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Polk v. StatePolk v. State

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Mar 9, 1977
51255
Reporters:
,
Before:
Brown

OPINION

BROWN, Commissioner.

Appeal is taken from a conviction for indecency with a child. Punishment was ‍‌‌​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‍assessed by the jury at seven years.

At the outset, we note that appellant contends the court erred in overruling his motion to quash the indictment based ‍‌‌​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‍upon the fact that the indictment failed to allege an element of the offense, namely, “intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.”

In the ‍‌‌​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‍recent case of Victory v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 547 S.W.2d 1 (Decided January 21, 1976, State’s Motion for Rehearing overruled, November 3, 1976), we were faced with the identical question, and held that the ‍‌‌​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‍court erred in failing to grant the motion to quash for the reason that the indictment was defective for failure to allege such culpable mental state.

The ‍‌‌​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‍judgment is reversed and the prosecution ordered dismissed.

Opinion approved by the Court.

DOUGLAS, J., dissents.

Case Details

Case Name: Polk v. State
Court Name: Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Date Published: Mar 9, 1977
Citations: 547 S.W.2d 605; 1977 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 990; 51255
Docket Number: 51255
Court Abbreviation: Tex. Crim. App.
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