Court Opinion

ID: 9648255
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:11:43.07581+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:57.867287
License: Public Domain

CLINTON, Judge,
dissenting.
The El Paso Court of Appeals addressed only appellant’s first point of error: that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the verdict of the jury and a judgment of conviction under the State’s theory of the case. Finding the State failed to prove that appellant intended to deprive the owner of his pickup for so long that the owner lost a greater part of its value, the court of appeals reversed and remanded to the trial court for entry of a judgment of acquittal. Rowland v. State, 704 S.W.2d 150 (Tex.App.—El Paso 1986).
In seeking discretionary review the State presented a single ground for review, viz:
“Whether the Eighth Court of Appeals has so far departed from the accepted and usual course of judicial proceedings by finding that the State in order to prove theft of property, must prove an accused ‘[withholds ] the property permanently or for so long that the owner loses a greater part of its value or enjoyment’ in order to prove that the accused intended to deprive the owner of the property.”
PDR, p. 1 (original emphasis by the State).
In other words, the State makes a straightforward contention of law that the court of appeals required proof of actual deprivation to show intent to deprive. Nothing else.1
For the majority, Judge Teague finds, inter alia, that there is merit to the ground for review, that the court of appeals erred in requiring proof of actual deprivation. At 612-613. Having done that, the Court has decided the only issue presented by the ground for review; it has exercised its power of discretionary review.
*614Nevertheless, Judge Teague leads the majority into doing the work of the El Paso Court of Appeals. Once we have determined that its legal analysis is flawed, this Court should give the El Paso Court a fresh opportunity to address the point of error in the first instance. It is the court to decide points of error on direct appeal; until it has exhausted its power to decide them, this Court has nothing to review.
Moreover, given the reason we granted review, that the El Paso Court have that opportunity is even more appropriate.
Therefore, I would vacate the judgment of the El Paso Court of Appeals and remand the cause to that court for it to reconsider the first point of error in light of the appellate error we have found. Because the majority does not, I respectfully dissent.
MILLER, CAMPBELL and DUNCAN, JJ., join in this opinion.

. It concluded with a similar assertion, viz;
"The State did not have to prove that Appellant did deprive the true owner of the vehicle as required by the Eighth Court of Appeals; the State only had to prove that Appellant intended to deprive the owner of the property. Penal Code § 31.03.”
PDR, at 4-5 (original emphasis by the State).