.” ‘

. .

Honorab~ L.lbrganYill.iame

'Dl~txlct AWnmy Jourdanton, Texas Dear Sir8 &nion Ro. o-2888 Ret !&he

filing of canplalnta where eemraloffen8er arise out of~one traMMatlM. Your request for opinion ti been **recelreb.** ma ~aremlly ~0n~iaerba by this aepadicmt. We qaotefromyour request M followsl

"I have been requested to write to your aepwhaent for amling on the ro1loTlngmattem "In a county *iah operate8 under iPlefee bssls,,what la the test **as** tohowmny ocanplaintacan be filed against a aefenaadi foraoteoomtituting ~arioua violation8 of the arioinal Law. In other rorde, where a pexty, fox lllmtration, is drunk, disturbs the peace andfights, can three 0claplsinte be filed againat the defendant, and upq Oonriction in om~~~aaq, will such oonviction be a bar to the p.iW&i&n of the r&dug came. Allaots growing out of the ati tranmo~lon. "In this ooaneetion, Vol. 4, TexasJurlspm&mce, page 891, 1 5'3, it la held: 'Of course, *en the prerioue oonviction ma for an entirely eeparata ana aiatinct offem3e, 0u0ha8 affray, It is no bar whatmer to a subsequent proaecutlou for aseault.' Citing, &Crawve. State, 73 Texae-CrlminalReporta 45, and Decker VB.State, 58Criminal Reports 159. *Aiao, '

....where'the defendant has been acquitted of the oh@,, ofunlawfullyo~yingbraee lmuokB,and IE then proaeeuted for an aa~aultwith euobweapona.’ Citing Cbiecm 7.i va. State, 77 Crlm. Rep. 397. Vol. 12, Tar. JUT., page 566, $ 246, laya downthe followillgrule, %e may be aonvioted forrutma a bawdy, home, andalso for ragranoy, becauee the traneaetlome M not iaentioal in point of tima.' Also, 'the playing of the m of aioe 16a ooqtlnuous offense, e&h bet le distinct andseparate riolatlon of the law ana a conviction of cme offense aoee not bar a trial foranother.’ Citing, Parlm vs. State, l23 S.U. llC9.Honorable L. MorganWilliam, Page 2 (O-2888)

"It ie lyr opinion that the test M to the nuaber of oaaee that maybe prooeouted againat a defend& aepsnbs upon whether or not the points of time are identloalor whether a coutiuuoue trmmotion,and the faote lu eaoh ouenuat be airclosed.* Sectiom 241, 242, 245, aud 246, pager 56&561-5Q-565-566- 567, 12 Texao Jurfiprudenoe, read M follower

"241. Several Offenres Arim- Out of OneTran8aotion. - The mame

truuaotion mayoonntltute eemral diiatinot andeeparate offensea, in whlah0uIe the defendant maybe separately promoated and pmatahedfor eaoh, anda conviction or acquittal for one will not eonmtitute a bar to a trial for the other. Andthe faot tbat'two diatinot offenrres are committedoontemporancouely, or that one is omnitted in aid of the other, doaa not lMke thest m the lees dlst5nct. Thus if the acoused slays twopersoumwith the intent or volition to kill both they are eepsr4t.9 offenree althOu& aoourrlrq at the 84metime, auda oonvlohion or aaquittal for oue offenee does not bar 4 prosecution for the other; an assault with intent to murder an8carrying 4 piatolunlavfUly are different offeneeo, thou@ growingout of the eamatmffitionj anda eonvic$ion ou a oh-e,+ of drirlng an autaoblla without llghte does not,bar a proeeoutlon for transportlag liquor in the automobile, thou& +A6defedant put cwthia lights to aid in couoealh hie transportitioz~of the liaor. FurtheJr111uatratioue will be fouud in the artic1elr dealingwitlr speolfio erlmes.

