Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

- _ R-221 Hon. Homer D. Eck Opinion Ra. V-112 County Auditor Fayette County Rer Fees due a constable and La Grange, Texas a related matter. Dear Mr. Eck: Your request for ,an opinion of this Department is substantially as follows: "L,, " : 1':"!~ ~.,.) * "Fags+&8 Oounty has its oounty offioeri . on a salary basis and its precinct officers, suoh as the conetible end justioe of the peace, on a fee basis. One e? the constables arrested ,. a defendant in a forgory aaqe,,a~,,t,bta,n.broaght -'b him eto "the 'county jr$J.',' 1_ ,'&.,' : " + 1, .~.', I /i"$ : * /t,, 9,,r,*' '1flIn,view $P'the a&?+e iact$; ~&&II give me ,your opi,nio& on the”‘fbilowipg .qises,t,ienr9; “1. How much is the constable entitled to for making the arrest and committing the ‘, prisoner? ,~,i “2. Under the ‘above facts, what mileage ,i is the’ constable entitled to if he travels 8 ,I? ,: miles with the warrant to make the arrest and .b '* .’ 23 miles ,wfth the prfsener from the point af .;. i:: making ‘the ‘arrest tc the county jail ,,in his ,, :i own automobile? :, “3 o Does Article 1029’C.C.P. as amended by the 43rd Legislature entirely supersede the old Article 1029 C.C.P. sinoe the old Artiole 1029 C.C.P. gives more detailed fees for services performed by the officer? In other words, which Article are we to follow, the old Article 1029 C.C.P. or the new Artiole 1029 C.C,P. as amenaed by the 43rd Legislature in 1933?11 Article 1030 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides in part as f~ollows: Hon. Homer D. Xck, Page 2, V-112 “In each county where there have been cast at the’ preceding presidential election less than 3,000 votes, the sheriff or constable shall re- osive the following fees when the charge is a felony: *. 0 . provided, that in counties that have a population of less than forty thousand inhabitants, as shown by the preceding Federal census, the following fees shall apply: For ezeouting each warrant of arrest or oapias, or for making arrest without warrant, when auther- iced by law, three dollars and fifteen cents fcr eaoh mile actually and neosssarily traveled in gaing to glaoe or armat, and far ookt~eping prisoners to jail, mileage a8 provided rer in subdivision 4 shall ba allowed;. e . n. . a “4. For removing a prisoner, for each mile going and ooming, including guards and all other expewes , when traveling by railroad, tan aents; whan travellag otherwise than by railroad, fltteen oente; provided, that when more than one prisoner is semoved at the same time, in aaditirn to the foregsing, he shall only be allawed ton crnta a mile for eaoh edditlonal prisoner.* Pursuant ta the established departmental TUIW of tit&S office and the Comptrollerla offiea, Artiiols 3 10 Q, applies to all counties having a population 0r 10114s tbaa 40,066 inhabitants according to the pMeading Tad- oral census regardless of the number of votes oas$ at the preoeding presidential electlo& Faystrid, Ds,anty has a pepulation or less than 40,000 inhabitanta; thrrefors, ;$l..l. 1030 is applioable to that county agd fta earn- 0 Article 1020, C.C.P., provides, in part, as r0iiOws: *$herlffs and Constables serving preassa and attending any examining oourt in the ex- amisation of may releny ease, shall bo antitled to such fees a8 are fixed by law fox similar services in misdemaamar oaees in gstnnty Boart t@ be paad by the State, not ta exoasl Fear and Mo/lO@ ()e.OO) Dollars in any @BE,ease, raPl Hon. Homer D. Eok, ,Page ,3, V-112 mileage actually and nedesaarily traveled in going to tha plaos of arrest, and ror ewirey~~~ the prisoner or prisoners to jail a8 pravfdatl in Articles 1029 and 1030, Code of Criminal Pxv- oedine, as the ,faots may be, but no mileage whatever shall be paid for summoning or attaoh- lng witnesses in the oounty where cat30is pending. Provided no sherirr or oonstable ahall, rueeivr . rros the State any ld&itional ai.leag8 ror ‘hay subsequent arrest ai a derendant in the same ease, ore in any other ,oasp in, an examining boar% ‘or in any distriot oourt..based upon the same oharge 6~ up- on, the ‘same criminal a&., or growing out of, the safne criminal transaction, ihether the arrest is made with or without a warrant, or bei6re.or after indict- ment, and in no eraht shall he be .allewd to dupli- oate his reea ror dIeage r0r natking crreste;~fith’ or without warrant, or when twe or. Bmre ~*arrantta of arrest or oapieses are served or ooald hard bean served on the same defendant on. any one day.7 In answer to your riw paotual situation, we are herewith enclosing a copy OS Opinion Do. O-2574, ren- dared ‘by this Department on August 3, 1940. Those fees allowed in miedemsanor cm808 (Artiole 1068, C.C,P.) may be taxed, b&may net exceed Foar ($4.00) Dollars, to- gether with nileager In your second taotu81 81tuat1ent it is the opinion of this Department that the ooastible would be entitlpd t0 riifera (15#) 0m5 per 8ile r0r,th6 d*t tiles, traveled, to the plabe of lrsust and a’total or’ thirty (306)’ osnte er 811e for r&arming said priaoa- or to the oounty ja E 1; rirtm (1!5#) oeatu ror ,the or- rioer and rirteen (15d) aents ror the’p’riaoner ,ror erah mile actually and neoessrrily tY!atsleil when travel1 private oenveyanoe 0 (Binford vao Ilbbinaoa, 244 8.W.30;3 ” Rowena?, when traveling b nil or btw, the, Wnsfable would be entitLed to ten 7 lO#) oents per mile for each mile going.ana ooming and ton (lo+!) o(lnts par able ?or +urn+ig said prisoner. Inasmuoh as it is the ruling of t,hfa office that your- bounty la rerned by fhe:praris~ions of Arti- cle ,103o, C*,C.P., a Tlsa~sion or your thir& raotual~ situation ,is not deemed neosssary, surri0e it to say, the Legislature, in ,1933, 43rd Legislature, dhapter W, page 144, only amended Section 5 of Artiole 1029 or the Codes of Uriminal~ PEaoedure 0 one or iwre 0r the Artiolen Hon. Homer D. Eck, Page 4, V-112 or Seotions of an Act may be amended without reenaating the entire statute. (39 Texo Jura, pe 127). - 1. The fees due and awing a aonstable performing servioss on a fee basis in Fayette County, whose population is less than 40,000 inhabitants according to the preoeding Federal Oensus, are gcverned by the provisions of Ar- ticle 1030, 1020 and 1065 a? the Code ef Crlm- inal Prooedare, 20 A constable in Fayette Oounty, whose population aocording to the preceding Federal Census is less than 40,000 inhabitants, would be entitled to fifteen (15#) cents per mile for the eight miles traveled to the place of arrest and a total of thirty f30#) cents per mile rer returning said prisoner to jail: IS+! for the of- ficer and 15# ior the prisener for eaoh mile ad- tually and neoessarily traveled when traveling by private aonveyanae, (Binford vs. Robinson, 244 9-W. SO7.) Yours very truly ATl!ORl0!L!?O5S5lULOFTEEAS lurnell Weldrep APPROVED MAR. 26, 1947 iiikdddulyp A'Y!TOIRGIbm BW:djm:jrb