Case Title: State v. Anderson

Citation: 134 N.W.2d 12

Docket Number: 

State: minnesota

Court: Minnesota Supreme Court

Date: 1965-03-12T00:00:00Z

Document:
134 N.W.2d 12 (1965) STATE of Minnesota, Respondent, v. Herbert C. ANDERSON, Appellant. No. 39417. Supreme Court of Minnesota. March 12, 1965. *13 Daniel T. Cody, St. Paul, for appellant. Robert W. Mattson, Atty. Gen., Linus J. Hammond, Asst. Atty. Gen., St. Paul, Vance N. Thysell, County Atty., Moorhead, for respondent. THOMAS GALLAGHER, Justice. Defendant, Herbert C. Anderson, appeals from a judgment of conviction for the crime of sodomy entered against him in the District Court of Clay County on October 4, 1963. The conviction was based upon defendant's plea of guilty to such crime as charged in an information dated June 21, 1963. It is defendant's contention that the court should not have accepted this plea and should have entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf since at the time his plea was entered he had clearly disclosed to the court that he had been intoxicated at the time of the crime and had not realized exactly what he was doing, thereby establishing that there was no intent on his part to commit it. He further contends that when he was interrogated by the court in his presentence examination, he had not been questioned with respect to the facts set forth in the information nor required to give testimony concerning his guilt as required by Minn.St. 243.49.[1] *14 On June 21, 1963, after his arrest on June 18, 1963, for the crime described, defendant appeared for arraignment in the District Court of Clay County. The following proceedings then took place: On July 1, 1963, defendant appeared in court with his counsel and the following proceedings occurred: On October 4, 1963, the following proceedings took place in district court, at which time defendant and his counsel were present: Following this, the customary questions as to defendant's background, education, religious affiliation, and employment were asked of defendant. He admitted that he had been convicted of drunkenness on a few occasions, and he also expressed the feeling that psychiatric treatment would be of benefit to him. No questions were asked of him with respect to the charge contained in the information. The court thereupon imposed sentence as follows: 1. Minn.St.1961, § 610.09, in effect prior to September 1, 1963, provided in part: On a number of occasions we have held that a man under the influence of intoxicating liquors is presumed to know, intend, and remember the criminal acts which he does while so intoxicated to the same extent as would a man not influenced by intoxicants. Stabs v. City of Tower, 229 Minn. 552, 565, 40 N.W.2d 362, 371; State v. Welch, 21 Minn. 22, 28. Here, Minn.St. 617.14,[3] under which defendant was charged and convicted, does not specify intent or any particular state of mind on the part of an accused as a necessary element to constitute the offense of sodomy as described therein. Accordingly, under the provisions of Minn.St.1961, § 610.09, defendant's intoxication at the time of the crime would not constitute a valid defense *17 thereto, nor was the court required to take it into consideration in determining defendant's intent or state of mind at the time of the offense described. Thus, in State v. Bruno, 141 Minn. 56, 58, 169 N.W.2d 249, 250, we held: In other jurisdictions this principle has been applied in cases involving crimes such as that here. See, People v. Avanzi, 25 Cal. App. 2d 301, 77 P.2d 237; State v. Turner, 3 Utah 2d 285, 282 P.2d 1045. 2. At the time defendant entered his plea of guilty to the crime charged against him in the information, the latter had already been read to him, and it cannot be doubted that he understood its plain language, which detailed the crime and the specific nature of the charge against him. At no time did he deny his guilt or suggest any valid defense to the accusation. His only statement with respect thereto was: "I will plead guilty to it. I was really drinking when this happened." It is true that his counsel, after advising the court that defendant wished to enter a plea of guilty, had stated: "He admits the offense, saying by way of explanation that he was drunk on wine at the time, and that is the only way he can explain it"; and that later at the presentence hearing his counsel had stated that defendant had been "drinking wine and for four days got on a wine drunk * * * and did not realize exactly what he was doing when this offense occurred" and that he "can't remember much about it." Taking into consideration all such statements, as well as the provisions of Minn.St.1961, § 610.09, it seems clear that the statements fall far short of indicating to the court that defendant might have such a valid defense to the crime with which he was charged as to impose upon the court the duty to refuse to accept his plea of guilty and instead to enter a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Accordingly, the case is distinguishable from State v. Jones, 267 Minn. 421, 127 N.W.2d 153, and State ex rel. Dehning v. Rigg, 251 Minn. 120, 86 N.W.2d 723, relied upon by defendant; and State v. Olson, Minn., 133 N.W.2d 489, filed February 26, 1965. In those cases statements made by the respective defendants at the time their pleas of guilty were entered clearly manifested to the court that each might have a valid defense to the accusation against him, thus imposing upon the court in each instance the duty of entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf. 3. We do not agree with defendant's contention that the court's failure to obtain from him postsentence testimony concerning his guilt as specified in Minn.St. 243.49 constituted a fatal defect in the proceedings. Section 243.49 in substance requires such a statement for the purpose of providing a record as "evidence against such convict" in any proceeding for his "release taken by habeas corpus." The failure to receive such testimony here after defendant's plea of guilty would have no bearing upon his conviction, and it is doubtful whether such testimony would have informed anyone as to his actual conduct at the time of the offense to any greater degree than the detailed charges set forth in the information which was read to him and to which he entered a plea of guilty. Affirmed. [1] Minn.St. 243.49 provides in part: "The clerk of every court by which a convict shall be sentenced to the state prison or a state reformatory shall furnish to the officer or person having such convict in charge a record containing a copy of the indictment and plea, the name and residence of the judge presiding, of the prosecuting officer, of the convict's attorney, of the jurors, and of the witnesses sworn on the trial, the charge of the court, the verdict and the sentence, * * * together with the convict's statement under oath, if obtainable from him, as to his true name, his residence, * * * dates, places and causes of prior convictions, and the event thereof, and, in cases in which the convict pleads guilty, his testimony concerning his guilt; to which shall be attached, in all cases, the impressions of the trial judge as to the mental and physical condition of the convict, * * * which record, duly certified by such clerk may be used as evidence against such convict in any proceeding for release taken by habeas corpus." [2] Although this section was repealed by the Criminal Code of 1963 (L.1963, c. 753, § 17), the code contains substantially the same provision. Minn.St. 609.075 provides: "An act committed while in a state of voluntary intoxication is not less criminal by reason thereof, but when a particular intent or other state of mind is a necessary element to constitute a particular crime, the fact of intoxication may be taken into consideration in determining such intent or state of mind." [3] Minn.St. 617.14 provides: "A person who carnally knows in any manner any animal or bird, or carnally knows any male or female person by the anus or by or with the mouth, or voluntarily submits to such carnal knowledge; or attempts sexual intercourse with a dead body, is guilty of sodomy, and is punishable with imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 20 years * * *."