State v. Woodbury

294 P. 928, 132 Kan. 22, 1931 Kan. LEXIS 94
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 10, 1931
DocketNo. 29,135
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 294 P. 928 (State v. Woodbury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Woodbury, 294 P. 928, 132 Kan. 22, 1931 Kan. LEXIS 94 (kan 1931).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Hutchison, J.:

This is an appeal from a conviction and sentence for embezzlement on ten of the thirty-one counts charged in the information. With one exception the ten charges were for embezzlement on certain different dates of certain different amounts of money from the Citizens State Bank of Sabetha, the money being the property of the bank, with the intent to injure and defraud the bank while the defendant was the president and managing officer of the bank. The one exception was in the first count, where it was charged that the intent was to injure and defraud [24]*24the Citizens State Bank and one A. P. Shintaffer as the executor of the estate of James K. Shintaffer, deceased.

This action was originally brought in Nemaha county and was transferred to Brown county upon application for change of venue.

The ten counts on which there were convictions were Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 16, 17, 20 and 21. All the other counts were dismissed before the trial began.

In the first count it is charged that the defendant did unlawfully and feloniously embezzle, misapply and convert to his own use funds of the Citizens State Bank of Sabet-ha, to wit, the sum of $1,284, with the intent then and there to injure, and defraud the Citizens State Bank and one A. P. Shintaffer as executor. This charge and all charges in this case are being prosecuted under R. S. 9-140, the pertinent part of which is as follows:

“Every president, director, cashier, assistant cashier, teller, clerk, officer or agent of any bank who embezzles, abstracts or willfully misapplies any of the moneys, funds, securities or credits of the bank, or who issues or puts forth any certificate of deposit, draws any draft or bill of exchange, makes any acceptance, assigns any note, bond, draft, bill of exchange, or who makes use of the name of the bank in any manner with intent in either case to injure or defraud the bank or any individual, person, partnership, company or corporation . . . shall be deemed guilty of a felony . . .”

The evidence shows that on January 27, 1928, a deposit slip in the handwriting of the defendant was issued and delivered to one J. 0. Stahl for $1,284, and on January 31, 1928, a debit slip to the account of A. P. Shintaffer, executor, for the same amount was made without any money being paid in by Stahl or withdrawal by Shintaffer. The defendant contends he made loans for Shintaffer of the estate funds, and had done so for many years, and that he had authority from Shintaffer to withdraw from the account for his services in making such loans an amount not to exceed $2,000. Shintaffer denies having given any authority to withdraw from the account for any purpose except for making loans.

At the close of the state’s testimony the defendant moved the court to require the state to elect upon what it relied for conviction, whether it was the intention of defendant to injure and defraud the bank or Shintaffer. This was taken under advisement and was renewed at the close of the testimony of defendant and then overruled. Of this ruling appellant complains, and in the same connection complains of the instruction given by the court [25]*25with reference to intent to injure and defraud, that it was to injure and defraud the bank and Shintaffer or either of them. Appellant insists there are two offenses charged in this count: one with intent to defraud the bank, and the other with intent to defraud Shintaffer, and there should have been an election, and further that the instruction permitted the jury to bring in a verdict of guilty where some of the jury might believe the intent was to defraud the bank, while others could not agree to that but believed it was with intent to defraud Shintaffer.

The case of State v. Tudor, 121 Kan. 762, 250 Pac. 296, is cited as authority for the necessity of an election. In that case there were several separate and distinct offenses, being unrelated sales of intoxicating liquor, and under such circumstances it was held there should have been an election. Here there could only have been one offense. There could only have been one taking and converting of the money. There was one sum of money, one taking and converting and the money belonged to one party, namely, the bank. This was what was charged and attempted to be established by the evidence of the state. The only possible alternative in the case is as to the intention to injure and defraud one or both of two parties. That does not make two offenses, and unless there were two there can be no election. If it were not for the specific language of R. S. 9-140, it might very properly be said no allegation as to intent would be necessary. (State v. Patterson, 66 Kan. 447, 71 Pac. 860.) Since there are not two offenses, either under the charge or the proof, it is not material whether the intention be to injure and defraud one or both of the parties named in the information. Again, intent is not generally susceptible of direct proof. It is generally inferred from all the facts and circumstances of the case.

“In conclusion it may be said that the law as to proof of intent is not different from the law in regard to proof of other facts, unless it may be in the general principle that a person is ordinarily presumed to intend the natural consequences of his actions.” (8 R. C. L. 183.)

In embezzlement generally the intent is to defraud the owner of the property. Sometimes the injury may reach out to others, and if it does, the crime is neither enlarged nor diminished. It is the same crime and but one offense regardless of the number it injures.

The information alleged that the defendant was president and managing officer of the bank, and whether he was the managing [26]*26officer of the bank is immaterial, for the statute covers and includes all officers of banks.

The second count charges the defendant with embezzling and converting to his own use $2,000 from the funds of the bank on March 21, 1928, and the evidence shows, after the bank closed March 21 and it was determined that two of the officers should go to Topeka to confer with the bank commissioner about the condition of the bank, the defendant withdrew from the currency on hand in the bank the sum of $2,000. The defendant testified that he had inquired during the afternoon of his son as to the amount on deposit in the farm account and was informed there was something over $4,000 in the account. It was explained that the farm account belonged to the defendant and his son. Defendant testified that he wrote a check for the $2,000 and signed it as drawn on the farm account, and left it in the drawer. The son testified to some of the same matters and stated he saw the check. The check seemed later to have been lost, and defendant insists that he had an absolute right to check on this account and withdraw the funds shown to be in the account.

Appellant alleges error in the refusal of the court to give three instructions requested on this count. The first two were to the effect that unless the jury finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not honestly believe that he had in the bank $2,000 on deposit in the farm account subject to his check, he cannot be convicted. The substance of the last one requested was that “unless you find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not issue a check and did not honestly believe he had that amount to his credit in the farm account, you must find the defendant not guilty.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
294 P. 928, 132 Kan. 22, 1931 Kan. LEXIS 94, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-woodbury-kan-1931.