Gaines v. State
Gaines v. State
Opinion of the Court
“It is not necessary, in order to constitute theft, that the possession and ownership of the property be in the same person at the time of taking.” Pasc. Dig., art. 2886. “ Possession of the person so unlawfully deprived of property is constituted by the exercise of actual control, care, and management of the property, whether the same be lawful or not.” Pasc. Dig., art. 2387.
The rule is well settled that where one person has the general, and another the special, property in the thing stolen, the indictment may allege the property to be in either. Langford v. The State, 8 Texas, 115; Billard v. The State, 30 Texas, 367; Gatlin v. The State, 39 Texas, 130; Moseley v. The State, 42 Texas, 78; Cox v. The State, 43 Texas, 101; Blackburn v. The State, 44 Texas, 457. The charge of the court complained of, with reference to the ownership of the property, was but an enunciation of the principles of law laid down in the statutes above quoted, and the authorities cited. As a whole, the charge is an unexceptionable one.
So far as the evidence is concerned, it was amply sufficient in identifying the stolen property, and in warranting the
We perceive no error in the record, and the judgment of the lower court is, therefore, affirmed.
Affirmfid.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.