Ex parte Mann

89 S.W.3d 296, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 7584, 2002 WL 31387755
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 24, 2002
DocketNo. 2-01-417-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 89 S.W.3d 296 (Ex parte Mann) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex parte Mann, 89 S.W.3d 296, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 7584, 2002 WL 31387755 (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

OPINION

TERRIE LIVINGSTON, Justice.

This is an appeal following the trial court’s denial of Dennis Wayne Mann’s (“applicant”) request for habeas corpus relief. He claims that his reindictment on possession of a controlled substance violates his right against double jeopardy and that the State is collaterally estopped from prosecuting him. Mann argues that the previously adjudicated pre-indictment delay violation operates as a dismissal and that legislative changes to the code of criminal procedure, articles 32.01 and 28.061, do not operate to override his Fifth Amendment due process protections. We affirm.

I. Facts

Applicant was originally arrested on February 13, 1999 and charged with possession of a controlled substance. After two terms of the grand jury for the 30th District Court in Wichita County, the State had not indicted him. Applicant filed an application for writ of habeas corpus seeking to have the indictment dismissed. The State indicted applicant before the hearing [298]*298on the application. The trial court found that the issue was moot and denied applicant’s requested relief.

On appeal, this court reversed the trial court’s order denying habeas relief and remanded the case to the trial court to dismiss the indictment because good cause for the delay was not shown by the State to continue prosecution. Ex parte Mann, 34 S.W.3d 716, 719 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2000, no pet.). Less than three months later and without appealing this court’s decision, the State indicted applicant again for similar drug possession charges; however, this time the State added an “intent to deliver” allegation to the possession charge. See Tex. Health & Safety Code ÁNN. § 481.112(a), (b) (Vernon Supp.2002). The State also added an enhancement count that alleged Mann committed the offense within 1,000 feet of a school. See id. § 481.134(d)(1).

Applicant then filed an application for writ of habeas corpus arguing that rein-dictment of possession of a controlled substance violated his right against double jeopardy and that the State was collaterally estopped from prosecuting the offense. The trial court heard his application, but denied relief. This appeal followed.

II. Standard of Review

Generally, a trial court’s ruling in a habeas proceeding should not be overturned unless there is clear abuse of discretion by the court. Ex parte Ayers, 921 S.W.2d 438, 440 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1996, no pet.). The court abuses its discretion if it acts without reference to any guiding rules or principles. Montgomery v. State, 810 S.W.2d 372, 380 (Tex. Crim.App.1990). “[A]n abuse of discretion review of trial court decisions is not necessarily appropriate in the context of the application of law to facts when the decision does not turn on the credibility or demeanor of witnesses.” Ex parte Martin, 6 S.W.3d 524, 526 (Tex.Crim.App. 1999). In this situation, an appellate court must conduct a de novo review when “the trial judge is not in an appreciably better position than the reviewing court to make that determination.” Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85, 87 (Tex.Crim.App.1997).

In this case, the facts are uncontested; therefore, we will conduct a de novo review. See Martin, 6 S.W.3d at 526 (stating that the court would conduct a de novo review because the facts were uncontested).

III. Discussion

A. Double Jeopardy

In his first issue, applicant argues that his previously adjudicated pre-indictment delay operates as a dismissal and that legislative changes to the code of criminal procedure articles 32.01 and 28.061 do not operate to override his Fifth Amendment due process protections.

Article 32.01 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure currently reads as follows:

When a defendant has been detained in custody or held to bail for his appearance to answer any criminal accusation before the district court, the prosecution, unless otherwise ordered by the court, for good cause shown, supported by affidavit, shall be dismissed and the bail discharged, if indictment or information be not presented against such defendant on or before the last day of the next term of the court which is held after Ms commitment or admission to bail or on or before the 180th day after the date of commitment or admission to bail, whichever date is later.

Tex.Code CRIM. Proc. ANN. art. 32.01 (Vernon Supp.2002). In 1987, the legislature amended article 28.061 to make it applica[299]*299ble to article 32.01. The amended version of article 28.061 stated the following:

If a motion to set aside an indictment, information, or complaint for failure to provide a speedy trial is sustained, the court shall discharge the defendant. A discharge under this article or Article 32.01 of this code is a bar to any further prosecution for the offense discharged and for any other offense arising out of the same transaction....

Act of June 1, 1987, 70th Leg., R.S., ch. 383, § 1, 1987 Tex. Gen. Laws 1885, 1885. (emphasis added). However, the legislature amended article 28.061 again in 1997 and deleted the reference to article 32.01. Act of May 12, 1997, 75th Leg., R.S., ch. 289, § 1, 1997 Tex. Gen. Laws 1304, 1304 (current version at Tex.Code Crim. Proc. ANN. art. 28.061 (Vernon Supp.2002)); Ex parte Seidel, 39 S.W.3d 221, 224 (Tex.Crim.App.2001).

Prior to the 1987 amendment to article 28.061, courts held that there was no right to dismissal with prejudice for article 32.01 violations. Ex parte Knight, 904 S.W.2d 722, 725 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1995, pet. refd). Nothing barred the State from reinitiating charges after the trial court had dismissed under article 32.01. Id.; see Ex parte Barnes, 959 S.W.2d 313, 320 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 1997, pet. dism’d) (stating that before its 1987 amendment, a dismissal under article 32.01 did not prevent further prosecution); State v. Condran, 951 S.W.2d 178, 191 (Tex.App.-Dallas 1997), pets, dism’d, improvidently granted, 977 S.W.2d 144 (Tex.Crim.App.1998). After the 1987 amendment, the State could no longer reprose-cute because the cause was dismissed with prejudice. When the legislature revised the statute again in 1997 to remove the reference to article 32.01, the rule requiring dismissal with prejudice for article 32.01 was also removed. Seidel, 39 S.W.3d at 224.

Applicant argues that indicting him again for the same offense after the indictment was dismissed under article 32.01 violates his right against double jeopardy. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals addressed a similar situation in Seidel.

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89 S.W.3d 296, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 7584, 2002 WL 31387755, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-mann-texapp-2002.