Opinion ID: 1247201
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Size of the Community

Text: Logan, where the child lived at the time of his disappearance, is the county seat of Cache County and in 1986 had an estimated population of 28,880. Cache County has an estimated population of 69,200. [T]he smaller the community, the more likely there will be a need for a change of venue in any event when a heinous crime is committed. Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart, 427 U.S. 539, 599-600 n. 22, 96 S.Ct. 2791, 2822 n. 22, 49 L.Ed.2d 683 (1976) (Brennan, J., concurring in the judgment). A populous metropolitan community will decrease the need for a change of venue. People v. Harris, 28 Cal.3d 935, 623 P.2d 240, 171 Cal. Rptr. 679, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 882, 102 S.Ct. 365, 70 L.Ed.2d 192 (1981); People v. Manson, 61 Cal. App.3d 102, 190, 132 Cal. Rptr. 265, 318 (1976), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 986, 97 S.Ct. 1686, 52 L.Ed.2d 382 (1977) (refusal to move trial from Los Angeles area). In a small town, a major crime is likely to be embedded in the public consciousness with greater effect and for a longer time than it would be in a large, metropolitan area. Martinez v. Superior Court of Placer County . In the instant case, not only are we concerned with a small city and a small county, but during the month and one-half that the child was missing, there was a widespread community effort to help locate the missing child. The community's efforts were organized and directed by the wife of the bishop of a local ward of the city's predominant church. The ward's church building was used as the center for the volunteer activity. In addition to eighty-six adult volunteers, offers of assistance came from three Girl Scout groups, a high school journalism class, the local relief societies of the predominant church, an Assembly of God church, and various local businesses. An appeal was made to school children of the community for envelopes and stamps for the purpose of sending out flyers. Thousands of flyers, posters, and envelopes were printed. The paper and the printing labor were donated. Sixteen thousand flyers were mailed out by Medmaster. Preparations were made for a nationwide effort to find the baby. Phones were donated, and pictures were printed by a grocery chain on grocery bags and distributed to 600 stores. A fast food restaurant printed thousands of tray place mats with the infant's picture. Besides the large contributions in material, labor, and postage, cash contributions exceeded $1,700. Much of that money was collected through small donations dropped into bottles which had been placed in grocery stores. One business in Logan loaned typewriters to the volunteers. Another business sent flyers out to all their employees. Photographic materials and labor were donated in preparing photos of the missing child. Other businesses donated office supplies to assist the volunteers. A public utility supplying natural gas in an area spreading over three states, including Cache County, printed 500,000 copies of the story of the child's disappearance and mailed them with its monthly statements. Several fast food businesses provided lunches for the volunteers. The chairwoman of the volunteer committee testified that most of the volunteers had some degree of emotional involvement in what they were doing and, after the child's body was found and defendant had been charged with the killing, that she heard a news report that some of the volunteers felt they had been a bit gullible. She denied that any volunteer had made that comment to her, but admitted that many people had expressed opinions to her concerning defendant's guilt or innocence. She testified, however, that she personally was content to presume him innocent until he had been proved guilty.