Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

O-693 This document has been reduced from legal size to letter
NO. 5088
Thir o``iniorr holds:
1. iiwarrant of arrest is not nsoreecry ti-
Sors e party oan plead guilty to tha
0rrenr0 ep00aiw 183ti ju+ioe or the
or
peaoe oou?t sftsr w ocsplaint haa born
tiled end the party is in ths owtodp of
a nif$lwy Patrolmaa.
8. A OQplaint filed by a Ilighweylatroti
18 8urri0ifbnt to martsin iii
plea of guilty
without the lrsuanos of Surthor pFOOW8
by a jU8tiOr Or .thr,mroa;
5. d oonrtable is not 8Utitle~. to a r80 or
two dollar8 ror routing a wsrrant or
arrest to a motorlrt when the notorlst
18 in th8 OU8tCdy 8nd UndW atnet by 8
HfghTsay'Yatrolman.
5. A ahrrrgeOS OM dollar l’orreloan ‘i8
8 &WOp8r Oh8rge t0 b0 taxed a8 008t8
egaioet the deSrndent when a plea or
guilty i8 8atored and a tine paid iamb-
diatoly 8rtOr the deimdant ir natirlrd
or the amount and ~0 a@iuitmentIr.mab~,,
and the ofiioer.who di8oharger or rrloaoer
a defend&at km thi foroeiand orf8Ot or
a judpmnt restrainin& him 18 sntitlod
to .8 rw or $1.00 ror a re&mee.
Honorable Homer Gari,ison,Jr.
Dapertment or Publio ‘%rsty
AulltIIl,
Tlxa8
bar sir:
cp1n105 NO. 0-09s
Am: Ferr to whioh a oonstablo
,i8 entitled In a, 8Q8adLng
C*M) wh6)raarrest I8 par-
formed by 1iIghw8yP8trol-
man.
w UC* in nocript of your letter of npr5.1
es, 1939, wherein you outline the r0ii0dg ra0t8i
wh Hlghwoy i'otro&aan arneted a motorirt
Honorable Hcwr aclrrI8on,Jr., May 8, 1989, P8ge 8
tor 8 sdlng and upon, the 8U``8tIO5 or the
motorr 8t h8 and the Nighway Patro-5 weat to
the Ju8tIoo or the Paaao osrioe, in order,that
'thr motorlrt might enter e plea ot gukltr 856
WY hi8 tin@. 'Upon their arriral at th8 &8-
tiOS OS the Pf3aCOOSfio), th8 &8tiOS'Or tha
Peaoo and a 0058tabl8~Were sitting in thr of-
ri0ei The P8trolmen riha a ocmplainVagal58t
the motorict for rpmdlng, and th8rcRlponthe
Jurtioe or 'the Mace in the pnaeaor OS the
motorlrrt,Fatrolm85 and Con8tablr i88uod 8
sarrrrntfor the orrost OS the motorirtf handing
thir warr8nt to the Conratable,who in turn
read it to the motorist, plaolinghim u5dar
arre8t while th8 aotorirt was rtlll in the
aU8tOdy Or thkHiC;hray PatrOk8+ The 3U8liW
Or tb PS@OO, Il180, f86ued two BubPOWl88, iOr
Witns88a8, to wits tho Eli&way Patrolman, who
W88 &WO885t, and the CO58tabh. Theo* 8ub-
poenae wore handad totha Constable but ho
mad. 50 8ttOJI&Jt to 8tIVO them..
c
*Th8 motorist plead guilty to the oharga
and wa8 aa808E.d 6 fins of $lS.?iOItemized aI)
~'rOiiOR8:
Fine . . . . . . . . . . e 8100
LttO&g;8’Fie . . . . . . . . . . 5.00
Trial Fee . . . . . 4.00
OsfiOer8 CO&i' ' ' ' '
Making Arro8t. . . . . . $Z.OO
t%Rla~;~ 8 Vit5e8aO#
. . . . . . . . x.
4.50
Total' mm-
*The motoriet wa8 not oormnittodto Jell,
but m~.ly plead guilty and paid hi8 tine a8'
herelnabovr m8ntionod."
YOU thereupon rsf#mut our opinion ln~nrponsm
t0 the fOmn+hg riVS ``UeStiM8:
R1. Is 6 warrent Of arrpst neoe88ary be-
rbre a party oen plead guilty to the orrena
Or SpO8dltlgin 6 JuritlosOf the PallObCOWt .
attar Q oomplalnt has been riled and the perty
is in the OU8tOdy ar 11XI:ighweyPatrolman?
"8. Is 8 OWplaint tilad by 6 Righnay'
r;atrolman8Ur:‘iOfm to susteln a 01*8 Of
guilty wltbout the issuance'of further pro-
0e88 br 8 JlletioeOf th0 PsaOe?
