From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Royal v. State

Court of Appeals of Georgia
Apr 30, 1981
280 S.E.2d 427 (Ga. Ct. App. 1981)

Opinion

60290.

DECIDED APRIL 30, 1981.

Drug violation. Thomas Superior Court. Before Judge Horkan.

Harry Jay Altman II, for appellant.

H. Lamar Cole, District Attorney, Dwight May, Assistant District Attorney, for appellee.


1. Our opinion in this case ( 155 Ga. App. 691 ( 272 S.E.2d 556)) reversing the trial court based on our resolution of appellant's first enumeration of error has in turn been reversed by the Supreme Court in State v. Royal, 247 Ga. 309 ( 275 S.E.2d 646). Our opinion and judgment are accordingly vacated and the decision of the Supreme Court is adopted as our decision on the first enumeration.

2. The Supreme Court also decided appellant's sixth enumeration adversely to him and we also adopt that decision. We now address the remaining four enumerations.

3. The second and fourth enumerations alleged error because the trial court refused to direct a verdict on the ground that the evidence showed the defendant in purchasing the marijuana acted solely as procuring agent for the state agents, and because the jury was not instructed that the defendant could not be convicted of the sale of marijuana if he was acting solely as the procuring agent for the state agents.

These contentions are controlled adversely to defendant by Loder v. State, 140 Ga. App. 166 (2) ( 230 S.E.2d 124), vacated by 238 Ga. 200 ( 232 S.E.2d 71) and reaffirmed by 141 Ga. App. 665 ( 234 S.E.2d 132).

"This `procuring agent' theory has been raised before and has been rejected. See, e.g. Zinn v. State, 134 Ga. App. 51 (3) ( 213 S.E.2d 156); Brooks v. State, 125 Ga. App. 867 (1) ( 189 S.E.2d 448); Green v. State, 124 Ga. App. 469 ( 184 S.E.2d 194). The apparent rationale behind the rejection of this theory is that a `party to the crime' under Ga. L. 1968, pp. 1249, 1271 (Code Ann. § 26-801 (a)) is a person who is `concerned' with the crime, and that he may be tried and convicted and punished as if he had directly committed the crime, and that this is so whether or not he is charged under Code Ann. § 26-801 (a)." Id at 168, 169.

4. The third enumeration raises the general grounds. We find the evidence sufficient to authorize the jury to find defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

5. There is no merit in the remaining fifth enumeration.

Judgment affirmed. Shulman, P. J., and Carley, J., concur.

DECIDED APRIL 30, 1981 — CERT. APPLIED FOR.


Summaries of

Royal v. State

Court of Appeals of Georgia
Apr 30, 1981
280 S.E.2d 427 (Ga. Ct. App. 1981)
Case details for

Royal v. State

Case Details

Full title:ROYAL v. THE STATE

Court:Court of Appeals of Georgia

Date published: Apr 30, 1981

Citations

280 S.E.2d 427 (Ga. Ct. App. 1981)
280 S.E.2d 427

Citing Cases

Thompson v. State

Booker v. State, 247 Ga. 74 ( 274 S.E.2d 334); Frazier v. State, 150 Ga. App. 343, 344 (3) ( 258 S.E.2d 29).…

Singletary v. State

Diana v. State, 164 Ga. App. 779, 780 (1) ( 298 S.E.2d 281) (1982). See also Royal v. State, 158 Ga. App.…