Mullen v. State

722 S.W.2d 808, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 6204
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided January 15, 1987·No. B14-85-929-CR·Published·Cited by 15 cases

Opinion

OPINION

SEARS, Justice.

This is an appeal from a conviction for the offense of aggravated robbery. Following a remand from the Court of Criminal Appeals, Appellant was retried before a jury and found guilty. His punishment, enhanced by one prior felony conviction, was assessed at confinement in the Texas Department of Corrections for life. We affirm.

Appellant presents seven points of error. In his first point of error he challenges the trial court’s denial of his motion to dismiss pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act.

Appellant was first convicted of aggravated robbery on November 12, 1982. This conviction was reversed by the First Court of Appeals on appeal because of improper prosecutorial argument. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed and on May 31, 1985, remanded the case for a new trial. The State announced ready August 2, 1985, but the defense filed and was granted a motion for a continuance. The case was called again on August 30, 1985. The defense again requested and received a continuance. When the case was called for trial on October 7, 1985, the court discovered that Appellant had not been served with a copy of the indictment. Although he had waived service in his previous trial, Appellant requested service of the new indictment and the court continued the case so that service could be made. Appellant’s motion to dismiss for failure to comply with article 32A.02 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, the Speedy Trial Act, was heard and denied on October 14, 1985. Article 32A.02 requires that:

Section 1. A court shall grant a motion to set aside an indictment, information, or complaint if the state is not ready for trial within:
(1) 120 days of the commencement of a criminal action if the defendant is accused of a felony;
* * * * * *
*811 Section 2. (b) If a defendant is to be retried ... a criminal action commences for purposes of this article on the date of the ... remand.

Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 32A.02 (Vernon Supp.1986). A declaration by the State that it is ready for trial is a prima facie showing of conformity with the Speedy Trial Act that may be rebutted by defendant by presenting evidence demonstrating that the State was not actually ready for trial during the prescribed time period. Mendoza v. State, 636 S.W.2d 198 (Tex.Crim.App.1982); Barfield v. State, 586 S.W.2d 538 (Tex.Crim.App.1979).

At the hearing on the Motion to Dismiss, Appellant argued that service of the indictment and arraignment are prerequisites to the State’s ability to be “ready for trial” within the meaning of article 32A.02. He contends that, since the court did not serve him with a copy of the indictment until October 7, 1985, the earliest he could be arraigned was October 9, 1985. Therefore, Appellant concludes the State could not be “ready” to proceed with the trial until 130 days after the action commenced which was 10 days more than the period allowed by the Speedy Trial Act. We disagree with this contention. “Readiness” under the Speedy Trial Act refers to the prosecution’s preparedness for trial and does not encompass the trial court and its docket. Santibanez v. State, 717 S.W.2d 326, 329 (Tex.Crim.App.1986); Barfield v. State, 586 S.W.2d at 541; Packen v. State, 659 S.W.2d 893 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1983, no pet.). The State’s readiness to try the case is not determined by procedural and substantive formalities such as the service of the indictment on the defendant or his arraignment. “The day on which the defendant is arraigned is a matter of the trial court and its docket.” Packen v. State, 659 S.W.2d at 894. See also Samora v. State, 642 S.W.2d 817 (Tex.App.—Tyler 1982, pet. ref’d). The fact that Appellant was not served with the indictment and arraigned within the 120 day period does not rebut the State’s announcement of ready.

Appellant also asserts that the periods during which the case was continued should not be excluded from the computation of the 120 day period because they were not granted at the request of Appellant or his counsel.

Article 32A.02, Section 4 provides in pertinent part that:

In computing the time by whieh the State must be ready for trial, the following periods shall be excluded:
* * * * * *
(3) a period of delay resulting from a continuance granted at the request or with the consent of the defendant or his counsel, except that a defendant without counsel is deemed not to have consented to a continuance unless the court advised him of his right to a speedy trial and the effect of his consent;

Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 32A.02 § 4(3) (Vernon Supp.1986). Appellant argues that because Mr. Heggen was not formally appointed to represent him until September 4, 1985, he had no authority to request the August 2 and August 30 continuances on behalf of Appellant. Our review of the record reveals that Mr. Frank Crews was appointed to represent Appellant on April 10, 1985. Mr. Heggen, upon the court’s inquiry, testified that he works for Mr. Crews and had handled most of Appellant’s case in the previous trial and appeal. Further, Mr. James, the assistant district attorney handling the case, testified that in July, 1985, Mr. Heggen held himself out to be representing Appellant and entered into plea negotiations on behalf of Appellant. Mr. Heggen also confirmed that he had approached Mr. James in July, 1985, concerning plea negotiations.

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Mullen v. State, 722 S.W.2d 808, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 6204 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

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