STATE OF OREGON, Respondent, v. TEDDY HALL, Appellant.
(C9406-34332; CA A87453)
Oregon Court of Appeals
Arguеd and submitted October 31, 1996, reversed in part; otherwise affirmed; remanded for resentencing July 23, appellant‘s petition for reconsideration filed July 28 allowed by opinion September 10, 1997
942 P.2d 882 | 149 Or App 757 | 358 Or App 358
See 149 Or App 757, 944 P2d 1000 (1997)
Teddy Hall filed the supplemental brief pro se.
David B. Thompson, Assistant Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief were Theodore R. Kulongoski, Attorney General, and Virginia L. Linder, Solicitor General.
Before Deits, Chief Judge, and De Muniz and Haselton, Judges.
HASELTON, J.
Deits, C. J., dissenting.
HASELTON, J.
Defendant appeals from his convictions for robbery in the first degree,
In reviewing a denial of a motion for judgment of acquittal, we view the evidеnce in the light most favorable to the state to determine whether “any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” See State v. King, 307 Or 332, 339, 768 P2d 391 (1989). So viewed, the record as to defendant‘s conviction for robbery in the third degree discloses the following:
On June 21, 1994, at about 10:40 in the evening, defendant walked into the McDonald‘s restaurant at Jantzen Beach. Defendant, who wore sunglasses with a dark bandana over his head, was dressed in dark jeans and a dark jacket. He walked up to the counter where a McDonald‘s employee, Ahyek, was working as a sеrver and cashier. Defendant motioned for Ahyek, said, “Come here,” and, presenting a small paper bag, told her to “put all of the money into this bag.” Ahyek, who had been trained to cooperate in such situations, opened the cash register and gave defendant all of the money in the top drawer. Defendant then said, “No, I want what is underneath,” and Ahyek then gave him the money in the lower drawer. Defendant then said, “No, I want what is in the other drawers,” and Ahyek pulled out the remainder of the cash drawers and set them on the counter so that defendant could see that they were empty. Throughout the enсounter, defendant neither displayed a weapon nor suggested that
During defendant‘s encounter with Ahyek, Atkinson, another McDonald‘s employee, was sweeping the floor. As defendant walked toward the exit, he passed Atkinson, looked at him, and said something that Atkinson did not hear. A customer later told Atkinson that defendant “said something about not following him or something.” At about the same time that defendant was leaving the restaurant, Ahyek “started yelling.”1 Atkinson turnеd to her and told her to dial 9-1-1, which she did. When Atkinson looked outside to find defendant, defendant was already gone.
Defendant was subsequently arrested and charged with robbery in the third degree, as well as other crimes arising from other incidents. The indictment alleged that defendant used or threatened to use physical force on Ahyek while committing the theft.
At trial, after all evidence had been submitted, the court sua sponte inquired whether the evidence was sufficient to support a conviction for robbery in the third degree and, particularly, whether the state had proven that defendant had “use[d] or threaten[ed] the immediate use of physical force.”
“I have to decide whether any—there is any basis in the evidence, including inferences, that can be drawn that would lead a reasonable jury to conclude that you threatened Miss Ahyek in some way; that, you know, just your presence there, the way it was going down combined with
her reactiоn was enough to show a use or threat of use of physical force. “And what [the prosecutor] has described in looking at all of the testimony and all of the circumstances, including the fact that she screamed when it was over, I can‘t say that there is absolutely nothing there to go to a jury. If I can‘t say there is absolutely nothing to go to a jury, no matter how I feel about it, the jury gets to decide it.”
The jury subsequently convicted defendant of, inter alia, robbery in the third degree.
On appeal, defendant assigns error to the trial court‘s denial of a judgment of acquittal on the charge of robbery in the third degree. He reiterates that the state failed to prove that he “use[d] or threatеn[ed] the immediate use of physical force” against Ahyek. We agree.
“in the course of committing or attempting to commit theft the person uses or threatens the immediate use of physical force upon another person with the intent of:
“(a) Preventing or overcoming resistance to the taking of the property or to retention thereof immediately after the taking; or
“(b) Compelling the owner of such property or another person to deliver the property or to engage in other conduct which might aid in the commission of the theft.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Because the state does not contend that defendant actually used force, our inquiry is reduced to whether, from the evidence, a jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant threatened the immediate use of physical force against Ahyek.
The criminal code does not define “threaten” or “threat,” and no reported decision has comprehensively defined those terms in the context of
“Although the 1971 Criminal Code Revision included robbery in the chapter entitled Offenses Against Property rather than Offenses Against Persons, the Commentary indicates that the gravamen of the robbery offense is the threat of harm to persons. Proposed Original Criminal Code, 155-56 (1970). This conclusion is reinforced by the statute itself, which does not require a completed theft as an element of the crime. Also, the degree of robbery varies according to the severity of the threat or danger of harm to the person, not according to the value of the property that is the subject of the theft or attempted theft. Thus, it appears that the legislature intended that the assault aspect of the crime of robbery be dominant and each person assaulted is the victim of the crime.
