State v. Yingling

44 N.E.2d 361, 36 Ohio Law. Abs. 436, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 827
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 24, 1942
DocketNo. 3488
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 44 N.E.2d 361 (State v. Yingling) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio 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. Yingling, 44 N.E.2d 361, 36 Ohio Law. Abs. 436, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 827 (Ohio Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

OPINION

By ROSS, J.

This is an appeal on questions of law from a judgment of the court of common pleas of Summit County, Ohio, containing the following:

“THEREUPON, it appearing to the satisfaction of the court that the character of the defendant and the circumstances of the case are such that it is not likely that he will engage in an offensive course of conduct, and that the public good does not demand or require that he be immediately sentenced, IT IS ORDERED THAT IMPOSITION OF SENTENCE BE, AND THE SAME HEREBY IS, SUSPENDED FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE (5) YEARS, upon the following terms and conditions, to-wit:
FIRST: That the said defendant, JACOB YINGLÍNG, pay the costs of this prosecution properly taxed against him.
SECOND: That the said defendant voluntarily submit to confinement and imprisonment in the 'Summit County jail for a period of SIX (6) months, and abide by its rules and regulations.
THIRD: That the said defendant refrain from all offensive conduct and that he obey generally the laws of the State and the ordinances of the municipality within which he resides.
Since the United States of America is at war with powerful enemies who are threatening the basic liberties of our people, and as this- court does not now know how essential the services the said defendant, JACOB YINGLING, may render are to this government’s welfare, this court herewith reserves the right to adjudge, upon [438]*438proper application being made, the work and services defendant may render to be in lieu of said imprisonment, in whole or in part. The character of the work which may be considered in lieu of said imprisonment, in whole or in part, shall be left entirely to the judgment of this court for determination in the light of public good.”

Passing the consideration that such judgment is without authority in law, in that it is neither a sentence of the defendant to punishment provided by law, nor a suspension of imposition of sentence, as provided for by Chapter 31, Part Fourth, Title II of the General Code (§§13452-1, et seq.) we proceed to a consideration of the questions raised by the appeal.

The chief contentions of the defendant are that he is entitled to a judgment by this court, discharging him from custody, or in lieu thereof to a new trial, on the ground the finding of the trial court is manifestly against the weight of the evidence.

Both contentions may be considered together.

Jacob Yingling and Richard Co-burn were jointly indicted. The' charge as set out in the indictment is:

“that Jacob Yingling and Richard Coburn in the County of Summit and State of Ohio aforesaid, on the 15th day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, nine hundred and forty-one, unlawfully killed one Walter Lamb, Jr., contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of Ohio.”

These defendants waived a jury and were tried by the court alone.

The trial court pursuant to request of counsel for defendants made and entered on the journal a finding of facts and set forth its conclusions as to the guilt of the defendants.

Coburn -was found not guilty.

Yingling was found guilty as charged.

The attack upon the findings,, conclusions and judgment of the trial court requires a minute examination of the evidence in the case. As indicative of the magnitude of the task thus presented to this court, it may not be amiss fco here state that the trial occupied ten days — involved the examination of forty-one witnesses for the State, thirty-seven witnesses for the defendants, resulted in a bill of exceptions of seven hundred and sixty pages, and the finding and conclusions of the court cover twelve pages.

It is perfectly apparent that to include in this opinion any extensive or detailed review of the evidence would unduly extend it. However, the gravity of the charge, the importance of the principles involved to law enforcing officers as well as the public, and the desire of the court to establish the care with which this matter has been considered prompt the court to attach to this opinion an appendix containing a review of the evidence at least to the extent it applies to the remaining defendant Yingling. Such appendix will be found attached to the opinion.

For the purposes of the opinion proper, therefore, we content ourselves with a general statement as-to our conclusions upon the evidence.

First, a prefatory statement of the facts in general.

Two men, Walter Lamb, the deceased, and Charles Sullivan, on the 15th day of March, 1841, had been drinking whiskey in a cafe [439]*439•or saloon in the City of Akron, during the larger portion of the evening of that day.

About nine o’clock, they decided to leave the place which was called “The Short Stop Inn”. As Lamb reached the door to the street, he staggered and almost fell prostrate. Sullivan and a bar tender helped him to regain his feet. This was all observed by two cruising officers, Fassnacht and McAleese, who happened to be passing in their police car at the time. These officers stopped and ascertained that Lamb intended to drive himself and Sullivan to another part of the City. Sullivan, who was less intoxicated than Lamb, had no driver’s license, and, therefore, could not drive the car. Lamb insisted he could and would drive. After refusing to permit the officers to leave his automobile key with the bartender until Lamb was fit to drive, his key was taken from him, and becoming boisterous a patrol- wagon was called and Lamb and Sullivan, who was caught after trying to escape, were put in the wagon and taken to the city jail. Coburn drove the patrol wagon. Yingling acted as guard or “conductor”.

Upon arrival at the police station, the prisoners were taken to the “searching room”, searched, and registered by a Lieutenant Viereck. This occurred in front of a window, somewhat similar in character to a cashier’s window in a bank. Lamb from the beginning of the operation of searching and registering was abusive, using violent and threatening language. Sullivan endeavored to obstruct the searching process. Lamb threatened officers specifically and generally, using the most provocative language.' No actual physical encounter, however, occurred at this time. Some small change was taken from Lamb and given to the Lieutenant. This caused an exceptional tirade on the .part of Lamb, who accused the police of being thieves. Lamb stated he could thrash any one or all of the police. More than enough occurred at this time to justify the conclusion in the mind of any reasonable person that the deceased was of a violent, combative and mean disposition, and that he would cause trouble if possible, that he despised and hated police officers as a class, bore toward them intense malice and would violently injure them gladly if given the chance. Beside this, it was apparent that he was then still intoxicated, but had recovered physically sufficiently to be a dangerous person. It is also obvious that the officers during the progress of the searching of his body became aware that he was unusually strong, being a man of twenty-three years of age, five feet, 11% inches tall, and weighing 190 pounds.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Larry Ealy v. City of Dayton
103 F.3d 129 (Sixth Circuit, 1996)
Fields v. Dailey
587 N.E.2d 400 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
44 N.E.2d 361, 36 Ohio Law. Abs. 436, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-yingling-ohioctapp-1942.