Title: Erdman v. Superior Court of Maricopa County

State: arizona

Issuer: Arizona Supreme Court

Document:

102 Ariz. 524 (1967) 433 P.2d 972 Hugo A. ERDMAN, Jr., Petitioner, v. The SUPERIOR COURT OF MARICOPA COUNTY, Arizona, the Honorable Fred J. Hyder, Presiding Judge, and the Honorable Yale McFate, Respondents, City of Phoenix, a municipal corporation, Real Party in Interest. No. 9076-PR. Supreme Court of Arizona. In Banc. November 24, 1967. Rehearing Denied December 19, 1967. *525 Max M. Klass, Phoenix, for petitioner. Robert J. Backstein, City Atty., by, Alan K. Polley, Asst. City Atty., Phoenix, for respondents and real party in interest. McFARLAND, Vice Chief Justice. Petitioner-defendant, Hugo Erdman, Jr., hereinafter designated defendant, was, on the 23rd day of September 1965, arrested without a warrant, and taken into custody by a police officer of the City of Phoenix, and immediately booked in the city jail for acts committed in the presence of the officer. On the following day a complaint was filed before a city magistrate by a desk sergeant who was the Police Department's liaison officer. While the complaint was not signed by the arresting officer his name was endorsed thereon. On October 20, 1965, defendant entered a plea of "not guilty" to the charge, at which time he made no objection to jurisdiction of the court to proceed against him on the complaint. He was tried and found guilty, and appealed to the Superior Court. The court had many trial settings which were vacated, and, finally, on October 26, 1966, defendant filed a written motion to dismiss on the ground that the court had acquired no jurisdiction because of non-compliance with Criminal Rule 1, and A.R.S. § 13-1418. This motion to dismiss was denied by the Superior Court on January 10, 1967. Thereafter, defendant filed with the Court of Appeals, Division One, a petition for writ of prohibition requesting that the Superior Court of Maricopa County be prohibited from proceeding with the trial against him. The writ of prohibition as prayed for was issued by the Court of Appeals on June 21, 1967, 6 Ariz. App. 3, 429 P.2d 495. The City of Phoenix filed a petition for review of the decision of the court of appeals, which was granted by this court. The question involved is whether the procedure followed conferred jurisdiction on the magistrate. It is admitted that the arrest was made without a warrant, and that the officer signing the complaint did not have actual knowledge of the facts stated therein. It is the contention of defendant that under these circumstances it was the duty of the magistrate to have examined the officer in regard to the facts set forth in the complaint, and that "his failure to do so vitiates" the proceeding under Criminal Rule 1, 17 A.R.S., and A.R.S. § 13-1418.[1] This court, in Turley v. State, 48 Ariz. 61, 59 P.2d 312, passed upon the question of the necessity of a complaint's being signed by a person having actual knowledge of the facts. In this decision we said: In State v. Currier, 86 Ariz. 394, 347 P.2d 29, we stated: The complaint in the instant case was sworn to and signed by Sergeant William Kirsop before City Magistrate E.K. Mangum. William Nickles and William Stull were listed as witnesses. The complaint, omitting the formal parts, charged that the defendant: It will be noted that the complaint is purportedly based upon actual knowledge of the complainant and therefore under the rule as set forth in State v. Currier, supra, the magistrate was not required to question the complainant as to the source of his information. It is understandable why an officer on duty when defendant was brought in was willing to sign such a complaint. He had every reason to believe that defendant would not have been arrested without a warrant unless an act had been committed in the presence of the officer. The object of a complaint is to inform a defendant in language definite and specific of the essential elements of the crime for which he is charged. Turley v. State, supra. The complaint in the instant case met these requirements. The general rule is stated in 22 C.J.S. Criminal Law, § 309 P. 804, as follows: Other jurisdictions have held that a complaint is sufficient if it is positive and in language that shows a probable cause, even though signed by an affiant where it is later shown the complainant did not have actual knowledge of the information set forth therein. In the case of Vahlberg v. State, 96 Okl.Cr. 102, 249 P.2d 736, cert. denied 345 U.S. 961, 73 S. Ct. 936, 97 L. Ed. 1381 the Supreme Court of Oklahoma dealt with this contention that a complainant who verified the