Johnson v. State
Johnson v. State
Opinion of the Court
This appeal is from an order of the judge of probate of Washington county declining to discharge the petitioner, the appellant, on habeas corpus. His alleged right to a discharge was based uilon the ground that the judgment of conviction under which he was restrained was void, in that the justice of the peace who rendered said judgment of conviction, upon which the defendant was sentenced, was without jurisdiction to try the petitioner for the offense as charged in the affidavit and warrant upon which the prosecution was based. The affidavit charged the defendant with the offense of assault with intent to murder one Tom Thomas, upon which affidavit the trial proceeded, and the evidence without conflict disclosed the fact that the defendant and Thomas had a dispute or quarrel, and that the defendant, who was working the road with a hoe, raised it in a striking position, and that Thomas at the same time presented a pistol at defendant. At no time was the defendant in striking position of Thomas; to the contrary, the testimony developed that he was not nearer at any time than 15 to 40 yards of Thomas, and that no licks were passed and no attempt to strike was made. The justice of the peace convicted the defendant under this affidavit and upon this testimony, of an “attempt to commit an assault,” and imposed a fine upon him, in default of which he rendered judgment sentencing him to hard labor for the county.
The order of the judge of probate denying the petitioner’s discharge will be reversed and annulled, and the cause remanded, with the direction to discharge the defendant from custody under the void conviction, and that he he remanded to the proper custody, to be there held until discharged by due process of law.
Reversed and remanded.
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- Johnson v. State.
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