Court Opinion

ID: 9775210
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:50:18.247083+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:23.546379
License: Public Domain

DALLY, Judge,
dissenting.
I dissent to entering a judgment of acquittal. The judgment should be reversed not because the evidence is insufficient but because the indictment fails to allege an offense, and the prosecution under this indictment should be dismissed, but the judgment of acquittal is not proper. The appellant could then be prosecuted under a properly drawn indictment.
Both the majority and the concurring opinion rely on Cortez v. State, 582 S.W.2d 119 (Tex.Cr.App.1979). In that case it was correct to reverse the judgment, but it was reversed for the wrong reason. In this case as in Cortez v. State, supra, the indictment alleges that a check, for which there were insufficient funds on deposit, was given in payment for services already rendered. The check was not given before the delivery of the services to induce their delivery. Therefore, the offense denounced by V.T. C.A. Penal Code, Sec. 31.04 was not alleged as is explained in Cortez v. State, supra.
In this case, as in Cortez, the State proved exactly what was alleged, but those allegations failed to allege an offense. In Cortez v. State, supra, it is said:
“. . . the indictment did not allege deception by a promise to pay that appellant did not intend to perform or knew would not be performed. The indictment alleged deception by issuing and passing a certain check. As shown above, the evidence reveals that this alleged conduct could not be deception that secured performance of the allegedly stolen services ...” [emphasis added.]
Since the alleged conduct could not be deception that secured performance of that allegedly stolen services an offense was not alleged; so rather than drawing the conclusion that evidence was insufficient the conclusion that should have been drawn was that the indictment did not allege an offense. Since neither the indictment in Cortez v. State, supra, nor in this case alleged an offense, the jurisdiction of the court was not invoked. If the court did not have jurisdiction, jeopardy did not attach; it is fundamental that jeopardy cannot attach unless there is a valid indictment giving the court jurisdiction. Houston v. State, 556 S.W.2d 345 (Tex.Cr.App.1977); Thompson v. State, 527 S.W.2d 888 (Tex.Cr.App.1975); Ward v. State, 520 S.W.2d 395 (Tex.Cr.App.1975); McAfee v. State, 363 S.W.2d 941 (Tex.Cr.App.1963); Van Arsdale v. State, 149 Tex.Cr.R. 639, 198 S.W.2d 270 (1946); Grisham v. State, 19 Tex.App. 504 (1885).
*329Therefore, if the indictment is not valid an acquittal should not result. The proper remedy would have been in Cortez and the proper remedy here is to dismiss the indictment. The State may then if it desires, secure a good indictment and try the appellant on the new indictment. I dissent to the entering of a judgment of acquittal in this case.
Before the court en banc.