Wollaston v. State

1961 OK CR 12, 358 P.2d 1111, 1961 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 122
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 7, 1961
DocketA-12897
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1961 OK CR 12 (Wollaston 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
Wollaston v. State, 1961 OK CR 12, 358 P.2d 1111, 1961 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 122 (Okla. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

BRETT, Judge.

This is an appeal by Charles R. Wollas-ton, plaintiff in error, defendant below, from: a judgment and sentence of three years in the state penitentiary for the crime of indecent exposure. The defendant was-charged by information in the district court of Jackson County, Oklahoma with the said' offense, allegedly committed in said County and State on September 5, 1959. In the information he was charged with indecent exposure of his private parts to Nancy Barnes, a female twelve years of age. He was tried by a jury and convicted. The jury being unable to agree on the punishment, left the assessment thereof to the trial court. Judgment and sentence was-thereupon fixed by the court at three years, from which this appeal has been perfected-

*1113 The defendant complains of the trial court, that it permitted to be introduced in the State’s case in chief, evidence of two other similar offenses, with which he was not charged, represented to have been committed at or near the time of the offense upon which he was on trial. Said offenses were, to wit: On August 31, 1959 and September 7, 1959, all in Altus, Oklahoma, at about 5 :00 p. m. at other places. The record shows that the offenses were committed in almost the identical manner as the offense for which defendant was on trial. The crime with which defendant is charged occurred on September 5, 1959 at the approximate time of 11:45 a. m.

Briefly, it appears that the defendant was driving down an Altus, Oklahoma street, where Nancy Barnes (twelve years old and in the seventh grade), was waiting to cross the street. The defendant pulled up to the curb, blocking the way. He stopped and said, “Look here”, looking down at his lap. Nancy first thought that he had a kitten, but then saw that his pants were unzipped and he was exposing himself. The defendant then rapidly drove away. She immediately told her mother and they went to a policeman’s home and told him of the offense. The police officer and the girl’s mother established the time and the day definitely as hereinbefore set forth. The policeman died the next morning.

On September 12 the complainant was driving down the streets of Altus with her mother when she saw the defendant and his car, and she told her mother, “there is that man”. Apparently the defendant knew he was recognized and realized that he was being pursued and tried to avoid them. He sped away and kept looking over his shoulder, but they followed him to his home, got his automobile license number and gave it to the police. In a police line-up the Barnes girl positively identified the accused.

The State called two other witnesses, Phyllis Maxwell, about ten years of age, and Judy Antley, eleven years of age. They related that at a different time and place they both saw the defendant expose himself to them. In those instances he blocked their way in crossing the street, and asked Phyllis if she could tell him where Birch Street was located. When she came near his automobile he then exposed himself. She, and also the girl Mary Mc-Caskill with whom she was playing, saw the exposure. They were so embarrassed that she said they decided not to tell their parents, but Mary went home with Phyllis to spend the night and they were going to sleep out, but she was so frightened by the incident that she knew she could not sleep until she had told her mother. She then told her mother and the next day they went to the County Attorney’s office and informed the County Attorney and the sheriff about the incident. Phyllis Maxwell said that she was so terrified by the experience that she could not forget the man’s face.

The exposure to Judy Antley occurred on September 7, 1959. The defendant after driving around the block and signalling two or three times to Judy and Sandra Sprad-lin, blocked their way across the street as they were crossing and asked the Spradlin girl, nine years old, where Glendon Street was. She called Judy, saying, “Judy, come here a minute”. As Judy approached, the man asked her the same question. Judy told him that a man on a nearby porch might know, and then defendant said, “Look, have you ever seen one of these?” When she looked, defendant was exposing himself and had his hands on his private parts. She testified that she had sufficient conversation with defendant to be positive that he was the man. Both the Maxwell girl and the Antley girl picked the defendant out of a police line-up and positively identified him in court.

The defendant testified in his own behalf that he was a member of the United States Air Force as an instrument man, and was employed at the Altus Air Force Base. He positively denied, not only the offense charged, but the other offenses or the Maxwell and Antley incidents. The defendant had witnesses who testified as to his good reputation. Further evidence on behalf of *1114 the defendant will be hereinafter referred to in connection with his defense.

The information was based upon the provision of 21 O.S.A.1951 § 1021:

“Every person who wilfully and lewdly either: First, exposes his person, or private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where there are present other persons to be offended or annoyed thereby * * * upon conviction therefor shall be punished by the imposition of a fine not less than Ten Dollars ($10.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not less than thirty (30) days nor more than ten (10) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”

The defense herein was based upon mistaken identity, and the special plea of an alibi. It was apparent from the outset of the trial that these defenses would be relied upon, and the cross-examination of the State witnesses was designed to shake the State’s identification of the defendant, which the defense was not able to do.

The defendant contended in his testimony that he could not have been guilty of the charge for the reason that he was engaged in military drill at the Altus Air Force Base until 11:20 a. m. This was testified to by the drill-master. Defendant offered proof by his wife that he was at home at the time of the alleged offense on September S, 1959. His wife testified that he arrived home at 11:25 a. m. and, except for a short time when together they went to the I. G. A. grocery store for a loaf of bread. She further related that the defendant was at home until 15 minutes until 1:00 p. m., when she returned him to the Base.

It is well to observe that although the defendant was at the Base until 11:20 a. m., he could have readily driven from the Air Base and been at the scene of the alleged crime at 11:45, since it was only about four miles on a paved road from the Air Force Base into Altus, Oklahoma. His wife, of course, could throw no light on the other two offenses of August 31, and September 7, 1959. The defendant could offer no-Post records to show that he was on duty at the Base on August 31, 1959. He alone testified that he was on duty at the Base-on that occasion, and the record discloses-no attempt to account for his whereabouts-on September 7,1959, except to deny that he exposed himself. Thus, an issue of fact was raised for the jury which they decided adversely to the defendant.

The trial court in its instruction No. 3 limited the evidence of the Antley and Maxwell offenses for the purpose of showing a common scheme, plan or intent on part of defendant.

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Related

Thomas v. State
1980 OK CR 104 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1980)
United States v. Martha L. Woods
484 F.2d 127 (Fourth Circuit, 1973)
Tarkington v. State
469 S.W.2d 93 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1971)
Boyd v. State
1970 OK CR 206 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1970)
Glass v. State
1961 OK CR 34 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
1961 OK CR 12, 358 P.2d 1111, 1961 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wollaston-v-state-oklacrimapp-1961.