State v. Stokes

163 S.E.2d 770, 274 N.C. 409
Supreme Court of North Carolina·Decided October 30, 1968·No. 248·Published·Cited by 32 cases

Opinion

163 S.E.2d 770 (1968)
274 N.C. 409

STATE of North Carolina
v.
Johnny STOKES, Jr.

No. 248.

Supreme Court of North Carolina.

October 30, 1968.

*771 Atty. Gen. T. W. Bruton and Deputy Atty. Gen. Harry W. McGalliard for the State.

David M. Connor, Wilson, for defendant appellant.

R. HUNT PARKER, Chief Justice.

Defendant's sole assignment of error in the Court of Appeals and his sole assignment of error here is the denial of his motion in arrest of judgment for the reason that it appears from the face of the indictment that the indictment fails to state the name of the person with whom the defendant *772 committed the crime against nature. This assignment of error is good.

Article I, section 12, of the North Carolina Constitution requires an indictment, unless waived, for all criminal actions originating in the Superior Court, and a valid indictment is necessary to vest the court with jurisdiction to determine the question of guilt or innocence. It is hornbook law that it is an essential of jurisdiction that a criminal offense should be sufficiently charged in a warrant or an indictment. State v. Yoes, 271 N.C. 616, 157 S.E.2d 386; State v. Thornton, 251 N.C. 658, 111 S.E.2d 901; State v. Bissette, 250 N.C. 514, 108 S.E.2d 858; State v. Morgan, 226 N.C. 414, 38 S.E.2d 166.

What are the essentials of a valid indictment? A clear and concise answer to this question appears in State v. Greer, 238 N.C. 325, 77 S.E.2d 917:

"The authorities are in unison that an indictment, whether at common law or under a statute, to be good must allege lucidly and accurately all the essential elements of the offense endeavored to be charged. The purpose of such constitutional provisions is: (1) such certainty in the statement of the accusation as will identify the offense with which the accused is sought to be charged, (2) to protect the accused from being twice put in jeopardy for the same offense, (3) to enable the accused to prepare for trial, and (4) to enable the court, on conviction or plea of nolo contendere or guilty to pronounce sentence according to the rights of the case. [Cases cited.]"

The essentials of an indictment have been restated in equally clear and emphatic language in several recent cases. State v. Walker, 249 N.C. 35, 105 S.E.2d 101; State v. Banks, 247 N.C. 745, 102 S.E.2d 245; State v. Jordan, 247 N.C. 253, 100 S.E.2d 497; State v. Helms, 247 N.C. 740, 102 S.E.2d 241; State v. Cox, 244 N.C. 57, 92 S.E.2d 413; State v. Strickland, 243 N.C. 100, 89 S.E.2d 781; State v. Burton, 243 N.C. 277, 90 S.E.2d 390; State v. Scott, 241 N.C. 178, 84 S.E.2d 654.

Except where a pardon is pleaded before sentence, or except as otherwise provided by statute, a motion in arrest of judgment can be based solely on matters which appear on the face of the record proper, or on matters which should, but do not, appear on the face of the record proper. State v. Reel, 254 N.C. 778, 119 S.E.2d 876; State v. Gaston, 236 N.C. 499, 73 S.E.2d 311; State v. Sawyer, 233 N.C. 76, 62 S.E.2d 515; 24 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 1515. The record proper, the true record, and not a false one, includes only those essential proceedings which are made of record by the law itself, and as such are self-preserving. State v. Gaston, supra; Thornton v. Brady, 100 N.C. 38, 5 S.E. 910; 24 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 1515. The evidence in a case is no part of the record proper. State v. Gaston, supra; State v. Matthews, 142 N.C. 621, 55 S.E. 342.

Defendant has a right to file in this Court a written motion in arrest of judgment of the Superior Court upon the ground of insufficiency of the indictment. State v. Thornton, supra; State v. Lucas, 244 N.C. 53, 92 S.E.2d 401.

There is abundant authority that a plea of guilty standing alone does not waive a jurisdictional defect. State v. Covington, 258 N.C. 501, 128 S.E.2d 827; State v. Warren, 113 N.C. 683, 18 S.E. 498; Weir v. United States, 92 F.2d 634 (7th Cir. 1937), 114 A.L.R. 481; People v. Green, 368 Ill. 242, 13 N.E.2d 278, 115 A.L.R. 348; Berg v. United States, 176 F.2d 122 (9th Cir. 1949), cert. den. 338 U.S. 876, 70 S.Ct. 137, 94 L.Ed. 537; 22 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 424(7); Ibid. § 162; 4 Wharton, Criminal Law and Procedure § 1901 (Anderson Ed. 1957). See People v. Green, 329 Ill. 576, 161 N.E. 83. In People v. Kelly, 198 Misc. 1119, 104 N.Y.S.2d 385, the Court said: "A plea of guilty standing alone does *773 not constitute a waiver of fundamental constitutional rights in the protection of which every reasonable presumption is indulged. Bojinoff v. People, supra [299 N.Y. 145, 85 N.E.2d 909]; Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680."

Courts indulge every reasonable presumption against a waiver by a defendant charged with crime of fundamental constitutional rights, and do not presume acquiescence in their loss. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680; Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458, 58 S.Ct. 1019, 82 L.Ed. 1461, 146 A.L.R. 357; Aetna Ins. Co. v. Kennedy, 301 U.S. 389, 57 S.Ct. 809, 81 L.Ed. 1177; Ohio Bell Telephone Co. v. Public Utilities Commission, 301 U.S. 292, 57 S.Ct. 724, 81 L.Ed. 1093.

In Johnson v. Zerbst, supra, the Court said: "A waiver is ordinarily an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right of privilege."

Defendant here entered a plea of nolo contendere. A plea of nolo contendere, like a plea of guilty, leaves open for review only the sufficiency of the indictment and waives all defenses other than that the indictment charges no offense. State v. Smith, 265 N.C. 173, 143 S.E.2d 293; United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America v. United States, 330 U.S. 395, 67 S.Ct. 775, 91 L.Ed. 973; Crolich v. United States, 196 F.2d 879, reh. den. 17 June 1952, cert. den. 344 U.S. 830, 73 S.Ct. 36, 97 L.Ed. 646; 21 Am.Jur.2d Criminal Law § 501; 22 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 425(4), p. 1208. In United States v. Bradford, 2 Cir., 160 F.2d 729, cert. den. 331 U.S. 829, 67 S.Ct. 1351, 91 L.Ed. 1844, the Court said: "Defendant pleaded nolo contendere * * *. He now appeals from a sentence imposed pursuant to his plea. His contention,

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State v. Stokes, 163 S.E.2d 770, 274 N.C. 409 (N.C. 1968).

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