State v. Dailey
State v. Dailey
Opinion of the Court
Tbe count of the indictment on which the defendant was convicted charged that he and one Roe, “ on or about the first day of September, A. D. 1903, in the county of Polk and state of Iowa, did unlawfully, maliciously and feloniously, by a verbal communication, threaten to accuse Annie Ericker, Julia Reinke, and Mary Reinke of being disorderly persons, a more particular description of said threat being now to said grand jurors unknown, all done by the said John Dailey and D. E. Roe with a felonious intent on their part then and there to extort from the said Annie Ericker, Julia Reinke, and Mary Reinke a sum of money, to-wit, ten dollars, and to compel the said Annie Ericker, Julie Reinke, and Mary Reinke, so verbally threatened, to deliver and pay to said defendants, John Dailey and D. E. Roe, against the will of said Annie Ericker, Julia Reinke, and Mary Reinke, money as aforesaid.”
The sufficiency of the indictment is questioned on the ground that it does not charge any offense. The provision of the Code (section 4767) on which the indictment is founded describes it as an offense for any person, either verbally or by any written or printed communication, to “ maliciously threaten to accuse another of a crime or offense . . with intent to extort any money or pecuniary advantage whatever, or to compel the person so threatened to do any act against his will.” It is clear that the indictment should state the crime or offense of which the defendant maliciously threatened to accuse the persons named. It is accordingly charged that the defendant and Roe threatened to accuse such persons “ of being disorderly persons.” The question, therefore, is whether it is a crime or offense under the statutes of Iowa to be a disorderly person. The statutory provision, relied upon by the State for the purpose of showing that there is such a crime or offense is found in
We reach the conclusion, therefore, that the indictment does not charge the defendant with a crime, and, as this conclusion necessarily puts an end to the prosecution under the present indictment, it is unnecessary to discuss the other errors argued.
The judgment of the district court is reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.