Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1941 )

OFFICE OF THE An’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
RonoralileWY,C. Ruffakor
county Attoraof
Lynn ccnmty
Tahoka, %xa#
Daar srr Oplnlon No. O-3912
Ror When l parson rlor to Juno,
was aoav!oted or &it-
19.941,
lng a motorrrhiolouadertbb
lafluanooof lataloatlng
llpuorand thhrroaitsr and
alao prior to Juuo, 19941 om-
Bitted the offense of Crjrinl
a mtor t~hlolo under the
Iaflueaoa 0r Intoxloetlng '
lIc;uor, mar ho now ba ladlot-
04 a n l idon 6nd tried In
the dlstrlot oourt?
ma 18 to 130kmil0dg0 rmipt 0r 00~ r800nt ta-
graE! In uhloh you propouml the puestlon stated abae.
Tha rtatutaIn &foot k!mdIatolypriorto tho
errootlve date or Bouse Bill No. 73 or the Fmty-•eteath
tcgi810tm ~08 mi0i0 802 or the Ptrm cod0 0r m~08 aa
amandod by the Aot8 OS the Yorty-,-iitth Legislature, 1937,
Chapter60, p. 108, rhloh boome lffo o tlva
on Varoh 22,
1937. 'Ibisstatute read as r0u03m
*Arti. 802. .4ny prrrop who drlres or
operates an lutcanobila or a4 other motor
rehiole upon any rtreetor alley, or an7 other
phoo wlthla the llmlta 0r 04 Inoorporeto4
oltf town or villago, or upon8x1~ puhllo road
or h&m, In thir Statewhile suoh !mroa 18
Iatox3oata6, or In my dagnr uador the‘ln-
rlueaao or intorioating Liquor shall upou boa-
rlotlon b6 001Uined12 the pdtentiar, rcr.
not,mom then two (2) years or be oanfinod
in the oamty jailr0r not ieats than rive (5)
H~&ab.la U. C. BiUS&ar, Pega 2
I .: cam nor core than Ilbatx (900) 6aya end rh0d
not leaa than Ylrt Dollars ($W) nor mora
than Fir0 Huadrd Lara ($500).*
PO proaume the abwr la tha atatutaundo]: wbioh the
coatlotion refemb to by you was obtained. Xi oarlicr.thrm
liaroh 22, 1937, offrotirodate of the e-8 quoted atp.tute,
the lo@ questIonaralaad herein nalfi ba the aaaa,alnoe
all statutoryoondrmtlon or thm orbs mdo the o ir ma e l
roloa rroa the earllost 1ogIal~tlan on the sub oat. Tee
Aota I 935, 44th Lag., lat C. C. ch. 426, 0. 1634; Art. 002,
1925 F?wIa~d Pinal Cod.; A&a 1423, 38th Log., 2nd C. -.,
Ch. 23, pa 56.
FUSS MU ~0. 73 or the 47th Lcgmt3t~ti, RS~U-
1U ~eaaI~t ~WIU# OfrOOtiW 011JUJO 17, 1961. Attorno~
tW~ral*a OpInlanNo. O-3740. By ltr prwlaiona, Artlob
802, Penal Coda, supra, was amended to read ati followat
~ArtIol* 802.
“Auy person who drltaa or oparataa an
8uttnaobIle or any other motor rehioleupon
any puU10 road or highway In this 'tats, or
upon any street or a 'log wlthln the 1kIta
or an lnoorporated olty,town or tlllab,
~Mla such parson is IntoxIorto4 or unCar
t!m Influonae OS intorloatlng liquor, shell
be 6uilty Or 0 -Iademtanor, Slid UpOn OOWiO-
tlon, ahall ba pamiabed by oonflnoment In
the County Jail ror not lea8 thsn tan (10)
days nor core than, two (2) pars, or by l
flno or not less than Fifty Dollars ($50)
nor mre than pin Rundrrd Dollara (SWO),
or by both suoh tins aa6 ImprIaommnt.w
Soctlon2 of said Houav Bill Ho. 73 oroatada new
irtlole of the Penal Code, and reads as iollowar
"!?oo.2. The4PM01 cod* or Toxaa or
1925 is amoad~d harrbr by midin a sow aeo-
~f~o~~,knowa as Astlola802b and nadlng
“‘ArtloU 802b.
