Court Opinion

ID: 9545157
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 17:07:21.359647+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:14:12.686771
License: Public Domain

CROCKETT, Justice
(concurring) :
I concur in affirming the conviction. But I cannot agree with the statement in the third to last paragraph of the main opinion that: “The appellant was not required to explain to the satisfaction of the arresting officer how he became possessed of the stolen car.” When he was accosted by the officer he was certainly confronted with the necessity of doing something; and whatever he did would become a part of his conduct in relation to the stolen automobile. That conduct is his responsibility for which he must be held accountable.
Among the alternatives were these: He might make a perfectly reasonable and acceptable explanation of his possession; or he may remain silent and refuse to say anything whatsoever; or he may make an explanation so obviously false or incredible that the officer would refuse to accept it and place him under arrest; or he may flee the scene, or attempt to do so.
Notwithstanding any expressions that may seem to be to the contrary, I cannot agree that the law is or ought to be other than this: Where a person is accosted by an officer under the circumstances shown in this case, what he says and does is and should be competent evidence as bearing on his guilt or innocence. It is therefore my opinion that the accused was obliged either *17to make a satisfactory explanation of his possession of the car to the officer, or to take the consequences of any other course of conduct he chose. However, I acknowledge that whether an explanation given by him is satisfactory or otherwise is a question ultimately to be passed on by the jury.