695), or for larceny by bailee or trustee, as defined in subd. 3 of the same section. This motion was denied. During his closing argument to the jury, the prosecuting attorney stated that he did not expect a conviction under the first form of crime as charged in the information, it not being intended for that purpose. Thereupon the defendant moved the court for an order withdrawing from the consideration of the jury all the evidence ad[513] mitted during the trial in support thereof, and that the jury be instructed to disregard the same. The motion was denied. The defendant was found guilty by the verdict of the jury. Motion for a new trial and motion in arrest of judgment being made in due time, both were overruled. Thereupon sentence was imposed. The defendant appeals.

The evidence in behalf of the state tends to prove substantially the following facts: During the months of August and September, in the year 1911, Hattie Martin, the complaining witness, and her husband, Oscar Martin, first became acquainted with the defendants C. M. Pettit and Florence Pettit, his wife. The Martins and the Pettits were at that time living in houses adjacent to each other in the city of Everett, Washington. Sometime thereafter the Martins rented and moved into the upstairs rooms in the house then occupied by the Pettits. On December 4, 1911, the Martins sold the moving picture business which they for a year prior thereto had been operating. As a part of the proceeds of this transaction, there came into the possession of Mrs. Martin the sum of $3,197. This she deposited in her own name in the Everett Trust & Savings Bank. About this time Mr. Martin was advised of court proceedings which had been begun against him in Minnesota to subject certain real estate which he there owned to the payment of a debt. Whether at this time there were creditors in Everett demanding payment of claims against the Martins was a disputed question upon the trial.

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State v. Pettit, 133 P. 1014, 74 Wash. 510, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 2085 (Wash. 1913).

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