Rhoads v. Commonwealth
Rhoads v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
If the defendant had been indicted generally and as an ordinary person, for selling liquor without license, the verdict would have sustained the sentence- and there would have been no error in the judgment. But he was not so charged. He was indicted specifically as a druggist for selling liquor, without license, to be used as a beverage. The verdict found him guilty of selling liquor without license simply, saying nothing about its being used as a beverage. The difficulty in the case is that as a druggist he was not necessarily guilty of any offense in the mere selling of liquor without license. He might sell without license, if he sold it in the preparation of medicine or on the prescription of a physician.
Had the jury found a general verdict of guilty there could have been no exception to it. But for some reason they did not do that, but found only a certain fact, and that fact against such a person is not of itself sufficient to convict of any crime. If the jury wished to find the facts specially, of course it was their duty to find all the facts which composed the crime charged. It is clear that under this indictment the defendant, being charged
As the defendant was certainly in jeopardy under the indictment and the evidence, we do not see how he can be again tried under the same indictment
The judgment of the court below is reversed, the sentence is set aside and the defendant discharged without day.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.