Opinion

Brown v. State

  • 366 S.W.2d 563
  • 1963 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 834
Court
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Filed
Apr 10, 1963
Status
Published
Author
McDonald
On the bench
McDonald
Cited by
1 cases
Authority
More cited than 60.9%

The opinion

McDonald, judge.

The appellant was convicted in the Corporation Court of the City of Houston for the offense of unlawfully possessing and having in his possession with intent to sell a food product, to-wit: fresh meats to which had been added benzoate, said benzoate being a substance not approved by the Director of Public Health of the City of Houston, Texas. Upon appeal in a trial de novo before a jury in County Criminal Court at Law No. 1, appellant was found *564 guilty and his punishment was assessed at a fine of $200.00.

The conviction was for a violation of Ordinance No. 2922 of the City of Houston.

The caption of this ordinance was introduced in evidence. It gives notice that a penalty for a violation thereof is provided, but that section of the ordinance which prescribes the penalty was not introduced. The State relied upon a general penalty provision, as evidenced by an excerpt from the 1942 Code of the City of Houston, Texas. This provision sets a maximum fine of $200.00, where no other penalty is specified.

We hold that before a general penalty provision of an ordinance may be utilized for a conviction, it is incumbent upon the State to show that a specific penalty is not prescribed.

This essential proof is lacking. Absent a showing of the lack of a specific penalty provision, this conviction cannot be sustained. Jones v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 354 S.W.2d 160 .

The judgment is reversed, and the cause is remanded.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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