@J*Anyperron who has been oontlotad or
th6 mladamoanor ofrena* or drlvbg or operat-
Eonorabla tl. C. Nuffakar, Paga 3
lng an lutmoblla or other motor rahlola
uporr any publlo road or hlghua la this
Cyata or upon any rtroat ae al f.8 y dthln
an Inwrpuratad altf, town or rlllaga,
uh:la lntaalortad or u&or the lnfluonoa
or lntoxloating liquor, and who ahhill thare-
ll’tar drlva*or operate aa lutmoblle or
o.thor motor tahlola upon auy pub110 road
or highway la thir rtata or upon say street
or ll1e.y ulthln tha liorita or UI Inoorpoxmtad
oltr, town or vlllaga, uhllr auoh parson
Ia'IntoxIoakd or underthe Influano@ of
In+&xIoatlag ‘Liquor, shall be gulltr of~a
felony, and upon oonvlotlon ba punI8hod by
oonflmmant In the paaltantIary ror an7
tam of years not loam than one (11 nor
more thau rlw (51.'" (Emphaaiaours)
ha hanlnabova pointed out, the offanaa of 6rIitIng
a motor vahlola wer and .upon ~8 pub110 hi&my, or atrmt
or an Inoorporatad olty or town, while under the Inrluanoa
or IntorioatIng liquor, has alwnya bean a felony in Texas
fzysm the tiria or the tlrat lagIalatIonon the subject until
the passage of Iiousa Bill Ko. 73, aupra. Artlole 802 as It
now stands beoauaa of the ameudmnt Inoorporated In liouaa
Bill No. 73, aupra, makes the oiianaa a nladaaraanor.ArtI-
olr 802b, lupra, does not ohanga thfa, but oreataa a naw
offsame, making it a felony to drive and operate a motor
+ahIola rhlla iatoxloatad, ato . , lpplloabla only to.8 ear-
son who has bean oontlotad oi the mIadmaanor oitanaa of
drlring and operating suoh vahIole uhlla lntosloataif, ato.
hm the aooond ottann ~rarrad to In yourbcio-
gram was apparently otxmlttad prior to June 17, 1941, tha
defendant would hava an llaotlon whether tc be triad under
A$t~la 802. as the artiols stood on the data or the of-
*aa our opinion Ho. O-3760, lnoloaed herewith. ‘b
bella~a that opinion will an8wer your questions In avant
auoh lxpraaa alaotlon should be tada by the :;urty War
IutaatlgatIon.
Iu this opieion wa hold that the new Artlola
802b wculd bwa no appllaatlon to one gcnrictad under the
felony atatutaa oondamnlng drunk drivers. III thb 8Vbnt Oi
Honorable :i . C. Nutfaker, Paf5a 4
an lx p r a a lalaotlon, we oan oonoalva (but la ianoy only) or
a oaatlotlun under &tlala 62 0r tha Penal Coda whloh.pro-
tides la@aaaodpuulahmant ror ao?ond oonviotion8tar 0
hlca%~, but auoli lppaara 80 rezzoqe m till. pratarmit a dla-
iuaalon or sama.
Tour question -10 lpaolflca1ly enawcrad that a
parson who, prior to &u&a 17, 19W. WI oonrlotad oi drlv-
lag a rotor vahlolauhlka under the Influanoa0r Intorl-
ootlng liquor and thcrcaftar and alao prior to June 17,
194l, cazultted the orrena@ of drlvlng a motor vehlola
whlla under the .lnrluanoa of intoxloatlng liquor, mcly ba
Indiotad by the grand jury; but ha niap be triad for a
.ralony in the dlctriot court only upon Cl6 llaotlon se
provided by Article13 or 15 or the ?onal Code, asi polntad
out In our rormur opInion,No. O-3710.
I$ oonnaotlonwith the ganaral aubjbot matter Cc
thla No. O-3740, w ;ilah to dlraot
opinlun,and .oplniolr
lttantlon to the root thut while in aoct coutti88 the
GIstriot oourt has original trial jurladlotlonof telonlaa
only and the ocunty court has original trial jur$adIotloa
In rdadansanor caaaa, the Constitution authorize8 the
LtgIalaturc to dlruat 8 county court 0r its crlmlnal @rLa- .
d&t:m-r,d to ooarar the aaxe upon the dlatrlct~ courtior
Tar Art1018 5, taotlolrs
8, 16, 22, Constltu-
tlm ot &caag Yore T. Xata, 9 Tax. Cr. Fr. 4061 Johaaon v.
Cteta, 26 Tax. Cr. ii. 395, 9 f. Y. 611. This hes bean
‘done lr aovaral. inetanC88; acd In oountlaa where the dla-
trlot court has had mIsCameanor JurIadIotIon duly oonferred ’
upon it, ttw ranwal or IndIctxcanta or treixter of the casts
would not only be unnaoaaaary but improper.
It hem. k:an suggested that the alaotlon or the
accuaod ahould be obtained, where oaac8 sre ~anaiamd,
rrar the dlatrlct oourt to the oounty court, before tha
order of transfer Is nada. In other wor’ds, that the dia-
trlet judge, barort transferring the ccac to the count8
oou&, should re@.re the accused to atste whether ha
w$mhad to be triad under the old law as pmvlded in Artl-
018 13, Penal Coda, aupra.
3’8 bUli@V@ this would be not only perminalble,
but the praferabla pmCtIO@~ It would enable the dlstrlct
court tc pro0606 st Cnoe ‘to trbi, in tht event aOCUS0d
O.K.
*.R.X.