Court Opinion

ID: 9574485
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:05:21.901439+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:44:37.224973
License: Public Domain

Fontron, J.,
dissenting: I am in accord with the court’s enunciation of the general principles which govern the granting of a continuance. However, I am compelled to disagree with the majority as to the application of those principles to the facts of this case.
A few additional facts should be noted. The defendant’s notice of alibi stated that proof would be offered showing the defendant was at The Retreat, 917 East 30th, Kansas City, Missouri, at the *201time the alleged robbery took place. Six witnesses were named as supporting the alibi, one of them being James Hendrix.
When Hendrix failed to appear at the trial, the defendant’s counsel, Mr. Marion Chipman, moved orally for a one-day continuance, either to produce the witness or to take his deposition. In support of his motion, Mr. Chipman related in some detail what Mr. Hendrix’s testimony would be. The state offered no objection. In refusing a continuance, the trial court observed that it had other court and personal commitments.
In my judgment it is apparent from the somewhat abbreviated record, from the oral arguments and from unrefuted statements in defendant’s brief that Hendrix, the proprietor of The Retreat Bar, was the principal alibi witness, and the only one who would testify as to the defendant’s whereabouts during the time covered by the robbery. Hence, the court’s refusal to grant the short continuance requested deprived the defendant of an essential witness and, in effect, cut the heart out of his defense. I can imagine no greater prejudice to a defendant’s case than this. For cases supporting this view, see annotation in 41 A. L. R., Right to Continuance to Procure Witness to Alibis, p. 1530, et seq.
It is true that no subpoena had been issued for Mr. Hendrix. Despite this, I believe counsel is not to be faulted too severely. He had not only interviewed Hendrix several times but had also advised him that if he could not be present, his deposition could be taken in Missouri. Hendrix assured Chipman this would be unnecessary. Only the night before trial Hendrix assured the defendant’s sister he would be present. It was only on the morning of trial that Mr. Hendrix called Mr. Chipman and advised him that because of an employee’s illness he could not leave his place of business. This would seem a plausible reason for his absence.
Although it was said in Clouston v. Gray, 48 Kan. 31, 28 Pac. 983, that mere promises on the part of an absent witness to appear at the trial are not sufficient to prove diligence in procuring his attendance, the court chiefly relied, in upholding the denial of a continuance, on defects which appeared in the affidavit. In any event, no prejudice to the substantial rights of an accused was involved in that case.
Whatever may be said as to lack of diligence on counsel’s part, the accused was nonetheless entitled to a fair trial. In my opinion, he was deprived of a fair trial by the trial court’s denial of the continuance requested.
For the reasons indicated, I respectfully dissent.