People v. Anderson

874 N.E.2d 77, 369 Ill. App. 3d 972, 314 Ill. Dec. 167, 2007 Ill. App. LEXIS 10
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 9, 2007
Docket4-06-0021
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 874 N.E.2d 77 (People v. Anderson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Anderson, 874 N.E.2d 77, 369 Ill. App. 3d 972, 314 Ill. Dec. 167, 2007 Ill. App. LEXIS 10 (Ill. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE STEIGMANN

delivered the opinion of the court:

In March 2001, the State charged defendant, Charles J. Anderson, with burglary (720 ILCS 5/19 — 1(a) (West 2000)). In May 2002, the trial court granted defendant’s request to participate in counseling under the Drug Court Treatment Act (730 ILCS 166/1 through 35 (West 2002)) in exchange for (1) defendant’s jury-trial waiver and (2) his stipulation to the evidence that could be considered at a bench trial on the burglary charge in the event he was unsuccessfully dismissed from the Act’s drug-treatment program.

In December 2005, the trial court found that defendant had violated the terms of the drug-treatment program and ordered him removed from it. The court then took judicial notice of defendant’s earlier waiver and stipulation and ultimately sentenced him to 14 years in prison for burglary.

Defendant appeals, arguing that (1) the trial court erred by removing him from the drug-treatment program because it had no jurisdiction to do so and (2) he is entitled to an additional two days’ credit against his sentence. Because we agree only with defendant’s second argument, we affirm as modified and remand with directions.

I. BACKGROUND

As earlier stated, in May 2002, defendant was accepted into the drug-treatment program in exchange for his jury-trial waiver and his stipulation to the evidence that would be considered at a bench trial in the event he was unsuccessfully dismissed from the drug-treatment program. That written stipulation of evidence made clear that defendant committed the March 2001 burglary with which the State had charged him.

To participate in the drug-treatment program, defendant was also required to sign a Macon County drug-court-participant agreement (hereinafter the agreement). The agreement was 3V2-pages long and imposed multiple requirements upon defendant, such as his participation in drug-treatment sessions. The agreement provided, in pertinent part, as follows:

“1. I agree to participate in the [d]rug [c]ourt [plrogram for a period of up to 24 months, during which time the charges pending against me in this cause will be held in abeyance pending successful completion of the program.
2. I understand that upon successful completion of the [d]rug [c]ourt [plrogram that this case will be dismissed, and I will not be prosecuted for the offenses alleged herein.
3. I hereby waive my right to a preliminary hearing, my right to a speedy trial, my right to a trial by jury, and my right to confront and cross[-]examine the witnesses against me. I have executed a [stipulation of [e]vidence in this case[J pursuant to which I agree that all police reports, forensic reports, and all other reports relevant to the charge(s) filed in my case are admissible as evidence against me at trial.
***
5. I agree to obey all laws, and to abstain from the use of controlled substances, cannabis, or alcohol.
* * *
14. I understand that I may be unsuccessfully terminated from the [d]rug [c]ourt [plrogram if:
A. I fail to comply with any of the conditions of the [d]rug [c]ourt [plrogram;
B. I commit any criminal offense;
C. I request unsuccessful termination from the program.
16. I understand that upon unsuccessful termination from the [djrug [c]ourt [plrogram this cause will proceed to immediate trial by the [c]ourt. I understand that the aforementioned [stipulation of [elvidence will constitute the evidence received by the [c]ourt at trial.”

Prior to defendant’s signing the agreement, the trial court explained its provisions to him in open court. The court also admonished defendant pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 402(a) (177 Ill. 2d R. 402(a)). After defendant indicated he understood and agreed, the court accepted and entered defendant’s agreement and stipulation of evidence.

In January 2003, the trial court’s docket entry revealed, without any further explanation, that the cause was reallotted for a bench trial the following week. At that later hearing, the court summarily dismissed defendant from the drug-treatment program, reviewed the May 2002 stipulation, and indicated that it contained a sufficient factual basis to support a conviction for burglary. In March 2003, the court sentenced defendant to 14 years in prison on the original burglary charge.

Defendant appealed, arguing, in part, that his rights to due process were violated when he was not afforded a hearing prior to being dismissed from the drug-treatment program. This court agreed and reversed and remanded. People v. Anderson, 358 Ill. App. 3d 1108, 1116, 833 N.E.2d 390, 396 (2005).

On remand in September 2005, the State filed a motion to terminate defendant from the drug-treatment program. In December 2005, after conducting several evidentiary hearings, the trial court found that defendant had violated the program’s conditions by committing a theft in January 2003. The court ordered that defendant be “revoked” from the drug-treatment program.

At a sentencing hearing later in December 2005, the trial court considered the presentence investigation report (PSI), which showed, in pertinent part, that (1) defendant’s first burglary conviction occurred in 1955, (2) since that time, he had 10 more burglary convictions, and (3) he had 2 convictions for escaping from a penal institution and numerous theft convictions. After considering the evidence, the PSI, and counsel’s arguments, the court sentenced defendant to 14 years in prison for burglary and awarded him 1,399 days of credit for time previously served in jail or prison.

This appeal followed.

II. ANALYSIS

A. Defendant’s Claim That the Trial Court Lacked Jurisdiction To Terminate His Participation in the Drug-Treatment Program and Sentence Him to Prison

Defendant first argues that because his participation in the drug-treatment program was for a period of two years that ended on May 17, 2004, the trial court had no authority in December 2005 to revoke his participation in that program and sentence him to prison. Specifically, he contends that because the State did not file a petition to terminate his participation in the drug-treatment program until September 2005, the State had taken no action to toll the two-year duration of the drug-treatment program. In making this argument, defendant seeks to draw a parallel to section 5 — 6—4(a) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Unified Code) (730 ILCS 5/5

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2023 IL App (3d) 220309-U (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2023)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
874 N.E.2d 77, 369 Ill. App. 3d 972, 314 Ill. Dec. 167, 2007 Ill. App. LEXIS 10, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-anderson-illappct-2007.