Case Name: Leon William GUEVARA, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1979-06-27
Citations: 585 S.W.2d 744
Docket Number: No. 57629
Parties: Leon William GUEVARA, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
Judges: Before DOUGLAS, ROBERTS and DALLY, JJ.
Reporter: South Western Reporter Second Series
Volume: 585
Pages: 744–746

Head Matter:
Leon William GUEVARA, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
No. 57629.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, Panel No. 3.
June 27, 1979.
Rehearing En Banc Denied Sept. 19, 1979.
Anthony Sauer, Fredericksburg, for appellant.
Gerald W. Schmidt, County Atty., Fred-ericksburg, Robert Huttash, State’s Atty., Austin, for the State.
Before DOUGLAS, ROBERTS and DALLY, JJ.

Opinion:
OPINION
ROBERTS, Judge.
This appeal came to us on a bare transcript, without a statement of facts or appellant's' brief. By an unpublished per cu-riam opinion delivered February 15, 1978, we abated the appeal so that the trial court could inquire why no statement of facts was prepared and why neither the retained counsel nor the appointed counsel filed a brief for the appellant. The trial court has conducted a hearing, and we reinstate the appeal.
We need not reach the question of whether the appellant has been denied effective assistance of counsel on appeal. Fundamental error appears in the record (which still lacks a statement of facts and a brief on the merits).
The appellant was charged by an information which alleges that he "did then and there intentionally obstruct and prevent the arrest of Leon William Guevara by use of force against Tom S. Adams, Jr. hereafter called complainant; and that the said Leon William Guevara knew complainant to be a Peace Officer."
The elements of resisting arrest (Texas Penal Code, Section 38.03) are:
1. a person
2. intentionally
3. prevents or obstructs a person he knows is a peace officer (or a person acting in a peace officer's presence and at his direction) from effecting an arrest of the actor or another
4. by using force against the peace officer or another.
The information does not allege that the appellant prevented or obstructed a person he knew was a peace officer from effecting an arrest. This is the gist of the offense. Resisting arrest occurs only when a peace officer (or his agent) is prevented or obstructed from effecting an arrest. The information merely alleges that "an arrest" was prevented and obstructed. So far as the information shows, the person trying to effect this arrest may not have been a peace officer (or his agent). Such an information does not charge the offense of resisting arrest. [The person against whom force was used is alleged to have been a peace officer, but this is surplusage and not sufficient to cure the error. The person against whom force is used may be anyone: "the peace officer or another." Texas Penal Code, Section 38.03(a).]
The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.