Court Opinion

ID: 9791823
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:18:32.387549+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:38.769709
License: Public Domain

TAYLOR, Justice
with whom SPEAR, District Judge, concurs (dissenting).
In addition to the facts stated in the majority opinion, it should be recorded here that the solicitation of Johnson and Whit-lock by officer Howard was not by accident or happenstance. The officer testified he was sent to Lewiston to investigate illegal sales of liquor as follows:
“Q. You came in here to investigate certain situations didn’t you?
“A. Yes.
“Q. And what situations?
“A. Illegal sales of liquor.
“Q. What illegal sales of liquor?
“A. By the Lewiston Cab Company.
“Q. And what men at the Lewiston Cab Company?
“A. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Whitlock.
“Q. Any others ?
*295“A. Yes.
“Q. Who?
“A. Whoever happened to offer to sell me whiskey.
“Q. Who, I asked for their names ?
“A. I don’t know any names.
“Q. You had two names, is that it?
“A. Yes.”
The record conclusively establishes that the warrant for plaintiff’s arrest would not have been issued by the magistrate had not defendant insisted. At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing in the case of State v. Johnson, defendant, in the justice court and in the presence of the prosecuting attorney, asserted that Howard had admitted the commission of a crime; that Howard was guilty of the crime of illegal sale of liquor as an accessory; and demanded that he be held. To which the prosecuting attorney responded, “The evidence does not disclose any crime has been committed;” and Felton retorted, “Now what is the opinion of the prosecutor? Here is a criminal complaint.”
Following the order of the magistrate continuing Johnson’s bond pending decision on the issue of whether he should be bound over to the district court for trial, the following occurred between defendant and the magistrate:
“Mr. Felton:
“We want a criminal complaint; we want this man held.
“The Court:
“Now Mr. Felton, there is the complaint. You have the right to sign the complaint. I am not sure just at this moment what my duties are with regard to issuing a warrant upon the signing of a complaint. The prosecutor advises he does not think there is sufficient evidence for a trial. Therefore I will not issue a warrant until I have had time to determine it and what my duties are.
“Mr. Felton:
“All right. There is going to be a complaint here.”
At that time defendant procured a blank form of criminal complaint from the magistrate, filled it in by his own hand, and swore to it before the magistrate, purporting to charge the plaintiff with the crime of sale of liquor without license therefor. The complaint was insufficient to charge any offense and the magistrate refused to issue a warrant thereon, purportedly because of an error as to the alleged date of the offense. On the next day, May 15, 1959, the defendant made inquiry of the magistrate and being advised that no warrant would be issued upon the complaint of the day before, defendant again appeared before the magistrate, procured another blank form, filled *296it in by his own hand, and swore to it before the magistrate, purporting to charge the plaintiff with a felony as follows:
“Personally appeared before me this 14th day of May, A.D. 1959, J. H. Felton, who on oath makes complaint and deposes and says, that on, to-wit the 12th day of March, A.D. 1959, in the County of Nez Perce, State of Idaho, the crime of Selling liquor without a liícense (I.C. 23-938) a felony, as accessory, was committed, to-wit; by Chester Howard, who then and there did solicit a person without a liquor liscense to sell liquor to him and did purchase such liquor knowing that the sale and purchase was illegal * *
The record does not show whether the prosecuting attorney saw this second complaint or was advised of its contents. The magistrate communicated with him by telephone and the prosecutor advised that if the complaint charged a crime, he thought it would be the duty of the magistrate to issue a warrant. The defendant at that time called the magistrate’s attention to the accessory statutes, and after consideration of the statutes and the representations made by defendant, the magistrate came to the conclusion that a crime was charged, and issued the warrant.
The majority opinion infers that this conduct on the part of the defendant was good “citizenry”, and relies upon the rule announced in Lowe v. Skaggs Safeway Stores, Inc., 49 Idaho 48, 286 P. 616, to the effect that full disclosure by a private citizen to a magistrate is a defense in an action for malicious prosecution. In the Lowe case a bookkeeper and a unit manager of the defendant corporation laid the facts, so far as known to them, before the magistrate, and the bookkeeper signed a blank form of criminal complaint, which was left with the magistrate, and which was filled in by the magistrate after an investigation by a deputy sheriff of the alleged offense. Neither the bookkeeper nor the unit manager were trained in the law and neither purported to advise the magistrate that a crime had been committed by the accused. The determination of that issue, so far as the issuance of the warrant was concerned, was left entirely to the magistrate and the deputy sheriff. The rule of that case is not applicable here.
The defendant Felton was admitted to the bar of this state June 7, 1921, and during the years since that date has been actively engaged in the general practice of law in this state, in both civil and criminal actions. He was not a private citizen: he was an officer of the courts of this state. The facts were known to the magistrate. But the defendant did not leave the determination, as to whether plaintiff had committed a crime, to the judgment of the magistrate, the prosecuting attorney, or of any other officer. He purported to know that the *297plaintiff had committed a crime; pooh-poohed the opinion of the prosecutor to the contrary; insisted that the magistrate issue a warrant; and persuaded him to believe that an offense had been committed by reference to the accessory statutes.
