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State v. Shannon

Oregon Supreme Court
Jan 19, 1966
409 P.2d 911 (Or. 1966)

Opinion

Submitted January 3, 1966

Affirmed January 19, 1966

Appeal from Circuit Court, Lane County.

EDWIN E. ALLEN, Judge.

No appearance for respondent.


IN BANC


AFFIRMED.


The defendant pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary not in a dwelling, and appeals from a sentence to the penitentiary for a term not to exceed 10 years, the maximum provided by the applicable statute, ORS 164.240.

The defendant contends that he was not the principal actor in the perpetration of the crime, but only an accomplice, and that imposition of the maximum sentence violated Article I, Section 15, of the Oregon Constitution, which provides that laws for the punishment of crime "shall be founded on the principles of reformation, and not of vindictive justice."

After a plea of guilty, the only question which may be considered on appeal is whether "an excessive fine or excessive, cruel or unusual punishment not proportionate to the offense has been imposed." ORS 138.050; State v. Jairl, 229 Or. 533, 541-542, 368 P.2d 323 (1962).

Our statutes, ORS 161.210 and 161.220, have eliminated the common law distinction between an accessory before the fact and a principal, and between principals in the first and second degree, and provide that all persons concerned in the commission of a crime are principals. There is consequently no merit in defendant's contention.

This court should not modify the sentence imposed by the trial court unless it clearly appears that the sentence was the result of improper motives, or was so disproportionate to the offense as to shock the conscience of fair-minded men. State v. Montgomery, 237 Or. 593, 392 P.2d 642 (1964); see also, State v. Harp, 239 Or. 481, 398 P.2d 182 (1965). We have reviewed the record and find no abuse of discretion in the sentence imposed by the trial court.

The judgment is affirmed.


Summaries of

State v. Shannon

Oregon Supreme Court
Jan 19, 1966
409 P.2d 911 (Or. 1966)
Case details for

State v. Shannon

Case Details

Full title:STATE OF OREGON v. SHANNON

Court:Oregon Supreme Court

Date published: Jan 19, 1966

Citations

409 P.2d 911 (Or. 1966)
409 P.2d 911

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