Court Opinion

ID: 9719390
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:50:28.496422+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:06.763267
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE BURMAN, dissenting: The defendant was charged by complaint with the offense of battery in that he “intentionally and knowingly, without legal justification, causefd] bodily harm by pushing with his hands on the chest of Officer James Janda” in violation of section 12 — 3 of the Criminal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 12—3). The cause proceeded to trial before a jury. The State did not introduce any evidence of bodily harm and, at the close of its evidence, the defendant moved for a directed finding alleging that the State had not made a prima facie case, which was erroneously denied. The State did not file an amendment to the complaint at that time and it is my belief that the State was bound at this stage of the proceedings by the unproven charge in the complaint. Moreover, the trial court erred in instructing the jury that the State must prove the defendant knowingly or intentionally made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with James E. Janda since that was not the charge upon which the defendant was being prosecuted. Section 12 — 3(a) of the Criminal Code defines in disjunctive language two separate acts which constitute battery, namely, (1) causing bodily harm to another, and (2) physical contact that is of an insulting or provoking nature. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 12—3(a)(1) (2).) In the case at bar, the complaint charged the defendant with battery in that he “cause [d] bodily harm” to a police officer. The State argues that the words “cause[d] bodily harm” were merely surplusage and were properly disregarded. I disagree. It has been held that in order to charge or convict an individual of the offense of “committing a battery,” one of the statutory grounds for such offense must be specified. (People v. Abrams, 48 Ill.2d 446, 460-61, 271 N.E.2d 37, 46; People v. Latham, 13 Ill.App.3d 371, 373, 299 N.E.2d 808, 810.) Moreover, to the extent that one is charged with a specific crime, he may not be found guilty of another even though the evidence might support such a finding. (People v. Priest, 9 Ill.App.3d 499, 502, 292 N.E.2d 518, 520.) Furthermore, a variance between allegations of a charge and the evidence will vitiate a criminal trial if such variance results in substantial injury to the defendant, either by causing the jury to be misled or by hindering the defendant in the intelligent presentation of his case. (People v. Fry, 29 Ill.2d 455, 458, 194 N.E.2d 267, 269; People v. Bristow, 8 Ill.App.3d 805, 808, 291 N.E.2d 189, 192. Applying the above legal tenets to the instant case, it is clear that the words “cause[d] bodily harm” were not mere surplusage but were incorporated into the body of the complaint to particularize the battery charge, thus comporting with the above enunciated judicial precept. The State chose to charge the defendant with causing bodily harm under section 12 — 3(a)(1) and did not include the alternative statutory element of such offense pertaining to battery “by contact of an insulting or provoking nature.” Having done so, the State was limited to proving just the offense specified in the complaint and not the charge upon which the defendant was ultimately convicted. The variance that resulted between the offense charged and evidence tendered did substantially injure the defendant in that the jury was misled since they were never asked to consider the issue of bodily harm nor did they receive any instructions concerning the statutory element. This variance also placed a damper on an intelligent presentation of the defendant’s case because it was the charge of “bodily harm” and not “contact of an insulting or provoking nature” which the defense prepared and arranged its strategy. I therefore believe that the defendant’s timely objection to this fatal variance should have been sustained. Assuming arguendo that it was procedurally proper to convict the defendant of the alternative battery offense concerning “contact of an insulting or provoking nature,” the record is devoid of any evidence that the police officer was insulted or provoked. The defendant was a passenger in his brother’s vehicle which was involved in an accident. Even though he was injured in that occurrence, he followed his brother to the police station on his own volition, so that he could be of some assistance. While waiting for some time to see and talk to his brother, he became agitated and excited. When he attempted to leave the station, Officer Janda stood in front of him to prevent his departure. The defendant’s reaction to this human barrier was to push Officer Janda into, as Janda testified, a row of metal wall lockers. In light of the above facts, it is apparent that the defendant did not violate section 12 — 3(a)(2) of the Criminal Code. It must be noted at the outset that the defendant, not having been charged with any offense, was improperly detained in the police station against his will. As mentioned earlier, the defendant came to the police station on his own volition. At no time while present in the station was the defendant placed under arrest nor did he attempt to agitate the police. It was only after the repeated denials by the police to his requests to see his brother that the defendant decided to depart, which was his right and privilege. The fact that the defendant was informed, subsequent to the altercation with Officer Janda, that he could go home if he cooled off further evidences the lack of intent by the police to charge him with any offense. Apparently, he thought that by compelling the officers to charge him with an offense, he would have the opportunity to assert and vindicate his civil rights. I would therefore submit that the proof clearly established that the defendant was not found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of engaging in “contact of an insulting or provoking nature” and his conviction should be reversed. Finally, the cases cited by the majority in support of their decision are distinguishable from the instant case. In People v. Lowe, 12 Ill. App.3d 959, 299 N.E.2d 341, the matter in controversy did not entail a question of variance between the charge alleged in the complaint and evidence proffered at trial. Rather, in Lowe, both the charge in the complaint and the proof at trial pertained to the statutory element of “cause[d] bodily harm”. On appeal, the Fifth Division for the First District rejected the defendant’s sole contention that there was insufficient evidence of bodily harm adduced at trial and held, in effect, that both “bodily harm” and “insulting or provoking” physical contact need not be alleged to prevent the defendant from being misled as to the charge. Moreover, the reference to People v. Bowman, 132 Ill.App.2d 744, 270 N.E.2d 285, is equally inapplicable. Analogous to the decision in Lowe, the court in Bowman was not confronted with an issue of variance between the complaint and the proffered evidence at trial. Instead, the controversy centered over whether the complaint, which did not allege verbatim either battery statutory element, adequately apprised the defendant of the offense with which he was charged. In responding in the affirmative, the Third Division for the First District held that the variance between the language of the complaint and that of the statute is inconsequential. (People v. Bowman, 132 Ill.App.2d 744, 746, 270 N.E.2d 285, 287.) In doing so, the court noted that a complaint which stated the offense alleged to have been committed, cited the criminal statute in question, and specified the acts committed in violation thereof (striking the complainant about the head and body) was sufficient to describe a charge of battery “by contact of an insulting or provoking nature.” (Bowman.) Yet, in the instant case, the complaint explicitly mentioned a battery charge based on “bodily harm” and did not evince any indication that the specified conduct causing the bodily harm was of an “insulting or provoking nature”. Therefore, for the above reasons, I do not believe that these cases are applicable and, coupled with the other arguments, there should not be a criminal conviction of record against the defendant.