Title: Com. v. Bestwick

State: pennsylvania

Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Document:

489 Pa. 603 (1980) 414 A.2d 1373 COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Jack BESTWICK, Appellant. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Argued March 7, 1980. Decided May 30, 1980. *604 *605 Timothy L. McNickle, McBride & McNickle, Grove City, for appellant. David B. Douds, Asst. Dist. Atty., Mercer, for appellee. Before EAGEN, C.J., and O'BRIEN, ROBERTS, NIX, LARSEN, FLAHERTY and KAUFFMAN, JJ. O'BRIEN, Justice. Appellant, Jack Bestwick, was convicted by a jury of macing. Post-verdict motions were denied and appellant was sentenced to pay a fine of $300 and a prison term of three months to one year. The Superior Court affirmed by an equally divided court. Commonwealth v. Bestwick, 262 Pa.Super. 558, 396 A.2d 1311 (1978). We granted appellant's petition for allowance of appeal. Appellant's conviction was based on the testimony of Philip Hoobler. Since 1969 or 1970, Hoobler had leased his truck to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in Mercer County during snow removal season. During the winter of 1972-73, Hoobler's truck was not being used for snow removal. Hoobler talked to appellant, assistant superintendent for PennDOT in Mercer County, who informed Hoobler that unless he contributed to the Democratic Party, his truck would not be used for snow removal. Hoobler sent $100 in cash to appellant on two separate occasions. Appellant first argues that the trial court erred in refusing to grant his petition to dismiss the presentments of the Special Investigating Grand Jury and in refusing to quash the indictments because the Commonwealth's petition requesting the Investigating Grand Jury was not self-sustaining and further failed to aver sufficient facts necessary to impanel the Grand Jury. The facts are as follows. On June 2, 1975, the District Attorney of Mercer County petitioned the Court of Common Pleas to impanel an Investigating Grand Jury to investigate allegations of macing by supervisory personnel of PennDOT. The petition stated, inter alia: On June 3, 1975, the court, after considering the allegations of the petition, ordered an in camera hearing. A hearing was held the same day. The Commonwealth provided the documentation alluded to in its petition and the court ordered impanelment of the Special Investigating Grand Jury. During the summer of 1975, the Investigating Grand Jury conducted its investigation and subsequently made presentments to the Court of Common Pleas, recommending, inter alia, that appellant be indicted for bribery, macing, extortion and conspiracy. Appellant then filed a petition to dismiss the presentments and a petition requesting a preliminary hearing. Both motions were denied. Appellant was indicted in September of 1975. Appellant filed a motion to quash the indictments, alleging the same errors that were set forth in his motion to dismiss the presentments. The court denied the motion. Appellant was convicted of macing in a December, 1975 jury trial. In Commonwealth v. McCloskey, 443 Pa. 117, 137 n. 26, 277 A.2d 764, 774 n. 26, cert. denied, 404 U.S. 1000, 92 S. Ct. at 559, 560, 563, 30 L. Ed. 2d 552 (1971), we stated: Accord, McNair's Petition, 324 Pa. 48, 187 A. 498 (1936). Appellant argues that the District Attorney's petition requesting impaneling of a Special Investigating Grand Jury was defective, thus requiring the quashing of its presentments, for the following reasons: (1) the petition failed to demonstrate that the ordinary processes of law were inadequate to cope with the situation; (2) the petition failed to allege the time and place of the specific violations of the law and the names of those involved, and (3) the petition failed to show it was aimed at conditions and not individuals. We will discuss each point seriatim. The petition requesting impaneling of an investigative grand jury averred: Appellant believes that In re: Investigation of the City of Harrisburg, 91 Dauph. 