Koehler v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole

935 A.2d 44, 2007 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 591
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 25, 2007
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 935 A.2d 44 (Koehler v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Koehler v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole, 935 A.2d 44, 2007 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 591 (Pa. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

OPINION

PER CURIAM.

John C. Koehler (Koehler), pro se, petitions for review from an order of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (Board) that recommitted him as a technical and convicted parole violator and recalculated his parole violation maximum date to May 6, 2012.

On December 6, 1990, Koehler was sentenced to a term of 9-20 years for robbery and criminal conspiracy. He was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Mercer. Sentence Status Summary at 1; Certified Record (C.R.) at 1. On April 27, 1998, Koehler was paroled. Order to Release on Parole at 1; C.R. at 6.

By decision dated April 12, 2001, Koeh-ler was recommitted to State Correction Institution — Cresson (SCI-Cresson) as a technical parole violator for violating a condition of parole not to have contact with minor females. C.R. at 9. On October 10, 2002, Koehler was again released on parole. C.R. at 10.

On August 15, 2003, Board agents arrested Koehler for technical violations (possession of alcohol and association with minor females) and returned him to the State Correctional Institutional at Albion (SCI-Albion).

On January 2, 2004, while being detained by the Board at SCI-Albion, Erie Police arrested Koehler and charged him with 19 counts of Sexual Abuse of Children/Possession of Child Pornography, 18 Pa.C.S. § 6312(d).1 Criminal Arrest and Disposition Report (# 2) at 1; C.R. at 17. Bail was set at $75,000, which he never posted. C.R. at 20.

By decision mailed January 21, 2004, the Board recommitted Koehler to SCI-Cres-son as a technical parole violator to serve 18 months back time. C.R. at 16.

On October 26, 2004, Koehler was moved on a writ from SCI-Cresson to Erie County for a trial on his new criminal charges. While Koehler was incarcerated at Erie County Prison, he was re-arrested on July 12, 2005, and charged with attempted escape, possession of prohibited offensive weapons and implements of escape. C.R. at 441^2.2

[47]*47On July 19, 2005, after a four-day jury trial, Koehler was found guilty on 14 counts of Sexual Abuse of Children/Possession of Child Pornography and bail was revoked. On November 1, 2005, Koehler was sentenced to serve a new aggregated 28-year term in a State prison. Order of Sentence at 1-2; C.R. at 71-72.

In the meantime, Koehler remained at Erie County Prison pending disposition of the new weapons and attempted escape charges. On December 22, 2005, the weapons and attempted escape charges were nolle-prossed due to lack of evidence. See Criminal Docket, CP-25-CR-0002843-2005 at C.R. at 42.

On January 4, 2006, Koehler was moved from Erie County Prison back to SCI-Cresson. On January 6, 2006, Koehler waived his right to a Parole Revocation Hearing before a panel.

On January 81, 2006, a Parole Revocation Hearing was held at SCI-Cresson before a Hearing Examiner. At the hearing, Koehler’s counsel presented a motion to dismiss pursuant to 37 Pa.Code § 71.4 on the grounds that the date of the hearing was beyond the 120 days allowed.3 Koeh-ler’s counsel argued that the Revocation Hearing was untimely because it was not held within 120 days from the date the parole agent had notice of his July 19, 2005, guilty verdicts which, according to the “Notice of Charges and Hearings,” was on July 22, 2005. Revocation Hearing Transcript, January 31, 2006 (H.T.), at 7-8; C.R. at 55-57.

The Commonwealth’s witness, Agent Mike Boslett (Agent Boslett), testified that the official “verification date” was December 28, 2005, not July 22, 2005. Koehler’s Criminal Arrest and Disposition Report # 2 signed by Koehler’s supervising parole agent, reporting a verification date of December 28, 2005, was admitted into the record. Agent Boslett explained that Koeh-ler was “ATA” (meaning authorized temporary absence) for a time and, therefore, unavailable to the Board. H.T. at 10-11; C.R. at 58-59. Agent Boslett also offered into evidence, without objection, a “Moves Report” which showed Koehler was in the Erie County Prison from October 26, 2004, until his return to SCI-Cresson on January 4, 2006. H.T. at 12; C.R. at 60.

