State v. Wilson

477 P.2d 242, 106 Ariz. 411, 1970 Ariz. LEXIS 444
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 27, 1970
DocketNo. 2038
StatusPublished

This text of 477 P.2d 242 (State v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Wilson, 477 P.2d 242, 106 Ariz. 411, 1970 Ariz. LEXIS 444 (Ark. 1970).

Opinion

McFarland, Justice.

Arthur Calvin Wilson, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was convicted of the crime of robbery March 3, 1969 and sentenced to serve a term of not less than 10 nor more than 20 years in the Arizona State Prison. From his conviction and sentence he appeals.

The defendant filed a timely notice of appeal from the judgment in propria persona, also an opening brief. The Attorney General filed a reply brief. In his opening brief the defendant called attention to the failure of th„ clerk to transmit a portion of the transcript of record, and contended that for this reason the case should be remanded for a new trial. The Attorney General in his reply brief recommended that an attorney be appointed to represent the defendant in his appeal. In the meantime it had delevoped that the reason a portion of the record had not been transcribed and transmitted was because the court reporter, Betty Ainsworth, had become ill during the trial and was unable to transcribe her notes. Thereupon the court entered the following order:

“ORDERED: That the Plonorable Roger G. Strand shall direct Tia Van Zandt to transcribe the notes of the above mentioned case and fully complete the Reporters Transcript.
“FURTHER ORDERED: that this portion of the transcript shall be submitted to the Judge of the Superior Court, Maricopa County Division 18, who shall direct counsel for the State and for the defendant to examine the same, for the purpose of suggesting any corrections, and thereupon the judge shall settle and approve the transcript and file the same with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and order it transmitted forthwith to the Clerk of the Supreme Court as a part of the record on appeal.”

It then developed that neither the clerk nor the reporter were able to find the reporter’s notes to transcrioe. Judge Roger Strand thereafter ordered that the defendant prepare a statement of the evidence or proceedings from the best available means in accordance with Rule 363, Rules of Criminal Procedure, Vol. 17. It was prepared and served on the county attorney and submitted to the court. The county attorney filed his objections thereto and his statement of the evidence which were also objected to by the defendant, all of which were submitted to the Superior Court for settlement and approval. It was not fully settled for the reason that the court stated it was unable to “recollect” the particulars of the testimony of Elvin Besco and James W. Johnson. The counsel for defendant thereafter filed an opening brief, the state an answering brief and counsel for defendant a reply brief.

On April 2, 1968 a Circle K Market located at “A” Street and Alma School Road ;n Mesa, Arizona, was allegedly robbed by the defendant armed with a revolver. There was some $97.28 cash taken in the robbery. The police were notified of the robbery and given a description of the person who had committed the robbery. The Circle K Market is located in an area surrounded largely by fields and brush. The officers arrived in the area within a few minutes after receiving notice of the robbery. The defendant was stopped in his car near the market on the Canal Road west of the Alma School. A search was made of his person resulting in the seizure of a hunting knife and a quantity of cash. The defendant was then asked if he would go with the officers to the market to see if the victim could identify him. The defendant agreed to go to the market, but according to his testimony, at the hearing on the motion to sup[413]*413press the evidence, he stated that the identification was over his objection while he was handcuffed. Also that the officers refused to allow him to make a purchase and see if the manager could identify him in that manner, and rejected another proposal that the manager be required to come out and see if he could identify him in the crowd. The defendant in his brief filed propria persona presented the following questions:

“QUESTIONS PRESENTED
“1. Did the trial court err in refusing to suppress an inherently unfair and prejudicial identification gained in contravention to applicable U. S. Supreme Court decisions excluding same?
“2. Did the trial court err in refusing to suppress property introduced as evidence, said property having been gained through illegal search and seizure contrary to applicable U. S. Supreme Court decisions?
“3. Did the prosecution err to the prejudice of the accused wherein defense evidence within the jurisdiction of the prosecution was not preserved with the same diligence as prosecution’s evidence and was totally lost to the defense at Trial?
“4. Did the trial court err in denying a mistrial after allowing the jurors to hear highly prejudicial testimony and to witness the prejudicial exhibition of a hunting knife, even though later refusing to allow the matter into trial?
“5. Did the prosecution err in failing to furnish this Honorable Court and appellant with the Reporter’s Transcript of the complete testimony of the complaining witness recorded at Trial, (See: R.T., p. 53) to the derogation of a full and fair application of due process of law and equal protection of law as guaranteed by the United States Constitu- ' tion, Article XIV?”

The same questions were presented by his. attorney in his brief. We shall discuss them in the order as presented. The counsel first contends that the search of the defendant’s automobile and the resulting seizure of the gun, the shells It contained, a box of shells, holster and jacket was in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and their admission into evidence constituted reversible error. He cites State v. Madden, 105 Ariz. 383, 465 P.2d 363 as supporting this contention. In the-Madden case the search was after the automobile was moved off the highway and to a garage. We held in that case that the facts fell within those of Preston v. United States, 376 U.S. 364, 84 S.Ct. 881, 11 L. Ed.2d 777. The search of the car in the Preston case was not undertaken until the petitioner and his companions had been arrested and taken into custody and the car had been towed to the garage. The car likewise had been towed to the garage in the Madden case when the search was made. Following the Preston case, we held' that the search was too remote in time and place to be incident to the arrest. The facts are definite in the instant case that the car was searched on the highway where the defendant was stopped. It is true he had been taken to the store for identification and returned to the car. However, we do-not reach this question for the evidence shows that no objection was made at the trial on the basis that there had been an illegal search and seizure.

The objection made to the introduction of the evidence which consisted of the gun and the jacket was as follows:

“Your Honor, as to Exhibit 4, which is the gun, the State is trying to get into evidence, I would object to the admission of the gun. Certainly there is no foundation or connection that this was used in the alleged robbery. The only similarity is the fact that it had a round barrel. I think that is insufficient foundation or connection.
“As to the Exhibit No. 5, that certainly has been no — not the fact that this was [414]*414in Mr.

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Related

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376 U.S. 364 (Supreme Court, 1964)
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388 U.S. 218 (Supreme Court, 1967)
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218 P.2d 769 (California Supreme Court, 1950)
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465 P.2d 363 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1970)
State v. Quintana
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
477 P.2d 242, 106 Ariz. 411, 1970 Ariz. LEXIS 444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wilson-ariz-1970.