Case Title: State v. Swanson

Citation: 407 N.W.2d 204

Docket Number: 

State: north-dakota

Court: North Dakota Supreme Court

Date: 1987-05-28T00:00:00Z

Document:
407 N.W.2d 204 (1987) STATE of North Dakota, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. Richard T. SWANSON, Defendant and Appellee. Cr. No. 1230. Supreme Court of North Dakota. May 28, 1987. Bruce D. Quick, Deputy Atty. Gen., Office of the Attorney General, Bismarck, for plaintiff and appellant. Alan J. Larivee, Grand Forks, for defendant and appellee. ERICKSTAD, Chief Justice. The State appeals from an order of the County Court of Walsh County entered on October 31, 1986, dismissing the criminal complaint against Richard T. Swanson charged with reckless endangerment in violation of Section 12.1-17-03, N.D.C.C. Swanson was served with the criminal complaint on October 10, 1986. The complaint states that: The record contains no other facts apart from what is stated in the criminal complaint. The State's attorney in approving the complaint described the charge as a class A misdemeanor.[1] On October 15, 1986, Swanson appeared with his attorney before the county court for arraignment. However, before the court would accept a plea by Swanson, the court requested briefs from the parties on the significance, if any, of the North Dakota Constitutional provision on the right to keep and bear arms. Following oral argument on October 31, 1986, the county court entered an order dismissing the criminal complaint with these words: In effect the county court has, on its own motion, dismissed the criminal complaint charging Swanson with reckless endangerment believing the complaint to be insufficient to support such a charge in light of our recent constitutional amendment which gives an individual the right to keep and bear arms for defense of person and property. Prior to 1984, Article 1, Section 1, of the North Dakota Constitution read as follows: On November 6, 1984, this provision of our Constitution was amended and re-enacted through an initiated measure which was approved by our people to read: In light of the fact that the criminal complaint on its face supports a charge of reckless endangerment, which has been described by the State's attorney as a class A misdemeanor, and no evidence has been received in the case through affidavits or testimony to disprove the allegations of the complaint, the court clearly erred in dismissing the complaint. In State v. Hanson, 252 N.W.2d 872, 873-74 (N.D.1977), this Court concluded that an order of the district court dismissing a criminal complaint was an appealable order. We explained our conclusion as follows: See also State v. O'Boyle, 356 N.W.2d 122 (N.D.1984). As the county court must have relied on information not in the record, and as the constitutional question which precipitated the court's action cannot be resolved apart from the facts which are yet to be determined, this case must be reversed and remanded for further proceedings. See Hospital Services, Inc. v. Brackey, 283 N.W.2d 174 (N.D.1979); Benson v. North Dakota Workmen's Comp. Bureau, 250 N.W.2d 249 (N.D.1977). The order of the county court dismissing the criminal complaint charging Swanson with reckless endangerment is reversed and the case is remanded for further proceedings. GIERKE, VANDE WALLE, LEVINE and MESCHKE, JJ., concur. [1] Section 12.1-17-03, N.D.C.C., reads as follows: "12.1-17-03. Reckless endangerment. A person is guilty of an offense is he creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death to another. The offense is a class C felony if the circumstances manifest his extreme indifference to the value of human life. Otherwise it is a class A misdemeanor. There is risk within the meaning of this section if the potential for harm exists, whether or not a particular person's safety is actually jeopardised."