Where an officer, investigating alleged violations of law, merely gives the accused the opportunity to make an illegal sale, or to refuse to do so, and the accused chooses to sell, there is no entrapment. Such was the law of this state as early as 1928. State v. Webster, 46 Idaho 798, 271 P. 578; followed in 1949 in State v. Garde, 69 Idaho 209, 205 P.2d 504; and recently in State v. Whitlock, 82 Idaho 540, 356 P.2d 492.
Admittedly, the question of entrapment is not directly involved in this case. Nevertheless, the rule is cited to show that plaintiff was not engaged in unlawful conduct in procuring the sale of liquor by Johnson and thus did not become a party to that sale by unlawfully entrapping Johnson. The foregoing law of this jurisdiction as to entrapment was known, or should have been known, to the defendant. He was actively engaged in the practice in criminal proceedings in this state when the rule was announced, and later, when it was affirmed.
The question directly involved is as to whether plaintiff committed the alleged offense as an accessory, under the statutes cited to the magistrate by defendant (I.C. §§ 18-204 and 19-1430) ; that is, whether by soliciting the sale and making the purchase he aided and abetted Johnson’s illegal sale.
To “aid and abet” means to assist, facilitate, promote, encourage, counsel, solicit or incite the commission of a crime. I.C. § 18-204; State v. Lord, 42 N.M. 638, 84 P.2d 80; 22 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 88(1) (2). The definition encompasses the activity of one who knowingly participates by any of such means in bringing about the commission of a crime. It contemplates a sharing by the aider and abettor of the criminal intent of the perpetrator. People v. Hill, 77 Cal.App.2d 287, 175 P.2d 45.
“In every crime or public offense there must exist a union, or joint operation, of act and intent, or criminal negligence.” I.C. § 18-114.
Where an officer having information or reason to believe that another is engaged in violation of the law, offers such person an opportunity either to commit the offense or refuse to do so, and without resorting to inducement, enticement, decoy, or other form of entrapment, and such person elects to commit the offense, the officer cannot be said to entertain or share the intent to commit the crime. 22 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 78b; § 45(1) (2) (3). Whether such intent could be imputed to an officer who resorted to actual entrapment and procured the commission of a crime by a citizen who was not suspected of any criminal purpose, *298nor engaged in law violation, is not before us, because the facts do not show such conduct on the part of the plaintiff.
Where the statute does not make buying illegal, the buyer is not a party to the offense of the seller. State v. Turner, 83 Kan. 183, 109 P. 983; Reed v. State, 3 Okl.Cr. 16, 103 P. 1070, 24 L.R.A.,N.S., 268; United States v. Farrar (D.Mass.), 38 F.2d 515; Singer v. United States (C.C.A. 3rd) 278 F. 415; Lott v. United States (C.C.A. 9th) 205 F. 28, 46 L.R.A.,N.S., 409; State v. Baden, 37 Minn. 212, 34 N.W. 24; Wakeman v. Chambers, 69 Iowa 169, 28 N.W. 498; Cooper v. State, 138 Tex.Cr.R. 438, 136 S.W.2d 814; 35 A.L.R. Annotation IV, page 968.
Again the defendant knew, or, as a lawyer of long experience, was bound to know, that the complaint drawn and signed by him was insufficient to charge the plaintiff with unlawful sale of liquor, and that it was not based upon facts which would support such charge. Furthermore, there was no urgency. The officer was not about to flee the state. If defendant was not mindful of the law he could have taken time to read the authorities, or to obtain the advice of disinterested counsel. Yet he, nevertheless, relying entirely upon his own knowledge and judgment, represented to the magistrate that the complaint did charge the commission of a crime, and insisted that a warrant be issued forthwith. This is a far cry from the facts in Lowe v. Skaggs Safeway Stores, Inc., 49 Idaho 48, 286 P. 616, and Thomas v. Hinton, 76 Idaho 337, 281 P.2d 1050, relied upon by the majority. This is the case of an attorney, employed by a person accused by a law enforcement officer of illegal sale of liquor, charging the officer with being a party to the offense alleged to have been committed by his client, and insisting, against the advice of the prosecuting attorney and over the reluctance of the magistrate, that the officer be arrested and prosecuted. Such conduct is not good citizenship. The officer did no more than this court has repeatedly said he might lawfully do, in the performance of his duty. To permit counsel for those accused by the officer to charge the officer with a felony, procure his arrest, incarceration, “mugging” and fingerprinting, and compel him to employ counsel and defend, is no less than, an obstruction of justice. Law enforcement in this state cannot be promoted by tolerating such tactics.
An attorney of 38 years experience cannot be permitted to hide behind a comparatively inexperienced and reluctant magistrate, even though the magistrate be an attorney. Here defendant neither sought nor accepted the advice of the magistrate. Mayer v. Goodman, 94 Okl. 12, 220 P. 656; Morin v. Moreau, 112 Me. 471, 92 A. 527, Ann.Cas.1918A, 497; Vasquez v. Jacobs, 23 Ill.App.2d 457, 163 N.E.2d 230; Annotation 12 A.L.R. 1230. Nor can defendant urge that he relied upon his own advice. *299He was not a disinterested attorney. 54 C.J.S. Malicious Prosecution § 48a; 3 Restatement Law of Torts, § 662, Comment k, p. 410.
Legal malice and want of probable cause were abundantly established by the evidence. The judgment for compensatory damages should be affirmed.