Woods v. State

130 N.E.2d 139, 234 Ind. 598, 1955 Ind. LEXIS 178
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1955
Docket29,268
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 130 N.E.2d 139 (Woods v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woods v. State, 130 N.E.2d 139, 234 Ind. 598, 1955 Ind. LEXIS 178 (Ind. 1955).

Opinion

Arterburn, J.

This is an appeal from the judgments of conviction of the defendant-appellant for crimes of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, following verdicts of guilty in the St. Joseph Circuit Court. The appellant was charged by an affi *602 davit in three counts. Count No. 1 contained the charge of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, with the additional allegation that the appellant had been previously convicted of a like offense in June, 1949.

Count No. 2 was merely a charge of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor.

Count No. 3 was a charge of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor at the same time alleged in Counts Nos. 1 and 2, with additional allegation that prior thereto the appellant had been convicted of a like offense on May 10, 1950. A jury returned a verdict of guilty on all three counts. The court sentenced the appellant to the Indiana State Prison on Count No. 1 for a period of not less than one nor more than three years. The appellant was sentenced on Count No. 2 to the Indiana State Farm for a period of six months and fined $100. The fine was suspended and the sentence was to run concurrently with that of Count No. 1. The court sentenced the appellant on Count No. 3 for a period of not less than one nor more than three years at the Indiana State Prison and fined him $200. The court suspended the latter fine and provided that the sentence should run concurrently with both Counts Nos. 1 and 2.

The appellant complains on this appeal of alleged remarks made by the trial court concerning the admissibility of certain evidence with reference to whether or not the appellant was represented by . counsel at the time of his prior convictions. The prior convictions were not introduced for the purpose of showing the guilt of the appellant but merely for the purpose of showing that, in event appellant was found guilty as charged, it would constitute a subsequent *603 offense under Counts Nos. 1 and 3, and for the consideration of the jury as to the amount of punishment. Sammons v. State (1936), 210 Ind. 40, 199 N. E. 555.

Objections to the remarks of the court were not raised by the appellant in his motion for a new trial and are, therefore, not matters which we may consider on this appeal. The record does not show the appellant requested the trial court to give to the jury any instructions to disregard the remarks to which the appellant now objects. At any event, the remarks were such that they would not have been reversible error. Watts v. State (1950), 229 Ind. 80, 95 N. E. 2d 570.

The appellant also claims error by reason of the court’s refusal to give the appellant’s tendered instruction No. 1. The appellant has failed to set out in his brief all the instructions given. As a result it is impossible for this court to determine without searching the record whether or not the trial court was justified in refusing such instruction because the subject of the instruction may have been adequately covered by other instructions given the jury.

Rule 2-17 of this court requires appellant’s brief contain “so much of the record as fully presents every error and objection relied upon . . . When error is predicated on the giving or refusal of instructions, the statement of the record must contain, in addition to the instructions given or refused which are complained of, all the instructions given or tendered which have a bearing upon the questions raised.”

No question is presented to this court on the propriety of the trial court’s refusal to give the tendered instruction. Lake Erie, etc., R. Co. v. Holland (1904), 162 Ind. 406, 69 N. E. 138; Hammond, etc., R. Co. v. Kasper (1919), 71 Ind. App. 328, 123 N. E. 360; Rein *604 hold v. The State (1891), 130 Ind. 467, 30 N. E. 306; McIntosh v. The State (1898), 151 Ind. 251, 51 N. E. 354.

Under the specification that the verdict of the jury is not sustained by sufficient evidence, the appellant claims that there is no evidence showing that the appellant was the driver of the automobile at the time of the alleged offense. On appeal we may not weigh the evidence and may consider only that which is most favorable in support of the verdict. Burton v. State (1953), 232 Ind. 246, 111 N. E. 2d 892; Chambers v. State (1953), 232 Ind. 349, 111 N. E. 2d 816.

The evidence does show that the driver of the automobile with which appellant’s car collided, saw the appellant get out of his automobile from the door at the driver’s seat. This witness further stated that he recognized the appellant and had known him personally before; that the appellant immediately following the accident made the remark, “I did not see you coming around the corner.” The police officer who arrived at the scene of the accident stated he asked for the drivers and the appellant came forward along with the driver of the other car and they answered his questions regarding the accident. The father of the appellant and also another witness, William Griffin, both testified that the appellant stated to the police officer that he was driving at the time of the accident, yet both witnesses insisted that a brother of the appellant was driving at the time. Although the evidence is in conflict as to who was driving, there was sufficient evidence for the jury to resolve this conflict, and to find that the appellant was driving the automobile at the time of the accident and alleged offense.

*605 *604 The greatest difficulty in this case arises in connection with the sentencing of the appellant. The record *605 shows that he was found guilty and sentenced on all three counts. Count No. 1 and Count No. 3 are for the subsequent offense of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and Count No. 2 is merely driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor which is included in each of the other two Counts Nos. 1 and 3. All three counts specify the date of the last offense to be the same. It is established law in this state that if a person is convicted and sentenced for an offense he may not also be convicted and sentenced for a lesser offense included therein. In other words, a crime may not be split up into parts such that the person may be found guilty of all the parts constituting a greater crime and sentenced also for lesser crimes included therein. Carter v. State (1951), 229 Ind. 205, 96 N. E. 2d 273; Kokenes v. State (1938), 213 Ind. 476, 13 N. E. 2d 524; The State v. Elder (1879), 65 Ind. 282, 285.

The judgment entered upon the verdict for the lesser offense included in the greater offense was erroneous, while the judgment entered on the greater offense only is proper.

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Bluebook (online)
130 N.E.2d 139, 234 Ind. 598, 1955 Ind. LEXIS 178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woods-v-state-ind-1955.