Case Name: Lyle v. Stephenson
Court: Court of Appeals of Virginia
Jurisdiction: Virginia
Decision Date: 1806-04
Citations: 6 Call 54
Docket Number: 
Parties: Lyle v. Stephenson.
Judges: 
Reporter: Virginia Reports
Volume: 10
Pages: 1080–1080

Head Matter:
Lyle v. Stephenson.
[April, 1806.]
Prison Bounds Bond— Power ot Sheriff to Prevent Escape After the sheriff has 'taken a prison hounds bond from the debtor, he has no power to authorize or prevent his escape:
Same — Same.—And therefore a motion for the debt and costs will not be sustained against him, upon the ground of a voluntary escape.
This was a , motion for a writ of super-sedeas to a judgment of the district court. The petition stated, that Lyle obtained a judgment against Bowyer, and issued a ca. sa. upon it: To which the deputy sheriff made a return in these words: “Executed, and bond taken for the prison rules. ” That the sheriff afterwards voluntarily permitted Bowyer to escape, and thereby subjected himself ío a motion, under the act of assembly, for the amount of the execution. That the petitioner moved the district court to that effect; but the court, being of opinion that the return on the execution did not authorize the . motion, overruled it; and gave judgment for the defendant.
The deputy omitted to sign the name of his principal.
Prison Bounds Bond — Escape—Power of Sheriff to Prevent. — For the proposition that, after the taking oí a prison bounds bond the sheriff has no power to prevent or authorize the escape of the debtor, the principal case is cited and approved in Meredith v. Duval, 1 Munf. 80 : McGuire v. Pierce, 9 Gratt. 177.

Opinion:
LYONS, President.
The, court is of opinion, that the supersedeas is to be denied ; because a motion will not lie against a sheriff for a voluntary escape, when he has taken a prison bounds bond from the debtor, and admitted him to the prison rules: for the debtor is then in the custody of the law, and the sheriff has no power to authorize or prevent his escape.
Supersedeas denied,