Court Opinion

ID: 9712209
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 04:49:01.409656+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:10.855079
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion
Jackson, J.
— I am unable to concur in the majority opinion herein and dissent thereto.
Appellant was charged by affidavit in two counts with having offered to commit for hire acts of sexual intercourse and *7sodomy. This prosecution was instituted pursuant to Burns’ Statute § 10-4220 (1969 Supp.), which reads as follows, to-wit:
“10-4220. Prostitute. — Any female who frequents or lives in a house or houses of ill fame, knowing the same to be a house of ill fame, or who commits or offers to commit one  or more acts of sexual intercourse or sodomy for hire, shall be deemed guilty of prostitution, and on conviction thereof shall either be fined not less than one hundred dollars [$100] nor more than five hundred dollars [$500]; and imprisonment not to exceed 180 days or such person may be imprisoned in the Indiana women’s prison not less than two  years nor more than five [5] years. [Acts 1965, ch. 345, § 1, p. 1025; 1967, Ch. 23, § 1, p. 28.]”
The affidavit charging the offense in pertinent part reads as follows:
“BE IT REMEMBERED, That, on this day before me, NOBLE R. PEARCY Prosecuting Attorney of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, personally came FRED CIPRIANI who, being duly sworn, upon his oath says that JOSEPHINE WILLIAMS on or about the 15th day of SEPTEMBER, A.D. 1967, at and in the County of Marion in the State of Indiana, then and there being a female, did then and there unlawfully and feloniously offer to commit an act of sexual intercourse for hire with one FRED CIPRIANI, a male person, then and there being contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Indiana.
/s/ Fred Cipriani
(COUNT TWO).
The affiant aforesaid, upon his oath aforesaid, further says that JOSEPHINE WILLIAMS, on or about the 15th day of SEPTEMBER, A.D., 1967, at and in the County of Marion and the State of Indiana, then and there being a female, did then and there unlawfully and feloniously offer to commit an act of sodomy for hire with one FRED CI-PRIANI, a male human being, then and there being contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Indiana.
/s/ Fred Cipriani
*8Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 18th day of DECEMBER, A.D. 1967.
/s/ Noble R. Pearcy
Prosecuting Attorney Nineteenth Judicial Circuit.”
This case was tried to the Court without the intervention of a jury on a plea of not guilty, on January 31, 1969. At the conclusion of the trial the court made the following finding:
“At this time I find, as to Count One I find the defendant guilty as charged, as to Count Two I find the defendant guilty as charged. I order precommitment investigation in accordance with statute and set this matter for pronouncement of judgment Thursday, January the thirteenth, or February the thirteenth at 1:30 p.m. All right, that’s all.”
Thereafter the court entered the following judgment:
“IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court that the Defendant be and hereby is, sentenced to the Indiana State Women’s Prison for not less than Two (2) nor more than Five (5) years and Costs as to Count I and sentenced to Two (2) to Five (5) years on Count II.”
The defendant by counsel filed Motion for New Trial.
The evidence of the prosecuting witness in this case in question and answer form appears at pages 22 to 27 inclusive of the transcript, and reads as follows:
“THE COURT: All right all persons knowing themselves to be witnesses herein will stand and raise their right hands.
(Witnesses stood and raised their right hands.)
THE COURT: Do you, and each of you, solemnly swear that the evidence you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
(Witnesses responded audibly indicating in the affirmative.)
THE COURT: All right, be seated, please. The State will call its first witness.
MR. COHEN: The State calls Sergeant Cipriani.
(Sergeant Cipriani took the witness stand.)
*9THE STATE OF INDIANA, TO MAINTAIN THE ISSUES IN ITS BEHALF, OFFERED AND INTRODUCED ITS EVIDENCE IN CHIEF AS FOLLOWS, TO-WIT:
FRED CIPRIANI, a witness called on behalf of the State of Indiana, first having been duly sworn by the Court, testified as follows, to-wit:

