Hampton v. District Court ex rel. County of Jefferson

605 P.2d 54
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJanuary 21, 1980
DocketNo. 79SA293
StatusPublished

This text of 605 P.2d 54 (Hampton v. District Court ex rel. County of Jefferson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hampton v. District Court ex rel. County of Jefferson, 605 P.2d 54 (Colo. 1980).

Opinion

ERICKSON, Justice.

The petitioner, Charles Hampton, brought this original proceeding for relief in the nature of prohibition pursuant to C.A.R. 21, contending that his right to a speedy trial has been denied. We issued a rule to show cause to the Jefferson County District Court, the respondent. We now make the rule absolute.

On August 24, 1977, the petitioner was charged by information with counts of aggravated robbery, conspiracy, and crime of violence. The preliminary hearing in the matter, presided over by Judge Priest, was delayed twice at the instance of the prosecutor to January 3, 1978. Thereafter, an arraignment was held on March 6,1978. At that time, the petitioner pled not guilty and trial was scheduled to begin on July 20, 1978.

Prior to July 10, 1978, the prosecution sought a continuance of the trial pending the outcome of an interlocutory appeal of a suppression order made by an El Paso County district court, which suppressed evidence required by the prosecution to prove its case against the petitioner.1 The trial court granted a continuance until August 14, 1978.2

On July 25, 1978, the prosecution again sought a continuance of the trial by filing a motion in this Court. Again the El Paso County district court’s suppression order was the basis for the prosecution’s request for a stay of proceedings against Hampton. We denied that motion on August 1, 1978, and the August 14, 1978 trial date confronted the prosecution.

Immediately prior to the beginning of trial on August 14, 1978, the prosecution moved to add four habitual criminal counts to the original charges. Section 16-13-101, C.R.S.1973 (now in 1978 Repl.Vol. 8). The petitioner objected, and moved for the dismissal of the habitual criminal charges, claiming that the prosecution’s motive for filing the additional charges was to place him in an untenable position and force him to request a continuance. According to the petitioner, the prosecution knew that if the petitioner maintained his right to a speedy trial, he would jeopardize his defense to the habitual criminal charges through inadequate preparation.3 However, if he re[56]*56quested a continuance to prepare a defense to the new charges, he would be forced to relinquish his right to a speedy trial. Judge Priest denied the motion to dismiss the habitual criminal charges and, as a result, the petitioner requested a continuance, which was granted. The trial was continued until April 3, 1979.4

On April 3, 1979, the petitioner’s motion for dismissal for failure to grant a speedy trial was filed in the respondent court. A hearing on this motion was held before Judge Perricone, who replaced Judge Priest as the trial judge after Judge Priest retired, and the motion was denied. Judge Perri-cone concluded that he had no authority to reconsider the previous rulings made by Judge Priest. The petitioner then brought this original proceeding to challenge the respondent court’s denial of his motion to dismiss.

I.

We must first determine whether an original proceeding under C.A.R. 21 is an appropriate vehicle for resolution of the petitioner’s claim that he has been denied a speedy trial. The prosecution asserts that the issue may not be resolved in an original proceeding. We disagree.

Relief in the nature of prohibition under C.A.R. 21 is an appropriate remedy when a district court is proceeding without jurisdiction. Western Food Plan, Inc. v. District Court, Colo., 598 P.2d 1038 (1979); Colorado Springs v. District Court, 184 Colo. 177, 519 P.2d 325 (1974). In this case, the respondent court would be proceeding without jurisdiction if it were to try the petitioner in violation of his rights under the Colorado speedy trial statute and the rules of this Court. Section 18-1 — 405, C.R.S.1973 (now in 1978 Repl.Vol. 8); Crim.P. 48(b). Indeed, the fallacy in the prosecution’s argument becomes apparent when compared to the holding in Bustamante v. District Court, 138 Colo. 97, 329 P.2d 1013 (1958). In that case we approved the use of a writ of prohibition as the proper remedy to preclude trial of a criminal defendant in violation of the applicable statute of limitations:

“In the instant case the trial court . is without jurisdiction to try the defendant under this indictment, hence a trial would be a useless act, an expense to the public and to the defendant who could not be legally sentenced even if convicted under this indictment.
“We conclude the prohibition is the proper remedy for relief under the facts here presented.” 138 Colo, at 106-107, 329 P.2d at 1018.

See Baca v. District Court, Colo., 603 P.2d 940 (1979), (S.Ct.No. 79SA369, announced November 5, 1979); Pinelli v. District Court, Colo., 595 P.2d 225 (1979).

II.

The central issue in this case involves the presence or absence of bad faith on the part of the prosecution in adding the habitual criminal charges. In People v. Steele, 193 Colo. 87, 563 P.2d 6 (1977), we held that in the absence of a showing of bad faith on the part of the prosecution, the [57]*57defendant could not complain that the late endorsement of a witness caused her to forfeit her right to a speedy trial. In this case, the petitioner claims that bad faith on the part of the prosecution has caused the petitioner to forfeit his right to a speedy trial.

At the hearing on the petitioner’s motion to dismiss the charges, the respondent court did not make a determination on the merits. The respondent court instead denied the motion on the grounds that the same motion had been previously determined by Judge Priest and therefore could only be considered by an appellate court. We disagree.

The motion before Judge Priest was to dismiss the additional habitual criminal charges; the motion before Judge Perricone was for dismissal of all charges based on a violation of the speedy trial provisions. Accordingly, the respondent should have conducted a full hearing and resolved the petitioner’s motion.

Although we do not make a determination on the petitioner’s motion, we note that upon our reading of the record the petitioner has established a prima facie case of prosecutorial bad faith. First, at the hearing on April 3, 1979, the petitioner introduced a letter from the prosecution’s office dated October 26, 1977, which requested information from the district court of the City and County of Denver on the petitioner’s prior criminal record.

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Related

Burgett v. Texas
389 U.S. 109 (Supreme Court, 1967)
City of Colorado Springs v. District Court
519 P.2d 325 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1974)
People v. Steele
563 P.2d 6 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1977)
Pinelli v. DIST. CT. IN & FOR 18TH JUD. DIST.
595 P.2d 225 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1979)
People v. Hampton
587 P.2d 275 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1978)
People v. Hampton
603 P.2d 133 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1979)
Bustamante v. District Court of Third Judicial Dist.
329 P.2d 1013 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1958)
Swift v. People
488 P.2d 80 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1971)
Baca v. District Court
603 P.2d 940 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1979)

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Bluebook (online)
605 P.2d 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hampton-v-district-court-ex-rel-county-of-jefferson-colo-1980.