Montgomery v. State
Montgomery v. State
Opinion of the Court
By the Criminal Code, there are four requisites
prescribed - to constitute a valid recognizance: 1. That it be acknowledged that the defendant is indebted to the State in the sum fixed by the court, and his sureties are also indebted in like manner. 2. That the name of the offense with which the defendant is charged he stated. 8. That it be apparent from the recognizance that the defendant is accused of an offense against the laws of the State. 4. The time and place, when and where,, and the court before which the defendant is bound to appear.
From the very terms' of the second and- third requisites, it is. manifest they are interchangeably corollaries from each other. The defined name of the offense cannot be given in the recognizance, without evincing that an offense is alleged to have been committed against the laws of the State; and e converso, if it appears in the recognizance that the defendant is accused of an offense against the laws of the State, this necessarily involves the
. In this case, the recognizance recites that the party bound him.self to appear to answer to the .charge of the “larceny of .a filly.” How, it so happens, and perhaps somewhat to the detriment of the public interest, that the Criminal Code,-which is.in.tended to he a complete system in itself,_ has defined no such offense as “ larceny,” whether of a “ filly ”■ on of any other species .of property. Consequently, this recognizance was not properly .drawn, and does not bind the , party to appear to answer to the. .charge of any offense known to the..law. This court, .therefore, reverses the judgment .of the court, making the judgment. nisi final. .
Reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- W. W. Montgomery v. State
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- The Penal Code defines no such offense as “ larceny,” and therefore a bail bond or recognizance conditioned to answer a charge of “ larceny ot a is void.