From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Lawrence v. State

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Apr 21, 1948
210 S.W.2d 159 (Tex. Crim. App. 1948)

Opinion

No. 23951.

Delivered March 3, 1948. Rehearing Denied April 21, 1948.

1. — Allegation — Proof — Dry Area.

In prosecution for possessing whisky for the purpose of sale in a dry area, it was incumbent for the State to not only allege but to prove the area was dry.

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING.

2. — Statement of Facts — Not Amended or Supplemented.

It is the consistent holding of the Court of Criminal Appeals that a statement of facts cannot be amended or supplemented after case reaches appellate court.

Appeal from County Court at Law of Grayson County. Hon. David H. Brown, Judge.

Appeal from conviction for possession of liquor for purpose of sale in a dry area; penalty, fine of $400.00. Judgment reversed and cause remanded.

Cox Cox, of Sherman, for appellant.

Ernest S. Goens, State's Attorney, of Austin, for the State.


The appeal is from a conviction for the possession of liquor for the purpose of sale, with a fine of $400.00.

The State's Attorney has filed the following brief in this cause:

"Appellant was charged by complaint and information in the County Court of Grayson County, Texas, with the offense of possessing whisky for the purpose of sale in a dry area. The State established by its evidence that certain officers, armed with a search warrant, searched appellant's premises on the 14th day of March, 1947, and recovered fourteen pints of assorted whisky.

"The appellant offered no evidence. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and assessed appellant's punishment at a fine of $400.00.

"By proper allegation in the complaint and information, the State pled that Grayson County was a dry area, but we find no evidence in the record proving or tending to prove that said county was a dry area. We submit that it was incumbent upon the State to not only allege but to prove, if it could, that Grayson County was a dry area. See Trapp v. State, 145 Tex. Crim. 235, 167 S.W.2d 525; Brown v. State, 117 S.W.2d 107; Sweeten v. State, 120 S.W.2d 1074; Phariss v. State, 126 S.W.2d 981.

"The State therefore respectfully submits that said cause should be reversed and remanded."

The suggestion is justified by the record. It was incumbent upon the State to make out its case, which it did not do.

The judgment of the trial court is reversed and the cause is remanded.

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING.


The State has filed a motion for a rehearing which is accompanied by a supplemental statement of facts supplying the omissions from the one originally filed, which omissions therein resulted in a reversal of the judgment of conviction.

It has been the consistent holding of this Court that a statement of facts could not be amended or supplemented by either party after the record has reached the appellate court. The original statement of facts was examined by the county attorney as well as by the attorney for appellant and was agreed to by both parties which was approved by the trial court as a true and complete statement of the facts proven on the trial. We do not doubt the correctness of the State's contention that it was stipulated at the beginning of the trial that Grayson County was a dry area, however, we are not authorized to consider the supplemental statement of facts. See Weeks v. State, 134 Tex.Crim. R. ( 113 S.W.2d 532); and McConnell v. State, 85 Tex.Crim. R. ( 212 S.W. 498).

The State's motion for rehearing is overruled.

Opinion approved by the Court.


Summaries of

Lawrence v. State

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Apr 21, 1948
210 S.W.2d 159 (Tex. Crim. App. 1948)
Case details for

Lawrence v. State

Case Details

Full title:MAUD LAWRENCE v. THE STATE

Court:Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas

Date published: Apr 21, 1948

Citations

210 S.W.2d 159 (Tex. Crim. App. 1948)
210 S.W.2d 159

Citing Cases

Fletcher v. State

In their absence, we have no proof of the dry status of the county. See Jones v. State, 154 Tex. Crim. 88,…

Davis v. State

We call attention to McBride v. State, 93 Tex.Crim. 257, 246 S.W. 394, in which several prior cases are…