Court Opinion

ID: 9683947
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:41:10.185257+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:51.187771
License: Public Domain

DOUGLAS, Judge
(dissenting).
The majority reverses this conviction because of the absence of Leveine who was *549with Officer Chevera at the time White sold the heroin. When Leveine stated that he should leave San Antonio, Officer Slocum agreed and furnished him some money. It is common knowledge that the life expectancy of an informer is not very long, especially after his name is known to heroin pushers.
Under the majority holding, if an officer attempts to protect one who has been an informer by helping him leave town and he cannot later be found, none of the cases where he is alleged to have been present at the sale of heroin can be tried.
The majority reverses even though there is no motion for new trial alleging what he expected to be proved by the absent witness. There is no statement or even an allegation of what his testimony would have been had he been present.
Officer Chevera testified that appellant sold him heroin. The appellant testified that he had never seen Leveine before the day in question. There is no claim by appellant or evidence in the record that Lev-eine informed on appellant.
The appellant does not point out what part of his own contradictory statement that he expected Leveine to corroborate. Appellant testified on direct examination that he was a heroin addict and had been in penitentiaries a total of five times for burglaries that he had committed to obtain drugs.
He testified that he got in the car with Leveine and Chevera and they followed a man called Chango in an effort to buy heroin. He testified that he gave some money to Leveine, who bought heroin from Chan-go and that later he and Leveine had a “fix.” Appellant also testified that the night before the trial he talked to Chango in the jail and that Chango said that he had received a life sentence and that he had a “Chevera” sale and did not want to testify. He related that Chango was one of Chevera’s victims. He then contradicted himself and testified that he had never seen Chango selling dope. Appellant also testified that he had burned people before, and, “Burning, you know, like if you give me some money to score some dope for you and I take off and never come back. That is burning.”
To obtain a new trial because of an absent witness, a defendant must show that the production of the absent witness would likely change the result of the trial. Here the appellant himself testified that Chango sold the heroin and later testified he had never seen Chango sell heroin. He also testified that he was an addict and had burned people by taking money to buy dope and not return with the dope or the money. Appellant did not call Chango who he claims was in jail at the time of the trial and present at the time of the alleged offense.
It appears that the majority has gone a long way in the wrong direction to establish a new rule of law. The majority opinion would allow heroin pushers to go free because an officer, even before indictments are returned, assists an informer to get out of town for his own safety, and at the time of trial, the informer cannot be found. Would the majority require the officers have an informer stay where he would more likely be killed? Where one has informed on many people in the same city as this record indicates, would the odds be greater that he would be present to testify if he stayed among those people or left town for his safety ?
The judgment should be affirmed.