State v. Reask

409 S.W.2d 76
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 14, 1966
Docket51786
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 409 S.W.2d 76 (State v. Reask) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Reask, 409 S.W.2d 76 (Mo. 1966).

Opinion

*78 PRITCHARD, Commissioner.

Defendant was found guilty by the verdict of a jury of occupying premises for the purpose of recording bets (§ 563.350, RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S.) and his punishment was assessed by the jury at imprisonment in the County jail for a term of one year and a fine of $1,000. This being a felony conviction, we have appellate jurisdiction. Const. Mo.1945, Art. V, § 3, V.A. M.S.

On May 30, 1963, Sergeant Glen Kirchhoff of the St. Louis County Police Department began an investigation of defendant (which led to his subsequent arrest) after observing him enter the M. & M. Tobacco Store, 3625 Gravois Avenue, in St. Louis, Missouri. Defendant came out of the Tobacco store in a couple of minutes, walked to within 25 to 30 feet of Sergeant Kirchhoff who was sitting in his police car," and the Sergeant saw and recognized a “scratch sheet” being carried by defendant. On May 31, 1963, Sergeant Kirchhoff again saw defendant at the same location, going again into the M. & M. Tobacco Store and returning with a newspaper known as “Racing Forms” and a scratch sheet. On June 1, 1963, Sergeant Kirchhoff again saw defendant emerge from the Tobacco store carrying a scratch sheet. These occasions all took place about 10 :Q0 a.m., and after the June 1st observance Sergeant Kirchhoff went to 9408 Mary Glen Court in Crestwood, Missouri, arriving at 10:25 a. m., where he met two police officers from St. Louis County Police Department, Detectives Jack Patty and Richard Craig, who were in an apartment there. At 11:19 a. m., defendant arrived at the same apartments and entered 9408a Mary Glen Court, which was directly above the apartment where the three police officers were. Sergeant Kirchhoff heard no noises from the apartment above prior to the time defendant arrived, but he heard the telephone ringing and a voice speaking thereafter. He previously had not heard defendant talk. After the telephone rang the voice answered, “Yeah. I haven’t got the scratch sheets laid out yet. Wait awhile.” While the conversation was going on the voice said, “Hold on a minute. I am on the other telephone.” There were further conversations during which the voice said, “I got you down for fifty to win on the Cards”; “Okay, Phil, I got you down for one hundred on the Cards”; “Okay, McClain County in the first at Cahokia”; and “Who in the fifth at Washington Park.” These voices were heard by Sergeant Kirchhoff between 11:42 a. m. and 12:50 p. m. To the best of his knowledge no one entered or left the upstairs apartment. At 12:50 p. m., Sergeant Kirchhoff left the apartment and met Captain Vassel, Sergeant St. Onge and Chief Al Steimel (of the Crestwood Police Department), after which he and the other officers went to the front door at 9408a Mary Glen Court and Captain Vassel knocked loudly on the door numerous times, to which there was no response. The officers then gained entrance to the apartment by breaking the bottom half of the door, after which Kirchhoff saw defendant, who was the only person there. There were four rooms in the apartment, two of which were bedrooms. There was also a bathroom located between one bedroom and the kitchen. There was a table in the southeast room upon which were two telephones, a radio, a clock ashtray and a piece of paper. The telephones rang while Kirchhoff was there and he answered them, roughly, twenty-five times. One of the voices wanted to place money on “Gold Security” in the first at Cahokia; one wanted to know what he owed; a female called wanting to know where “Bucky” was; one voice said, “Twenty to win on Teddy Galvin in the first at Washington Park”; one wanted to bet two hundred on the Cards to win; another wanted to bet twenty on the Cards; and there was another wanting to know what the odds were on the Cards. The telephones were removed by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and the service disconnected at 3:00 p. m. After defendant’s arrest Kirchhoff purchased a scratch sheet and Racing Form for the purpose of check *79 ing the horses that were running that date against the telephone conversations. The scratch sheet showed a horse named “Gold Security” in the first race at Cahokia, also “McClain County” in the first race. On the “Daily Racing Form” there was a horse by the name of “Teddy Galvin” which was to run that day at Washington Park, Home-wood, Illinois.

On cross-examination, Kirchhoff testified that he did not have a search warrant, nor did the other officers have one that he knew of. The racing form such as he purchased is available all over St. Louis and in the metropolitan area on public newspaper stands — it is not against the law to buy one.

On re-direct examination, Kirchhoff testified that prior to the time defendant was arrested he did not make an investigation to learn who was the lessee of the apartments, and he did not know to whom they were leased.

Captain Fred J. Vassel testified that he assisted in defendant’s arrest. Vassel was a captain of the St. Louis County Police Department. With him at the time were Phil St. Onge, a sergeant; Kirchhoff, Detective Jack Patty, Richard Craig and Chief Steimel of the Crestwood Police Department. Vassel personally knocked on the door and shouted, “Police Officers open the door.” No one came to the door, and after two or three minutes he forcibly opened the door — kicked it in, and found defendant and no one else inside the apartment. There was only one entrance to the apartment — the front door, with another door leading onto a balcony which was ten or twelve feet high. He saw no one enter or leave the premises for the fifty minutes he was there watching them. Vassel was in charge of the investigation, the other officers present acting under his direction. Vassel did not have a search warrant to enter the premises.

Phil St. Onge was a sergeant of the St. Louis County Police Department on June 1, 1963, being on that day with Captain Vas-sel. He assisted in defendant’s arrest. Prior to going to the apartment, they picked up Chief Steimel of the Crestwood Police Department at its City Hall. St. Onge identified seven plastic envelopes, State’s Exhibit 14, containing charred paper which he recovered from a metal pot or pan on the floor of the apartment.

Officer William Sahm, attached to the Bureau of Identification, Secret Service Division of the St. Louis County Police Department, arrived at the apartment where defendant was arrested about 2:00 p. m. on that day, with Detective George Randolph. On arrival, Sahm collected the contents of the seven plastic envelopes, State’s Exhibit 14, containing charred paper. He was able to read with his naked eye on the bits of charred paper the words “Seven”; “entry”; “Addition”; “Dynamite”; “Second”; “First”; “2 o’clock”; “Three year”; “Pony”; numeral “6” and numeral “7” with the word “Gold” behind it; “Fifth” and “109”; “112-1”; “110” and “2-10”; “116”; “4-4”; “Truman”; etc. These numerals are the same as appear on State’s Exhibit 11, a scratch sheet. Other words on the charred paper are: “Time S :20”; “Ancient Greek”; “Smoke Stack”; “Robin”; “Dazzle Dancer”; “Dynamite”; “Addition”; “6 Furlong”; the latter word appears on State’s Exhibit 11. Other words and figures appear on the charred bits of paper matching words and figures on the Cahokia Downs racing form. Officer Sahm also collected from a folding card table, on which were located two telephones, four ballpoint pens (3 blue and 1 black) and an edition entitled “Baseball News.” On this edition, showing the games being played on Saturday, June 1, 1963, the Cardinals were playing San Francisco.

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Bluebook (online)
409 S.W.2d 76, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-reask-mo-1966.