State v. Rounds

492 S.W.2d 11, 1973 Mo. App. LEXIS 1484
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 19, 1973
DocketNo. KCD 26114
StatusPublished

This text of 492 S.W.2d 11 (State v. Rounds) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri 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. Rounds, 492 S.W.2d 11, 1973 Mo. App. LEXIS 1484 (Mo. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

DIXON, Judge.

Defendant was convicted by a jury of Burglary Second Degree and Stealing. From a jury imposed sentence of five years for burglary and three for stealing, defendant has appealed.

Defendant asserts error on three grounds. First, a claim he was denied a preliminary hearing; second, that the trial court improperly admitted statements made by the defendant to a jailer; and, third, that the trial court erred in improperly limiting the scope of cross examination of a witness for the State. The contentions will be considered in reverse order, the third point being the only point raised requiring a full factual review.

Bazil B. Hall owned a business on Prospect Avenue in Kansas City. Utilized in the business of Hall was one of two buildings on the premises. Prior to December of 1970, the defendant had occupied the other building, using it for an “automobile repair shop.” After the removal of the defendant from this building, the owner, Hall, stored an Aristocrat boat and a commercially manufactured Rolce trailer in the building. The building was secured by a padlock. On Saturday, March 6, 1971, the building was locked. When Hall returned to his place of business Monday, March 8, 1971, the building had been “broken into the lock was gone,” the door was “sagged open,” and the boat and trailer were gone. The door bore physical evidence of a forcible entry described as “scuff marks” on the door facing. The original bill of sale and boat registration evidencing the ownership by Hall were received in evidence.

The proprietor of a resort on Table Rock Lake then related that the defendant brought a boat and trailer to his resort in the early morning hours on March 7, 1971. The resort operator knew defendant by the name of Jerry Haines. This boat and trailer were taken by police from the resort operator’s possession in May of 1971. By serial number and from photographs, this boat and trailer were identified as the property of Hall.

When the defendant went to Table Rock Lake with the stolen boat and trailer, he was accompanied by a female named Pat Bartlett. She appeared as a witness for the State and said she had lived with the defendant from January to April, 1971. She asserted that the defendant moved into an apartment with the witness and her then husband, Leonard Joe Bartlett. When her husband “went to jail,” she and the defendant then “lived together.” She identified photographs of the Hall boat and trailer as being the boat and trailer the defendant had taken to Table Rock on March 7. She admitted she was with him on this trip. Pat Bartlett then established that the defendant had used the name, Jerry M. Haines, identified a driver’s license in that name as one used by the defendant, and asserted she went with the defendant when he took the test to receive the driver’s license in the name of Haines. She also identified an application for boat registration in the name of Haines as well as a trailer title for a homemade trailer in like name. The number shown on this title had been affixed to the Hall trailer by means of a tag issued by the Director of Revenue pursuant to the title issued in the name, Haines. She further identified an altered owner’s title for the boat bearing the name, Haines, and the address of the witness’ parents. All of these documents were recovered by the police from a file box belonging to the defendant and left at the home of the witness’ parents. At the same time, the officers recovered parts of the boat. Pat Bartlett was present when the defendant damaged the boat and observed the removal of the damaged parts and identified the parts recovered from the defendant’s car as the same parts. These parts were missing from the Hall boat when it was recovered.

[13]*13The facts thus far related would have unquestionably supported the conviction of the defendant for both burglary and stealing. State v. Robb, 439 S.W.2d 510, l.c. 513 (Mo.Sup.1969), State v. Lewis, 482 S.W.2d 432, l.c. 434 (Mo.Sup.1972).

The State also offered testimony of the ex-husband of Pat Bartlett, Leonard Joe Bartlett. He was a convicted felon, and although not before the jury, the record shows he and the defendant had been engaged in criminal activities. The testimony given by him was repetitive of his ex-wife’s on the bogus name used by the defendant. His only contribution of substance was his assertion that he accompanied the defendant to the place where the boat was stored, they looked at it through the window, and defendant said he was going to “get it.” Defendant is also supposed to have said that if he did not have a key he would break the lock.

At the conclusion of this witness’ testimony, the State had him admit his prior convictions. On cross examination of Leonard Joe Bartlett, the defense lawyer was reading from a paper and standing close by the jury. This occurred while defense counsel was examining the witness as to prior convictions. The State objected, and in the course of a colloquy at the bench, the defendant’s counsel said he was going to question the witness on the sentences assessed for the four admitted convictions. The court said he would not permit this, although the State had made no objection to that line of inquiry. The defense never put the query to the witness. The record is, thus, in an unsatisfactory condition to consider defendant’s claim of error, which is that the “sentences” of the witness were admissible to impeach him. Cited by the defendant is State v. Washington, 383 S.W.2d 518, l.c. 523 (Mo.Sup.1964), which holds that when a defendant testifies, his sentence, as well as his conviction, may be shown. The State concedes this point as well as conceding further that there is a presumption of harmful error where the life or liberty of a citizen is at stake. The State argues, however, that the law of State v. Spencer, 472 S.W.2d 404 (Mo.Sup.1971), and cases therein cited is that this presumption can be overcome by all the facts and circumstances.

State v. Spencer, supra, is a case where the court found reversible error because of the improper impeachment of a witness for the defendant. This conclusion seems appropriate for it could only be speculative to say that the jury would not have believed the State’s witness absent the improper impeachment.

The instant case, however, is more like the situation in State v. Degraffenreid, 477 S.W.2d 57 (Mo.Sup. En Banc 1972), where the issue of harmless error on the admission of cumulative evidence is fully discussed. The real thrust of defendant’s argument here is that the jury would have disbelieved Leonard Joe Bartlett’s testimony if full impeachment had been permitted. Without resorting to speculation as to what a jury might or might not have believed, this case can be resolved by assuming what defendant implies that the jury did believe the witness. Even so assuming, no error is demonstrated. The only damaging fact elicited from this witness was the statement of the defendant’s felonious intent inferable from his admission he would “get the boat.” The jury finding of felonious intent does not rest alone on the inference of recent possession of stolen property in this case. The record here is replete with documentary evidence plainly proving such intent. When so considered, Leonard Joe Bartlett’s testimony is purely cumulative and not prejudicial to the defendant.

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Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
State v. Lewis
482 S.W.2d 432 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1972)
State v. Spencer
472 S.W.2d 404 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1971)
State v. Washington
383 S.W.2d 518 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1964)
State v. Degraffenreid
477 S.W.2d 57 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1972)
State v. Turley
416 S.W.2d 75 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1967)
State v. Robb
439 S.W.2d 510 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1969)
State v. Brinkley
189 S.W.2d 314 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1945)
In Re Lydia Sisk
265 S.W. 536 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1924)
State v. McNeal
262 S.W. 1025 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1924)
Miller v. Kamo Electric Cooperative, Inc.
351 S.W.2d 960 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1962)
Sisk v. Wilkinson
305 Mo. 328 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1924)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
492 S.W.2d 11, 1973 Mo. App. LEXIS 1484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rounds-moctapp-1973.