Felix v. Mohler

Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Felix v. Mohler. Read the opinion of the Court — 195 Mont. 391 →

Montana Supreme Court·Decided November 12, 1981·No. 81-340·Published

Opinion

No. 81-340

I N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA

AARON F E L I X ,

Petitioner,

MEL MOHLER, DIRECTOR, SWAN R I V E R YOUTH FOREST CAMP, FOR THE STATE O F MONTANA,

Respondent.

O R I G I N A L PROCEEDING:

For P e t i t i o n e r :

Patterson, Marsillo, T o r n a b e n e & Schuyler, Missoula, Montana

For R e s p o n d e n t :

Hon. M i k e G r e e l y , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , B e l e n a , Montana E d w a r d L. M c L e a n , D e p u t y C o u n t y A t t o r n e y , Missoula, Montana

S u b m i t t e d on B r i e f s : October 22, 1981

Decided: November 12, 1 9 8 1

NOV 1 2 198f' Filed: Mr. J u s t i c e Frank B. Morrison, J r . , d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion o f

t h e Court.

P e t i t i o n e r , Aaron F e l i x , a p p l i e s f o r a w r i t o f h a b e a s

c o r p u s stemming from a n o r d e r of t h e F o u r t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t

C o u r t e n t e r e d on May 27, 1981. T h i s o r d e r revoked a t h r e e

y e a r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e g i v e n p e t i t i o n e r on May 22, 1978 and

imposed a t h r e e and one-half y e a r s e n t e n c e a t t h e Montana

S t a t e P r i s o n upon p e t i t i o n e r . P e t i t i o n e r was c o n v i c t e d of t h e f t , a f e l o n y , i n t h e

D i s t r i c t C o u r t of t h e F o u r t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Missoula

County. On May 22, 1978, h e was g i v e n a t h r e e y e a r d e f e r r e d

i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e on t h e c o n d i t i o n t h a t r e s t i t u t i o n b e

made.

On August 20, 1979, t h i s d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e w a s c o n t i n u e d

and p e t i t i o n e r was o r d e r e d t o complete r e s t i t u t i o n by November

5, 1980. P e t i t i o n e r f a i l e d t o comply w i t h t h i s o r d e r by

November 5 , 1980, and a p e t i t i o n t o r e v o k e p e t i t i o n e r ' s

d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e was f i l e d on J a n u a r y 1 6 , 1981. A hearing

on t h i s p e t i t i o n was h e l d May 27, 1981, t h r e e y e a r s and f i v e

days a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l d e f e r r a l .

A t t h i s h e a r i n g , p e t i t i o n e r moved t o d i s m i s s t h e p r o c e e d i n g

on t h e grounds t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t w a s w i t h o u t j u r i s d i c t i o n .

The D i s t r i c t C o u r t o v e r r u l e d p e t i t i o n e r ' s o b j e c t i o n c o n c l u d i n g

t h a t t h e Court r e t a i n s " ... jurisdiction (when) t h e p e t i t i o n

i s f i l e d w i t h i n t h e ( d e f e r r a l ) time." The D i s t r i c t C o u r t s e n t e n c e d p e t i t i o n e r t o t h r e e and

one-half y e a r s i n t h e Montana S t a t e P r i s o n . P e t i t i o n e r has

been i n c a r c e r a t e d s i n c e , e i t h e r a t t h e Montana S t a t e P r i s o n

o r t h e Swan R i v e r Youth F o r e s t Camp.

P e t i t i o n e r raises t h e f o l l o w i n g i s s u e :

1) Whether a D i s t r i c t C o u r t r e t a i n s j u r i s d i c t i o n t o

r e v o k e a d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e beyond t h e t i m e

p e r i o d of d e f e r r a l i f a p e t i t i o n t o r e v o k e i s t i m e l y f i l e d ? I n S t a t e v . P o r t e r ( 1 9 6 4 ) , 143 Mont. 528, 540, 541,

