Foskey v. State
Foskey v. State
Opinion of the Court
The defendant was indicted, tried and convicted of the offense of theft by receiving stolen goods. He was sentenced to serve twelve months upon the recommendation of the jury that he be given misdemeanor punishment. A motion for new trial based upon the general grounds only was duly filed, heard and overruled; and the appeal is from that judgment, Error is enumerated. as to (1) the denial of the motion for new trial; (2) the refusal of the court to charge the law as to the affirmative defense of entrapment; (3) the refusal to charge the affirmative defense of claim of right as found in Code Ann. § 26-1810; and (4) the allowance in evidence of the goods allegedly received as stolen property. Held:
1. The evidence showed that a substantial amount of wholesale groceries had been disappearing from a wholesale grocery warehouse. The management began to observe the- practice of the drivers of delivery trucks who filled the invoices by placing the goods on the trucks. One particular driver was observed to have placed 50 cases of merchandise on his truck which were not covered by any
2. The goods were already taken at the time the employer changed drivers, and the alleged unusual request of the old driver was not an effort to pursuade the defendant to take the goods, nor was the testimony that the defendant advised the new driver that he had been paying $2.00 per case and he would pay $2.00 per case for these goods such an inducement as to amount to entrapment. Absent a written request to charge entrapment, it was not error to fail to charge the substance of Code Ann. §26-905. Nor did the admission of the defendant that he paid $2.00 per case for the goods, thinking he was buying damaged goods, require a charge on entrapment. His conduct was not induced or solicited by the State through its agents, although he was given a suitable opportunity to receive the goods. Discovery and procurement of evidence by deception are not prohibited. Edmondson v. State, 18 Ga. App. 233 (89 SE 189); Dalton v. State, 113 Ga. 1037 (39 SE 468); Allen v. State, 120 Ga. App. 533, 535 (171 SE2d 380). The court did not err in failing to charge on entrapment.
3. But the "claim of right” defense, which in fact was the only defense the defendant offered, should have been given to the jury in the charge; that is, that if defendant acted under an honest claim of right in acquiring the property, without any intent to receive stolen property, and reasonably believed that the owner, if present, would have consented, then a verdict of not guilty should be returned. The defendant did not deny the purchase, but contended he purchased while believing he had a right to purchase; and thus the court failed to instruct the jury
4. For the reasons shown in 1 and 3 above, a new trial will be required.
Judgment reversed.
Concurring Opinion
concurring specially. While I agree that there must be a reversal on the basis of Division 3 of the opinion, since there was a failure to charge on the defendant’s only defense, I do not think the general grounds to be meritorious.
The majority concedes that "the goods were already taken at the time the employer changed drivers,” and I agree. The theft of the goods was complete when they were removed from the warehouse and put on the truck to be delivered to Foskey’s Town & Country Store, and it is immaterial that the truck belonged to Bacon Grocery. Another employee discovered the theft and reported it to his superiors. At that time only those engaged in the theft knew where the goods were to go, and the plan outlined in the stated facts was followed in order to ascertain the full facts, including the identity of the party or parties who were conspiring with the company employees in disposing of the goods.
Because the truck driver who cooperated in uncovering
"Hence, the statute [denounces] as an offense, not the knowingly receiving of stolen goods from the thief himself, or from any other particular person, but the buying and receiving of such goods knowing them to be stolen from any person whatsoever.” Gaspin v. State, 76 Ga. App. 375, 379 (45 SE2d 785). Accord, Tucker v. State, 94 Ga. App. 468 (6a) (95 SE2d 296). "It is the knowledge by the defendant that the goods were stolen, rather than the intent of the principal in stealing them, which determines the guilt or innocence of the accused.” Johnson v. State, 96 Ga. App. 151, 155 (99 SE2d 484). There is ample evidence from which the jury was authorized to conclude that Foskey knew he was purchasing goods which had been stolen from Bacon Grocery’s warehouse.
Reference
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- Foskey v. the State
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