Com. v. Higgs, C.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 9, 2021
Docket2361 EDA 2020
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Higgs, C. (Com. v. Higgs, C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Com. v. Higgs, C., (Pa. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

J-A15015-21

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : CARLEN HIGGS : : Appellant : No. 2361 EDA 2020

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered November 16, 2020 In the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-23-CR-0004765-2017

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : CARLEN HIGGS : : Appellant : No. 2362 EDA 2020

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered November 16, 2020 In the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-23-CR-0000934-2016

BEFORE: BOWES, J., STABILE, J., and MUSMANNO, J.

MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.: FILED NOVEMBER 9, 2021

Carlen Higgs appeals from the November 16, 2020 order which revoked

his prior probationary sentences and imposed concurrent one-year terms of

probation with a restitution order of $170, payable to the Upper Darby Police

Department. At CP-23-CR-0000934-2016 (hereinafter “2016 case”), we

vacate Appellant’s sentence and remand for imposition of his June 25, 2019

revocation sentence. At CP-23-CR-0004765-2017 (hereinafter “2017 case”), J-A15015-21

we vacate Appellant’s sentence, vacate the finding of a probation violation,

and remand for a new probation revocation hearing.

In 2015, Appellant was arrested for a domestic dispute after he punched

his paramour while he was a passenger in a vehicle she was driving. Appellant

was charged with simple assault, recklessly endangering another person

(“REAP”), harassment, and disorderly conduct. On March 22, 2016, Appellant

entered a negotiated guilty plea to simple assault and REAP, in exchange for

a sentence of time served up to twenty-three months of incarceration and a

consecutive two years of probation. Appellant received 105 days credit for

time served and was ordered to pay court costs, complete mental health and

drug and alcohol evaluations, and comply with any treatment

recommendations as a condition of his probation.

On July 6, 2017, Appellant was taken into custody by the Upper Darby

Township Police for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and a Delaware

County bench warrant. While in custody, Appellant stripped off all of his

clothing, defecated in his cell, and smeared the fecal matter on the lens of the

surveillance camera and the walls of his cell. As a result, Appellant was

charged with institutional vandalism.

Appellant later entered a negotiated guilty plea for the 2017 institutional

vandalism charge. In accordance with the plea agreement, the court ordered

Appellant to serve two years of probation, to pay $170 in restitution to the

Upper Darby Police Department, and to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation

and follow the recommendations of the evaluation. Since Appellant stipulated

-2- J-A15015-21

that pleading guilty to institutional vandalism caused him to violate the terms

of his parole on the 2016 case, the court also held a parole and probation

revocation hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court revoked

Appellant’s parole and probation, resentencing him to serve 448 days of parole

back time for the simple assault and a consecutive two years of probation for

REAP.1 The probationary term was run consecutive to the parole back time,

but concurrent to the probationary sentence imposed in the institutional

vandalism case.

In 2019, Appellant entered a negotiated guilty plea for summary

disorderly conduct. This conviction caused Appellant to violate his parole and

probation in both cases again. On June 25, 2019, the trial court held a second

parole and probation revocation hearing. At the hearing, Appellant stipulated

to the violations of his two prior sentences of probation and parole, and the

court revoked both. For the 2016 case, the court ordered Appellant to serve

152 days of back time with immediate parole for the simple assault and a

____________________________________________

1 At the 2017 revocation hearing, the trial court revoked Appellant’s parole and anticipatorily revoked a sentence of probation Appellant had not yet begun to serve for the 2016 case. At the time, the long-standing precedent empowered trial courts with the ability to anticipatorily revoke probation sentences. See Commonwealth v. Wendowski, 420 A.2d 628, 630 (Pa.Super. 1980). Recently, this court disavowed Wendowski, holding that Pennsylvania sentencing courts lack the statutory authority to revoke a probationary sentence when a defendant commits a new crime before his probation has commenced. See Commonwealth v. Simmons, ___ A.3d ___, 2021 PA Super 166, 2021 WL 3641859 (Pa.Super. 2021) (en banc). However, since the 2017 revocation sentence is not before us and Appellant’s current sentence did not involve an anticipatory probation revocation, the Simmons holding is not implicated here.

-3- J-A15015-21

consecutive two years of probation. For the 2017 case, the court imposed a

new two-year term of probation and ordered Appellant to pay $170 in

restitution. As a condition of Appellant’s probation at both cases, the court

also ordered Appellant to pay court costs, follow the recommendations for an

updated drug and alcohol evaluation, and to enroll in mental health treatment.

On November 16, 2020, a third probation revocation hearing, which is

the subject of the instant appeal, was held for both cases. While Appellant

had completed his parole, the Commonwealth alleged that Appellant had

violated his probation by failing to pay his $170 restitution, by committing a

new crime, and for failing to comply with mental health treatment. Although

the Commonwealth presented no sworn witnesses to prove the alleged

violations, Appellant agreed that he had not paid any restitution. See N.T.

Revocation Hearing, 11/16/20, at 8. However, he did not agree that he was

guilty of violations in connection with his mental health treatment compliance

or that he had committed a new crime. Id. at 9-10. At the conclusion of the

hearing, the trial court found Appellant in violation of his probationary

sentences. At the 2016 case, the court issued a one-year term of probation

and ordered Appellant to enroll in intensive outpatient mental health and drug

and alcohol treatment, and to pay court costs. At the 2017 case, the court

issued a concurrent one-year probation sentence and ordered Appellant to

enroll in intensive drug and alcohol and mental health treatment and to pay

$170 in restitution.

-4- J-A15015-21

Appellant filed separate, timely notices of appeal and complied with the

trial court’s order to submit Pa.R.A.P. 1925 concise statements at each case.

The trial court issued its opinion. At Appellant’s request, we consolidated his

two appeals for review.

Appellant raises the following issues:

1. Was not the evidence introduced at the probation revocation hearing insufficient as a matter of law to establish a violation of probation inasmuch as the Commonwealth failed to establish any violation of any condition of probation?

2. Did not [A]ppellant’s original sentence imposed on October 17, 2017 ordering restitution in the amount of $170.00 payable to Upper Darby Police Department constitute an illegal sentence inasmuch as Upper Darby Police Department was not a proper victim under 18 Pa.C.S.

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Bluebook (online)
Com. v. Higgs, C., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-v-higgs-c-pasuperct-2021.