Case Title: State v. Hess

Citation: 180 Kan. 472, 304 P.2d 474

Docket Number: 40,434

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1956-12-08T00:00:00Z

Document:
180 Kan. 472 (1956)
304 P.2d 474
THE STATE OF KANSAS, Appellant,
v.
O.W. HESS, Appellee.
No. 40,434

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed December 8, 1956.
Victor Hergenreter, County Attorney, and A.E. Carroll, Assistant County Attorney, argued the cause, and John Anderson, Jr., Attorney General, was with them on the briefs for the appellant.
David Prager, of Topeka, argued the cause, and E.W. Stuewe, of Alma, Charles Heizer, of Osage City, Jacob A. Dickinson, William W. Dimmitt, Jr., Sam A. Crow, Edward Rooney (deceased), all of Topeka, were with him on the briefs for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
PARKER, J.:
This is the second appearance in this court of an appeal by the state in the case of State v. O.W. Hess, the present appeal being from an order and judgment of the district court of Osage County sustaining a motion to discharge the defendant.
The case was first here on an appeal by the state from an order of the trial court granting the defendant a new trial after he had been found guilty of the crimes of grand larceny and embezzlement as charged in counts 1 and 2, respectively, of an information; also involved was an attempt by defendant to appeal after his motion for a new trial had been sustained, from an order overruling his motion for discharge, based on the ground the state's evidence was insufficient to warrant submission of his guilt on either count of the information to the jury.
Our decision in the first appeal, wherein we affirmed the trial court's action in granting a new trial and held the appeal from the order overruling the motion for discharge was not subject to appellate review, is review, is reported as State v. Hess, 178 Kan. 452, 289 P.2d 759. The opinion in that case, dated November 12, 1955, contains an accurate recital of all the facts, events and circumstances necessary *473 for a complete understanding of all matters involved in this criminal prosecution from the date of its inception up to and including the date on which the mandate of our decision in the first appeal was ordered spread of record in the court below. Therefore, in order to avoid encumbering our reports with repetitious matters, we make the opinion of that decision a part of this opinion and turn directly to facts and issues herein involved.
After the cause was called for trial at the opening of the March, 1956, term of the district court of Osage County defendant filed the motion heretofore mentioned, based in substance on the ground that, since he had not been brought to trial before the end of the third term after the case stood ready for trial, he had been denied the speedy trial guaranteed him by Section 10 of the Bill of Rights and G.S. 1949, 62-1432, and was therefore entitled to be discharged from custody. When this motion came on for hearing the court heard arguments by the parties and permitted submission of written briefs. It then took the matter under advisement and ultimately rendered its decision wherein it sustained the motion and discharged the defendant. Thereupon the state reserved the question of the correctness of such decision. Later it perfected an appeal which entitles it to appellate review of that question.
The trial court's decision with respect to the question now before us, on which it based its order and judgment, is reflected in a well written memorandum decision which sets forth the decisive facts, outlines the issue, and states the reasons for the judgment rendered in such manner and form it can well be incorporated in and made a part of the opinion of an appellate court. For these reasons, and others to be presently disclosed, we are disposed to quote such decision in toto. It reads:
From a careful and extended analysis of the foregoing decision we are convinced it (1) contains accurate factual conclusions supported by the record; (2) cites the law applicable to a decision of the question raised by appellee's motion to dismiss when viewed in the light of the existing facts; (3) assigns sound and controlling reasons for upholding the judgment; and (4) fully and completely answers all questions raised, and arguments advanced with respect thereto, by the parties on appellate review regarding the propriety of such judgment.
In view of the foregoing conclusions we know of no sound reason why our reports should be burdened with extended discussion and consideration of contentions which have already been correctly disposed of by the trial court through the medium of a comprehensive written opinion such as has been heretofore quoted. Therefore we adopt such decision and, based on what is stated and held therein hold that under the existing facts and circumstances the trial court's action in sustaining appellee's motion to dismiss and in discharging him from custody on the ground he had not been brought to trial within the period of time required by the provisions of G.S. 1949, 62-1432, must be upheld.
The judgment is affirmed.
FATZER, J., not participating.