Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Hon. .&My Hawkins, page 5
w~here the oonstable has three oaeee against the 5am man all of them oomlng from the same arrest is the oounty liable to the constable for one-half faell in eaoh separate ease filed cc only one oase pluus what ever mile- age Costa there happened to be9 He has aotual- ly only served one warrsnt and one oommitment on th6 p0rsaut*
Article 1055, Code ot Criminal Prooedure ef the State of-Texas, as amendad by the Forty-sixth Leglalature or Texas, effeotlve Ihay l.5, 1939, read8 as rallows:
'The oounty shall not be liable to the of- ffoer and witness having oasta $.a a miirdeaasnor uaee where defendant paye hia ilne and Ooatae The oounty shall be liable for one-half of the fees ot the offioere of the Oour'b, when the de- iaadantfaiLstopayhieiinoaadlayl,hicr fine out in the oounty jail or dleehargee the eeme by nman8 of working suoh tine out on the oouxi- ty roads or an any oountg prajeot. And ta ay euah half ot oosts, the Oounty alexk shall i a- sue his warrent on the County Traaaurer in fav- or 0r 5uoh 0fri0et to be paid out af Road and Bridge Pund or other iundo no% othenrlee approprlatsd.*
~rtiole 1065, oode of CrimLnal Preoedure of Texas, nets out the feea to whloh a oonetableand other p6aoe orrioars are e~titlscl.
Artiole loll, Code of Cr%mi.nal Procedure of
T6xaa, reads as foUmsr
*X0 item of oasts shall bs taxed far.a purported service whloh was not performed, or for a servioe ror whioh no f'ee is expreealy provlded by &vi."
Opinion ho. O-100 end other a inione of thie department hold that a @n&able, or ot t er peace otfioere, are not entitled to fees exoept ior mrvlo+m perfonnad, a6 autll.ned by the fee statute. .
Hon. ~tinoy Hawktine, pa@ 3
OlWENs;X MO. 1, listed by you, In your letter, a3
*Qperating a kaotor tshiols without li.e;btP, is axmrently oovsred by Artiola 998 of the.Fmml oocle of Ttxas.
05ZClWlE HO. 6, listed by you, in your letter, as
*OperatIn& an uare&&srsd rshiole*,
fe apparently oovere6 by -iale 8OYb of PenalCoda of Texas.
as la spparentl~oorers~ $y Artiole 479 of the F+eMl Code of Texas.
Artielt 803 or the Penalaode of Turn,, -da aa r0z.m838
*Any peaae oiflaar is auttmrLee& to am& ulthoutwarraut an&pareoa fouardoamlttSnl:r Violeticm 0r MY prori8ion of the preaedLmg ar- CiOlss of thi.* OhAptsP.
Thicl az'tlo~ of the Penal Code &Vi p~a@S ob- iioersthe right to arrest without mrrant permn8 fmand oommSttl.ng a vlolatlan of lirtiole 796 of the Penal Cede, to-rit; the offense or operating a motor rahlala, rltho%t lights, but it does not p;ivo go&e8 ofiioirra the right to arrest rlthout warrant p~tmtmYiolating8Wbofth@ Pe~lcods,to-wlt;tbeoffa~lae of operatiag;aaumqls- tered motaa: vebiele,
fioors with right to arrest without wsrraut lf bruaoh of the peaoe Is bsinC( odtted In of- ticer*s presefice, opaekm 0r o~erloadodt~~ not betis ,"ez se a *br~aeh of the.paaaer.* (Hz:.:. ys+ :~,s~~, 96 S.W. (Zd), OBl.) To be a *broaah of peaoe* , the a& m ed of must be olie vi;iiah tisturba, orthraatmuto dir turb, tranquillity cnjapd by oltlzens. (EUD h. S"iiaE, eupr%.)
