Louis Michael McCluskey was indicted on two counts of armed *206 robbery and two counts of robbery by intimidation, for robbery of two bank tellers in the First National Bank of Haralson County. He was arrested 20 minutes after the robbery in the described get-away vehicle and with the stolen money and other paraphernalia used in the crime. On McCluskey’s motion, the trial court dismissed the counts of the indictment relating to the second bank teller, on the theory that the money was the property of the bank and that he could not be prosecuted for robbing each of the tellers.
The jury convicted McCluskey of one count of armed robbery. McCluskey appeals his conviction. The State appeals the dismissal of the counts relating to the second bank teller. These appeals are here consolidated.
The evidence showed that McCluskey entered the bank and robbed the first teller by purporting to have a gun in his pocket and that there was a bomb in a bag he placed on the counter. He then motioned toward the second teller and told the first teller to get her money also. When the first teller called her over, the second teller saw the first teller putting all her drawer money into a brown folder that had a note stuck on it. The note was not produced in evidence and the evidence is in dispute whether the first teller told the second teller that McCluskey had a gun and a bomb. McCluskey told the second teller that he did not want any “bait” money. After robbing both tellers of about $10,000 in this manner, McCluskey ordered both tellers to lie on the floor, and they did so. They remained on the floor until he left. Held:
1. As to the State’s appeal, the trial court erred in dismissing the counts of the indictments relating to the robbery of the second bank teller. A person commits armed robbery when, with intent to commit theft, he takes property of another “from the person or the immediate presence of another” by use of an offensive weapon, or any replica, article or device having the appearance of such weapon. OCGA § 16-8-41 (a). Appellant committed armed robbery, as the jury found, against the first teller by taking money from her immediate presence. The actual ownership of the money was irrelevant. “Robbery is a crime against possession, and is not affected by concepts of ownership. . . . [0]ne may only rob a person, and not a corporate entity.”
Creecy v. State,
2. In McCluskey’s appeal, he contends the trial court erred in de *207 nying his motion for new trial because his conduct does not meet the requirements of an armed robbery set out in OCGA § 16-8-41, and because the evidence was insufficient to authorize a conviction for armed robbery.
McCluskey contends that under § 16-8-41, to constitute the offense of armed robbery “the evidence must at least show that there was an offensive weapon or an article having the appearance of one.”
Talbot v. State,
The presence of an offensive weapon or the appearance of such may be established by circumstantial evidence, and a conviction for armed robbery may be sustained even though the weapon was neither seen nor accurately described by the victim. Some physical manifestation is required or some evidence from which the presence of a weapon may be inferred,
Hughes v. State, 185
Ga. App. 40, 41 (
In
Moody v. State, 258
Ga. 818, 819 (
*208
In 1968 the legislature deleted from the law the reference to “any replica, article or device having the appearance of such weapon.” This resulted in decisions which excluded from prosecution as armed robbery crimes based on
“the reasonable apprehension of the victim concerning the true nature of the weapon-like object being pointed at him or her”;
the legislature then amended the statute to reinstate this language so “armed robbery now can be committed either with a real weapon or with a toy or replica weapon having the appearance of being real.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Adsitt v. State,
The evidence authorized a finding that McCluskey used a “replica, article or device having the appearance of [an offensive] weapon,” to persuade the bank tellers that he had a bomb and a gun and to create a reasonable apprehension on their part that he had such offensive weapons; therefore, the evidence is sufficient to enable the rational trier of fact that he committed armed robbery under the definition of the statute. Id.;
Jackson v. Virginia,
Talbot, supra, and Tate, supra, involved other circumstances.
3. McCluskey contends he was entitled to a new trial because there was a fatal variance in the indictment and the evidence proven at trial.
This issue is raised for the first time on appeal and may not be considered.
Miller v. State,
Judgment in Case No. A93A2511 affirmed. Judgment in Case No. A93A2512 reversed.
