OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honora bla Frank 11. Vanor
,County Attornay
Medfna County
Bondo, Taxar
Dear Sir:
YOU r~pum ror raoelvsd ?&d oaro-
fully oonsldsrad by this de ta rrom your I-e-
quest a8 follows:
to a 016 r0r
hold- an In-
quest aa pro 0r cod* 0r
Criminal Pro
the jurtlco or
mean8 0r travel to
ts tha oomtable to
%dra ror paying a physlolan ii
proridriror a ohrmloal analysis
ausa of death. Also, the law
uetlor may subpoena ritnrsaer and
sndanaa and indimctly this would
ramno* or a poaar olf~loer to
SWVI aubpoems, enioror ordrr, oto. at suoh hsar-
fns8
“The justlor of tha pram puts in hla bill
for 85.00 to the CommlasIonerr* Court and tha oon-
stable prrsrnts hIa bill also ror $3.00 he his tea.
Xould thr Cocaslsalonerr~ Court ba authorlzad In
paying tha oonrtablr ~hargr?~
Ron. Frank X. Vano8, pega 2
Artlolra 1053 and 1054, Vernon’s Annotatad Texas
Codr of Crlmlnel Frocrdurr , road as follara:
“Art. 1053. (1156) (11111 Inuusst ror
“A justice of the Maor shall br entitled, ior
an inquest, cn a drad body, Inoludfng orrtl?rIng end
returning the prooradlng to tha proper oourt, tha
8ucn of fir8 dollars, to bs pald by the County,
Khan an Inquert la held over tha -dead body of a
State psnIt*ntlary oonrlat, th4 State ahall pay
the Inquest lees allonsd by law of all officers,
upon thr approval of the account therefor by the
commlsaicuars oourt of the oounty I&which th8 in-
quest may be held and the aapsrlntrn~snt of prnl-
tsntiarle 9. (AotS 1876, pa 291; AOta 1883; pe 39;
Act6 ht c. s, 1917, p. 52,)
“Art. 1054.’ (1157) (1112) Fag ror lnqueat
*?.ny ofricer claIm.Ing pay for serriora man-
tloned in the prsordlng artlole ahall present to
the commissioners court of the oountf, at a regu-
lar tsm or suoh oourt, an aocount thrsror, verl-
fisd by the arridarlt or’suoh olaimant. Ii auoh
aocount b.0 found oorrrot th oourt shall order a
tirt to issue upon tha oounty treasurer In iaocr
of auoh claimant ior the amount due him. Suoh
account shall he. filed and kept in thr Off100 of
the oLunty clrrk,’
ConstruIn& Artlolq 1.053, V1 A.. C. C. P., this dr-
partint bald In an opinion written by Honorable Samoa N. Naff,
dated February 15, 1938, noorded In Vol. 380, pagr 187, Latter
Opinions of the Attorney General of Taxer, that tha justlor
of the peace was riot entitled to any allama for going to thm
place or inquest. In other words th8 $5.00. r4e 15 ror all or
his servloea.
X0 hat0 oarefully sxaalnod the atatatra and are un-
abla to find any statute authorlzlw or providing any oharaotrr
or fee or fees for a oonatable In Inquest pmoeedlngs. An
Inquart Is nslthar orImInaJ. nor a oIvI1 oaae. It is a
I)peoIal statutory proorrdlng. No achrdulr or rear for oon-
stable8 In Inquest prooredlnga Is set up by tha ltatutoae
Eelthor tha irea all0wrd oanatablra In criminal oases nor in
civil 08~~s are applloablo to tha aWOIa1 statutory PrOCO4d-
Ing or an inquast,
Hon. Frank X. Vanoa, page 3
Artlolo 1011, Vernon*s Annotated Texas Code of Cria-
Inal Froordurr, pr ovldsa that *no Itam of ooat shall be taxed
for purported aerrloe which ma not performed, or for a
service for whlah no far la axpraarly provided by law,”
SInoa
no far Is rxprrasly provided by law ror oon-
stables In Inquestprooeadlnga It is our oplnlon that the oon-
atabla would not be rntltled to any ima whatarer and that the
co.mlaaIonrra~ court of your oounty la-not authorlzrd to
the bill aubmittra by the oonatablr or any part thOIUOr~
Yours vary truly
A’PT(iFUGY G3KSNAi OF TZ4S
Bi (s) Sm. J. %nnIq
Aaaietant
::'JF:X
ViJF:pO
AFPROVlEDJUL 2, 1943
(a) Wm. J. Fanning
(Aoting) ATTORNEY C3XittiL
OF TEXAS
AEPROWD OPINION CGMXITTXB
sp (9) IYiiB, CEAlRkfAM