Harrison v. State

721 S.W.2d 904
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 18, 1987
Docket05-85-00992-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 721 S.W.2d 904 (Harrison v. State) 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
Harrison v. State, 721 S.W.2d 904 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinions

HOLLINGSWORTH, Justice.

Bobby Joe Harrison appeals his conviction for hindering apprehension after a plea of guilty. Punishment was assessed at 10 days’ confinement and a $500 fine. His only contention on appeal is that the trial court erred in denying his “Special Plea of Double Jeopardy.” We disagree; accordingly, we affirm.

In an earlier proceeding, a jury trial commenced on appellant’s plea of not guilty to the charge of hindering apprehension. After testimony commenced, the court declared a mistrial. Later, appellant’s special plea was overruled by the trial court. Thereafter, appellant pled guilty to the charge and was convicted. He brings this appeal on the trial court’s denial of his plea of double jeopardy.

This appeal presents two questions of first impression in Texas: (1) do we have jurisdiction to consider appellant’s attack; and (2) does the fact that a defendant’s counsel is a potential witness in the defendant’s trial constitute “manifest necessity” so as to justify granting a mistrial?

Our threshold inquiry must be to determine whether we have jurisdiction to consider appellant’s attack. Appellant entered an open plea of guilty; that is, one without a plea-bargain agreement. Because appellant’s plea of guilty was not pursuant to a plea bargain agreement, appellant has waived the right to appeal all but jurisdictional errors. King v. State, 687 S.W.2d 762, 766 (Tex.Crim.App.1985); McCall v. State, 690 S.W.2d 669, 670-71 (Tex.App.-Dallas 1985, pet. ref’d). See Helms v. State, 484 S.W.2d 925, 927 (Tex.Crim.App.1972). Such a plea, however, will not waive a double jeopardy claim. Menna v. New York, 423 U.S. 61, 62 n. 2, 96 S.Ct. 241, 242 n. 2, 46 L.Ed.2d 195 (1975). If double jeopardy raises a jurisdictional defect, then appellant’s remedy is through an appeal under article 44.02 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. The defect is so serious that it is not waived by failing to present a special plea and may be raised for the first time by a post-conviction habe-as corpus challenge. See Ex parte Morehead, 596 S.W.2d 895, 896 (Tex.Crim.App. 1980); Ex parte Scelles, 511 S.W.2d 300, 301-02 (Tex.Crim.App.1974) (both allowing a double-jeopardy contention to be raised by habeas corpus).

Courts in a number of jurisdictions have expressly held that a double-jeopardy attack raises a “jurisdictional defect.” State v. Madera, 198 Conn. 92, 503 A.2d 136,139, n. 6 (1985); State v. Dubaz, 468 So.2d 554, 556 (La.1985); People v. Reid, 113 Mich. App. 262, 317 N.W.2d 589, 591 (1982), aff'd, 420 Mich. 326, 362 N.W.2d 655 (1984); State v. Cody, 525 S.W.2d 333, 335 (Mo. 1975). See also Carbaugh v. State, 294 Md. 323, 449 A.2d 1153, 1155 (1982). The rationale for this holding stems from the proposition that a jurisdictional defect is one which prevents a trial from occurring. Since a successful double jeopardy claim will deprive the trial court of its jurisdiction to proceed to a conviction, then it follows that double-jeopardy attacks raise a “jurisdictional defect.”

Although our research has failed to disclose any Texas authority, either for or against the proposition that double jeopardy raises a jurisdictional defect, after examining the case law set out above, we hold that such an attack does raise a jurisdictional defect and is, therefore, subject to review in this appeal. Accordingly, we address the merits of this appeal.

The charge of hindering apprehension arose out of an incident taking place on [906]*906September 18, 1983, in McKinney, Texas. Officer A.D. Ingram of the McKinney Police Department stopped appellant’s brother, Bryan Harrison, for running a stop sign. After receiving a traffic citation, Bryan Harrison sped off. Ingram pursued Bryan who proceeded to run several more stop signs. Bryan went to his home; at that point Officer Ingram attempted to place him under arrest. A struggle ensued between Ingram and Bryan. During the struggle, appellant grabbed Ingram from behind. Ingram released his hold on Bryan, and Bryan struck Ingram in his eye. Due to appellant’s interference, Bryan Harrison evaded arrest, that night. Appellant was arrested for hindering apprehension.

Appellant’s plea of double jeopardy turns on the propriety of a mistrial at appellant’s earlier trial on the charge of hindering arrest. At that trial defense counsel cross-examined Officer Ingram concerning his testimony that he had received a black eye. The following line of questioning took place:

Q. Do you recall coming to the window [of the Collin County Sheriff’s office] to look to see who was getting Mr. Harrison out of jail on September the 19th, 1983?
A. I remember walking up to the door, but I don’t remember seeing anyone.
Q. You don’t remember seeing anyone?
A. No, sir.
Q. Would you be surprised if I said I remember seeing you?
A. No, sir.
Q. If you’d had a black eye, do you think I would have seen it through that window?
A. I couldn’t say, because I didn’t see anyone in that lobby.

Shortly after this exchange, Officer Ingram was excused and questioning of the next witness began. Not long into direct examination of that witness, the prosecuting attorney asked to make a motion outside the presence of the jury. At that time he asked the court to disqualify defense counsel from representing appellant on the ground that the defense counsel had injected himself as a fact witness in the cause. The trial court agreed that counsel should be disqualified because “of all the ramifications of testing [counsel’s] credibility and an attempt by the State’s attorney to possibly impeach [counsel] and get into a rather messy situation.” The trial court subsequently called in the jury and granted a mistrial. The court then began another trial and overruled appellant’s plea of double jeopardy.

By his questions to Officer Ingram, defense counsel attempted to impeach a witness based upon counsel’s personal knowledge. As such, counsel introduced facts not yet in evidence and established himself as a potential witness in the case. Accordingly, we are faced with deciding whether a mistrial is the appropriate response when it becomes evident during trial that a defendant’s counsel has become a potential witness in his or her client’s case.

After a mistrial has been declared without the defendant’s request or consent, whether there can be a new trial depends on whether there was a “manifest necessity” for the mistrial or whether the ends of justice would otherwise be defeated. Sewell v. State, 696 S.W.2d 559, 560 (Tex.Crim.App.1983); Chvojka v. State,

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721 S.W.2d 904, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harrison-v-state-texapp-1987.