Russell v. Com.
| Decision Date | 11 February 1966 |
| Citation | 403 S.W.2d 694 |
| Parties | Erin Robert RUSSELL, Appellant, v. COMMONWEALTH of Kentucky, Appellee. |
| Court | United States State Supreme Court — District of Kentucky |
John W. Beard, Bratcher, Rummage, Beard & Flaherty, Owensboro, for appellant.
Robert Matthews, Atty. Gen., Charles W. Runyan, Asst. Atty. Gen., Frankfort, for appellee.
WADDILL, Commissioner.
Appellant, Erin Robert Russell, was convicted upon two counts of a three-count indictment, each count alleging that he had knowingly received stolen property as denounced by KRS 433.290. The judgment directed that the two five-year sentences imposed by the jury be served consectively.
Appellant contends that the trial judge erred in failing to grant him a postponement of the trial. RCr 9.04. In support of this ground he urges that, due to his excessive use of alcoholic beverages, he was neither able to assist his attorney with the preparation of his defense nor to adequately participate in the trial.
The indictment was returned on August 11, 1964, and after several postponements the case was set for trial on February 19, 1965. On the latter date the trial judge refused to grant another continuance. The judge observed that appellant was sober, in excellent shape physically and that he had been given ample time to prepare for trial. Aside from this observation, the record justifies the conclusion reached by the trial judge. Appellant's testimony plainly shows that he was alert and that he fully related the events favorable to his defense. The claim that the judge abused his discretion is not supported by the record.
Appellant contends there was improper joinder of offenses and that the trial judge erred in overruling his motion seeking a separate trial on each count of the indictment.
RCr 6.18 provides:
'Two or more offenses may be charged in the same information or two or more offenses whether felonies or misdemeanors, or both, may be charged in the same indictment in a separate count for each offense, if the offenses are of the same or similar character or are based on the same acts or transactions connected together or constituting parts of a common scheme or plan.'
Since the offenses stated in the instant indictment are obviously of the same character the foregoing provision of our Criminal Rules clearly permits them to be joined and tried together. Consequently, there is no basis upon which to claim error in this respect. Marcum v. Commonwealth, Ky., 390 S.W.2d 884. Also see Schweinefuss v. Commonwealth, Ky., 395 S.W.2d 370.
Appellant urges that the trial judge erred in permitting the Commonwealth to impeach two of its witnesses. These witnesses, who admitted that they had stolen the goods, testified that appellant had refused to buy them. The trial judge then permitted the Commonwealth to treat them as hostile witnesses and to show they had previously stated to police officers that they had sold some of the stolen goods to the appellant. This procedure was proper since these witnesses had testified positively to the existence of a fact prejudicial to the Commonwealth. McQueen v. Commonwealth, Ky., 393 S.W.2d 787.
It is argued that the constitutional rights of these witnesses were violated as they were under police investigation for a crime at the time they testified and therefore were entitled to have advice of counsel. We need not decide whether the constitutional rights of these witnesses were violated because the fact that they were without counsel did not deprive appellant of any of his legal rights.
Appellant complains that the trial judge did not admonish the jury that the contradictory statements of these witnesses should be considered only for the purpose of impeaching the credibility of their testimony. Appellant did not ask for the admonition and he thereby waived his right to have it given. Brock v. Commonwealth, Ky., 391 S.W.2d 690.
Appellant contends that he was entitled to a directed verdict finding him not guilty. However, there is...
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Brown v. Com.
...13. In the cases of Marcum v. Commonwealth, Ky., 390 S.W.2d 884; Schweinefuss v. Commonwealth, Ky., 395 S.W.2d 370; and Russell v. Commonwealth, Ky., 403 S.W.2d 694, the offenses concerned were of the same or similar character and in each of them we found no prejudicial error resulting from......
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Russell v. Com.
...trial under RCr 9.12 does not require or even permit a joint trial of counts under all circumstances. This court, in Russell v. Commonwealth, Ky., 403 S.W.2d 694 (1966), said that RCr 6.18 clearly permits offenses 'to be joined and tried together.' We have now determined that this language ......
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...93, 94 (1956); May v. Commonwealth, 153 Ky. 141, 154 S.W. 1074, 1080 (1913). Appellant is correct in contending that Russell v. Commonwealth, Ky., 403 S.W.2d 694, 696 (1966), holding that the thief is not an accomplice of the receiver of stolen goods, is not applicable to this case. On the ......