Tripp v. State

1951 OK CR 75, 237 P.2d 171, 94 Okla. Crim. 231, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 345
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 3, 1951
DocketNo A-11305
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1951 OK CR 75 (Tripp v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tripp v. State, 1951 OK CR 75, 237 P.2d 171, 94 Okla. Crim. 231, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 345 (Okla. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinions

BRETT, P. J.

The plaintiff in error T. P. Tripp, justice of the peace, defendant below, was charged by information in the district court of Latimer county, Oklahoma, with the crime of embezzlement. He was tried, convicted by a jury, his punishment fixed at 1 year in the penitentiary, and judgment and sentence entered accordingly. Prom the said judgment and sentence, this appeal has been perfected.

The information in substance alleges that the defendant Tripp, justice of the peace of Wilburton, Latimer county, was entrusted, as such, with the sum of $35 received from Joe Francis, on purported estray proceedings of a certain cow. The information alleges further that a better description of the matter could not be made because there was no case filed in the justice of the peace civil docket in relation to said proceeding. The information also alleged that the said money was paid to the said justice of the peace, T. P. Tripp, by check, and that all of said sum was money in excess of the costs incident to said proceeding, and belonged to Latimer county. It further alleges that under the provisions of Title 39, § 16, O. S. A. 1941, under his trust relation, it was his duty to deposit said money with the treasurer of Latimer county, all of which he failed so to do. It further alleges that he did, on or about August 13, 1946, unlawfully, fraudulently, and feloniously convert and appropriate said sum of $35 to his own use and purpose and not in the lawful execution of his said trust. The foregoing proceeding was referred to as “purported” for the reason that prior to 1943 justices of the peace, under the provisions of Title 4, §§ 51-54, O. S. 1941, were authorized to conduct sales of estrays, but such provision was repealed in the laws of 1943, p. 16, § 5, and such authority vested in the sheriffs, Laws 1943, p. 15, § 1, p. 16, §§ 2, 3, 4. Title 4. §§ 81.1 to 81.4 inclusive, 0. S. 1941. [232]*232The fact tlie defendant was not authorized hy law to conduct the estray proceedings is of no consequence herein, for he assumed to so act as trustee and agent for Latimer county and that is enough to create a trust relation and render the defendant liable for such money thus obtained. Waldock v. State, 42 Okla. Cr. 331, 276 P. 509. It is pertinent to state that the statutes of the state required a justice of the peace to make a quarterly report of all the matters in which the county or state was an interested party. Title 39, § 13, O. S. A. 1941. Moreover, under the provisions of Title 39, § 15, O. S. A. 1941, a justice of the peace was required at the same time to pay into the county treasury all moneys collected by him on behalf of the county or state, except sums of $200 should be paid into the county treasury forthwith. Furthermore, under the provisions of Title 3'9, § 16, O. S. A. 1941, it was provided among other things that “any justice of the peace * * * who shall wilfully neglect or refuse to pay over any moneys into the county treasury, as provided * * *, for a period of thirty days from the time provided in this act, shall be guilty of embezzlement.”

The defendant urges but two propositions, first, insufficiency of the evidence and, second, error in the instructions. In relation to the evidence the record herein disclosed by the testimony, that as a justice of the peace in Wilburton he directed the sale of the stray cow, and received by check from Joe Francis the sum of $35, above costs of the proceeding and legitimate deductions. He admitted he got the money on said check. The state contends that said sum was never at any time paid over to the county treasurer, and under the foregoing statute, Title 39, § 16, O. S. A. 1941, the defendant was guilty of embezzlement. Moreover, the record discloses there was no record in the county treasurer’s office showing a receipt of payment of said $35. Furthermore, the state’s case discloses that there was no record in the civil docket in Mr. Tripp’s office of the proceeding as herein involved. In fact, the records of the county treasurer for the months of July, August and September, 1946, showed no receipts from any justice of the peace. At no time subsequent to the proceeding as late as January, 1947, does any such deposit as the $35 sum herein involved appear to have been made in the county treasurer’s office. In substance, this was the state’s case.

On the other hand, the defendant admits the fact of the sale and the receipt of the money, but contends he paid the same to Mr. R. A. Welch, the county treasurer, who died shortly thereafter. He, however, was not able to produce the canceled check showing payment. He did, however, produce a pencil written check stub in the sum of $35 to R. A. Welch for estray. The said stub (Defendant’s Exhibit 1) bears no date as to year, as disclosed from the exhibit in the record. This may have been a reportorial omission. In this connection the defendant, Tripp, testified that it bore the date “9/9, that would be September, I presume 1946”. The récord shows there were no other stubs made out preceding or following this one. The evidence discloses that counsel asked “This is the stub of the check you paid Mr. Welch for the sale of the Joe Francis cow?” The defendant replied, “Yes, after this question was called to my attention”. This answer apparently nettled counsel for the defense who admonished the defendant “Just answer my question”. The record further shows in this regard that he was asked “This sale was had on August 31, 1946”. Then he was asked relative to the sale, to “tell the jury when you next heard of the Joe Francis cow sale”. The answer was “Oh, five or six weeks before I was arrested and charged with embezzlement”. The record shows the latter things occurred on September 10, 1948. Hence, the defendant said he never heard of it until 5 or 6 weeks before said last date. The defendant testified he could not produce his canceled check because his office had been ransacked and his papers destroyed or lost by reason thereof. He did not offer to prove the payment of said money by producing his bank statements. The defendant’s [233]*233awkward position under the foregoing situation is evident. He contended he had paid the $35 into the treasury, and offered to write another check and let the county attorney hold it until the fact of payment or nonpayment into the treasury of the county could be established. But these conditions of payment were not such as were provided in the foregoing statute, Title 39, § 16, O. S. A. 1941. The fact is the money has never been paid into the county treasury. Thereafter the state in rebuttal showed that no such check as represented by the stub was cleared through the bank. These facts presented a question of fact for the jury and they decided the issue against the defendant. The evidence is sufficient to sustain their conclusion. Where the evidence is conflicting and different inferences may be drawn therefrom, it is the province of the jury to weigh the same and determine the facts. Chapman v. State, 84 Okla. Cr. 41, 178 P. 2d 638; Sadler v. State, 84 Okla. Cr. 97, 179 P. 2d 479. Before we would be justified in interfering with the jury's verdict for lack of evidence, there must be no competent evidence in the record upon which the verdict could be based. Ritter v. State, 84 Okla. Cr. 418, 183 P. 2d 257. Here the competent evidence is sufficient upon which the jury's verdict could be based.

The situation herein is not an easy one. An elderly man with a past good reputation is convicted of a felony. Much stress is laid on his offer to pay the money, if it was discovered that he had not paid it, as he contended he had done. By implication it is thus contended a demand for payment was necessary. But such is not the case, for the law makes the demand.

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Related

Howard v. State
762 P.2d 28 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1988)
Samples v. State
1959 OK CR 6 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1959)
Ryan v. State
258 P.2d 1208 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1953)
Slaughter v. State
1951 OK CR 139 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1951)
Tripp v. State
1951 OK CR 75 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1951 OK CR 75, 237 P.2d 171, 94 Okla. Crim. 231, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 345, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tripp-v-state-oklacrimapp-1951.