complaint had no personal knowledge of the facts and the complaint was therefore a nullity, with the following language: In People v. Maggiora, 207 Cal. App. 2d Supp. 908, 24 Cal. Rptr. 630, the California court said: Article VI of our Constitution, A.R.S. provides: A.R.S. § 13-1598 states: Rule 145, subd. A, Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S., sets out that no information shall be invalid because of any defect or omission of any matter of form only. There is nothing in the record to show that the original defendant was in any way prejudiced by the complaint purporting to show that it was drafted on the personal knowledge of its signator, instead of on "knowledge and belief" of the signator, and rather than having been signed by the arresting officer. Neither the magistrate nor the desk sergeant were called to determine what examination was given the sergeant by the magistrate, or to determine whatever else the magistrate might have done to satisfy himself judicially that probable *529 cause existed for the issuance of the complaint. Any person who has reasonable grounds for believing that another has committed a crime may make complaint against the offender. Reasonable grounds may be based wholly on actual knowledge of the facts or partly upon actual knowledge and partly or wholly upon information and belief. For example, it might be on official arrest reports, or it might be made solely from information obtained by one or more investigating officers. 17 A.R.S., Rules Crim.Proc., Rules 1 and 2; State v. Currier, supra; Turley v. State, supra. Many arrests are at night and at times when a magistrate is not immediately available. In like manner when the magistrate is available the arresting officer is off duty. By making the arrest and "booking" the offender the officer has set in motion the machinery for filing the complaint. His attendance and testimony will be necessary at trial in order to sustain the state's case; but the mere fact that he does not personally file or sign the official complaint on the magistrate's docket book does not in and of itself create any prejudice against the accused. When a complainant appears before a magistrate the latter must satisfy himself that probable cause exists. As we have previously held, when a complaint is purportedly based on actual knowledge the magistrate need not question the complainant as to the source of his knowledge. State v. Currier, supra. We do not have a constitutional, statutory, or Supreme Court Rule which requires that when an affidavit or complaint is not wholly or partly within the personal knowledge of affiant he must state the extent to which it was made upon information and belief. However, where a complaint is signed by a complainant, including an officer, as in the instant case, if the magistrate has reason to believe that it is based on other than actual knowledge he must satisfy himself, from an examination of the complaining witness and such other witnesses as he may deem necessary, that probable cause exists. 17 A.R.S., Rules Crim.Proc., Rule 1, supra; State v. Turley, supra. We hold in the instant case that the Maricopa County Court properly denied the motion to dismiss the complaint. The decision of the Court of Appeals is vacated, and the petition for prohibition denied. BERNSTEIN, C.J., and STRUCKMEYER, UDALL, and LOCKWOOD, JJ., concur. [1] "Rule 1. Commencement of action by complaint; duty of magistrate "A. All criminal actions and proceedings brought before any magistrate for a public offense, triable within the county, shall be commenced by complaint, in writing, under oath, setting forth the offense charged, with such particulars of time, place, person and property as to enable the defendant to understand distinctly the character of the offense complained of. "B. When a complaint is made to a magistrate that an offense has been committed, he shall examine on oath the complainant and any witness the complainant produces and any witness subpoenaed by the magistrate. If the county attorney so requests, the magistrate shall subpoena witnesses for examination. The magistrate may take the affidavit of any such witness and cause the affidavit to be subscribed by the person making it." "§ 13-1418. Duty of officer after arrest without warrant "An officer who has arrested a person without a warrant shall without unnecessary delay take the person arrested before the nearest or most accessible magistrate in the county in which the arrest occurs, and shall make before the magistrate a complaint, which shall set forth the facts showing the offense for which the person was arrested."