Howard v. State

902 So. 2d 127, 2004 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 246, 2004 WL 2676640
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedNovember 24, 2004
DocketCR-03-1929
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 902 So. 2d 127 (Howard v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Howard v. State, 902 So. 2d 127, 2004 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 246, 2004 WL 2676640 (Ala. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

SHAW, Judge.

Joey Takashima Howard appeals the circuit court’s summary denial of his Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition for postconviction relief, in which he attacked his April 2003 guilty-plea conviction for third-degree robbery and his resulting sentence, as a habitual felony offender, of 25 years’ imprisonment. Howard did not appeal from that conviction.

In his Rule 32 petition filed on July 13, 2004, Howard presented two arguments to the circuit court. The State filed a response, and the circuit court issued an order, summarily denying Howard’s Rule 32 petition. The circuit court’s order reads:

“The Court finds from the record that petitioner pled guilty to Robbery 3rd degree and was a habitual offender with 3 or more prior felonies and therefore, his sentence was within [the] range of punishment allowed.”

(C. 1.)

Our review of the record reveals that Howard was originally indicted for first-degree robbery; that his indictment was amended to charge third-degree robbery; that he entered a guilty plea to third-degree robbery; and that at the time he entered his guilty plea, he had been convicted of three prior felonies.

I.

In his first argument, Howard contends that the trial court did not have the authority to enhance his sentence under § 13A-5-6(a)(5) because, he says, third-degree robbery does not require the presence of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument and that the “Explanation of Rights and Plea of Guilty” form “reflects that [Howard was] sentence[d] under the firearm [or] deadly weapon statute.” (Howard’s brief at p. 5.) Howard attached as Exhibit A to his Rule 32 petition a copy of the “Explanation of Rights and Plea of Guilty” form he executed.

Although Howard argued in the circuit court and argues again in this Court that § 13A-5-6(a)(5) could not be applied to his sentence because, he says, third-degree robbery does not require the presence of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, our research reveals that § 13A-5-6(a)(5) can be applied to a sentence — regardless of whether the use of a firearm is an element of the offense — if the evidence shows that “a firearm or deadly weapon was used or attempted to be used in the [129]*129commission of the felony.” § 13A-5-6(a)(5).

In Rocker v. State, 443 So.2d 1316 (Ala. Crim.App.1983), this Court stated:

“Certain Class C felonies constitute great physical danger to the victim, or the public, if committed with a firearm, which makes it reasonable and rational for the legislature to group such felonies with the more serious Class B felonies for imposition of a mandatory minimum sentence when a firearm is used.
“Among such Class C felonies which increase the danger to the public when a firearm is used are: Manslaughter, § 13A-6-3; assault in the second degree, § 13A-6-21; rape in the second degree, § 13A-6-62; sodomy in the second degree, § 13A-6-64; sexual abuse in the first degree, § 13A-6-66; burglary third degree, § 13A-7-7; criminal mischief first degree, § 13A-7-21; breaking and entering a vehicle, § 13A-8 — 11(b)(3); extortion second degree, § 13A-8-15; robbery third degree, § 13A-8-4.3; impersonating a peace officer, § 13A-10-11; escape second degree, § 13A-10-32; escape third degree, § 13A-10-33; facilitating escape first degree, § 13A-10-34; hindering prosecution first degree, § 13A-10-43; and intimidating a witness, § 13A-10-123.”

443 So.2d at 1322 (emphasis added).

In Myers v. State, 715 So.2d 928 (Ala. Crim.App.1998), Myers was indicted for first-degree robbery, and she pleaded guilty to the lesser-included offense of third-degree robbery and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, Myers argued that her 15-year sentence exceeded the maximum authorized by law. In reversing Myers’s sentence on the basis that it was excessive, this Court-stated:

“ ‘Robbery in the third degree is a Class C felony.’ . § 13A-8^3(b), Ala. Code 1975. The record reflects that the appellant used a pistol in the commission of the robbery and that the trial court applied the firearm enhancement provision of § 13A-5-6, Ala.Code-1975, when sentencing the appellant.
“The provisions of § 13A-5-6(a)(3), when read together with those of § 13A-5-6(a)(5), have been construed to provide that the sentence for a Class C felony in the commission of which the defendant used a firearm is ‘exactly ten years—no less.’ Robinson v. State, 434 So.2d 292, 293 (Ala.Cr.App.1983), following Smith v. State, 447 So.2d 1327 (Ala. Cr.App.1983), aff'd, 447 So.2d 1334 (Ala. 1984). ‘Section (5) must be construed to mean that the 10-year-term is both the minimum and maximum which can be imposed for a Class C felony [in which a firearm was used].’ Smith v. State, 447 So.2d 1334, 1336 (Ala.1984). See also Colburn v. State, 494 So.2d 120, 123 (Ala.Cr.App.1985). The appellant’s 15-year sentence exceeded the maximum authorized by statute.”

Myers, 715 So.2d at 929 (first emphasis original; • second emphasis added). Thus, Howard’s argument that § 13A-5-6(a)(5) could not be applied because the use of a firearm is not an element of third-degree robbery is meritless. Consequently, Howard is not entitled to any relief on this claim.

II.

In his second argument, Howard contends:

“[Howard] argues that he pleaded guilty on April 9th 2003, and was sentenced to 25 years. The trial court[’s] enhancement for ‘deliberate cruelty’ relied on facts that were neither admitted by petitioner nor found by a jury.”

[130]*130(C. 16.) Howard also contends that “the judge exceed[ed] his proper authority in the case at bar” because, he says, “[t]he jury has not found all the facts ‘which the law makes essential to the punishment.’ ” (C. 16.) However, because Howard does not pursue this argument on appeal, it is deemed to be abandoned. See, e.g., Brownlee v. State, 666 So.2d 91, 93 (Ala. Crim.App.1995) (“We will not review issues not listed and argued in brief.”).

III.

Howard also argues for the first time in his reply brief that “[w]e cannot be sure that the circuit judge based Howard’s 25-year term solely on the provisions of the [Habitual Felony Offender Act]” and that “it appears that the 25-year term was a combination of the 10-year minimum under [§ ] 13A-5-6(a)(5), plus the 15-year minimum under [§ ] 13A-5-9.” (Howard’s reply brief at p. 1.)

Section 13A-5-9, Ala.Code 1975, provides, in pertinent part:

“(c) In all cases when it is shown that a criminal defendant has been previously convicted of any three felonies and after such convictions has committed another felony, he or she must be punished as follows:
“(1) On conviction of a Class C felony, he or she must be punished by imprisonment for life or for any term of not more than 99 years but not less than 15 years.”

Howard does not dispute that when he entered his guilty plea he had at least three prior felonies. Thus, the mandatory minimum sentence that Howard could have received under the Habitual Felony Offender Act (“the HFOA”), having three prior felonies, was 15 years’ imprisonment.

Section 13A-5-6, Ala.Code 1975, provides, in pertinent part:

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Related

Sanders v. State
947 So. 2d 432 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2006)

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Bluebook (online)
902 So. 2d 127, 2004 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 246, 2004 WL 2676640, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/howard-v-state-alacrimapp-2004.