_,, ,~~,. "24a. tro8~iMon for Part of Single Crima. - TheState' maynot split up one orlme andproseoute it in parts, ena 4 .' proeeoutiou for any part of 4 ehgle mine Barr any farther proeeoution for the whole or 4 p4rt ,of the nimeorlae. Where the sot **ahar@d** conntltutee but **one** orbe, **thud%** It **lr dirl**  eible into different parts or dogrem, the hata w out or carve out of It but one offense, amX"hrringproreonted and conrioted the defendant of this offense, -7 not pmeeoute fbrtimr the tram+- out of vhieh thS +fgnm VM oarved. As lar@, an offenoe-may be oarvea out of,@ 'y+wxmotion as

> po@~lp&, yet the state mayout only on+ BoThere several artlclee of property are etolm at the eametiae ati plaoa a oouvia~ for otealinS par%of themwill bar a subnepuent proseoutWh for otealing any of the other artlclem. This dootriae of oarvjps applies withmom force to a fomer oon~lotion than to an aaguitt.41. ,~. "245. ~3lhez-e

Several Offenses &mt?haYged or Pro*. - Wherea defendanthaa beeu tried on eeretrr~ cormCaan& oonviated under oue hr is thereby aaquitu of the others,Honorable L. MorganWilllape, Page 3 (O-2888)

andrsj not later be tried uponthe one4 for whiohho wa4 40acquitted. @tie where there are 4evenal oouube in 4n ludiotmnt and only one is subPitted to the jury, thie amount4to ~ZIaoquittsl upon the abanbonedoowts, and the defsndaut my not upona eubbsequent trial be proseouted on the ab4ndomdwwt,a. Moreover, where twoor more ekilar but repantr, 4otcl oomtitutlng nqarate offewes are plaoed In evldenoe anbar an lndiatmemtor infoxmation undervhicrh4 oonvlotion of either offenee 04u be had, and neither the state nor tie oourt d.eota one particular tboton whloh oonvlotlon 16eou@t, 4 plea of former oonviotlon will be good upon 4 eubeequent pro4eouticm bared on MY Of the w&m or offennee~ proved, It be* uuoertaln for which one the oonvlctlon v4a had. But the rule la otheniee where 44 eleotion io made and the jury rentrioted to one particulsr a4t.

“246. Continnow Offmses. - where an 0ffMee la 4 oontlnuoue one, 4 oonviotion bare all further 

### orother proeeoatione up to the time of the conviotion, unless the indIaWent or infoneatlon oarvee out the time of the ocpnissim of the offenee, andl&e evidence, ae well ae the plead-, U oonfined to the time 80 oarved out, The transnotlou 4 ,aoantlnuoua one where there ie one design, one impulse, and oue purpoee upon the part of the aoouaebj but is not oontlnuoua if it oontaieCsof a elngle act, or a seriee of aote, or where, in order to coneummate it, an interval of tire Is require&. Thw one ray be 00d0tda~~or nming a baw+hotue andalso fe vagrancy beoawe ,the transaotiom are not identical in point of time. Andwhile the playing of the &apeof dice 16a cantinuoue offeo8e, esoh bet ie a distinct andseparate violation of the law, and4 oonvlotiou of one offenee doee not bar a trial for another. But one conviction for tile statutory offense of opening plsaee of bueineee on Suaday is a bar to proeeautione for opening at other thee QIIthe mame day; in order for the state to oarve proeeoutlona in oaeea of this oharaoter, the statute muet prescribe or the l.egiB&tive intent muetbe o.l.ear that It ME the purpoae to makeeaoh sot or performanae pnniehable.” Opinion Ho. O-71 of this depcrrtrment holde at where ULO emuetreneaotion mayoonetitute several aletlnot andreparate offeneua, the defandart my be separately proseoutad for 4aoh 4nd4 fee may be oolleoteb 4 eaoh oaee. The opinion aleo hold4 thatvhere the aot ohargsd,&nmtltutm but one crime, thou& ‘i%~ is :divlaibl.e Into different pbs or degreor, the State maytxkor oarve out of it butane offen and; havinS proseouted andoouvloted the defendant of .tdrsloffenee, the Stat.8maynot prosecute further the traneffitidn or act out of which the offenee was carved. Weenoloee herewith a copy of said opinion. :Bonomble L.MorganWilUs~,Page 4( o-2888)