* * * * *
“We conclude that because the distinctive aspect of robbery is the threat of violence to a person, when defendant pointed his gun at and demanded money from each of four different bank tellers, each teller was a victim of the robbery. Therefore, defendant committed four separate offenses.” 34 Or App at 941-42.
Second, in State v. Odoms, 117 Or App 1, 5, 844 P2d 217 (1992), rev den 316 Or 529 (1993), we affirmed a conviction for robbery in the third degree and, in so doing, commented that “[t]he record contains evidence from which a rational jury could infer that defendant threatened, expressly or impliedly, to use physical force” against the victim.
“Defendant * * * took [Kidwell] to an apartment where some of his friends lived. That night, defendant instructed Kidwell about how to be a prostitute. The next day the two argued about Kidwell becoming a prostitute, and Kidwell tried to persuade defendant that she could do something else for him, such as sell drugs. When asked why she did not simply leave, she testified, ‘I was scared to.’
“Over the next two or three days, Kidwell had sexual intercourse with defendant, engaged in sodomy with him, worked as a prostitute for him and signed a paper that defendant used to sell her car. He kept the money for himself. During those days, defendant hit Kidwell on at least one occasion, because she had not brought him enough money. When asked whether that money was for committing sex acts with people, she testified, ‘Yeah. I had to do it or else—I had to.’
“At some point during the three days, defendant drove Kidwell from Portland to Salem so that she could pick up some clothes at her sister‘s house. She testified that she did not use that opportunity to escape from defendant, because she feared that he might hurt her sister or her nephew. On September 28, Kidwell was picked up by police. Her face was bruised. She told them what had happened.” Id. at 4.
From Dillman and Odoms, we cоnclude that what distinguishes robbery in the third degree from simple theft,
Applying that definition, we concludе that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction for robbery in the third degree. The evidence shows only that defendant demanded cash and that Ahyek acquiesced in that demand. There is no evidence that defendant made verbal threats or engaged in conduct that indicated that he would, in fact, immediately resort to physical force unless his demand was met. Moreover, although there was evidence that Ahyek “yelled” after defendant had turned from the counter and was leaving the restaurant, there is no evidence as to why Ahyek yelled. Certainly, Ahyek herself did not testify that she regarded defendant‘s conduct as threatening.5 On these facts, the state may well have proven theft, but it did not prove robbery.6
The dissent asserts that our conclusion cannot be squared with Odoms. See 149 Or App at 369. To the contrary,
We note, moreover, that the meaning of “implied threat” in Odoms is uncertain. Odoms used that term once, in cursory fashion, without explanation. We are unaware of any other Oregon decision that has used, much less amplified, that term. At the very least, however, an “implied threat” must mean something more than the circumstantial potential for violence that exists in every personal theft. Otherwise, “threatens the immediate use of physical fоrce upon another person” would, as a practical matter, be read out of the statute. Accord
The dissent would do just that. In finding sufficient evidence of an “implied threat” here, the dissent points to defendant‘s proximity to Ahyek during the course of the encounter and defendant‘s insistence that Ahyek produce all the available cash. See 149 Or App at 369-70. Those facts will be present in virtually every face-to-face theft.7 Accord Parnell v. State, 389 P2d 370, 374 (Okl Crim App 1964) (“‘[W]here a person parts with money upon a mere demand made in a rough, positive voicе, with an oath, the taking is
It cannot be gainsaid that here, as in every personal theft, there was a generic potential for violence. That circumstantial potential is not, however, sufficient, without more, to establish the statutorily prescribed threat of the “immediate use of physical force upon another person.”8 In this case, there was no evidence from which a jury could find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that defendant either expressly threatened Ahyek or intimated to Ahyek that he would resort to physical force unless she followed his instructions. We thus conclude that the trial court erred in denying a judgment of acquittal on the charge of robbery in the third degree.
Defendant‘s second assignment of error asserts, with respect to all charges, that the court erroneously accepted his waiver of counsel. We have reviewed, and reject, that assignment without further discussion. We have also reviewed, and reject without further discussion, the arguments presented in defendant‘s supplemental brief.
Conviction for robbery in the third degree reversed; otherwise affirmed; remanded for resentencing.
DEITS, C. J., dissenting.
I agree with the majority‘s conclusion regarding defendant‘s argument relating to waiver of counsel as well as its disposition of the arguments in defendant‘s supplemental brief. I disagree, however, with the majority‘s holding that the trial court should have granted defendant‘s motion for judgment of acquittal on the charge of robbery in the third degree. The majority concludes that the evidence in this case
In order for a jury to convict a defendant of robbery in the third degree, the state must prove that the defendant used or threatened the immediate use of physical force against a person while attempting to commit a theft.
