People v. Smith

Defendant, Ernie Adolphus Smith, and his codefendant, Jessie James Lieser, were jointly charged with burglarizing the Hughes Electronics Company on May 26, 1961. They were also charged with three counts of forgery and one count of conspiracy to commit forgery. They were acquitted of the burglary charge and convicted on the other four counts. Smith has appealed from the judgment and sentence.

It appears that the premises of the Hughes Electronics Company were broken into during the night of May 26. Among the things stolen was a group of blank company payroll checks numbered from 325 to 400. The signature, E. E. Hughes, appearing on each of these checks was not the signature of Elroy Hughes of the Hughes Electronics Company. Also missing was a check bearing the number 106 and the genuine signature of E. E. Hughes.

On the afternoon of May 28, three of these checks in the amount of $71.42 each were passed at the Fox Market, 3024 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mayfair Markets, 8770 West Pico and Sav-On Drug Store, 3010 Sepulveda Boulevard. These checks were passed by defendant Lieser who was operating under the name of Traynum Edward Wade. He made small purchases in each of these stores,…