"3. 18 a oonatabls entitled to a tee Of
$e.oo ror reading 6 warrent 0r arrort to a
motorirt when th8 motoriet is in the Ourtody
and under arrest by a Highway Patrolman?
"4. X8 0 Ohar&e Or aubpoanalag iWit50888S
Honorable HCUUT Garrison, Jr., .Ltay 8, 1939, page 3
valid when a motorist La taken before.a SW-
tics of the Fsaoa intending to plead guilty
thereby sllninotlng tiny testiatonytr%a auy
wltlmr8as7
“II. In ,a char@ 02 41.00 for release e
proper oharb% to be trtredsu,ooet a&nst the
der’ondsntwhen a plea oi guilty is entsrrd
and a line paid i.mnudistelyaitor the delon-
dent is notltied of the amouut and no acanilt-
mrnt la maceV
xn the ease or Soott va. Stats, 114, a3.C.(ad) .
564, it ~(15held that xrtiols 803, P%aal Godo, glvus a
rherlrr the authority to arrest a psrsoa witbout a war-
rant who operates irnautomobile upon ths publio h&gbway
in 8x0888 or 45 1~11~s pur hour, and to dcrl with hiisas
provided by Artiol% 793, Penal Code. Art1018 aEVa, Uoo-
tion 16, oi t ho Fonal code v%sts Stste Nighway Pattolnuin
With all tne rightr and powers of peaoo .orfiOW8 to pur-
sue and arrest any pmson for any oMmee whrn said per-
son 18 round00 the highway. Banor,the Highway Patrolmen
hevs tbe right to aske arrests ln speedlug oasaa, and to
deal wltb the persons arrarted 8s provided in nrtlale
793 0r tto Penal cod*. The peraon arrortod 14 the 0668
which you submit to us hnd the right to demnnd that he
should be takon torthwith before the Justlo% Cqurt Zor
an immediate hearing, and he was t:lerOfore,,ln the proper
oustcdy or tha l&i$~ay ~atrolmon.
Under such oircumstances the 16euanoe or a war-
rant was wholly unneoe8sary, and your first qub8tion is
tberefcre 6xI8wWOd in tho ne;ativ%. EJIalrirWiv0 anBw8r
rollown to your lrooondqusstlon.
Artiole 1065, code of Crtilnal Frocwdure, Pro-
vides a&ifollow:
*‘Thefollowing .felas
shall be ellmd the
sheriff, or other peeoe ofricer perroming
the some ssrvioos in aisd%n%anor @as%8 to ‘be
taxed against th% deiondant on OOnVietiOns
‘1. For ex%outin& eaoh #%rrant ot arr%st
or ospias, or rmkln!::
arrest without v.srrant,
tco dollars.
“2. Qor rummoning slrohwktnoss, saveaty-
rive oentu.
v3. For serving any writ not othemlss
prwldrd for, one dollar.
“4. For taking sad approving each *Bond,
and r%turninE ths mm to the oourthaise, when
necmssary, on? dollar and rirty o%~@ts.
“5. par each omaitntsnt o~.iel%as%, one
dollar ,*
Honorable Hcamr Oarrlamn, Jr., May 7, 1939, Page 4
Th%ra ia uo statuto which r%quiree that.aa
8rreet to% ba ohargad in every oas%. Thor% is no sta-
tutr under whiah a oonatablrrmay r%o%ive arrest ioar
in auoh oa8.I oraopt the above quot%d~Artlola 1063, Codr
of Criminal Proamdure. Fran the above 6t6tuto it ap-
pears that ha is %ntitl%d to r%o%iti%a ree oi #a.00
only wbare ho ox%outes the warrant of arrest or aaplas,
or wh%n he ekes an arreot without a warrant. ‘In thr
inrtanam to wkiah ou iWer he did not maka the arrest,
but thr Highway Pat rolman peMrformodthat servlco. The
motorirt Hill being in the oustody’and under arreat
by the Niukway Patrolman; the niore.r8ading oi thi wer-
raat br tha oonstable to the motorist would not aonatl-
tute an euaution or the warr8nt 0r arro’ot. Our awwer
to your third quertion is in the negative.
In the tact8 submitted to ycu, tha abetable
med. no lttmpt to sarvo the two eub&W0n68 r0r ldtn88808
whiob had barn laood la his hands. Artiale LfM6 pro-
vida8 a roe or 1 .78 to ba paid for'summoning l8ah ritaose.
