State v. Walker, No. 17383

CourtUnited States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
Writing for the CourtSTUKES
Citation232 S.C. 290,101 S.E.2d 826
PartiesThe STATE, Respondent, v. R. M. WALKER, Appellant.
Decision Date03 February 1958
Docket NumberNo. 17383

Page 826

101 S.E.2d 826
232 S.C. 290
The STATE, Respondent,
v.
R. M. WALKER, Appellant.
No. 17383.
Supreme Court of South Carolina.
Feb. 3, 1958.

Page 827

[232 S.C. 291] W. Newton Pough, Orangeburg, for appellant.

Robert L. Kilgo, Sol., Darlington, F. Turner Clayton, Cheraw, for respondent.

[232 S.C. 292] STUKES, Chief Justice.

Appellant was arrested upon a warrant which charged him with statutory rape. He employed an experienced attorney who represented him at a preliminary hearing before the magistrate. Question arose as to the age of the prosecutrix. The attorney conferred over the telephone with the solicitor, representing the State, and it was agreed between the counsel that the charge would be reduced to bastardy and presented to the grand jury.

Upon subsequent indictment, and after continuances of the case upon his motion from term to term for a year, appellant, represented by another attorney, unsuccessfully demurred and moved to quash the indictment upon the grounds: (1) that no arrest warrant had been issued by a magistrate pursuant to Sec. 20-305 of the Code of 1952; and (2) the indictment did not specify the date or place of, quoting from the record, 'the offending act or intimate relationship.' Ground (2) of the motion has been abandoned upon appeal by failure to argue it in the brief.

At the conclusion of the State's case, and again upon all of the evidence, appellant moved for direction of verdict of acquittal upon the ground of the alleged insufficiency of the evidence to convict. The motions were overruled, as was motion upon the same ground for new trial made after verdict of guilty was returned; and appellant was sentenced in accord with Sec. 20-308. He appeals.

The appeal has been presented by yet another attorney for appellant--his third successive counsel. The grounds which have been argued are: (1) the first which was urged upon the motion to quash the indictment, [232 S.C. 293] ante; and (2) the claimed insufficiency of the evidence of guilt. Short shrift may properly be made of ground (2). The nineteen-year-old unmarried prosecutrix testified to sexual relations with the appellant and that he is the father of her child. The only evidence for the defense which is in the record is the testimony of the physician who attended the prosecutrix in childbirth, and it did not create an issue with respect to the paternity of the child.

Turning to the remaining ground (1), the agreement above recited between appellant, by his then counsel, and the solicitor, which was made at the time of the preliminary hearing before the magistrate upon the warrant charging rape, constituted waiver by appellant of further proceeding before the magistrate, if that should be held to have been required in the absence of the agreement. But we do not so hold. It was subject to waiver because it was not requisite to the jurisdiction of the Court of General Sessions, as mistakenly contended by appellant.

The relevant statutes are Sections 20-305, 307 and 308 of the Code of 1952, which follow:

Page 828

Sec. 20-305. 'If any woman be delivered of a bastard child and shall, at any time after the birth thereof, give information to some magistrate of the county in which she resides or may be so delivered and declare, on oath, who is the father of her child such magistrate shall issue a warrant to apprehend and bring before him or some other magistrate the...

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7 practice notes
  • McGee v. Warden of Lieber Corr. Inst., C. A. 5:21-2777-RMG-KDW
    • United States
    • United States District Courts. 4th Circuit. United States District Court of South Carolina
    • 15 Julio 2022
    ...(1970); Thompson v. State, 251 S.C. 593, 164 S.E.2d 760 (1968); State v. Swilling, 246 S.C. 144, 142 S.E.2d 864 (1965); State v. Walker, 232 S.C. 290. 101 S.E.2d 826 (1958). See also State v. Bowman, 43 S.C. 108, 20 S.E. 1010 (1895). Further, the original warrants stated the victim was murd......
  • Fowler v. McKie, C/A No. 0:15-1718-TMC-PJG
    • United States
    • United States District Courts. 4th Circuit. United States District Court of South Carolina
    • 18 Abril 2016
    ...to effect an arrest was improper, that is cured by a grand jury with proper jurisdiction issuing an indictment) (citing State v. Walker, 101 S.E.2d 826 (S.C. 1958)). Upon thorough review of the parties' briefs and the record in this matter, the court finds the PCR court's analysis to be rea......
  • McGlohon v. Harlan, No. 19054
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
    • 25 Mayo 1970
    ...court of General Sessions. Cases of like import are Page 757 State v. Edens, 88 [254 S.C. 215] S.C. 302, 70 S.E. 609, and State v. Walker, 232 S.C. 290, 101 S.E.2d Under Article V, Section 22 of the 1895 Constitution of this State, it was provided that, 'All persons charged with an offense ......
  • Thompson v. State, No. 18846
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
    • 4 Diciembre 1968
    ...other inferior court, whether or not there has been prior proceedings before a Magistrate and an arrest warrant issued. State v. Walker, 232 S.C. 290, 101 S.E.2d 826, and the cases therein cited. It follows that the grand jury was authorized to indict the appellant for the crime of assault ......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
7 cases
  • McGee v. Warden of Lieber Corr. Inst., C. A. 5:21-2777-RMG-KDW
    • United States
    • United States District Courts. 4th Circuit. United States District Court of South Carolina
    • 15 Julio 2022
    ...(1970); Thompson v. State, 251 S.C. 593, 164 S.E.2d 760 (1968); State v. Swilling, 246 S.C. 144, 142 S.E.2d 864 (1965); State v. Walker, 232 S.C. 290. 101 S.E.2d 826 (1958). See also State v. Bowman, 43 S.C. 108, 20 S.E. 1010 (1895). Further, the original warrants stated the victim was murd......
  • Fowler v. McKie, C/A No. 0:15-1718-TMC-PJG
    • United States
    • United States District Courts. 4th Circuit. United States District Court of South Carolina
    • 18 Abril 2016
    ...to effect an arrest was improper, that is cured by a grand jury with proper jurisdiction issuing an indictment) (citing State v. Walker, 101 S.E.2d 826 (S.C. 1958)). Upon thorough review of the parties' briefs and the record in this matter, the court finds the PCR court's analysis to be rea......
  • McGlohon v. Harlan, No. 19054
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
    • 25 Mayo 1970
    ...court of General Sessions. Cases of like import are Page 757 State v. Edens, 88 [254 S.C. 215] S.C. 302, 70 S.E. 609, and State v. Walker, 232 S.C. 290, 101 S.E.2d Under Article V, Section 22 of the 1895 Constitution of this State, it was provided that, 'All persons charged with an offense ......
  • Thompson v. State, No. 18846
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of South Carolina
    • 4 Diciembre 1968
    ...other inferior court, whether or not there has been prior proceedings before a Magistrate and an arrest warrant issued. State v. Walker, 232 S.C. 290, 101 S.E.2d 826, and the cases therein cited. It follows that the grand jury was authorized to indict the appellant for the crime of assault ......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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