Case Name: Henry Herman Midkiff v. The State
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1948-03-10
Citations: 151 Tex. Crim. 538
Docket Number: No. 23960
Parties: Henry Herman Midkiff v. The State.
Judges: 
Reporter: Texas Criminal Reports
Volume: 151
Pages: 538–538

Head Matter:
Henry Herman Midkiff v. The State.
No. 23960.
Delivered March 10, 1948.
John A. Croom, of Houston, for appellant.
Ernest S. Go-ms, State’s Attorney, of Austin, for the State.

Opinion:
DAVIDSON, Judge.
This is a conviction for driving an automobile while intoxicated ; the punishment, a fine of $50.00.
The jurat to the complaint reads as follows:
"Sworn to and subcribed by Ray Owens, a credible person before me, on this the 24th day of February, A. D. 1947.
"Sidney J. Brown,____________
"(No Seal) Fort Bend County, Texas."
A complaint must be sworn to before an officer authorized to administer an oath. Art. 415, C. C. P. The jurat to the instant complaint does not so reflect. It is, therefore, fatally defective. Shurbet v. State, 124 Tex. Cr. R. 50, 60 S. W. (2d) 791; Neely v. State, 144 Tex. Cr. R. 92, 161 S. W. (2d) 294.
Because the information is not supported by a valid complaint, the judgment is reversed and the prosecution ordered dismissed.
Opinion approved by the Court.