United States v. William Scott Campbell

On November 13, 1969, after a jury trial in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada,- Las Vegas, appellant William Scott Campbell was found guilty of a violation of the Dyer Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2312 . His in forma pau-peris appeal to this court, which has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , raises but two issues: first, whether the trial court properly admitted into evidence certain statements made by appellant to an F.B.I. agent some 22 hours after his arrest by a Clark County Deputy Sheriff on state charges, and second, whether the trial court improperly denied appellant’s proposed instruction concerning the actions of the owner of the car after the car was found missing.

The evidence produced at trial shows that Clark County Deputy Sheriff Hickman received a phone call at approximately 5:00 p. m. on July 3, 1969, from the owner of the Mobile Station in Cactus Springs, Nevada. Deputy Hickman proceeded to the station, approached appellant who was standing beside a Ford Ranchero bearing Florida license plates, and asked him to produce some identification. Appellant stated that he had no identification. Hickman then asked appellant whether the Ford Ranchero was…