Commonwealth v. Lamb

15 Pa. D. & C.3d 739, 1980 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 407
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Adams County
DecidedJune 5, 1980
Docketnos. CC-80-79; CC-107-79
StatusPublished

This text of 15 Pa. D. & C.3d 739 (Commonwealth v. Lamb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Adams County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Lamb, 15 Pa. D. & C.3d 739, 1980 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 407 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1980).

Opinion

SPICER, P.J.,

— Defendants were found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to commit robbery. The cases were consolidated for trial without objection August 6, 1979. The jury found both defendants not guilty of robbery. Both defendants have filed post-verdict motions.

Defendants were convicted on the testimony of an accomplice, Brenda Ramos. She said she entered the Lincoln Dinerin the early morning of December 5, 1978. The diner is on Carlisle Street in Gettysburg, about one block north of the town square. Intersecting with Carlisle Street at the square is U.S. Route 30, which is called York Street east of the square. She testified she pointed a handgun at the cashier in the diner and attempted to obtain money.

As a result of whatever she did, Ms. Ramos was arrested and charged with robbery. She pled guilty to robbery April 11, 1979. At the time of trial she had not yet been sentenced.

[741]*741Defendant Lamb was arrested March 16, 1979, and defendant Schenk was arrested April 4, 1979. Both defendants remained in jail until trial. The complaints in each case were filed March 14, 1979. Defendants’ pretrial motions consisted of a request for a reproduction of the record relating to Ms. Ramos’s sentencing and timely motions to dismiss under Pa.R.Crim.P. 1100.

A criminal trial term was scheduled to begin June 18, 1979 by the Adams County Court calendar. On June 15, 1979 a motion to consolidate the cases for trial was filed and a hearing was scheduled for August 6, 1979. Also on June 15, 1979 a petition was filed requesting an extension of the time in which trial could be commenced under Rule 1100. The hearing on that petition was also set for August 6, 1979. The basis for the request was judicial delay.

The trial schedule for the June fist was filled with other cases. Neither of these cases was scheduled for that term. The case was tried September 19, 1979 at the next available term. Trial terms in 1979 were established each month except for July, August, and December. According to the court’s calculations, the run date on these cases was September 10, 1979.

On August 6, 1979 defense counsel stipulated that all cases scheduled for trial prior to this had a run date as soon or sooner than defendants’ cases. The district attorney represented to the court that he was ready to proceed prior to the run date and no evidence, other than that representation, was taken. The extension was granted.

These consolidated cases were not the only cases in which Rule 1100 hearings were held. As the transcript of the proceedings of August 6, 1979 indicates, there was reference to other proceedings:

[742]*742“THE COURT: Do you wish to produce any evidence as to the issue of due diligence, Mr. Hartman, or are you relying on your prior argument?

“MR. HARTMAN: I am relying upon the prior argument that the term system would indicate that the evidence would be that I would be prepared to go to trial at the time but there were no trial dates. Therefore, I’m arguing that the Commonwealth is prepared to go to trial but in the September term which is the basis for the motion.”

While reviewing the transcript of another case, Com. v. Conjalko, 14 D. & C. 3d 61 (1980), the court determined that it may have curtailed the Commonwealth’s opportunity to produce evidence. Because the proceedings in that case and in these consolidatd cases all occurred as part of the stream ofbusiness on August6,1979, the court determined it should order a supplemental hearing. This it did on January 30, 1980. The order was enterd pursuant to such holdings as Com. v. Groarke, _ Pa. Superior Ct. _, 409 A. 2d 870 (1979).

Defendants have objected to the hearing. They have argued that allowing the Commonwealth to present evidence well after the 180 day period amounts to a nunc pro tunc granting of an extension. However, cases condemning such action have involved situations in which the Commonwealth has not filed a request in a timely manner: Com. v. Royer, 256 Pa. Superior Ct. 361, 389 A. 2d 1165 (1978) (citing authority at p. 1166).

Perhaps this court relied too much upon its own firsthand acquaintance with the trial schedule for terms preceding September. Perhaps we were too old fashioned in relying upon the district attorney’s representation that the Commonwealth was ready to proceed. The court believed that the hearing held [743]*743August 16, 1979 could be short and to the point and that we could rely upon our knowledge and confidence in the integrity of officers of this court.

In reviewing this case we believed that our reliance upon such trust and judicial knowledge may not be understood at the appellate level. Therefore, we ordered a supplemental hearing and do not feel it was error to do so.

Because of the unavailability of defendants the supplemental hearing was not conducted until April 16,1980. At this hearing, the district attorney gave sworn testimony that all possible trial dates in terms prior to September, 1979 were filled with other cases.

In arguments following the supplemental hearings, defendants have alluded to the use by the Commonwealth of pre-printed form petitions. There is'nothing wrong with the use.of form petitions so long as facts are produced of record justifying an extension: Com. v. Miller, _ Pa. Superior Ct. _, 411 A. 2d 238 (1979).

Defendants concede that the Commonwealth is entitled to an extension if it can show the unavailability of a courtroom and of a judge and a crowded court docket which would prevent the Common-' wealth from, bringing defendants to trial: Com. v. Cimaszewski, 261 Pa. Superior Ct. 39, 395 A. 2d. 931 (1978); Com. v. Waldon, 259 Pa. Superior Ct. 129, 393 A. 2d 751 (1978); Com. v. Royer, supra.

This concession should end the argument. The court takes judicial notice of the court calendar and trial schedules prior to the term in which defendants were tried. It has been stipulated that all cases scheduled for trial prior to defendants’ cases had run dates earlier or the same as defendants’ cases.

However, the argument is not ended. It is suggested that the district attorney should control [744]*744the court calendar to make delay impossible. Citing the holding which foreran Rule 1100, Com. v. Hamilton, 449 Pa. 297, 297 A. 2d 127 (1972), defendants suggest that the purpose of the rule is to stimulate change in the manner in which cases are scheduled. Therefore, they argue that these cases should have been tried even if ,it entailed adding more criminal terms to the court calendar.

Rule 1100 does not require such perfection in our opinion. It does not give defendants an unqualified right to be tried within 180 days. Extensions can be granted for judicial delay. If requests for extensions could be resisted by demanding more judges and more courtrooms and/or moré trial terms, there would never be any extensions. There are two courtrooms in our court, but only one judge. Visiting judges are not easily obtained in the summer months. This court had previously expanded criminal trial terms from four times yearly to nine times yearly in 1979. The calendar wás full and we do not think it was error to have granted the extension to the Commonwealth.

Lamb gave notice of intention to present an alibi defense on August 21, 1979. Some time prior to that, each defendant had requested pretrial discovery under Pa.R.Crim.P. 305. Each requested the names and addresses of all eyewitnesses.

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Related

Commonwealth v. Cimaszewski
395 A.2d 931 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Commonwealth v. Proctor
385 A.2d 383 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Commonwealth v. Waldon
393 A.2d 751 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Commonwealth v. Groarke
409 A.2d 870 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
Commonwealth v. Royer
389 A.2d 1165 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Commonwealth v. Miller
411 A.2d 238 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
Moncrief v. City of Detroit
247 N.W.2d 783 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1976)
Commonwealth v. Hamilton
297 A.2d 127 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
15 Pa. D. & C.3d 739, 1980 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-lamb-pactcompladams-1980.