State v. Pina

561 P.2d 43, 90 N.M. 181
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 22, 1977
Docket2657
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 561 P.2d 43 (State v. Pina) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico 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. Pina, 561 P.2d 43, 90 N.M. 181 (N.M. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

WOOD, Chief Judge.

This appeal involves the Meat Inspection Act. Sections 54-8-6 to 54-8-21, N.M.S.A. 1953 (Repl. Vol. 8, pt. 2, Supp.1975). Defendant has been convicted by a jury of slaughtering without a proper inspection, selling uninspected meat, and failure to comply with regulations of the Livestock Board. Defendant represented himself at trial but has had the services of appointed counsel for the appeal. Nine issues are presented; five are grouped under point four. The points discussed are: (1) sufficiency of the evidence, (2) refusal to inspect, (3) validity of the regulations, (4) miscellaneous claims, and (5) the sentences.

Sufficiency of the Evidence

Defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence as to each of the convictions. In reviewing these contentions we consider the evidence, and permissible inferences therefrom, in the light most favorable to the verdict. State v. Lucero, 88 N.M. 441, 541 P.2d 430 (1975).

Applying the aforestated standard of review, there is evidence to the following effect.

In the fall of 1975, the Livestock Board had licensed slaughtering and selling operations at the physical location involved in the charges against defendant. The record is unclear as to the name of the slaughtering business; the selling operation was conducted under the name of Sweetmeat or Sweetmeat, Inc. In January, 1976, W. F. Hunt applied for two licenses — slaughterer and fresh meat dealer. The applications listed the name of each business as “Pursuit of Happiness” and listed the owner for each business as Hunt and Pina. Each license was issued in the names of these two men; subsequently, an inspector saw the licenses posted in the office of the businesses. These two licenses were described as having been transferred from prior licensees. After the licenses were issued to Hunt and Pina, “Pursuit of Happiness” conducted the slaughtering operation and “Sweetmeat” sold fresh meat under the “Pursuit of Happiness” ‘license.

In the fall of 1975, an inspector had observed that slaughtering operations were being conducted in noncompliance with regulations of the Livestock Board. This noncompliance continued after the licenses were issued to Hunt and Pina. On February 10, 1976, a “Project and Progress Report” was signed by Pina under protest. This report specified corrective action that was to be taken by March 15, 1976. On March 15, 1976, the inspector observed that the corrective action had not been taken; the inspector informed someone at the slaughtering plant that there would be no more inspections until the corrections were made. The inspector called this a curtailment; the curtailment lasted for two or three days. The curtailment was in effect on March 16 and 17, 1976.

On March 16, 1976, unstamped mutton was observed in Sweetmeat’s meat case. Entrails, heads and feet were observed in the slaughter plant; these items had not been present on March 15, 1976. On March 17, 1976, uninspected mutton was purchased from Sweetmeat.

Although the regulations were not introduced into evidence, a witness testified as to specific regulations that were violated. These regulations covered the items for corrective action in the “Project and Progress Report”. The items for corrective action involved a smooth finish for the walls and installing a door in the “offal” or “hide room,” and repairing the drain which carried away blood in the “kill” room. There was evidence that the regulations involved were “sanitary” regulations.

There was substantial evidence that a sheep was slaughtered without inspection (Count I). Section 54-8-15(A), supra. There was substantial evidence that uninspected meat was sold (Count II). Section 54-8-15(B), supra. There was substantial evidence that regulations existed and that the regulations were violated (Count III). Section 54-8-13(J), supra, and § 47-2-19, N.M.S.A.1953 (Repl. Vol. 7, Supp.1975). There was substantial evidence that these violations occurred in the Pursuit o‘f Happiness businesses licensed to Hunt and Pina to slaughter and sell fresh meat.

Defendant claims he cannot be held liable for the three crimes because there was no evidence that he was the owner of the two businesses. We fail to see the relevancy of ownership. The statutes involved, cited in the preceding paragraph, do not define the crimes in terms of ownership. No issue of ownership was included in the instructions and there was no objection by defendant to the instructions. If ownership has relevancy unperceived by this Court, the conflicting testimony given by W. F. Hunt raised a factual issue as to defendant’s ownership.

Defendant claims (a) there was no evidence that he personally committed any of the crimes, (b) that he was found guilty on the basis that he was a licensee and he was not a licensee, and (c) even if he were a licensee, he cannot be liable for crimes committed by others.

We agree that there was an absence of evidence that defendant personally slaughtered the sheep on March 16th or that he sold the uninspected mutton on March 17th. We do not agree that there was an absence of evidence as to defendant’s personal participation in the violation of the regulations.

Defendant signed the Project and Progress Report. Defendant’s name was on the licenses and the licenses were posted on the premises. There was evidence that the prior operator turned the business over to Hunt and Pina, that Pina wanted to be named in the license applications in order to be involved in the management and operation. There was evidence that defendant gave orders concerning the operation of the businesses; an exhibit shows defendant informed the inspector as to when slaughtering was to occur (see § 54-8-10, supra); there was evidence that Pursuit of Happiness slaughtered for Sweetmeat.

There was substantial evidence that defendant was personally involved in the violation of the regulation, that defendant was a licensee and as licensee, defendant permitted the illegal slaughtering and selling to occur. Defendant was held liable for his own actions and not for actions of others.

The instruction setting forth the elements of the charge of violating regulations (Count III) states that defendant must have failed to comply with the regulations “by an unlawful and intentional act ”. Defendant asserts the evidence shows only non-action on his part. The briefs discussed when a non-act may be considered an act. We decline the invitation to discuss the semantics of “act”. When the entire instruction is read, it clearly discusses a failure to comply with the regulations; the word “act” did not make the instruction confusing. There was evidence which supports the giving of this instruction.

Refusal to Inspect

The evidence was undisputed that upon ascertaining that the corrective action identified in the Project and Progress Report had not been taken by March 15, 1976, the inspector refused to continue with inspections until the corrections were made. Both ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections are required. Section 54-8-11, supra. Without the inspections, the Pursuit of Happiness licenses could not be legally operated on a commercial basis. See § 54-8-16, supra.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
561 P.2d 43, 90 N.M. 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-pina-nmctapp-1977.