The illtwtration 00nt4in4a in your letterwhere crm 1s drunk (in 4 public plaoe we assume), dieturba the peace rrrrd fQhta, ia apparently covered by the following srtiolee of our TexaePenal Code, to-wit:

Article 473, Vernon's Annotated TexaePenal Code:

"If any twoormom permne ehallflght tqether in apublic plaoe they ehallbe fined not exxpeedlngone hundreddollars." Artiole 474, Vemon’r AnnotaWd Tosam Penal Code: "Whoevershall go into or near anypublic plaoe or hat.0 or mar anyprivate houee an&ahall use loua endvoolfenms, or obaoene, vu-, or lndeoent language or 8wearormrm, or yell or ehrlek, or expoee hia persan, or rudely djqG& w p~st.b~~op

other deadly weapon, in a,nmnneroalmlated to dieturb thd lnhabltaqti $ euoh ulaoe or home, akmll be f'iued not tmweed oue hundreddollara." Article 475, Vernon’s AnnotatedTexas Penal Coder “A 'pnbllo JODCV,'ae ueed.in the twopreoediug ei-tields, iq any public road, street or alloy of 4 townor olty, W any atore or work ehop or any place at which people af-6aaambled or to which people ommonly resort for purposes of buefnsee, amusement

or Other lawful purpomt.D Artlole 477, Vernon's Annotated Texas Penaldode: .~ ~~ "Whoeverahall get drunkor be found in a,state of intoxicatiou in anypublic place, or at any private house enmpt hia own, shall be fined not exceeding one hundreddollare." Youare reapeotfully advised that it is the opiufou of this deparlxmnt: 1. Thatwhere the mme tramaction mayooustitute several dietLot andeeparate offenses, the defendmtllay'be ~eparetely proeecuted (under separate fr&~t or qlaIn$s) endmehad for each anda fee maybe collected in dash case.‘ 2. That the offense6 of affrw (denoumed by A&i&e 473, V.A.T.P.C., supra) dieturbance (denouncedby Article 47$ V.A.T.P.C., supra) audpublic drunkenesa (denounced by Article 477, V.A.T.P.C., aupra) given in your illustration, are eeparate anddistinct oriminaloffenaes in law, andmaybe separatel$ proeeoutsd under eeparate complaints and legal oonvicrtions had theimn-even @ougb arialng outofaud iu the samet+nsaction.. -.

Honorable L. Nor&au Uillicum, Page 5 (O-2888)

3. Tad vhere the rot oharg4d oo~tikrter, but cse orbe, though it la divimlbb in&~different part4 or degreee, the state mayout or oame out of it but one offeme snd, having prooeonted andcomic* the defendant Of tbie offeuse, the st4t4 maynot prosecute further the tranmoticm or aot out ofwhiah the offenee VM carved.

4. Thatwhere ah offense la a oontinuoue one, (4uc.ha6 keep- 4 dl4orilerlJ home - See Coreyv4. St4te, I.38SWUp) 4 ocnvidtion b4m 4ll3urther or &her proseontlon4 up to the tIsn4of oonviotlm, unl4m the indiotdmt or information oarve4 out the the of the cxmmiwion of the offenae, ard the evldenae, 44well ae the plsadlug, ie confined to the time 80 oarved out.

By /a/ Wa.J. Fanning Wm. J. Panning Aaelltant WJP%AU-dE APPROVED

nov 20, 1940 /a/ Gerald C. Mann

ATMBIPEIIGEBEEULLOFTRYAS BY/4L B.W.B.