Court Opinion

ID: 9775224
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:50:36.931239+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:23.700927
License: Public Domain

*321OPINION ON STATE’S MOTION FOR REHEARING
W. C. DAVIS, Judge.
On original submission, this case was reversed for insufficient evidence.
The State’s evidence consisted of testimony from the complaining witness, Fermín Perez, that on the night of December 2, 1976, he left his car in the parking lot of a bowling alley. Later, Perez heard the warning device go off in his car. Perez went outside and saw that his car door was open and his CB radio had been pulled out. The next day, Perez noticed that his speaker box and approximately fifteen tapes were missing. The State also introduced the appellant’s statement to the police. The statement recites:
“On 12/2/1976, Gutierriez came over to my house and asked me to go riding around. We left in my car and drove to the Bowling Alley in Beeville, Texas. I parked my car in the parking lot and we went inside. A short time later we walked back outside the bowling alley. As we walked by a black 1957 Ford four door car, parked in front of the bowling alley, Lupe opened the door on the drivers [sic] side and started taking some eight track stero [sic] tapes from inside the car, the tapes were in a speaker box. The alarm went off in the car when Lupe tried to pull out the C.B. radio. We ran to my car, Lupe was carrying the tapes and the speaker, we got into my car and drove away. I took two two [sic] of the tapes and Lupe took about ten tapes and Lupe threw the speaker out of the car window because he thought it wasn’t any good. Lupe came to my house on 12/7/76 and told me that the man knew we stole his tapes, so I gave the two tapes I had to Lupe so he could return them to the owner.”
It is well settled that the mere presence of an accused at the scene of an offense is not alone sufficient to support a conviction under the principles of V.T.C.A. Penal Code, Sec. 7.02(a)(2); however, it is a circumstance tending to prove guilt which, combined with other facts, may suffice to show that the accused was a participant. Johnson v. State, 537 S.W.2d 16 (Tex.Cr.App.1976); Corondao v. State, 508 S.W.2d 373 (Tex.Cr.App.1974). Further, while flight alone will not support a guilty verdict, evidence of flight from the scene of a crime is a circumstance from which an inference of guilt may be drawn. Holloway v. State, 525 S.W.2d 165 (Tex.Cr.App.1975). In this case, the appellant was present at the scene of the crime; there was evidence that he and his companion fled the scene of the crime together, then later split the stolen proceeds.
On appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeals must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict. Owens v. State, 576 S.W.2d 859 (Tex.Cr.App.1979); Tatom v. State, 555 S.W.2d 459 (Tex.Cr.App.1977); Guzman v. State, 521 S.W.2d 267 (Tex.Cr.App.1975); Provost v. State, 514 S.W.2d 269 (Tex.Cr.App.1974). We find that the facts of this case are sufficient to support the jury’s determination of guilt. See Espinosa v. State, 463 S.W.2d 8 (Tex.Cr.App.1971); Williams v. State, 461 S.W.2d 614 (Tex.Cr.App.1970).
In construing the sufficiency of the evidence presented in this case, it is unnecessary to apply the presumption of guilt arising from the unexplained possession of recently stolen property to sustain the conviction. However, since this subject was addressed on original submission, we need to rectify the stance taken by the panel majority concerning this presumption. The opinion on original submission stated:
“Appellant’s explanation of his possession 6 of the recently stolen tapes was reasonable and uncontradicted; this, coupled with his action in returning the tapes in his possession to the rightful owner render his recent possession of the tapes insufficient to warrant an inference of guilt. (Footnote 6: If appellant had intended to keep any part of the burglarized property, his keeping only two of approximately fifteen tapes would prove him to be a self-sacrificing criminal indeed.)”
*322The explanation referred to above was the appellant’s explanation tendered at the time of his trial. It is well settled that it is not the explanation given at the time of trial which controls whether or not the presumption arises, but the explanation given at the time an accused is first confronted with the possession of the stolen property. Grant v. State, 507 S.W.2d 732 (Tex.Cr.App.1974); Bowers v. State, 414 S.W.2d 929 (Tex.Cr.App.1967); Bryant v. State, 397 S.W.2d 445 (Tex.Cr.App.1965). Further, we note that the fact that the appellant returned the stolen property after being confronted with its theft, has no bearing on the sufficiency of the evidence to show that the appellant committed the offense charged. The State’s motion for rehearing is granted.
The judgment is affirmed.
TEAGUE, J. not participating.