Coffey v. State

1951 OK CR 71, 235 P.2d 546, 94 Okla. Crim. 327, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 311
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 25, 1951
DocketA-11310
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1951 OK CR 71 (Coffey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coffey v. State, 1951 OK CR 71, 235 P.2d 546, 94 Okla. Crim. 327, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 311 (Okla. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinions

BRETT, P. J.

The plaintiff in error Odie W. Coffey, defendant below, was jointly charged by complaint with Roy Raymond May on April 28, 1949, in Rogers county, Oklahoma, with the crime of the larceny of an automobile, said automobile being a 1941 Plymouth sedan, Texas License, the personal property of C. M. Hopper. Appearing before W. 0. Boyd, justice of the' peace, on said complaint, the record shows “they waived everything, and they were both told of the charge against them and advised of their constitutional rights”, and that each of the said defendants entered pleas of guilty to said charge. Thereafter their bonds were set at $1,000 and they were bound over to the district court of Rogers county, Oklahoma.

On May 2, 1949, the defendant Odie W. Coffey was charged jointly with said Roy Raymond May by information in the district court of Rogers county, Oklahoma, with the larceny of the aforesaid automobile. On said 2nd day of May, 1949 said matter came on in open court on arraignment, and said defendants entered their pleas of guilty. Thereafter, it appears the defendants were sentenced by the trial court to terms of 5 years in the penitentiary under direction of commitment that the defendants be transported to the penitentiary and the warden was directed to confine the said defendants Coffey and May in accordance with said judgment. The judgment and sentence as to Odie Coffey appears in substance in the following form towit:

“The prisoner, the above named Odie Coffey, defendant, being personally present in open court and having been legally charged by information for the crime of larceny of an automobile and arraigned, and said defendant having been fully advised by the court of his constitutional right to be represented by counsel; and of his right to a trial by jury, and of his right of time to plead, and having waived the same entered herein his plea of guilty as charged in said Information and being asked by the court if he had any legal cause to show why judgment and sentence should not be pronounced against him, and he giving no good reason in bar thereof, it is the judgment of the court that the defendant is guilty.
“It is therefore considered, ordered, adjudged and decreed by the court that the said Odie Coffey be confined in the State penitentiary at McAlester in the State of Oklahoma for the term of five years, for said crime by him committed, said term of sentence to begin at date of incarceration * * *.
“It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed by the court that the Sheriff of Rogers County, State of Oklahoma, transport said Odie Coffey to the said penitentiary at McAlester in the State of Oklahoma and that the warden of said penitentiary do confine and imprison the said Odie Coffey in accordance with this judgment * * *.
[329]*329“Received the within Writ on the 4 day of May, 1949, and executed on the 4 day of May, 1949, by delivering Odie Coffey to Okla. State Penitentiary at McAlester, Okla.”

The case-made discloses there was no attack on the sufficiency of the information, that the trial court had jurisdiction of the defendant’s person and authority under the law to pronounce the judgment and sentence. Moreover the case-made discloses there was no motion for new trial filed at the proceedings on the plea of guilty, or permission granted by the trial court so to -do within 30 days after judgment, and before entry of judgment and sentence as provided in Title 22, § 954, O. S. A. 1941. It further appears that the defendant was delivered to the custody of the warden of the penitentiary on May 4, 1949, in whose custody he remained for 4 months and 17 days before this proceeding to vacate the judgment and sentence was instituted. The trial court, after evidence was heard on the motion to vacate the judgment overruled the same, and this appeal has been perfected for said Odie Coffey from said order. The judgment does not appear void on its face. The Attorney General contends that under such conditions the trial court was without jurisdiction to vacate the judgment and sentence and cites in support thereof Tracy v. State, 24 Okla. Cr. 144, 216 P. 941, wherein the rule as relied upon by the state is set forth in syllabus 3 as follows:

“Where judgment has been rendered and the defendant has suffered the penalty pronounced in the judgment in whole or in some substantial part, even during the term, the authority of the court rendering the judgment is at an end, and the trial court is without jurisdiction to modify, suspend, or otherwise alter the judgment, except to set aside a judgment void on its face as shown by the record.”

Moreover, he relies on Ford v. State, 80 Okla. Cr. 37, 156 P. 2d 633, and other authorities cited therein. But these cases are not controlling herein, for the questions raised therein were on a motion in arrest of judgment or on a motion to withdraw plea of guilty followed by a motion for new trial, both of which were interposed after judgment. The proceeding and the relief sought in the last 2 hereinbefore mentioned cases is not the same as sought in the case at bar, for herein, even though the judgment is not void on its face, the error complained of is fundamental. Herein the error complained of is the denial of the defendant’s constitutional right to the aid of counsel. If the contention is true, under such conditions the trial court lost jurisdiction and was therefore without jurisdiction to pronounce the judgment and sentence herein. The matter being called to the trial court’s attention by motion to vacate the judgment and within the 6 months time allowed for perfecting an appeal, Title 22, § 1054, O. S. A. 19-11, it was the duty of the court to inquire into the validity of its judgment, for such matter may be raised even at any time before the final completion of the judgment and sentence of the lower court. Ledgerwood v. State, 6 Okla. Cr. 105, 116 P. 202. And such questions may be raised in the trial court on motion to vacate the judgment if within the time for perfecting an appeal. But, of course, in order to perfect appeals involving errors of law arising in the trial such errors must be incorporated in a motion for new trial and submitted to the trial court before judgment. Ladgerwood v. State, supra. The trial court having made inquiry in the case at bar and having overruled the motion to vacate the judgment, the sole cmesliou, therefore, is, Does the record support the trial court’s action or does it disclose an abuse of discretion? An application to vacate and set aside a judgment and to withdraw a plea of guilty after judgment of conviction thereon is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. Moose v. State, 52 Okla. Cr. 206, 4 P. 2d 694. Such power is inherent in all courts of record. Bean v. State, 27 Okla. Cr. 228, 226 P. 115. [330]*330We are of the opinion that the theory that the trial court may have lost jurisdiction to pronounce judgment and sentence by denying the defendant his constitutional right to aid of counsel, does not find support in the record. The motion does not allege nor the facts support th.e proposition that the defendant was incapable adequately of making his own defense because of immaturity, youthfulness, ignorance, feeblemindedness, illiteracy or the like. Ex parte Cornell, 87 Okla. Cr. 2, 193 P. 2d 904; Ex parte Stinnett, 71 Okla. Cr. 184, 110 P. 2d 310.

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Related

People v. Coffey
430 P.2d 15 (California Supreme Court, 1967)
Johnson v. State
1953 OK CR 129 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1953)
Staley v. State
1953 OK CR 99 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1953)
Coffey v. State
1951 OK CR 71 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1951 OK CR 71, 235 P.2d 546, 94 Okla. Crim. 327, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coffey-v-state-oklacrimapp-1951.