State v. Page
State v. Page
Opinion of the Court
Defendant was charged with possession of a forged check. He entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect excluding responsibility. The plea was accepted and defendant committed for treatment to the Director of the Department of Mental Health. §§ 552.030-552.040, RSMo 1978.
On June 25, 1979, the circuit court denied the motion for costs on the ground that when § 202.863 was amended in 1976, it relieved counties from paying the costs of patients in state hospitals.
The procedure here followed was approved in State v. Siecke, 472 S.W.2d 367 (Mo. banc 1971), for taxing as costs the expenses of an examination and report provided for in § 552.020. There a motion for costs pursuant to § 552.080.1(1) was denied by the trial court. On appeal it was held that- a verified certificate of a superintendent of a state hospital, executed pursuant to § 191.130, was sufficient proof, in the absence of any showing to the contrary, to require the circuit court to order the charges taxed as costs. Based on that decision, it would appear that the procedure here is proper and the proof sufficient.
The trial court’s denial of the motion based on changes in § 202.863 was incorrect. Chapter 202 deals with civil commitments and chapter 552 with criminal commitments and except where sections of chapter 202 are specifically listed in chapter 552, chapter 202 has no application to criminal commitments. Robb v. Estate of Brown, 518 S.W.2d 729, 734 (Mo.App. 1974). Also see State v. Kee, 510 S.W.2d 477, 480 (Mo. banc 1974).
There was no question raised as to the authenticity of the certificate of account or the reasonableness of the amount, and the trial court should have entered an order taxing costs in the amount requested. State v. Siecke, supra, 472 S.W.2d at 369-370.
The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter an order taxing as costs in favor of third-party appellant the sum of $9,727.83 to be paid by Jasper County.
. Unless otherwise stated, all statutory references are to RSMo 1978.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.