Wilbourn v. State
Wilbourn v. State
Opinion
Marvin A. Wilbourn was indicted for escape in the third degree. A jury convicted him of resisting arrest. Sentence was six months' imprisonment in the county jail.
The only issue raised on appeal is whether the offense of resisting arrest is a lesser included offense of escape in the third degree.
"A person commits the crime of resisting arrest if he intentionally prevents or attempts to prevent a peace officer from affecting a lawful arrest of himself or of another person." Alabama Code §
The question of whether one offense is included within another is governed by §
The initial issue we must answer is whether this question was preserved for review. Here, there was no objection to the oral charge of the trial judge. This issue was first raised on a motion for new trial. Although this issue was not raised as early as it should have, it was preserved by the motion for new trial in view of the fact that the accused has a constitutional right to be informed of the charges against him. Ex parteWashington,
"The defendant is called upon to answer only the specific charge contained in the indictment. Underwood v. State,
33 Ala. App. 314 ,33 So.2d 379 (1948). `No proposition of law is more fundamental than the one requiring that the proof at trial must correspond with the material allegations of the indictment.' Gray v. State,346 So.2d 974 ,978 (Ala.Cr.App. 1976), cert. quashed,346 So.2d 978 (Ala. 1977); Owens v. State, supra, 46 Ala. App. [591] at 592, 246 So.2d [478] at 478." Ex parte Hightower,443 So.2d 1272 ,1274 (Ala. 1983) (There was a fatal variance between indictment charging sexual intercourse without consent and proof of sexual intercourse with consent).
The general rule is that questions relating to the court's oral charge may not be raised for the first time on a motion for new trial. Gurley v. State,
Only one conclusion is proper.
"The verdict rendered in this case was erroneous in that it did not respond to the issues raised by the indictment, but found the defendant guilty of an offense with which he was not charged. No valid judgment can be rendered on an invalid verdict." Hamilton v. State,
35 Ala. App. 570 ,571 ,50 So.2d 449 (1951).
Under Hamilton, the judgment of conviction must be reversed and rendered.
REVERSED AND RENDERED.
All Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Marvin A. Wilbourn v. State.
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published