Yoder v. State

1939 OK CR 46, 90 P.2d 669, 66 Okla. Crim. 178, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 48
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 12, 1939
DocketNo. A-9490.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 1939 OK CR 46 (Yoder 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
Yoder v. State, 1939 OK CR 46, 90 P.2d 669, 66 Okla. Crim. 178, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 48 (Okla. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

DOYLE, P. J.

The information in this case, filed in the district court of Seminole county, July 8, 1937, charged the larceny of a red cow, belonging to Ray Bowlen, alleged to have been committed in said county on or about the 23rd day of September, 1935. Upon his trial the jury found the defendant guilty of larceny of a domestic animal, but were unable to agree as to the punishment. Motions for new trial and in arrest of judgment were duly filed and on November 10, 1937, overruled. The judgment and sentence of the court was that the defendant serve a term of 2 years imprisonment in the state penitentiary.

Among the various assignments of error is one, the consideration of which must result in a reversal of the judgment, to wit: “Error of the court in admitting incompetent and prejudicial testimony in behalf of the state.”

As a witness for the state, H. E. Bowlen, father of Ray Bowlen, owner of the cow alleged to have been stolen, was permitted to testify over the objections of the defendant *181 that W. W. Yoder, father of the defendant, attempted to induce him by the payment of money to persuade his son to compromise the case and have it dismissed.

The record discloses the following, being a part of the testimony of the witness, H. E. Bowlen:

“Q. Do you know W. W. Yoder? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see him a few days after this alleged cow being stolen? A. Yes, sir, the next day. Q. Where did you see him? A. In the cane field. Q. What were you doing with your cane? A. Cutting it. Q. What time of the day was it? A. I would judge it was about eight or eight thirty. In the morning. Q. I will ask you if Mr. W. W. Yoder didn’t ask you how much it would take to have your boy dismiss this case? A. Yes, sir. By Mr. Reily: Just a minute, Mr. Witness. We object to that as incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial and not binding on the defendant, highly prejudicial, something had in his absence and no showing that this man was his agent. By the Court: I am admitting it for impeachment purposes only and it is not binding on the defendant. It might affect the credibility of the witness W. W. Yoder, that is all it is admissible for. By Mr. Crump: We ask the court to instruct the jury for what purpose it is admitted. By the Court: I imagine the jury heard what I said. I said, Gentlemen, I am admitting this testimony purely and only as to the credibility of the witness W. W. Yoder. By Mr. Reily: Note our exception. Q. And I will ask you if you didn’t tell him that he couldn’t buy you at all? By Mr. Reily: Now, we object to that— By the Court: Sustained. By Mr. Reily: We ask the court to direct the jury not to consider that question. It wouldn’t be binding on the defendant. By the Court: I have stated that it is not binding on the defendant, but is just for the purpose of impeachment. By Mr. Reily: We ask the court to admonish the jury not to consider the question. By the Court: Overruled. By Mr. Reily: Exception.”

This witness, W. W. Yoder, denied making any such offer to the state’s witness, H. E. Bowlen.

On cross-examination of W. W. Yoder, the following questions were asked, and statements made in the presence of the jury by Mr. Crump, special prosecutor:

*182 “Q. Didn’t he tell you, while your boy was pitching ball, running around stealing cattle — (interrupted) By Mr. Reily: Objected to and ask that the jury be instructed not to consider it— it is not an impeaching question. By the Court: Sustained. By Mr. Crump: I want to show he offered him money and asked him how much he would take to get his boy to dismiss this case and that Mr. Bowlen told him he was a poor man, and said, ‘You know damn well your boy stole that cow’; ‘Well,’ he says, ‘he is my boy and I want to get him out of it if I can,’ and he says ‘While your boy was out pitching ball, going around stealing cattle, my boy was working to get money to pay the mortgage off.’ By Mr. Reily: To which we object on the ground it is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial. By the Court: Sustained, it is not binding on the defendant at all, and prejudicial. By Mr. Reily: I move the court to admonish the jury not to consider that question and answer, on the ground it is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial and not binding on the defendant and hearsay so far as the defendant is concerned. By the Court: Overruled. By Mr. Reily: Exception.”

We have carefully examined the record and fail to find any evidence to connect the defendant with the negotiations of the father, if any were had. We think this testimony was incompetent and prejudicial to the rights of the defendant. There can be no doubt that its admission was prejudicial error.

In the case of Williams v. State, 10 Okla. Cr. 348, 136 P. 778, 779, wherein the defendant was charged with the theft of a heifer, the witness for the state was permitted to testify that the defendant’s father offered to pay him $50 to testify in favor of the defendant. There was no proof tending to show such offer to pay the witness was made by the authority, consent or knowledge of the defendant. The court, overruling the motion to strike out this testimony, said:

“This man being the father of the defendant, I will let it stay in.
“Held, that the evidence was incompetent and inadmissible and was calculated to prejudice the defendant, *183 and that the erroneous rulings of the court constitute reversible error.”

In the case of Cecil v. Territory, 16 Okla. 197, 82 P. 654, 8 Ann. Cas. 457, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma Territory held:

“In a case for rape, evidence of negotiations for a settlement of the crime, by way of offers by the defendant to pay money to the prosecutrix or her parents are always relevant against the defendant; and where such negotiations are carried on by the father of the defendant, or by others, in order to make such evidence admissible against the defendant, the territory must show that the father of the defendant, or the other parties acting, were acting for the defendant and by his direction and authority/’

In the opinion it is said:

“The old man seems to have been prompted by that parental affection which causes the parent at all hazards to save the wayward son even from just and merited punishment. When viewed as the act of an affectionate old father, under such circumstances, it touches a cord of human sympathy. But when you come to view his acts as prompted by the son, it at once becomes incriminating circumstance of much weight, pointing to the guilt of the defendant.”

In the case of Stuart v. State, 35 Okla. Cr. 103, 249 P. 159, this court held:

“Evidence of an overture by some person other than defendant to procure a witness to testify falsely in defendant’s behalf is incompetent, unless there is some proof of authority, consent, or knowledge of the defendant of such attempt.” Bruner v. U. S., 1 Okla. Cr. 205, 96 P. 597; Satterfield v. State, 31 Okla. Cr. 309, 238 P. 868.

In the case of Freeman v. State, 20 Okla. Cr. 443, 203 P. 1052, this court held:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1939 OK CR 46, 90 P.2d 669, 66 Okla. Crim. 178, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 48, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yoder-v-state-oklacrimapp-1939.