Opinion ID: 1245097
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant's next assigned error is based on receipt of testimony of Officer Hoilien as to his observations of the Scholtes' farm field the morning after defendant's arrest.

Text: Hoilien testified he returned to the Scholtes' farm the next morning and after getting permission drove in the approximate path he had observed defendant's car coming from the field. He there found fresh automobile tire tracks over the contours in the area where he observed the 1958 Chevrolet the night before. He identified a map, exhibit E, which he had prepared and stated it fairly and accurately portrayed the course of the tire marks which he had observed in the field. Defendant's objection to this testimony as incompetent, irrelevant, immaterial and without foundation was overruled. Later when exhibit E was offered defendant's objection to it was sustained. Hoilien's description of the location and path of these tire marks is consistent with his testimony of the automobile's course on the previous night. We are not persuaded receipt of this evidence was reversible error. See Davidson v. Cooney, 259 Iowa 1278, 147 N.W.2d 819, 823, 824, and citations. IV. Code section 109.93 under which defendant was charged, tried, convicted and fined provides: Hunting by artificial light. It shall be unlawful to throw or cast the rays of a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light on any highway, or in any field, woodland or forest for the purpose of spotting, locating or taking or attempting to take or hunt any animal, except raccoons or other fur-bearing animals when treed with the aid of dogs, while having in possession or control, either singly or as one of a group of persons, any firearm, bow or other implement whereby game could be killed. Any person violating this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars or imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed thirty days. Code section 109.119 provides: Penalties. Whoever shall violate any of the provisions of the foregoing sections numbered 109.38 to 109.118, inclusive, shall be punished as is provided in section 109.32. The penalty provided in section 109.32 is a fine of not less than ten dollars or more than one hundred dollars or imprisonment in the county jail not more than thirty days. Defendant points out the obvious conflict of penalty under section 109.93 and sections 109.119 and 109.32. He contends if he is to be punished at all it must be under the provisions of 109.32 and asserts because of the contradiction section 109.93 is unconstitutional and unenforceable. Defendant cites no authorities to support this argument. The trial court was correct in rejecting these contentions. Sections 109.119 and 109.32 are general statutes providing penalty for violation of several sections of chapter 109. Section 109.93 is a special statute covering a specific offense and prescribing the penalty for violation thereof. This would appear particularly true since section 109.93 is the later enactment. State ex rel. Weede v. Iowa Southern Utilities Co., 231 Iowa 784, 830, 2 N.W.2d 372, 396, 4 N.W.2d 869; Iowa Mut. Tornado Ins. Ass'n v. Fischer, 245 Iowa 951, 954, 65 N.W.2d 162, 165; 82 C.J.S. Statutes § 369. It is a fundamental rule that where a general statute, if standing alone would include the same matter as a special statute and thus conflict with it, the special Act will be considered an exception to or qualification of the general statute and will prevail over it, whether it was passed before or after such general enactment. Yarn v. City of Des Moines, 243 Iowa 991, 998, 54 N.W.2d 439, 443; Iowa Mut. Tornado Ins. Ass'n v. Fischer, 245 Iowa 951, 955, 65 N. W.2d 162, 165; Liberty Consolidated School Dist. v. Schindler, 246 Iowa 1060, 1065, 70 N.W.2d 544, 547; Gade v. City of Waverly, 251 Iowa 473, 477, 101 N.W.2d 525, 527; Smith v. Newell, 254 Iowa 496, 501, 117 N. W.2d 883, 886; 50 Am.Jur., Statutes, section 564; 82 C.J.S. Statutes § 369. Therefore, sections 109.119 and 109.32, the general statutes, should not be interpreted as limiting the sentence provided by section 109.93, the special statute. V. There is no presumption against the constitutional validity of a statute. Every reasonable presumption must be called to support the act. A challenging party must overcome these presumptions and negative every reasonable basis which will sustain the statute. Graham v. Worthington, 259 Iowa 845, 146 N.W.2d 626, 631, and citations. Defendant's assertion of unconstitutionality against section 109.93 falls far short of the burden resting on him. VI. In his motion for new trial defendant claimed one of the jurors failed to disclose the fact the county attorney had represented the juror's wife in a divorce action a short time before the trial of this case. The trial court found the juror had not made a false answer. The record supports this finding. Assuming, arguendo, the juror failed to make such a disclosure, we are unable to understand how defendant could thereby be prejudiced. In support of this conclusion see State v. Wilcoxen, 200 Iowa 1250, 206 N.W. 260. VII. We have carefully considered defendant's many claimed grounds for reversal and find none are shown. Our review of the entire record leads us to conclude defendant was afforded a fair trial. Affirmed.