The Hearing Examiner denied Koehler’s motion to dismiss.

Board’s May 5, 2006 Combined Revocation Decision and Recalculation Order

By combined revocation decision and recalculation order mailed May 5, 2006, the [48]*48Board recommitted Koehler as a technical and convicted parole violator and announced a recalculated maximum term expiry of September 13, 2012, for his original 20-year State prison sentence. C.R. at 97-98.

Koehler’s First Petition for Administrative Review

Koehler, pro se, filed a petition for administrative review on May 15, 2006, and alleged that the Board (1) failed to provide him with a timely revocation hearing, and (2) erred in recalculating his parole maximum date. Supplemental Certified Record (S.C.R.) at 1-5.

Board’s July 7th Modified Recalculation Order

Koehler successfully convinced the Board that it had erred in calculating his parole maximum date.

By modified recalculation order dated July 6, 2006 and mailed July 7, 2006, the Board announced a recalculated maximum expiry for Koehler’s original 20-year State prison sentence. The Board readjusted the parole maximum date from September 23, 2012, to May 6, 2012. C.R. at 99-102. The change reflected that Koehler received 140 days of back time credit for the period he was incarcerated at SCI-Albion from August 15, 2003, to January 2, 2004 (when he was arrested by Erie County police and moved to Erie County prison), and that Kohler became available to serve his back time on November 1, 2005, when he was sentenced on the new convictions. Despite Koehler’s urging, the modified recalculation order did not credit Koehler’s sentence with the 669 days from January 2, 2004, to November 1, 2005, when he was confined in Erie County Prison.

The Board’s July 19th Response to Koehler’s First Petition for Administrative Review

On July 19, 2006, the Board affirmed its May 5, 2006, Combined Revocation Decision and Recalculation Order, as amended by the decision mailed July 7, 2006.

The Board explained that Koehler received 140 days of baektime credit for the period he was incarcerated from August 15, 2003, to January 2, 2004. The Board still did not credit him for the 669 days from January 2, 2004, to November 1, 2005, during which he was confined at Erie County Prison.

As to the timeliness of the revocation hearing, the Board specifically concluded that “the revocation hearing was held within 120 days of the date the Board received official verification of your conviction and return to a state correctional institution. Therefore, the hearing was timely pursuant to 37 Pa.Code § 74.1.” Board’s Decision, July 19, 2006, at 1 (Emphasis added).

Koehler’s Second Petition for Administrative Review

Koehler, pro se, filed a second petition for administrative review of the modified recalculation order mailed July 7, 2006. Koehler again raised the issue of the timeliness of the Revocation Hearing before the Board.

He also asserted that the Board’s failed to credit him for the 669 days from January 2, 2004, to November 1, 2005 he spent “in custody for the original 9-20 year sentence” at the Erie County Prison.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

L.T. Colon-Rivera v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2026
F. Leonard v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
J.C. Rainey v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
J.L. Sepulveda v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
C.W. Ott v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
T. Shook v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
W. Wise v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
J. Duzicky v. PPB
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2022
N. Shelton v. PBPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2019
A. Griffin v. PBPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2019
J. Null v. PBPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2019
M.A. Buczynski, II v. PA BPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2017
T. Scantling v. PA BPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2017
R.C. Comrie v. PA DOC and PBPP, etc.
142 A.3d 995 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2016)
J.M. Britton v. PA BPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2016
S. Brown v. PA BPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2016
E.J. House v. PA BPP
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2015
Loach v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole
57 A.3d 210 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2012)
McKenzie v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole
963 A.2d 616 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2009)
Eaton v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole
959 A.2d 477 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
935 A.2d 44, 2007 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 591, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/koehler-v-pennsylvania-board-of-probation-parole-pacommwct-2007.