DIRECT EXAMINATION

QUESTIONS BY MR. COHEN, deputy prosecutor
Q. State your name and occupation.
A. Fred Cipriani, police officer, City of Indianapolis.
Q. Are you a married man, Officer?
A. Yes, I am.
Q. What are your specific duties on the Police Department?
A. I’m assigned to the Executive Branch, the Vice Detail.
Q. And were you so employed on the fifteenth of September, 1967?
A. Yes, I was.
Q. And what was your assignment on that particular day?
A. I was assigned to Vice Unit 131 with Sergeant Gigure and Officer Grant, Sergeant Grant.
Q. Now calling your attention to that date did you have occasion to see Josephine Williams?
A. Yes, sir, I did.
Q. Is she in this courtroom?
A. She is.
Q. Would you point her out for me, please?
A. The young lady sitting right of counsel, Mr. Ward, over there.
MR. COHEN: Have the court record show that the witness has pointed to the defendant, Josephine Williams.
Q. Now where did you see the defendant on the fifteenth of September, 1967?
A. Miss Williams and four other female subjects were standing on the corner, the second hundred block of East Twenty-fourth Street.
Q. Now is that in Marion County?
A. Yes, it is.
Q. State of Indiana?
A. Yes, sir.
*10Q. Now what time of the day or night was this ?
A. This was at approximately two ten (2:10) p.m.
Q. And who, if anyone, was with you at that time?
A. I was by myself.
Q. Now where was the defendant when you first saw her?
A. She was standing on the intersection of Talbot and Twenty-fourth Street.
Q. And then what happened, if anything?
A. I was operating the car west in the two hundred block of East Talbot Street. I was stopped at the stop sign preferential street. At this time one of the female subjects approached the car, her name was Diane Hamilton, and Miss Williams was approximately six feet behind her. She asked me if I wanted to party, Miss Hamilton asked me if I wanted to party. I said what kind of party. She said it would cost ten dollars for her to have sexual relationships, for a half and half is the exact words she used. And she asked me if I wanted to go for a two-girl party. I said I guess. And she called Miss Williams to the car, and she made the statement to Miss Williams that this man was willing to go for a two-girl party, at which time they, Miss Williams told us to follow her, that she would take us to her house, which we went to twenty-three forty-nine (2349) North Talbot. As I started back to the address, I hesitated and Miss Williams made the remark that it was okay, that the police didn’t know that she was using this place and they had used it previously for parties. We went inside, and Miss Hamilton, Diane Hamilton started undressing, took her slacks down to her ankles. Miss Williams told me that she wanted her money which was agreed on, ten dollars, before she was about to disrobe, at which time I said what was the money for. She said the same thing that Miss Williams said she would do. At which time I did place them both under arrest for prostitution and advised them of their constitutional rights.
Q. Now this last incident occurred in Marion County, State of Indiana, is that correct?
A. It occurred the rear apartment at twenty-three forty-nine (2349) North Talbot.
Q. Now how long did you talk with Josephine Williams ?
A. The only conversation was inside the residence at twenty-three forty-nine (2349) North Talbot.
*11Q. Officer Cipriani, how long have you been on the Vice Squad?
A. Approximately two years.
Q. And have you had, in the course of that assignment have you had occasion to talk to women?
A. Several women.
Q. And what is your opinion as to the sex of this defendant?
A. She is a female in my opinion.
Q. And what is your sex, Officer?
A. Male.
Q. Now who spoke first during your initial conversation with Miss Williams?
A. The initial conversation was originated by Miss Diane Hamilton, at which time she called, this was at the intersection of Twenty-fourth and Talbot, at which time she called Miss Williams over to the car and told Miss Williams that this man was agreeable to a two-girl party and told her the price that Miss Williams — correction Miss Hamilton had told me ten dollars. And then the conversation with Miss Williams occurred at twenty-three forty-nine (2349) North Talbot.
Q. And who spoke first between you and she?
A. She, Miss Hamilton began to undress and Miss Williams said that before she was going to disrobe or undress she wanted the money.
Q. And all the events you have testified to occurred on or about the fifteenth of September, 1967, is that correct?
A. Yes, sir, it did.
ME. COHEN: I have no further questions.

CROSS EXAMINATION

QUESTIONS BY MR. WARD, attorney for Miss Williams.
Q. Do I understand the only conversation you had with Josephine Williams was in the residence?
A. The residence she took us into, yes, sir.
Q. And that is where she said she wanted her money?
A. She said she did want the money and I asked her what for, and she said the same thing that Miss Hamilton was going to give me.
MR. WARD: That’s all.
THE COURT: Redirect.
*12MR. COHEN: No further questions of the witness.”
Following the testimony of the prosecuting witness is the testimony of Officer Gigure relative to this matter. His testimony appears in transcript pages 29 to 31 inclusive. His testimony may be summarized by saying he had no conversation with appellant on the 15th of September, 1967, and that as far as he knows “Miss Williams is a female.”
The State then rested and the defense rested at which time the defense moved for a discharge “For the reason that there has been no testimony by Mr. Cipriani, or also by Sergeant Gigure, that Josephine Williams at any time offered to commit an unlawful act of sexual intercourse or sodomy as covered by the affidavit, it was some other person.”
It appears to me that there is a total lack of evidence of probative value to sustain the judgment in this case.
In passing it might be well to take a look at two sections of the Constitution of our State, namely Section 16 which reads as follows:
“Excessive bail, punishment, and penalties. — Excessive bail shall not be required. Excessive fines shall not be imposed. Cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted. All penalties shall be proportioned to the nature of the offense. (Emphasis supplied)
Section 18 of the Constitution of this State reads as follows:
“Reformation as basis of penal code. — The penal code shall be founded on the principles of reformation, and not of vindictive justice.”
We find many instances where crimes of far greater magnitude are punished by considerably lesser imprisonment than that fixed for violation of this particular law.
I am sure Cotton Mather and his fellow witch-hunters will welcome Indiana’s joining their blue-nose society.
The judgment herein should be reversed and the cause re*13manded to the trial court with instructions to sustain appellant’s motion to dismiss for lack of evidence.
DeBruler, J., concurs with opinion.