Goodson v. State

539 So. 2d 1112, 1988 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 650, 1988 WL 132797
Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama·Decided October 28, 1988·No. 4 Div. 40·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

McMILLAN, Judge.

The appellant was found guilty in a jury trial of burglary in the third degree, in violation of § 13A-7-7, Code of Alabama (1975), and was sentenced to a term of 20 years’ imprisonment. This appeal arises out of that conviction.

I.

The appellant contends that the trial court erred to reversal in denying his motion to dismiss his indictment due to prose-cutorial delay. We do not agree.

The significant facts are as follows:

1985, July 4. The appellant was arrested for the burglary of Foy’s Grocery in Do-than, Alabama.

1985,August. The appellant was indicted for burglary in the third degree.

1985, December. The State nol-prossed this case because the victim, who went out of business as a result of the burglary, could not be located.

1986, February 14. The victim was located, and this case was again submitted to the grand jury. The appellant was indicted for burglary in the third degree, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of the appellant.

1987, February 9. The appellant was arrested on the burglary charge.

1987, March. The appellant was arraigned, and trial in this cause was set for April 20, 1987. The trial court’s April criminal docket was full, however, and trial was rescheduled for September 16, 1987.

1987, September 10. The appellant requested a continuance based on change of counsel; trial of this cause was reset for November 18, 1987.

1987, November 12. The appellant filed a motion to dismiss due to prosecutorial delay, as well as a motion to suppress certain evidence.

1987, November 18. Jury was selected for this trial, and the court conducted hearings on the appellant’s motions.

1987, November 19. Jury found the appellant guilty of burglary in the third degree.

The criteria for determining whether an accused has been deprived of his Sixth Amendment rights to a speedy trial are set forth in Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972). The Barker Court established a 4-part balancing test, which requires inquiry into the following: (1) length of delay; (2) the reason for the delay; (3) the appellant’s assertion of his right; and (4) prejudice to the defendant. The Barker Court held that none of these four factors was “either a necessary or sufficient condition to the finding of a deprivation of the right of speedy trial. Rather, they are related factors and must be considered together with such other circumstances as may be relevant.” Id. at 407 U.S. at 533, 92 S.Ct. at 2193.

Length of Delay. A total of 21 months elapsed between the time the appellant was re-indicted in February, 1986 and his trial in November, 1987. Three months of this delay cannot be considered, because it resulted from the appellant’s consent to a continuance of his trial. Nichols v. State, 518 So.2d 851, 852 (Ala.Cr.App.1987); Beaver v. State, 455 So.2d 253, 255 (Ala.Cr.App.1984).

Reasons for the Delay. Of the greatest concern to this Court is the nearly 12 months that passed between the appellant’s [1114]*1114re-indictment on February 14,1986, and his arrest on February 9, 1987. Although the State contends that this delay resulted from the prosecution’s inability to locate the appellant, the record contains no evidence of flight by the appellant to avoid prosecution, no evidence that his location was anywhere other than his permanent address, and no evidence of a diligent attempt by the State to locate him.

However, the record is also void of any evidence suggesting bad faith on the part of the prosecution. No evidence was offered that would indicate that the delay was intentionally caused by the State to gain some advantage over the appellant or to prejudice him. See Kimberly v. State, 501 So.2d 534, 537 (Ala.Cr.App.1986); Lewis v. State, 469 So.2d 1291,1294-95 (Ala.Cr.App.1984), affirmed, Ex parte Blake, 469 So.2d 1301 (Ala.1985). The failure of the State to use its best efforts to locate the appellant must be weighed against it, although not as heavily as a deliberate attempt to delay the trial. Kimberly, id.; Taylor v. State, 429 So.2d 1172, 1174 (Ala.Cr.App.), cert. denied, Taylor v. Alabama, 464 U.S. 950, 104 S.Ct. 366, 78 L.Ed.2d 326 (1983).

Nearly 7 months passed between the time the appellant was arrested and his trial date in September, 1987. The record, although not clear as to this point, suggests that this cause was originally set for trial in April, 1987. It appears, however, that the court’s April criminal docket was full, and that the court reset the appellant’s trial date for September, 1987. This delay must also be weighed against the State, although less heavily than an intentional delay. Barker, supra, 407 U.S. at 531, 92 S.Ct. at 2192. See also Project: Criminal Procedure, 76 Geo.LJ. 707, 840 (1988).

Assertion of the Right. The only assertion of the appellant’s right to a speedy trial was made less than one week prior to his trial on November 18, 1987. Certainly, the appellant could not have been expected to assert this right before his arrest in February, 1987, as there is no evidence that he was aware that he had been re-indicted. Taylor v. State, supra at 1175. Vickery v. State, 408 So.2d 182, 184 (Ala.Cr.App.1981). This, however, does not explain the appellant’s failure to timely assert the right after his arrest. As the Barker Court held:

“Whether and how a defendant asserts his right is closely related to the other factors we have mentioned. The strength of his efforts will be affected by the length of the delay, to some extent by the reason for the delay, and most particularly by the personal prejudice, which is not always readily identifiable, that he experiences. The more serious the deprivation, the more likely a defendant is to complain. The defendant’s assertion of his speedy trial right, then, is entitled to strong evidentiary weight in determining whether the defendant is being deprived of the right. We emphasize that failure to assert the right will make it difficult for a defendant to prove that he was denied a speedy trial.”

Barker, supra, 407 U.S. at 531-32, 92 S.Ct. at 2192-93.

Accordingly, we do not believe that this factor inures to the benefit of the appellant.

Prejudice.

“The final Barker criterion requires the court to consider any prejudice to the defendant in light of the interests protected by the speedy trial guarantee. The Barker Court identified three such interests: (1) preventing oppressive pretrial incarceration; (2) minimizing anxiety and concern; and (3) limiting the possibility that delay will impair the defense. The Court noted that the third interest is most important, because the inability to prepare a defense ‘skews the fairness’ of the judicial process. In theory, a defendant need not demonstrate prejudice to establish a sixth amendment speedy trial violation. However, courts are usually reluctant to find a sixth amendment violation without a showing of some prejudice. Allegations that post-accusation delay caused witness unavailability or failure of memory are not suffi[1115]*1115cient to show prejudice.” (footnote omitted)

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Goodson v. State, 539 So. 2d 1112, 1988 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 650, 1988 WL 132797 (Ala. Ct. App. 1988).

539 So. 2d 1112 (Goodson v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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