The trial court here denied defendant‘s motion for judgment of acquittal, concluding that there was evidence in the record from which a rational jury could infer that defendant threatened to use physical force against the victim. If there is any evidence supporting that ruling, we will not disturb it. Odoms, 117 Or App at 5-6. The majority concludes that there was no evidence here from which the jury could draw that inference, stating that “[t]here is no evidence that defendant made verbal threats or engaged in conduct that indicated that he would, in fact, immediately resort to physical force unless his demand was met.” 149 Or App at 365. I believe that there is evidence here from which the requisite threat may be inferred and, accordingly, that the trial court did not err in denying the motion for judgment of acquittal.
Although the majority does not explicitly reject the premise that a threat of physicаl force may be implied, that conclusion essentially underlies its holding here. The majority seems to require that in order to prove the requisite threat, there must be proof of a statement or act that directly indicates that physical force will be used if the person‘s
In Odoms, a woman who was kidnaped and later forced to sell her car and give the money to the defendant and to engage in prostitution over a рeriod of three or four days testified that she was too “scared” to leave. 117 Or App at 4. In that case, although the defendant did hit the victim once at some point during the incident, there was no evidence that the defendant hit the victim or told her that he would hit her contemporaneously to demanding that she sell her car and give him the money, which was the conduct on which the third-degree robbery charge was predicated.2 We concluded that, in those circumstances, there was sufficient evidence from which a jury could infer that the defendant threatened to use physical force against the victim and upheld the robbery conviction. Id. at 5-6.
The majority asserts that Odoms is factually distinguishable, which it is. Nonetheless, I agree with the trial court that there are sufficient facts here to allow the jury to evaluate whether the requisite threat could be inferred. Defendant came into the restaurant, late at night, just before closing, wearing dark glasses, dark clothing and a bandanna that completely covered his hair. The victim, Ahyek, referred to defendant‘s apparel as a “disguise.”3 She testified that
The evidence here clearly shows that defendant did not simply request that she give him the money—he demanded the money from her, while he was close enough to hand her a bag and while she was, essentially, alone. Ahyek had to make a decision: refuse defendant‘s demands and risk harm not only to herself but also to other persons in the restaurant, or accede to his demands as she had beеn trained to do. She chose not to take the risk. It does not follow from that fact that she did not feel threatened or that an objectively reasonable person in her position would not feel threatened.5 Indeed, Ahyek‘s testimony that she regarded the circumstances in which she found herself as a “robbery situation [ ]” may reasonably be understood to indicate that she felt threatened.
The majority states that the fact that defendant was close to Ahyek during the “encounter” and his “insistence” that Ahyek produce all the available cash are facts that are “present in virtually every face-to-face theft.” 149 Or App at 366. However, my opinion that the evidence here would allow
It is an unfortunate fact that, because so many thefts today involve a face-to-face confrontation in which force is used or threatened, that tellers and other employees are instructed to submit to a person‘s demands for money in order to decrease the potential for escalating threats and harm. It makes no sense to me to conclude that, because of that fact, immediate submission is evidence that a defendant has not threatened a victim. It is the immediate submission, borne of a victim‘s reasonable expectation that harm will occur, that makes it possible for a person to successfully take money from a restaurant with no more than a demand for money in a face-to-face confrontation without the need of an overt threat. See United States v. Robinson, 527 F2d 1170, 1172 (6th Cir 1975) (“Especially in an era characterized by a dramatic increase in crime generally * * * and by increased violence, such circumstances [defendant wore baggy clothes that could conceal a weapon, acted ‘somewhat nervously in line’ and told the teller to ‘Give me all your money’ ] could well ‘produce in the ordinary person fear of bodily harm.’ “). (Citations omitted.)
The evolving change in the “reasonable person‘s” perspective of what constitutes a threat may explain the outcomes in the two cases from other states to which the majority cites. Parnell v. State, 389 P2d 370, 374 (Okla Crim App 1964), quotes from a 1900 case to support its conclusion that a demand for money made in a rough voice is not a rоbbery because the menace is not sufficient to “‘excite reasonable
Notes
“A person commits theft when, with intent to deprive another of property or to appropriate property to the person or to a third person, the person:
“(1) Takes, appropriates, obtains or withholds such property from an owner thereof[.]”
The majority views the fact that defendant was attempting to conceal his identity as meaningless. While not decisive, it is certainly part of the totality of the circumstances that may be evaluated to decide if defendant‘s behavior was sufficiently threatening.“1: an indication of something impending and [usually] undesirable or unpleasant * * * as a: an expression of an intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage on another [usually] as retribution or punishment for something done or left undone * * * b: expression of an intention to inflict loss or harm on another by illegal means and [especially] by means involving coercion or duress of the person threatened[.]”
The same source defines “threaten“:
“1: to utter threats against: promise punishment, reprisal, or other distress to * * * 2 *: to charge under pain of punishment: warn * * * 3: to promise as a threat: hold out by way of menace or warning[.]”
Ahyek had worked at McDonald‘s for 14 years.