54 (1969) supports his argument that the instant petition was defective as to the inadequacy of the normal process to deal with the problem there. The petition alleged the need for subpoena power to compel testimony and produce documents to investigate fiscal appropriation. The court held that an averment for need of subpoena power, as an abstract principle, does not demonstrate the requisite conditions. However, as stated in one law review article: Here, the prosecutor did more than allege an abstract need for subpoena power; he alleged, inter alia, that it was practically impossible to obtain the required facts because of reluctance of witnesses to cooperate with the investigation. We thus find no merit in appellant's argument. Appellant next believes the petition insufficient as a matter of law because it failed to state the time and place of the violations of law and the names of those involved. The petition itself did not meet the above stated requirement. The petition, however, did state that these facts were omitted to protect the rights of the parties involved; the prosecutor was willing to provide, at an in camera hearing, documentary evidence in support of its allegations. Such a hearing was held where the prosecutor read into evidence signed statements of fourteen witnesses, given to investigating agents of the Pennsylvania Department of Justice, *610 which set forth the time and place of the specified offenses and the names of the individuals involved. After said hearing, the court granted the petition and ordered the impaneling of an Investigating Grand Jury. Appellant relies on In re: Grand Jury Investigation of Western State Penitentiary, 173 Pa.Super. 197, 96 A.2d 189 (1953), where the court held, without authority, that a petition for impaneling a grand jury must be self-sustaining. As the instant petition was not self-sustaining, appellant believes the presentments of the Grand Jury must be quashed. We disagree. As Segal, Spivack & Costilo, supra, at 96, have correctly, in our view, noted:[1] Nevertheless, appellant believes the hearing held in the instant case was insufficient to supplement the petition. While appellant never had the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses, we do not believe that fact is fatal to the Commonwealth's case; if the allegations set forth at the hearing had been included in the petition, appellant would have had no opportunity for cross-examination. Further, if a witnesses' statements had been untruthful, the witness could have been prosecuted for false reports to law enforcement authorities, a misdemeanor of the second degree. 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4906. Finally, this court has been presented with an adequate record to review the trial court's action. We thus find no merit to this portion of appellant's argument. Appellant also argues that the petition failed to show that the instant probe was aimed at conditions and not individuals. As Segal, Spivack & Costilo, supra, at 86, have stated: The instant petition contained the following allegations: We believe the allegations are sufficient to overcome appellant's objections. As we believe the instant petition contained facts, along with those adduced at the hearing, which allowed the court to order impaneling of a Grand Jury, appellant's arguments that the presentment should have been dismissed and the indictments should have been quashed are without merit. Appellant next argues that the trial court erred in failing to grant him a preliminary hearing and in failing to quash the indictments for lack of a preliminary hearing. As we do not believe appellant was entitled to a preliminary hearing, we find no merit to appellant's arguments. In Commonwealth v. McCloskey, supra, 443 Pa. at 140, 277 A.2d at 776, we held that: "an investigating grand jury *613 presentment is a constitutionally permissible and reasonable alternative to a preliminary hearing. See also, Commonwealth v. Columbia Investment Corp., 457 Pa. 353, 325 A.2d 289 (1974). Appellant recognizes that McCloskey is still the law, but argues that it should be reconsidered in light of Judge Spaeth's concurring and dissenting opinion in Commonwealth v. Levinson, 239 Pa.Super. 387, 362 A.2d 1080 (1976), and the California Supreme Court's decision in Hawkins v. Superior Court, 22 Cal. 3d 584, 150 Cal. Rptr. 435, 586 P.2d 916 (1978). Our review of these cases convinces us that reconsideration of McCloskey is unnecessary.[2] In his separate opinion in Commonwealth v. Levinson, supra, Judge Spaeth referred to two recent developments which led him to believe McCloskey should be reconsidered. In Commonwealth v. Webster, 462 Pa. 125, 337 A.2d 914 (1975), we were presented with a constitutional challenge, on equal protection grounds, to the local option permitting counties to abolish the indicting grand jury and to initiate prosecutions by information. We held that the procedure was not violative of equal protection for two reasons. As Mr. Justice Roberts stated: ". . . No aspect of the operation and procedures of an indicting grand jury works to the advantage or protection of the accused." Id., 462 Pa. at 131, 337 A.2d at 917. We further noted that irrespective of which method was used, the accused was entitled, under most circumstances, to a preliminary hearing. It is this second