United States v. Robert Hershel Davenport

449 F.2d 696, 1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 7613
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedOctober 13, 1971
Docket71-1487
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 449 F.2d 696 (United States v. Robert Hershel Davenport) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Robert Hershel Davenport, 449 F.2d 696, 1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 7613 (5th Cir. 1971).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

Robert Hershel Davenport appeals from a judgment of conviction and sentence based on an indictment charging him with Interstate Receiving of Stolen Merchandise in violation of Title 18, U.S.C., Section 659.

Defendant first contends there was, in general, insufficient evidence to convict him of the crime and, more specifically, no evidence to establish his specific intent to permanently deprive the owner of the goods stolen.

In reviewing a verdict of guilty challenged on appeal as not supported by sufficient evidence, we must determine whether, taking the view of the evidence most favorable to the government, there is on the record evidence sufficient to convince a jury of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1941); United States v. Halperin, 5th Cir. 1971, 441 F.2d 612; United States v. Robertson, 2d Cir. 1962, 298 F.2d 739.

In his brief defendant’s counsel has forcefully and effectively pointed out inconsistencies in the testimony of some of the government’s witnesses and other evidence which would tend to throw some doubt on their credibility. These arguments should have been, and were, presented to the jury in counsel’s closing statement. They have little merit under the test set out above. After considering the entire record with a view most favorable to the government, we find sufficient evidence to establish all elements of the crime beyond any reasonable doubt.

Defendant also contends that the trial court should not have admitted cross- *698 examination on and evidence of a law suit between defendant and an insurance company which tended to indicate that defendant had defrauded the insurance company.

Upon cross-examination of the defendant, the following colloquy took place between defendant and counsel for the government:

Q Have you ever been arrested lately?
A I have never been arrested in my life.
Q How about making insurance claims as to the loss of a welding machine that you reported stolen?
MR. KAPLAN:
Your Honor, I let counsel go a long way. I fail to see any relevancy to this line of questioning.
THE COURT:
Objection overruled.
THE WITNESS:
Ask me the question again?
BY MR. PERKINS:
Q Have you ever filed any insurance claim as to the theft of a welding machine reported by you to be stolen ?
A That’s right. Mr. Kaplan handled it for me.
Q You filed that claim through James D. Smith, an insurance representative?
A I don’t know who filed it.
Q That welding machine belonged to Mr. Hutchinson ?
A If it belonged to Mr. Hutchinson I couldn’t file a claim.
Q It belonged to Mr. George Hutchinson when you first got it?
A I got a lot of things from him.
Q That is the welding machine you filed an insurance claim on as being stolen?
A I don’t know. I said Mr. Kaplan handled the whole thing.
Q Did you get paid some money for that?
A I think it was prorated. I did get some and I owed him some.
Q You got a little money out of it?
A I got a little bit, yes sir.
Q Didn’t you go out to the Pelican Yard with Halverson and tell Hal-verson to drive it over in Texas ?
A No, sir.
Q You deny giving Halverson your automobile to drive that machine over to Texas and filed a theft claim and collected on it?
A I certainly did not do any such thing.
Q Didn’t Mr. Hutchinson accuse you of stealing it?
A. Not that I know of.
Appendix pp. 198-99. The government later recalled its witness Howard Halver-son, who testified as follows:
Q I refer you to a welding machine and ask you do you recall an instance where the defendant asked you to do something with the welding machine and what did he ask you to do with the welding machine ?
MR. KAPLAN:
Your Honor, this has no bearing on this case. There is testimony to the effect that there was a civil law suit and it was settled and it has no bearing on the theft.
THE COURT:
I don’t know until he gives an answer. It is something the defendant said to him.
THE WITNESS:
Yes, sir.
BY MR. PERKINS:
Q Where did he tell you to take it ?
A It was on the trip back he told me to leave a space on the truck because he had it sold in Texas and for me to leave a space on the back of my truck for the machine on my trip back from Yazoo, Mississippi. He drew a seven foot space *699 on the truck and he said, “I have a welding machine sold and I want to take it to Texas.”
Q Where did you pick up the machine ?
A At Caddo Machinery Company.
Q How was that done?
A We towed it out to Pelican Trucking Place.
Q How was it towed?
A Behind an old Chevrolet Station Wagon Mr. Davenport had.
Q What happened at Pelican?
A He had Pelican’s men load it with a gin truck on the float in this space.
Q Where did you take it?
A To Donna, Texas.
Q Is that the machine he reported stolen ?
A Yes, sir.
Q That is what he got some money on?
A As far as I know, yes, sir.
Q What did Mr. George Hutchinson have to do with it?
A He got the machine from Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
449 F.2d 696, 1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 7613, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-robert-hershel-davenport-ca5-1971.