391 P.2d 704, 711, t h i s C o u r t s t a t e d t h a t :

" [ t l h i s s t a t e i s committed t o t h e doc- t r i n e t h a t once a v a l i d s e n t e n c e h a s been pronounced, t h e c o u r t imposing t h e same i s lacking i n jurisdiction t o vacate o r modify t h e s e n t e n c e , e x c e p t as otherwise provided - s t a t u t e by . . ." (Emphasis added. )

S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, i s a s p e c i f i c procedural s t a t u t e

g r a n t i n g j u d g e s , m a g i s t r a t e s , o r j u s t i c e s of t h e p e a c e

a u t h o r i t y t o r e v o k e a suspended s e n t e n c e o r impose s e n t e n c e

f o l l o w i n g a d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e . S e c t i o n 46-18-

203, MCA, p r o v i d e s :

"Revocation of suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e . A judge, m a g i s t r a t e , o r j u s t i c e of t h e p e a c e who h a s suspended t h e execu- t i o n of a s e n t e n c e o r d e f e r r e d t h e imposi- t i o n of a s e n t e n c e of imprisonment under 46-18-201 o r h i s s u c c e s s o r i s a u t h o r i z e d , d u r i n g - p e r i o d of the suspended s e n t e n c e the o r d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e , - his d i s c r e t i o n , to r e v o k e - s u s p e n s i o n - the or impose s e n t e n c e and o r d e r the p e r s o n E- mitted. H e may a l s o , i n h i s d i s c r e t i o n , o r d e r t h e p r i s o n e r p l a c e d under t h e j u r i s - d i c t i o n of t h e board of p a r d o n s as p r o v i d - ed by law o r r e t a i n s u c h j u r i s d i c t i o n w i t h h i s court. P r i o r t o t h e r e v o c a t i o n of a n o r d e r suspending o r d e f e r r i n g t h e i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e , t h e p e r s o n a f f e c t e d s h a l l be given a hearing." (Emphasis added.)

T h i s a u t h o r i t y must be e x e r c i s e d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e

p r e c i s e p r o v i s i o n s of t h i s s e c t i o n ; a c t i o n by a judge,

m a g i s t r a t e , o r j u s t i c e of t h e p e a c e o u t s i d e t h e p r o v i s i o n s

of S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, i s without jurisdiction. State

y. P o r t e r , supra. The c o n t r o l l i n g l a n g u a g e i n S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, is

". . . d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of such suspended s e n t e n c e o r

d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e . . ." Determining t h e

meaning of t h i s p h r a s e d i s p o s e s of t h i s p e t i t i o n .

I t i s well s e t t l e d t h a t i f a ". . . statute is plain, unambiguous, d i r e c t and c e r t a i n , t h e s t a t u t e s p e a k s f o r

i t s e l f and t h e r e i s n o t h i n g l e f t f o r t h e c o u r t t o c o n s t r u e . "

Shannon v . K e l l e r ( 1 9 8 0 ) , Mont. , 612 P.2d 1293, 1294,

3 7 S t . Rep. 1079, 1081. Such i s t h e c a s e b e f o r e t h i s C o u r t .

The words " d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d " a r e e x t r e m e l y p l a i n and

unambiguous. The c l e a r i m p o r t i s t h a t a c o u r t i s v e s t e d

w i t h j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v o k e a suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e

o n l y d u r i n g t h e r u n n i n g of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e .

Once such time h a s e x p i r e d a c o u r t i s w i t h o u t j u r i s d i c t i o n

t o d e c i d e p e t i t i o n s f o r r e v o c a t i o n f i l e d by t h e S t a t e .

The S t a t e r e q u e s t s t h i s C o u r t t o c o n s t r u e S e c t i o n 46-

18-203, MCA, t o mean t h a t a t i m e l y f i l e d p e t i t i o n f o r

revocation v e s t s j u r i s d i c t i o n i n t h e Court, regardless

whether t h e h e a r i n g on such p e t i t i o n i s h e l d a f t e r t h e

suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e h a s e x p i r e d . The S t a t e

r e l i e s on d e c i s i o n s from Nevada and Oklahoma i n s u p p o r t of

t h i s contention. See Sherman v. Warden, Nevada S t a t e P r i s o n

(1978) Nev.

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