People v. Christman

WOOD, J.

Defendant was convicted at a jury trial on two counts charging petty theft, it being also charged that he had suffered a prior conviction of petty theft and also that he had previously been convicted of a violation of the State Narcotic Act. He appeals from the judgments of conviction and from the order denying his motion for new trial.

Early in the afternoon of October 30, 1939, defendant drove to the gasoline service station operated by Walter M. Rapp on Lincoln avenue in the city of Pasadena and purchased two gallons of Economy gasoline. Upon receiving the gasoline defendant handed Rapp a ten dollar bill. Rapp went into the station and rang up the sale on the cash register. As defendant received the change, $9.69, defendant told Rapp that the change was too much, that he had given him only a one dollar bill. The change given to defendant consisted of a five dollar bill, four one dollar bills and sixty-nine cents in coins. Defendant reached in his pocket, took out thirty-one cents in coins and handed the bills, with the exception of the five dollar bill, and one dollar in coins to Rapp, who returned to him the ten dollar bill. Rapp testified that he did not count the change at that time “because he interrupted me and asked about a fan belt for a Ford 8 and asked me if I had one and the price of it”. Rapp looked up the price of the fan belt and defendant said that a young lady would bring the Ford to get the belt. Another customer drove in and Rapp placed the money on the edge of the cash register. Defendant then drove away. After he had waited on the new customer Rapp counted the money and discovered that he was five dollars short.

The evidence concerning the transaction which is the subject of the second count is quite similar to that concerning the first count. Shortly after the transaction with Hr. Rapp defendant drove to the service station operated by Edward H. Nightingale on Colorado street in Pasadena and purchased one gallon of Indian gasoline. He handed Nightingale a ten dollar bill and falsely induced him to believe that he should return as change the sum of five dollars more than was

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actually due. Nightingale testified that “the money changed hands about four different times, and then when it was over, and I turned my back to him, he says, ‘Where is that five dollars?’ and I says, ‘What five dollars?’ And he says something to the effect that he still had five dollars coming to him, and I was quite sure that he didn’t have, but I was rushed at the time; the station was full of people, so I had— after a certain amount of hesitation I went to the register and gave him another five dollars”.