OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
,Awc.-
.amm aDI-
Eonorabla J . P. Bryan
county vttonug
ma zoria county
aqlotoa, Texee
wo haro Oard
by you In your reoent 1
a prrrum ml& be prop
iag 8rr*st* under a given . #‘aq u o te l p o r tio n
of your letter:
ith him when
0r 0th8r people,
ad the prlscumr
0 140150 amI ran,
tlm offloer not to
of th8 Penal Cod. of Texal),1935, reda
h.rA, 9erson aha11 wllnlllr OPRu8@ or
rssiat en ortioar in ex*auting or attrmptuag
to exeoute any lawful *drru%t for the arrerrt
of another PerlBOllIn a mh4owanor oam. or
In arrest&G or attemtine to a**8t aai mc-
aon wit&out a warrant, wlmro the law author-
har or raauuiree tha erreat to be m&U with-
out tt WuTant , ha shail~ be ruta not ioar
panorabl.J. 3. Bryaa, Pa&p 8
aanq t&an twenty-flve nor maw than five hundred
-- dollars, and if arm be web, be f laed not
less than rlrtr
nor more than one thousand
1.~ dollars.* (mId.roooriagours.)
The above statute oontalno two elau8e0, on. for-
bidding aal perma to oppose or reOl8t an offioor In exeout-
lng or attempting to exeout. a lawful warrant for the arrest
of *another perllon;"the oth.r make. it a mi.d.a..uorto
wl3Xuay ogp000 or raslet an orrloer in arresting or attempt-
ing to arroet *any peraon” without a rarrclnt where the law
authoriaeo or requires the arrest to be rade without a war-
rant, aad t& latter phase applleo wh4re luoh arrest is either
for a felony or ai4demanor. Se. 3ootloa 914, Branoh iau. P.
c. p. 309.
Artiole 341 of tb8 Pens1 Cod0 doflaeo bpn ofienw of
the aoouoed resisting arrest bao.6 oa a lepl warrant, but
the only peml provlaloa oonduaa5.ng oae re.latfogarrest
without warrant lo aontained in mttole 339, aupra. mat a
proseoutloawould lie in a proper oaoo uador ouch $.rtlolo
3%. even when the ottlam lo oppo4.d or re8ist.d by the ea-
awed ratbsr tlaa SOW wothar per8on* is dl.olooed by a oareful
nadln(i of the oa.4. of k?oodward v. state, St3 Tax. cr. 8. 4lE,
1M S. B. 371; liarteesv. Ytate, 8% Tax. Cr. R. 519, 109 S. W.
OS4 and L.. v. Stat., 43 Tex. Cr. 8. 04, 74 S. Vs.88. The
r&ht OS the offloerto make the arrest xlthout rsrrant pp(lot
olearly appear and bo properly alleged in the lndiottmnt or
lafommtloa and coaplalnt. &rl.ao v. State, oupra; Shaw v.
State, 113 Tax. Cr. Ii.160, 18 3. &. (3d) 688.
In the 0.8. of Lo. v. State, oupra, the defendantwa.
ohmgob with resisting an ortfaer, tin iaato lkmwlq aeveral
p4rtieo h&d beon giambling,that the ofiiaer aneetod on. of
th4a and 8tart.d to leave th. protines, hvlag proo4.d.d a
short dletanao when hs deaided to mmroh hla prisoner. Dafead-
ant lntorosd.6on behalf of tE* prf4on.r, throwln$ the offlorr
to th. sound and taking hi. pl.tol. The aovrt said tb arreet.
wa. an illsgl on4 and also held th. ooaplalat and iniommtion
d.r4ctlvo, but furttmr held the lvldeno. iasufficiont oayimgt
"l * * Ii tM.8 t.otfsP~ b4 tlw., it
show. that t'heprlooa4r having trouble tith
'mnlinooa bad already been placed uador arrest
in 40 tar as to oon~~lywith th4 0rri04r*0 rob-
quest, aad had aooomp*nled hla oonm di&snOo.
If there was aa arroot at all w&OP the Ofr-
oumtmmoe, lt ha4 been aaaompliahod.*
Honorable2. P. Brycan,Page 3
iVhll4we have haroln dleoues4dthe offerme of
"realstingarrest*, under the authority of the Leo oase,
we do not thln& the ematwhile prisoner of pour orrlaer
ootid b4 suao444rullypro44outedrm suah orren44. Uador
pour stat4 of faote, it appara the arr44t h4d alreadr
been perfootrd,and tha proper prooedurofor the officer
to take would be to file 00.tboae aiding the prlaonor to
44oap4, under the provlalons0r Article 330, Pen81 code.
The pertinent part of t&it statute reeds no follows:
%hoever wllfull~ aids a prisoner to
ercape froa the custody of an offiaer * * *
while being detained in austody on an aeouoa-
tlon for slndemanor, by doing an ast aaloulated
to 4rr40t that obfeat, shall be fad not OX-
oesding rive hundred dollara; and if lo aiiliag
in the esoape he &all lPaka us4 of arms, he
nhaU be fined not exoeedlngone thouaaad dol- .
lar4."
In construing thfe statute the court of Crliiifnal
Ippealr in the oaae of kWmmn v. iX&te, 44 Tax. Cr. R. 463,
72 'j.vt.l&4, hae Bald:
*A person is said to be *noawed of au
off4ns4 frolgth4 tla4 that any *ariminalao-
tlon* ahall have bean eoamenood a&ainot him.
A legal arrest wlthout wartiant;a oomplalnt
LO a 0agl4tratO; a WaXTMt lO@.ly 14OU4d;
and indictsent,or an information,are all
exeinpleoof ~aaoueatioal,aaa a person pro-
coedeelagainat by either of tho44 Lo said to
be * aoaueed’ “.
The "eaoapo* effected by the pereon under arrest
~44 not 1x1it44i.ia violation or poeftlve law for which he
Gould bo ouaceesf ully proaeout4d. Veal 1. State, 36 Tax.
Cr. R. 2E0, lu) S. W. 1731 17 Tar. Jur. 38.
Frm your otateawnt of the care it la not alear
what,XSM~ wea used by the prisoner kn makiug eood his eaoape.
If the 11111fact4 develop the e8eential elomenta of an a48ault.
the proscautioncould wall be for aggravatedassault UrraW
the flret paragraph of xrtlole 1147, Penal Codo, whioh pro-
vides t&t an amault booome4 aggravated *when oomlttcrd UpOn
0frlOer in th4 lawful dlsoharge 0r the dutir4 or hle or-
LzIl
floe. if it was imown or deolared to the offendor that the .,
Honorable J. P. Bryan, Pay 4
pertsonassaulted was an oftioer disehnFgingtinofficial
duty.-
Trustfng the abors setlefnotorllyermmrs y0iU
inquiry, *e arta
BY n&ueln Boodell
A68i8tlUlt
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion