Title: State v. Crawford

State: missouri

Issuer: Missouri Supreme Court

Document:

251 S.W.2d 76 (1952)
STATE
v.
CRAWFORD.
No. 42974.

Supreme Court of Missouri, No. 1.
September 8, 1952.
*77 J. E. Taylor, Atty. Gen., Paul N. Chitwood, Asst. Atty. Gen., for respondent.
William A. Moon, Springfield, for appellant.
HYDE, Presiding Judge.
Defendant was convicted of obtaining narcotic drugs by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation and subterfuge in violation of Section 195.170 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S. He appeals from a sentence of two years in the penitentiary, the punishment assessed by the jury in its verdict.
Defendant has not briefed the case and has filed no bill of exceptions. Therefore, our review is on the record proper only. See Section 547.270 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S. The verdict is sufficient, finding defendant guilty as charged in the information, and assessing punishment within the statutory limit for a first offense. See Section 195.200 RSMo 1949, V.A.M.S. Allocution, judgment and sentence are in proper form and defendant was heard on his motion for new trial which was overruled.
Section 195.170 provides in part as follows: "1. No person shall obtain or attempt to obtain a narcotic drug, or procure or attempt to procure the administration of the narcotic drug, by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or subterfuge; or by the forgery or alteration of a prescription or of any written order; or by the concealment of a material fact; or by the uses of a false name or the giving of a false address."
The information in this case charged as follows:
We think this information was sufficient and that it fully informed the defendant of the crime charged against him. The rules concerning the sufficiency of an information charging a statutory offense were recently restated in State v. Anderson, Mo.Sup., 232 S.W.2d 909, 911, as follows: "An indictment therefor must `substantially follow the language of the statute' (if that language or the statutory terms used be sufficient to inform defendants of the offense with which they are charged) or it must set out the constituent facts and circumstances necessary to inform defendants of the offense with which they are charged. State v. Ross, 312 Mo. 510, 279 S.W. 411, 413. An indictment is sufficient if it contains every essential element of the offense as the same is defined *78 by the statute." The information in this case complies with these rules. It fully states the facts as to how defendant accomplished the fraud, deceit, misrepresentation and subterfuge and clearly advises him of the charge he must meet. See State v. Logan, 59 Nev. 24, 83 P.2d 1035. We hold it sufficient and find no error on the record proper.
Judgment and sentence affirmed.
All concur.