Davenport v. State

574 S.W.2d 73, 1978 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1378
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 15, 1978
Docket56013
StatusPublished
Cited by94 cases

This text of 574 S.W.2d 73 (Davenport v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davenport v. State, 574 S.W.2d 73, 1978 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1378 (Tex. 1978).

Opinions

OPINION

ODOM, Judge.

This is an appeal from an order revoking probation. On January 19, 1971, appellant pled guilty to the offense of possession of a narcotic drug and his punishment was assessed at six years in the Texas Department of Corrections. Imposition of sentence was suspended and probation was granted, subject to certain terms and conditions. Among the conditions of appellant’s probation were that he commit no offense against the law, that he avoid injurious or vicious habits, and that he drink no alcoholic beverages and enter no place where such beverages are sold.

On September 3, 1976, the State filed a motion to revoke adult probation alleging:

“[Ojn the thirteenth day of August, 1976, in the County of El Paso and State of Texas, the said defendant, Johnny Davenport, did then and there unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly drive and operate a motor vehicle, to-wit: 1970 Ford Pinto upon a public road and highway in said State and County, while the said Johnny Davenport was intoxicated and under the influence of intoxicating liquor.”

A hearing was held on October 21, 1976, and the trial court denied the State’s motion to revoke. Subsequent thereto, on November 1, 1976, the State filed another motion to revoke adult probation alleging as grounds the same factual basis that was alleged in the September 3 motion.1

On December 22, 1976, after having heard the second motion, the court found the State’s allegations true and revoked appellant’s probation.

Double Jeopardy Issue

The first contention presented by the appellant is that Article I, Sec. 14, of [75]*75the Texas Constitution, and the United States Constitution’s Fifth Amendment guarantee against double jeopardy applicable to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibit the State from twice subjecting the appellant to a revocation of probation proceeding based upon the same alleged probationary violation and fact situation.2

At a revocation of probation proceeding, a defendant need not be afforded the full range of constitutional and statutory protections available at a criminal trial. Gag-non v. Scarpelli, 411 U.S. 778, 93 S.Ct. 1756, 36 L.Ed.2d 656 (1973). At such a proceeding, guilt or innocence is not at issue, and the trial court is not concerned with determining the defendant’s original criminal culpability. “The question at a revocation hearing is whether the appellant broke the contract he made with the court after the determination of his guilt.” Kelly v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 483 S.W.2d 467, 469. Also of significance is the fact that “. . . the result of such a hearing to revoke is not a conviction but a finding upon which the trial court might exercise its discretion by revoking or continuing probation.” Hill v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 480 S.W.2d 200, cert, denied, 409 U.S. 1078, 93 S.Ct. 694, 34 L.Ed.2d 667 (emphasis added.) “A probation revocation hearing is not ... a criminal prosecution.” Hill v. State, supra. It has been denominated as “administrative in nature.” Hill v. State, supra.

In interpreting the Double Jeopardy Clause embodied in Art. I, Sec. 14, Tex. Const.,3 this Court held in Johnson v. State, 73 Tex.Cr.R. 133,164 S.W. 833, “A person is in legal jeopardy when he is put upon trial, before a court of competent jurisdiction, upon an indictment or information . sufficient in form and substance to sustain a conviction, and a jury has been . impaneled and sworn to try the case,” at 834. See Thompson v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 527 S.W.2d 888. We are thus constrained to hold that the double jeopardy protections of both the Texas and Federal Constitutions do not apply to a proceeding wherein the result is deemed to be neither a conviction nor acquittal, see Barber v. State, Tex.Cr. App., 486 S.W.2d 352; a proceeding that is not considered to be a trial, “as that term is used and contemplated by the Constitution in reference to criminal cases . . .,” Wilson v. State, 156 Tex.Cr.R. 228, 240 S.W.2d 774, 776; Campbell v. State, Tex.Cr. App., 456 S.W.2d 918; a proceeding which is not considered to be a criminal prosecution, Hill v. State, supra, and is considered to be only “administrative in nature.” Hill v. State, supra.

In Bass v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 501 S.W.2d 643, cert, denied 415 U.S. 977, 94 S.Ct. 1563, 39 L.Ed.2d 873, we rejected the defendant’s contention that the revocation of his probation based “on the same evidence heard by the same court in denying a prior motion to revoke” violated double jeopardy protection. In that case, the testimony adduced at the first hearing was introduced again at a subsequent hearing to revoke, along with the information, judgment, sentence and mandate of affirmance of a conviction for misdemeanor embezzlement. The same offense was the subject of both of the State’s motions to revoke probation. In finding no double jeopardy violations, we cited Settles v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 403 S.W.2d 417, and held, “The allegation in a motion to revoke probation that probationer has committed a particular offense when the motion is heard by the court does not constitute jeopardy and will not bar a subsequent prosecution for such offense.” Bass, at 644.

In Breed v. Jones, 421 U.S. 519, 95 S.Ct. 1779, 44 L.Ed.2d 346 (1975), the Supreme Court held, “[T]he risk to which the [Double Jeopardy] Clause refers is not present in proceedings that are not essentially criminal.” Id., at 528, 95 S.Ct. at 1785.

[76]*76In light of the nature of the probation revocation proceeding, we hold that the double jeopardy protection of the Texas and United States Constitutions is not applicable.

Res Judicata Issue

The appellant next contends that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to dismiss the State’s second motion to revoke probation because the prosecution of the second motion was barred by the doctrine of res judicata. Appellant contends that the doctrine of res judicata applies even where a plea of double jeopardy would not lie, and further argues that public policy considerations would be violated if the State were allowed to relitigate after it has been once litigated and the issues finally disposed of.

“[R]es judicata is the doctrine that an existing final judgment or decree, rendered on the merits, without fraud or collusion, by a court of competent jurisdiction, on a matter within its jurisdiction is conclusive of the rights of the parties or their privies in all other actions or suits in the same court, or in any other judicial tribunal of concurrent jurisdiction, on points and matters in issue in the first suit.” Goldberg v. Goldberg, 425 S.W.2d 830, 831 (Tex.Civ.App., Ft. Worth 1968, no writ history). See also McGuire v. Commercial Union Insurance Co., 431 S.W.2d 347 (Tex.Sup.1968). Parr v. Parr, 543 S.W.2d 433 (Tex.Civ.App., Corpus Christi, 1976, no writ history).

It has also been held, however, that res judicata does not apply to administrative decision-making. See

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Darius Allen v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Ashlee Dunbar v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2020
Ex parte Ruiz
543 S.W.3d 805 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2016)
Doan, Ex Parte Dustin
369 S.W.3d 205 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Smith v. State
290 S.W.3d 368 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Lewis v. State
195 S.W.3d 205 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Guadalupe Guerra v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005
James Bryan Hampton v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000
Moore v. State
11 S.W.3d 495 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000)
State v. Rodriguez
11 S.W.3d 314 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Reynolds v. State
4 S.W.3d 13 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Duke v. State
2 S.W.3d 512 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
State v. Minor
981 S.W.2d 481 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
State v. Smiley
943 S.W.2d 156 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Ex Parte Poplin
933 S.W.2d 239 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Childers v. State
668 N.E.2d 1216 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1996)
Arnold v. State
920 S.W.2d 704 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Weed v. State
891 S.W.2d 22 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
State v. Epps
612 A.2d 391 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
574 S.W.2d 73, 1978 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davenport-v-state-texcrimapp-1978.