State v. Huffman

There is but one question before us, namely, did the Court of Appeals err in reversing the Court of Common Pleas for error in its general charge to the jury on the question of intent?

We have no common-law crimes in Ohio, neither is there common-law criminal procedure in Ohio. We do, however, recur to the common law at times to get whatever light it may give on the construction of criminal statutes.

The common law distinction between offenses mala in se and mala prohibita helps us none in this case. If the statute defining an offense in Ohio provides that it must be committed with a particular…