Th0 constable would not ba antitlod to euoh iaa of CL.75
per wltaaee ualase ha 8umsonod~8uoh wita08s. Rat8zTing
to your rourth question, hoH;ovor,no would obeorvo that
a UotoriIst,or any other dafandant, would have tho’prlvi-
logo of plesdiog not e;uilty if' ha should doeire et the
tima when ha should be cellid upon to pl0ad to the am-
plaint. Thie would bo truo notwithstaadlhg tha faot that
ho had tharetotora advised thet ha uxpootod to plird
guilty. Thantoro~, the mro faot tbat ho might 8tatr that
he lxpaoted to plea3 Guilty would not deprive tho proper
0rfiO0r8 or tho authority to 00~00 eubposneu to ieqo ror
witna8sa8 who mighb be nooasesry in the ovoat the motorist
should ohahga hie mind and aat0r a plaa of not guilty.
Undor euoh oiroumatahoae, tharofo:r, a ahergo for eub-
poanainr?witaaeeas would ba velid if auoh eUb&WWae should
be areoutad.
On Fobruaay 13, ‘1966, this dopartmant hold’ ,ia
a oonfareaoa opinion written by b’on.EL Grady Chandler and
Eon. Qileway Calhoun, rreietsate AttOrMy Oenoral, that
a mr81aeeow for rk1ab.a psuaa otfloar in allowad a roe or
ODI dollar is iOr ralaueing or disoharging a dofondant
iron tha ior and 0rr0ct or b Judguont au0 tha rue'18
allowad in all oaeae wbara a dofondant.i 6 ooavioted and
dieohargad hle fin0 and costs, whether undar a plaa ot
yuf;y or not guilty. ,:oquota frcm this opialon as hi-
The term ~raloaeo~ must ba ooaetrukd
aaoording to its ordinary moaning, xab8tar~e
Clationary defined reluaee as t'ollower
*'To lot loose eata; to sat Woo
l’rom roetraint; to give libarty to or to oat
at liberty! to lat go.'
*The diotioaary aleo gives tha word
fdieoharc:o*6s a synonym ror 'roleaeo'.
HonOrablO Homer OarriWn, Jr., YTap 8, 1939 ) P66. 6
-Arti 917 or the ccide.0r CrMnal,Yro-
oedure, ae heretOfore stat*d, pravid8r that
th6 Judgment or the juatloe oourt @hall reoltr
'that the derendant 18 to remain in ourtody Of
the rhrrir$ until the rim and ooatr lr 8 p a id.
Artlolerr 785, 787 and 793 provide ror enrobing
a Judgnmnt in all misd0meenor~,0880s and ark0
provloionlrror dlaoharglng the dstandant. The
term *rel,eass~ , thmwrore, ae wad in the foe
bill and aa doffnod la thr diotionary, se bo-
liovr , the aama aa *disoharger and .tho offiosr
who dlsOharg08 or r010aar0 a &rendant iromthv
roror an& otrgot ot a Judtpent'rerrtralnlng hlm
18 entitled to 00110ot the r00 of $1.00 for a
nl0aar. I\* th@ jUd@nrant ie tb MUM in 811
0~18 qf OonvidtiOn, whothor U&do??a plra Of.
guilty 0r.a ploo or not guilty, it roiiowr
tlirroforr,in every O(IW 8~ oftioer lr'antltlad
to l roe of $1.00 ror a rrleam. mat a io0.ir
not allowed ror 0 omtunitnontin every oa00 un-
lone the oourt 10 regulnl to oarnarlt the doton-
dent to jail in Uorsult 02 payment Of tha tills
and ooato or in the o~uut~ oourt tha dotmndant
might be Oomltted to 110rvea Jitllau&m00 0~00
though the rim 0nd ooots are)paid.”
It appttara that this oonrersnor op1~011 has
bren iOllOwod by this departmAt for mea-0 than ller0n
Parr; we are unable to rind any authority to the aon-
tI%ryl the o p iniolppsars
n to be baaed upon 6ound reason-
ing; ~0.thererore, approve and r0u0w thl8 opfnio+
You ar0 theroiOr0 reepotfully advised that
it ia tha opinion or thir department that 0 oh&r&e OS on6
dollar ror r0leese ia Y proper ohargs to bo tared a8
co&r against the dmmdaat when a pleu ot guilty ia 0x+
tend and thO fiar paid lumdlately artor th0 dutendant
18 notitird or tlm amount.and no oomaitment lr mado,
and that the oitiomr who dlsoharg8s or relaaser 0 do-
rrndant rrcm the roroo and erreot or 0 judeplunt raetrain-
lag him 18 entitled to oozloot the itbe0r.an0 dollar ror
a release.
This opinion,haa bean conrfdend la ooafareac8,
approved, nnd ordered reoorded.
CmtirLo0. thlw
P.TTCR?VSiY
l%2?itRAL
W T%XAS