aspect which troubled Judge Spaeth, for he stated: As we stated, however, in Commonwealth v. McCloskey, supra, 443 Pa. at 138, 277 A.2d at 775: Further, in McCloskey, we analyzed the safeguard given an accused at a preliminary hearing and found no significant disparity with regard to those safeguards between proceedings in which a preliminary hearing was held and proceedings initiated by an investigating grand jury. We further noted: In Commonwealth v. Levinson, supra, 239 Pa.Super. at 409-10, 362 A.2d at 1092, Judge Spaeth stated: "The elimination, in Philadelphia and other counties, of the Indicting Grand Jury eliminates the `layer of delay' remarked upon in McCloskey". Suffice it to say that in the instant case, Mercer County was still using the Indicting Grand Jury. In Hawkins v. Superior Court, supra, the California Supreme Court held that the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution required that all defendants be given a preliminary hearing. Under prior law, a distinction existed between a defendant whose case was initiated by way of indictment as opposed to the issuance of an information. Only those defendants in the latter case were entitled to a preliminary hearing. In California, however, the prosecutor has the absolute discretion to choose by which method he will proceed. In contrast, Special Investigating Grand Juries may be impaneled only in very limited circumstances in this Commonwealth. Furthermore, the California Court employed a strict scrutiny equal protection analysis, holding that the denial of a preliminary hearing amounted to the denial of a fundamental right. In Coleman v. Alabama, 399 U.S. 1, 90 S. Ct. 1999, 26 L. Ed. 2d 387 (1970), the Supreme Court did not decide an accused had a right to a preliminary hearing; rather, they held that when such a hearing was held, the accused was entitled to the assistance of counsel. For all of the above stated reasons, we are not persuaded that these recent developments require us to reconsider our holding in Commonwealth v. McCloskey, supra. As we believe McCloskey is still viable, appellant's arguments must be rejected. See also, Commonwealth v. Columbia Investment Corp., supra. Appellant next asserts that the trial court erred in refusing his motion to quash the indictments as beyond the Statute of Limitations. The applicable Statute of Limitations provided: At trial, appellant admitted that he was still employed by PennDOT. Further, as the instant crimes were committed from 1970 on and the instant indictments were brought in 1975, appellant's argument is without merit. Appellant also asserts that the trial court erred in permitting Philip Hoobler to testify as to the "gist" of his conversation with appellant. The following exchange occurred during direct examination of Hoobler: Appellant argues that Hoobler's testimony invaded the province of the factfinder. We disagree. Our review of this exchange convinces us that the testimony was properly admitted. The trial court directed that the witness testify only as to his recollection of the conversation. As Hoobler testified that he could not remember appellant's exact words, we can perceive no error in allowing him to testify as to his recollection of the conversation. Further, on cross-examination, the following exchange occurred: Hoobler also testified that after making his first contribution, his truck was called out at the next snow, evidencing that his recollection of the conversation was correct. We find no merit in appellant's argument. Appellant finally complains that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction for macing. The legislature has provided: *620 In addition to the testimony previously referred to, Hoobler also testified that when he was first approached, he was asked to "contribute" money to the Democratic Party. We thus find more than sufficient evidence to support appellant's conviction. Order of the Superior Court affirmed. [1] While this portion of the article deals with the trustworthy nature of the information, we find it persuasive on the question of whether a petition need be self-sustaining. [2] Under the Investigating Grand Jury Act, Act of November 22, 1978, P.L. 1148, No. 271, § 1, et seq., 19 P.S. § 265, et seq. (Supp. 1979-80), the instant controversy has been settled by the legislature. By the Act of July 20, 1979, Act No. 1979-50, Section 10.1 (eff. immediately), the legislature has provided: "When the attorney for the Commonwealth proceeds on the basis of a presentment, a complaint shall be filed and the defendant shall be entitled to a preliminary hearing as in other criminal cases." This act, of course, is inapplicable to the instant case.