644 S.W.2d 488

Ex parte Claude Oliver WHITE.

No. 69053.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, En Banc.

Jan. 26, 1983.

*489Claude Oliver White, pro se.

Robert Huttash, State’s Atty. and Alfred Walker, Asst. State’s Atty., Austin, for the State.

OPINION

CLINTON, Judge.

This is a postconviction habeas corpus proceeding pursuant to Article 11.07, V.A.C. C.P. The attack is upon a January 13, 1976 conviction in Harris Court for credit card abuse, allegedly used for enhancement in a subsequent conviction by a district court in Potter County.

Applicant contends the indictment purporting to allege an offense of credit card abuse is fatally defective. In pertinent part those allegations are that on a given date in Harris County applicant did:

“with intent to fraudulently obtain property and services, present ... a Gulf Oil Company credit card .. . without the effective consent of the Complainant, knowing that the credit card had not been issued to the Defendant ...”1

V.T.C.A. Penal Code, § 32.31 is the applicable statute. Under its § (b)(1)(A) a person commits an offense if:

“(1) with intent to obtain property or service fraudulently, he presents ... a credit card with knowledge that:
(A) the card ... has not been issued to him and is not used with the effective consent of the cardholder ...”2

While the indictment alleges that applicant presented the card knowing that it had not been issued to him, it does not allege that he did so with knowledge that it was being used without the effective consent of the complainant. Thus, the essential element of knowledge was not applied to both matters. An identical indictment, except for names, was held fundamentally defective by this Court in Ex parte Sharpe, 581 S.W.2d 183 (Tex.Cr.App.1979), granting relief by ordering dismissal of prosecution under the faulty indictment. Accord: Baker v. State, 593 S.W.2d 719 (Tex.Cr.App.1980).3

Therefore, habeas corpus relief is granted, and the judgment of conviction in Cause No. 238,871 in the 209th Judicial District Court of Harris County is vacated and the prosecution under that indictment dismissed.4

It is so ordered.

TEAGUE, J., not participating.

Ex parte White
644 S.W.2d 488

Case Details

Name
Ex parte White
Decision Date
Jan 26, 1983
Citations

644 S.W.2d 488

Jurisdiction
Texas

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