People v. Ritchie

Mar 28, 1974
16377
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
R.B. Burns, Allen, O'Hara

R.B. BURNS, P.J.

Defendant was found guilty by a jury of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny. MCLA 750.110; MSA 28.305.

A review of the record discloses no reversible error. We ‍​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‍affirm.

During oral argument, defense counsel raised the issue that the trial judge, during his instructions, had informed the jury that the lesser included offense of entering without permission (MCLA 750.115; MSA 28.310) was a misdemeanor.

The writer of this opinion also authored People ‍​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‍v Nichols, 50 Mich App 440; 213 NW2d 558 (1973), and in that case held such an instruction was error. But an incorrect decision was made in Nichols. In People v Burk, 238 Mich 485; 213 NW 717 (1927), the Supreme Court upheld the trial ‍​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‍court‘s practice of reading the statute to the jury. Statutes state whether the crime is a felony or a misdemeanor.

Affirmed.

All concurred.