Court Opinion

ID: 9612165
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:05:43.577596+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:19.919412
License: Public Domain

CROCKETT, Justice.
I dissent. I do not believe that the trial court committed prejudicial error in admitting the evidence of the window-breaking incident at Horton’s. This seems to me to be true whether one believes that the evidence connected the defendant with that incident, or that it did not. If it failed to show any connection of the defendant with the incident, it proves nothing against him, and therefore was not prejudicial. On the other hand, if the evidence is such that reasonable men could believe that the defendant was connected with the window-breaking occurrence, then I think that his connection with such incident, which reasonable minds might regard as an act.of burglarious character, has some probative .value as to his intent when he was arrested .shortly thereafter at Nygren’s door with the pinch bar in hand.
*56We should not lose sight of the problems confronting the investigating officer and the prosecutor. Their duty is two-fold: to investigate and absolve the innocent from suspicion of crime, and also to apprehend and convict law violators. To fulfill the latter they must often piece together such bits of evidence as they are able to obtain. The total story of a crime, from plan and preparation through climax, denouement and escape from the scene, rarely appears as one complete picture. It is like a mosaic, formed of variously colored stones, a few of which must be fitted into place at a time until the whole is made out. Ofttimes some of the clues, considered in isolation, would have little or no relevancy, but viewed in relation to other facts, they fall into place to make the scene complete.
The evidence in question, as I view it, is either some colorless material, having no bearing on the picture at all, in which event it was harmless to the defendant; or it does have some probative force, giving color to the entire picture of the crime of burglary which was sought to be made out against the defendant, in which case it was competent.
The fundamental tenet is that all evidence having probative value on a disputed issue is admissible. This is true even where that evidence may tend to connect defendant with other crimes. It is not to be doubted that caution must be exercised in receiving evidence of other crimes lest the jury be prejudiced thereby and the defendant be deprived of a fair trial upon the issue at hand. The essence of our law is well stated in State v. Scott:1 “In criminal cases evidence of other crimes is admissible unless it is relevant solely to show propensity to commit crime.” It is patent that if the sole purpose of evidence which discloses another crime is to cast some stigma upon the defendant, to show that he is of bad repute, evil disposition or is predisposed to commit crimes the evidence would be unfair and inadmissible. But that is the only basis upon which it could properly be rejected. In the Scott case there is a good discussion of this subject by Mr. Justice Wolfe and the court cites the opinion by Mr. Justice Wade in State v. Nemier.2 That case clearly enunciates the principle that evidence which has some probative force to prove intent, motive, the existence of a plan or the identity of the accused is admissible and should not be rejected merely on the ground that it may tend to connect the accused with the commission of another criminal offense.
Notwithstanding the fact that the defendant was apprehended at eleven o’clock at night standing in front of the door of Ny-gren’s Market with a pinch bar in hand and there were marks on the door which could have been made by the bar, he maintains his innocence of any intent to commit burglary. The burden was thus cast upon the State to show what his intent was. It was therefore not only proper to inquire into what his im*57mediately prior conduct had been, but an efficient prosecutor would not fail to do so. It is evidence touching upon his prior conduct that is now challenged before this court. Concededly it is not as clear and conclusive in connecting the defendant therewith as might be desired. It is not the design of persons engaged in criminal conduct to leave a complete scenario of the crime which frequently makes it necessary to reconstruct the story together from fragments. It is my view that the various items of evidence disclosed in this record synchronize pretty well together in unfolding the story of defendant’s activities and that the challenged evidence could reasonably be regarded as an integral part thereof.
The testimony showed that the defendant was in his family car, a blue Plymouth sedan, with tzvo men earlier in the evening; that this car was parked near Horton’s Market, a few blocks away; that a man was seen to break the window there and run toward the car; that within a half hour thereafter the defendant was apprehended at Nygren’s Market as described; and that after the police had attended to booking him the car was found secluded in an adjacent alley, with two men in it who, it would reasonably appear, were waiting for the defendant to complete his task. This all ties together to make up the picture of what happened just prior to, at the time of and immediately following this attempted burglary.
There being a disputed issue as to defendant’s intent, it seems to me that reasonable minds could regard the breaking of the window at Horton’s as an act of burglarious character and further could reasonably infer that the defendant was connected therewith, which act, in the same part of town, and closely related in time, would give color to the intent defendant had in respect to Nygren’s Market.
If the foregoing conclusion be unsound, then it can only be for the reason that the evidence failed to show that the defendant was in any way connected with the incident at Horton’s Market in which event, as above stated, it would not have been harmful to him. It cannot fairly be suggested in this case that the questioned evidence was purposed only to stigmatize the defendant or to show a disposition to commit crime generally, which is the only basis upon which it could be held to be prejudicial. We are affirmatively charged with the duty of not reversing a conviction unless the error is both substantial and prejudicial.3
It is my opinion that the trial court committed no error, and certainly no prejudicial error, in admitting the questioned evidence. I would affirm the conviction.

. 1947, 111 Utah 9, 175 P.2d 1021, 1022.

. 1944, 106 Utah 307, 148 P.2d 327.

. Rule 61, U. R. C. P.