Court Opinion

ID: 9683950
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:41:10.196926+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:51.190711
License: Public Domain

ODOM, Judge
(dissenting).
I vigorously dissent to the position taken by the majority on the State’s Motion for Rehearing.
Without benefit of any authority, the majority assert that in order to perfect his claim of a violation of his constitutional rights, the appellant must do a useless thing. Prior to trial appellant filed a motion alleging Leveine was a material witness present when the offense was alleged to have occurred, and would testify that appellant did not commit the offense, and alleging further that before the indictment or arrest of appellant an agent of the State instructed the material witness for the defense to leave the county and provided him with funds to do so, knowing him to be such a witness and for the purpose of concealing evidence and depriving appellant of his right to compulsory process to secure witnesses in his behalf. The testimony reviewed and law discussed in this Court’s opinion on original submission reveal that the State took improper action participating in rendering a material witness unavailable to the defense. The evidence is clear that the State violated appellant’s constitutional rights in a manner highly prejudicial in that it preempted his right and denied him the opportunity to present a defense in his behalf.
*552I first dissent from what the majority say was shown. The majority assert:
“There is no showing that he [appellant] made any request of any person involved in the trial of this case about their knowledge of the whereabouts of the witness. No request was made of the prosecution to determine if-they had information concerning the whereabouts of the witness.”
The State in its brief on original submission made the following assertion, and cited pages in the record which show its truth:
“Officer Chevera, Detective James Cullar, and Detective Odis Doyle all stated they had no knowledge whatsoever of Jimmy Leveine’s whereabouts after the termination of Officer Chevera’s undercover operation.”
Furthermore, Lieutenant Slocum, whose testimony was quoted in part in the opinion on original submission, also testified that he had received no communications from Leveine since he had promised to send him money to leave town, and that he had no knowledge of his whereabouts at the time of trial. This was sufficient to show the success of the State’s improper course of action.
I secondly dissent from what the majority say need be shown. The State had taken a material role in securing the witness’ disappearance. It then became incumbent upon the State, not the appellant, to show that the witness had thereafter, if he had, again become available. Why should the accused be required to make any further showing of the success of the State’s action than was made in this case ?! Once appellant demonstrated the success of that action by the State, the task passed to the State to show subsequent events rendered their action harmless. Is the majority holding that beyond showing harm, the appellant must show the impossibility of subsequent events in the world at large having rendered the harmful course of events harmless? When the majority state the record does not reveal the witness ever left town or was not in fact available, are they suggesting appellant should have subpoenaed all persons in Bexar County in order to demonstrate that none were the witness sought? Had appellant shown the “diligence” suggested by the majority, would they then hold some further acts were possible, but not shown to have been taken, and therefore insufficient “diligence” shown? Appellant showed the materiality of the witness, and showed the State had taken steps to render the witness unavailable, and further stated his need and desire to have the witness for his defense. This was sufficient diligence to protect and perfect for review by this Court the constitutional right asserted.
Article 44.23, Vernon’s Ann.C.C.P., directs this Court In the determination of appeals, and dictates that no affirmance of a case shall be determined on mere technicalities. “A technicality has been well defined as a microbe which has gotten into the law and given justice the blind staggers.”1 The majority have reached for a mere technicality upon which to affirm this case, and in doing so have ignored the violated constitutional rights of appellant. The lack of diligence upon which the majority base their action is a mere technicality because at issue is not just any missing witness, it is a witness missing by action of the State, and the test of diligence applied is of no relevance in such a case as this.
I dissent.
ROBERTS, J., joins in this dissent.

. McArthur Mining Co. v. Reconstruction Finance Corp., D.C., 87 F.Supp. 211.