Court Opinion

ID: 9844087
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 02:57:30.789736+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:27.563572
License: Public Domain

COMPTON, Justice (dissenting). While the evidence is circumstantial, I deem it substantial. A true picture of appellant is reflected by his previous record-He had been convicted of three felonies and various misdemeanors. His first felony conviction was for burglary in 1937; the second was for burglary in 1945; and the third was for grand larceny in 1952. When arrested, appellant was 'unable to give an account of Harris, only that the check was given in payment of three days work for Harris in doing yard work and hauling trash and scrap lumber. At the trial, he explained his failure to locate Harris by the fact that he had been in j ail since his arrest shortly after the check was given. But this explanation does not stand up. The sheriff of Curry County testified that at appellant’s request he had taken appellant to various places where he claimed to have worked for Harris. Appellant first directed the sheriff to take him to the Bella Vista Addition from which he had hauled trash and scrap lumber. Arriving there, the sheriff failed to find any evidence that appellant had performed work there of any kind. Actually the lot where appellant had directed him to go belonged to one Eastwood, which was used by Eastwood for the storage of equipment. Next, appellant directed the sheriff to go to the stock pens to a place immediately south of Clovis Branding Company Office where he had dumped the trash and scrap lumber. The sheriff and appellant looked over this area and found no signs that trash or scrap lumber had been dumped there. Finally, appellant directed the sheriff to take him to Swartzman Packing Company and Feed Pens were Harris “had hung- arount there some.” Inquiry at the feed pens disclosed that a person by the name of Harris was unknown there. Being faced at the trial by these statements, appellant gave an entirely different story as to the places he had worked for Harris. He then testified that the work performed for and with Harris was in the 1100 block on Rencher Street, on property belonging to one Singleton, and that he had hauled the trash and scrap lumber to the “Old Lover’s Lane” dump site where it was dumped. He testified further that he and another party, whose name he could not remember, did some hauling of grain for Harris to Farwell Pens. He also testified that the check was given to him at the Foster home at 416 West Second Street. On rebuttal, the sheriff testified that appellant never at any time while they were trying to locate Harris mentioned the fact that the check had been given to him at the Foster home, or that he worked for Harris in the 1100 block on Rencher Street, or that he had hauled feed to the Farwell Pens. Besides all this, the sheriff and his deputies made an extensive and independent investigation in the Clovis area in an attempt to locate Harris, and this inquiry proved fruitless. And the personnel of the bank on which the check was drawn knew no such person. Feeling that the majority has reached an erroneous decision, I dissent.