Yaen v. State

163 P. 135, 18 Ariz. 491, 1917 Ariz. LEXIS 99
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 26, 1917
DocketCriminal No. 417
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 163 P. 135 (Yaen v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yaen v. State, 163 P. 135, 18 Ariz. 491, 1917 Ariz. LEXIS 99 (Ark. 1917).

Opinion

CUNNINGHAM, J.

The appellant was charged with the offense of selling whisky in violation of the prohibition amendment, article 23, state Constitution, and upon a trial of the charge was convicted, and appeals.

The information charging the offense was presented to and filed in the superior court of Yavapai county by the county attorney, on the thirteenth day of January, 1916. The appellant demurred to the information upon a number of grounds, among which, he charges that the information fails to allege that before the filing of the information a preliminary examination was had before any committing magistrate, or that defendant waived such preliminary examination. Error is based upon the order overruling the demurrer upon this ground.

If this is such a case as the law requires a preliminary examination to be had before a magistrate prior to the filing of an information, the failure to make such examination is not a ground for demurrer, but is a ground for a motion to quash the proceedings and abate the action. If the examination was or was not a necessary step in the proceedings, certainly such step need not be alleged' on the face of the information. Unless a defect appears on the face of a pleading, a demurrer to the pleading does not reach the defect. However, the offense charged is a misdemeanor, and a preliminary examination is not essential to a proper commencement of the action.

The information sufficiently charges the accused with having committed the offense of selling whisky on the twenty-fourth day of November, 1915, at Yavapai county, to J. S. Sykes and J. W. Rdeff. The information substantially con[493]*493forms to the requirements of the statutes, and the facts stated therein are sufficient to constitute a public offense; consequently the trial court correctly overruled the demurrer.

The appellant in effect contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction, and this is the important question presented by the appeal.

The undisputed facts in the case are: That J. S. Sykes and J. W. Rieff, hereafter referred to as the prosecuting witnesses, were detectives engaged in gathering evidence for the purpose of prosecuting violators of the prohibition laws of the state. They had been occupied in such business about Prescott for some time prior to November 24, 1915. During such time they frequently got their meals at the City Restaurant, in Prescott, and the accused as a waiter at such restaurant served their meals to them. On the morning of November 24j 1915, J. W. Rieff, in the presence of J. S. Sykes, gave the accused one dollar, and at the same time requested the accused to buy for them, said Rieff and Sykes, a bottle of whisky with the dollar. The accused, after making some objections, took the dollar and promised them he would get the whisky, or try to get it for them. About 5 o’clock on the afternoon of the same day, the prosecuting witnesses returned to the restaurant for their evening meal, where the accused gave them a pint bottle of whisky. Such were the facts established when the state rested its evidence in chief.

The testimony of the accused establishes the facts that, after taking the dollar from the prosecuting witness, he (the accused) continued in his work until 1 o’clock, when, as was his custom, he left his work until about 5 o’clock. During this rest period, he went out on the streets to look for a colored boy who accused knew sold whisky and from whom the accused had previously bought a bottle of whisky. Accused found the colored boy, and asked him if he (the colored boy) had whisky, and the answer was that he had. The colored boy went up the street, was gone a few minutes, and returned with a bottle in a paper bag, or wrapped in paper. The package was given to the accused, and in return therefor the accused gave the colored boy the one dollar which the prosecuting witnesses had given to him early the same morning. The accused returned to the City Restaurant with the bottle [494]*494of whisky, and, when the prosecuting witnesses came for their next meal, gave them the whisky.

When the prosecuting witnesses had testified, the state rested its case in chief. The defendant moved for a directed verdict upon the grounds that the evidence did not warrant a conviction. The motion was denied. The defendant then, as a witness in his own behalf, testified as indicated above. The state offered one witness in rebuttal of immaterial matters. Thereupon the defendant renewed his motion for a directed verdict, and again the motion was denied. Both orders denying the motions for a directed verdict are assigned as error.

The court instructed the jury, among other things, as follows :

“I charge you that even though you should find from the evidence that said defendant only accepted money from said Sykes and Rieff to pay for whisky for them at their request, and if you further find beyond a reasonable doubt that said defendant did take money from said Sykes and Rieff for said purpose, and did procure at their request and did deliver such whisky to them, then I charge you that said defendant is guilty, and you should so find by your verdict. ’ ’
“I charge you that under the law one who accepts money from another for the purpose of buying liquor for him, and does buy the liquor and does deliver the liquor to the party who gave the money to purchase it, is guilty of the offense charged in the information, because in such a case the party who procures and delivers the whisky is concerned in the commission of a crime and is aiding and abetting in its commission, and, under the law of Arizona, is a principal in any crime so committed, and is equally guilty with the one who actually sold the liquor and took the money.
“I therefore charge you that if you find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant accepted money from Sykes and Rieff, or either of them, to procure whisky for them, and did thereafter procure the whisky for them and did deliver to them the whisky, you should find the defendant guilty as charged, regardless of where or how the defendant may have gotten the whisky; and it is wholly immaterial whether the defendant had any interest in or received any financial gain from the transaction.”

[495]*495The defendant requested the court to give an instruction announcing a proposition of law the reverse of that announced in the instruction given and set forth above. The giving of said instruction and the refusal to give the instruction requested are assigned as error.

The questions raised by the motions to direct the verdict and the instructions given the jury, and the order refusing the requested instruction, will all be considered by me as presenting the question whether the evidence adduced is legally sufficient to sustain a conviction, and whether the evidence offered by the defendant set forth a defense to the charge.

The law alleged to have been violated is as follows:

“ . . . Every person who sells, exchanges, gives, barters, or disposes of any ardent spirits, ale, beer, wine, or intoxicating liquor of any kind to any person in the state of Arizona, . . . shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be” punished as prescribed therein. Const., art. 23.

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Related

Guey v. State
181 P. 175 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1919)
State v. Cole
178 P. 983 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1919)
Cummings v. State
178 P. 776 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1919)
Birch v. State
171 P. 135 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1918)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
163 P. 135, 18 Ariz. 491, 1917 Ariz. LEXIS 99, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yaen-v-state-ariz-1917.