Jamal Ramon Foreman v. State

Court of Appeals of Georgia·Decided June 14, 2024·No. A24A0411·Published

Opinion

FIRST DIVISION

BARNES, P. J.,

DILLARD, P. J., and PADGETT, J.

NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be physically received in our clerk’s office within ten days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed.

https://www.gaappeals.us/rules

June 14, 2024

In the Court of Appeals of Georgia A24A0411. FOREMAN v. THE STATE. A24A0412. HALLETT v. THE STATE.

BARNES, Presiding Judge.

In these consolidated appeals, Jamal Ramon Foreman and Byron DeShawn Hallett (collectively, “Appellants”) each appeal from a trial court order denying their respective motions for a plea in bar as to charges brought against them in 2017. Both Foreman and Hallet assert that the trial court erred in finding that the State had not violated their constitutional rights to a speedy trial. They further contend that the court erred in concluding their prosecutions were not barred by the applicable statutes of limitation. For reasons explained more fully below, we find that the trial court committed legal error in analyzing the Appellants’ speedy trial claims. We further find that the trial court’s order fails entirely to address the Appellants’ statute of limitation

argument. Accordingly, we vacate the trial court’s orders and remand these cases for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The appellate records show that both Foreman and Hallett were employed by the Georgia Department of Corrections as officers at Johnson State Prison. In late autumn of 2017, both men were arrested on charges related to the alleged abuse of inmates under their supervision. Approximately seven months later, on June 18, 2018, both Appellants, as well as nine of their coworkers, were indicted for the crimes that had led to their arrests.1 The charges against Foreman included one count of violating his oath as a public officer, five counts of simple battery, and one count of making a false statement to a law enforcement officer. The charges against Hallett were substantially similar, and included one count of violation of his oath as a public officer, four counts of simple battery, and a single count each of influencing a witness and making a false statement to a law enforcement officer.

Shortly after the indictments issued, one of the Appellants’ co-defendants, Wesley O’Neal,2 filed a motion to quash the indictment against him, arguing that the

1 It appears that the State indicted all defendants individually.

2 O’Neal had been charged with a single count each of violating his oath of office, simple battery, and making a false statement to law enforcement. O’Neal, 352

State had failed to comply with OCGA § 17-7-52.3 See State v. O’Neal, 352 Ga. App. 228 (834 SE2d 317) (2019). Shortly thereafter, Foreman filed a motion to quash that was virtually identical to that filed by Foreman.4 On October 2, 2018, while Foreman’s motion to dismiss was pending, the trial court granted O’Neal’s motion and quashed all counts of the indictment against him. Id. at 230 . The State filed a notice of appeal as to that order on October 18.

One week after the State filed its appeal in O’Neal’s case, the trial court held a calendar call as to the remaining 10 defendants. At that hearing, the trial court continued any proceedings in the remaining cases, including any hearings on the pending motions to quash, until after the appeal. The attorney who then represented

Ga. App. at 228-229.

3 Under that statute, before an indictment “against a present or former peace officer charging the officer with the crime which is alleged to have occurred while he or she was in the performance of his or her duties is presented to a grand jury,” the State is required to present the proposed indictment to the peace officer. OCGA § 17-7-52 (a). Additionally, the peace officer must be given an opportunity to testify before the grand jury, if he or she wishes to do so. OCGA § 17-7-52 (a) (3).

4 Foreman also filed a special demurrer to the indictment, claiming that it failed to provide him with sufficient information as to the factual basis for the charged crimes. The appellate record does not show that the trial court ruled on Foreman’s motion to quash or his special demurrer.

Hallett5 had filed a request for continuance, and the court therefore noted that Hallett’s case was “continued by the defense.” There is no evidence, however, that Foreman ever requested a continuance, and it appears his case was continued by the court, without any input from Foreman. While the O’Neal appeal was pending, Hallet filed a motion to quash the indictment against him.

In October 2019, this Court issued an opinion affirming in part and reversing in part the trial court’s order quashing the O’Neal indictment. O’Neal, 352 Ga. App. at 228. We concluded that the trial court did not err in quashing the indictment as to the charge that O’Neal violated his oath of office because O’Neal had not been provided with notice and an opportunity to be heard, as required by OCGA § 17-7-52. Id. at 231. We further concluded, however, that the remaining charges against O’Neal (battery and making a false statement), did not implicate OCGA § 17-7-52 because the indictment did not allege that O’Neal was in the performance of his duties as a corrections officer when he committed those offenses. Id. at 231-232. The Supreme Court of Georgia subsequently denied the State’s petition for writ of certiorari, State

5 In the initial stages of the prosecution, Foreman and Hallett were represented by separate attorneys. With respect to the motions at issue, both Appellants are represented by the same attorney.

v. O’Neal, Case No. SC20C0418 (April 20, 2020), and the remittitur was issued in July 2020. At that time, the State’s courts were operating under a judicial emergency order issued in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.6 The record indicates that no action was taken in the case for almost a year following remittitur. On June 24, 2021, shortly before the expiration of the pandemic emergency order, Foreman filed a statutory speedy trial demand. The State, however, made no effort to proceed with the prosecution. In February 2022, both Freeman and Hallett filed a general demurrer to the indictments against them and moved to adopt the briefs and other pleadings filed on this issue by another co-defendant. A month later, in March 2022, the trial court held a hearing in the case and orally granted the Appellants’ motion to adopt their co-defendant’s pleadings as to the general

6 “On March 14, 2020, . . . citing the public health emergency presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Harold Melton issued an order declaring a statewide judicial emergency.” Copeland v. Copeland, 361 Ga. App. 125, 127, n. 3 (863 SE2d 509) (2021). “The judicial emergency order, among other things, suspended jury trials that had not yet commenced” and “thereafter was extended several times with modifications.” Labbee v. State, 362 Ga. App. 558, 560 (869 SE2d 520) (2022) The order expired on June 30, 2021. See https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15th-SJEO_as-issued.pdf (June 7, 2021).

demurrer.7 At that hearing, counsel for the Appellants’ asked when the State anticipated going to trial. The State responded that it planned to seek new indictments, which it anticipated would be coming forth in April 2022, meaning the Appellants could be arraigned in May.

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