*lminkeIuless io not an orz6Ms %gdnrt tha publia peaoe and a emstable may not arr6st fen &Wkenneaa without marr8ntr* (IIIBf0.m. SPA%%, 103 S.W. (2d) 954.) Conference oplnlon Xar 8985, .o? thl8 bqwtmmt, February 15, 19=, by IL @raw Ckadler anb. at writtag. louayCalhou&, .W3icrtarzta AttofnsjyGanua~ troltithat a aofi&,tnmt for wkioh 6 pm00 oirioar la allaWe& a iea a$ TOM, tQ.00) ~01la .%a llor ex~utlng an order M"a oourt 6lreat2ng that b p0r8tm be plaoed in Jaf& anU ,jm 0fSieat 1Ls not allOiS& to &erg8 8-h tr* in the abtrmae
Pou are, therefars, re3pe&fully a&ir#d that It i6 tiie opkuion 0r thl8 depaa-tmm, that ii the llcpII atab2.s aotual3.y armatadth~ dafeadent for operating a motor tehiclc .nithout llght6, utth or without v6trruttG ocnstablewmld beentltM.tmrTwe (&rW) &%~AAx *5 Han. Quincy Hawkfns, page 5
ree r0r arrest in this mt,tanoe. rr the 00mdbie a+ rested the detenciant~wlth a warrant, for operating an we i&wed vehlols, he would be entitled to a Two Dal- 3.4~ "f $2.00) tii.rrdi tee. If ha arrested him without a war-t r0r thh 0rrense the arrest would be iuef3ax; an& the ocmstable muld not be entitled to an arreot it30 In this ln8tanoe. Ii the oonatable arrested the de- readant r0r the orzenso or bnraL%Pnes~ in a publio pith a warrant, he wonbtl be entitled to a TWO (&2.08~" Dollar arrest ret3 in this inetanos. fr he arrsmted the detendant r0r publio arunkem~ass wit.3out a warrant, then the arrest would be illegal an6 the acmetable wouM not be entitle&to an arrest fee In thla lnstanoe.
If this defendant pleaded guilty to'eaoh oi.the llsted charges, and was fined by the justloe oi three the peaoe, thea the ooastable vm.M be entitleed to. suoh ret38 ai3 he actually earned r0r t3uoh Servioes that lm aot- ucil4 petrromned. If the ooastable took and apprarrsd bontls fn eaoh of these oamm, in the manner outllaetl by law, then, in that etent, ths oonetable would be a&tibl- ed to suoh rees . . un the other han(l, If he didnot take and approve boncla, as outllned by the stat&S hb OO+ WOUND not be entithu tdnly t0 any tee rot tahne ad approring bon-. If b&Et 4lQmldtDKolts were laroed la eaoh oi the thres oases aM WON se-d by OQL~%~Y~. ble upon defendant by plaoing the deicmdant tn Jail, the oonetabls would bo Ontitle to then, $.n that event, a 0otYmiht re0 In edaoh 0aSe. E0wevbr, lr only on0 oom- mltment y.u loeued, and only (we oQEJpItmeat wae served by t&e oonstable, he would only be entltled to On0 UQa- tee. If the oonstablo released the deiOndant rpit-t rxoa jail and ircm the roroe and effect or the three juQmente restraining defeendzsnt up02 th% erpintion &~ hia t&lee in Jail, then it is the opinion ot this de- partmmt that the ometable inoul.6 bo entAt tO a te- lsaae ree 0r One ($1.00) Dollar in eaoh 0r the thrae e(ISee* It iS the n*rther Opinion Of this 6SpWtffIm that the oonstable mwld only be entitlfd to tb m8tUd mileage seat under ,hrtl.ob 1068 ol: the Code of '6-l Pro0edurs. In other words, the donstable is entitled Co rese ror such servioes as he aotuaZly pertonaed, ior whiob the law prorides him ompaneation~ The ooastable $6 not entitled to any reee ror ~MWV~O~O wbioh he does not pe0x-h
HOU. ~uinoy Hawkhe, Pa438 6
Under Article 1055, Code of Criminal Prooedure, supra, oounty would be liable to oonc&able for one-halt or all of the legal tees of the OoA8table au did not pay bJI# above intioateb, where the defeACimt fines and oosts ln oaah, but laid out hla fine8 an& ooats In Jail.
Trusting that this satieraotorny auawers your lnaulry, we are
Very truly yours ATTORKEY O- OF TlDCM WmJ.?')ob