Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-91-03338/USCOURTS-ca10-91-03338-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 

---

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

MARK P. TURNER, 

Plaintiff-Appellant, 

MAYO 8 1992 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerl: 

v. No. 91-3338 

HERB MASCHNER; PHILLIPE . SWOPE; 

DANIEL CRUTE; MIKE MEYERS, Sgt. ; 

H. R. WOODCOCK, Sgt., 

Defendants-Appellees. 

(D. Kan. No. 87-3039-S) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before LOGAN, Circuit Judge, BARRETT, Senior Judge, and EBEL, 

Circuit Judge.t 

Appellant Turner appeals the dismissal of his suit brought 

against various Kansas state prison officials under 42 u.s.c. 

§ 1983. The appellant argues that the appellees violated his 

right to due process by finding him guilty of theft in an 

administrative hearing in which the evidence did not support such 

a finding. We affirm the dismissal of the action for 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 

36 . 3. 

t 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed . R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1 . 9. Therefore, the case is ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

Appellate Case: 91-3338 Document: 010110247648 Date Filed: 05/08/1992 Page: 1
substantially the reasons set forth by the district court in its 

order of October 1, 1991. 

We grant the appellant's motion to proceed in forma pauperis. 

The appellant was accused of obtaining student directories 

from several junior high schools under false pretenses. These 

directories contained the names and addresses of female students 

to whom the appellant subsequently wrote. In his letters seeking 

to purchase these directories, the appellant identified himself as 

a member of the Lansing P.T.A. seeking to buy directories to use 

as examples for a similar publication to be produced on behalf of 

the Lansing school system. An official from the school district 

to whom the appellant sent his letter submitted an affidavit 

stating that they would not have sent the directories if they had 

known that the requestor was an incarcerated prisoner. 

In essence, the appellant argues that he cannot be guilty of 

theft because he intended to pay for the items he requested. The 

appellant misconstrues the offense of which he was found guilty. 

The appellees found the appellant guilty of violating Kan. Admin. 

Regs. 44-12-203. That regulation, entitled "Theft," states that 

theft includes "[o]btaining by deception control over property." 

The appellant does not contest that he obtained the directories 

through deception. Therefore, the fact that he intended to pay 

for the directories is irrelevant to whether a violation of Reg. 

44-12-203 occurred. Hence, the appellant's argument that the 

evidence did not support the finding of guilt is without merit. 

- 2 -

Appellate Case: 91-3338 Document: 010110247648 Date Filed: 05/08/1992 Page: 2
Accordingly, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court. 

The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

Entered for the Court 

David M. Ebel 

Circuit Judge 

- 3 -

Appellate Case: 91-3338 Document: 010110247648 Date Filed: 05/08/1992 Page: 3