People v. Centeno

916 N.E.2d 70, 334 Ill. Dec. 37, 394 Ill. App. 3d 710, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 902
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 17, 2009
Docket3-08-0026
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 916 N.E.2d 70 (People v. Centeno) 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. Centeno, 916 N.E.2d 70, 334 Ill. Dec. 37, 394 Ill. App. 3d 710, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 902 (Ill. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinions

PRESIDING JUSTICE O’BRIEN

delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendant, Jacob O. Centeno, pled guilty to aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (625 ILCS 5/4 — 103.2(a)(3) (West 2004)). The court sentenced him to a 36-month term of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) probation. On November 20, 2007, the court revoked the defendant’s probation and sentenced him to a seven-year term of imprisonment. The defendant appeals, arguing that counsel was ineffective for failing to surrender him in exoneration of his recognizance bond in Will County while the defendant was in the custody of the Cook County jail. We agree and award the defendant an additional 301 days of credit.

FACTS

The State charged the defendant with aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (625 ILCS 5/4 — 103.2(a)(3) (West 2004)). On February 28, 2005, the court appointed the public defender to represent the defendant.

On August 18, 2005, the defendant pled guilty to the offense. The court sentenced the defendant to, inter alia, a 36-month term of TASC probation. Because the treatment facility did not have an immediate opening for the defendant, he was kept in the custody of the Will County jail. The court ordered that once a bed opened in the treatment facility, the defendant would be released pursuant to a $100,000 personal recognizance bond. The defendant entered the treatment facility in November 2005. He successfully completed inpatient treatment and was released to outpatient treatment in January 2006.

On November 29, 2006, the State filed the instant petition to revoke the defendant’s TASC probation. The State alleged that the defendant pled guilty in a Cook County court to criminal trespass to a motor vehicle on April 28, 2006.

The court held a hearing on the State’s petition to revoke the defendant’s probation on December 28, 2006. Neither the defendant nor an attorney representing him appeared at this hearing. However, the State was aware that the defendant was in custody in Cook County and requested that the court issue a writ for his appearance on the instant petition for January 23, 2007. The court did not issue a warrant for the defendant’s arrest because his probation officer stated that the defendant was being held in the Cook County jail on no bond.

On January 23, 2007, the defendant appeared in a Will County court for a hearing on the State’s petition to revoke and stated that he was “in [the] custody of Cook County.” An assistant public defender, who initially represented the defendant on the underlying charge, also appeared. The assistant public defender asked to be reappointed by the court. However, the defendant requested a continuance so he could attempt to retain private counsel. The court granted the continuance and remanded the defendant to Cook County.

The record does not show when the court formally reappointed the public defender. However, on March 16, 2007, the assistant public defender appeared on the defendant’s behalf and requested the court to set an April 18, 2007, date for a hearing on the State’s petition. At the April 18 hearing, the State notified the court that the defendant had pending matters in Cook County with a court date at the end of May. The State believed that the disposition of the Cook County case “may assist us in what direction we are going to be going in disposing this case” and asked to continue the matter until June 1. The defendant agreed, and the court set the matter for June 1.

On June 15, 2007, private counsel Charles Thomas entered his appearance on behalf of the defendant, and the court allowed the public defender to withdraw. Thereafter, on August 31, 2007, the court held a hearing on the State’s petition to revoke the defendant’s TASC probation. The State established that the defendant had been convicted of a criminal offense in Cook County while he was on probation in the instant case. Thus, the court granted the State’s petition to revoke probation.

The court held a sentencing hearing regarding the instant conviction on November 20, 2007, and sentenced the defendant to a seven-year term of imprisonment. Regarding presentence credit (730 ILCS 5/5 — 8—7(b) (West 2004)), defense counsel requested credit for time the defendant spent in jail since the court granted the State’s petition to revoke his TASC probation. Defense counsel also requested credit for time the defendant spent on probation. The court stated that the defendant had “never been in custody on the petition to revoke here. He’s always remained in custody of Cook County. So the sentence, he’s not entitled to any credit since the filing of the petition to revoke ***.” The court thus denied these requests, finding that the defendant was entitled to credit “only [for] the dates that he was in custody of the Will County Sheriff.” The defendant appealed.

ANALYSIS

On appeal, the defendant argues that counsel was ineffective for failing to surrender him in exoneration of his Will County recognizance bond while he was in the custody of the Cook County jail on an unrelated offense.

To establish a valid claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must show that: (1) his attorney’s conduct fell below an objective standard of reasonableness; and (2) he was prejudiced by the deficient performance. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674, 104 S. Ct. 2052 (1984); People v. Albanese, 104 Ill. 2d 504, 473 N.E.2d 1246 (1984). The defendant bears the burden of overcoming a strong presumption in favor of finding that counsel’s advocacy was effective. Albanese, 104 Ill. 2d 504, 473 N.E.2d 1246. Inquiries of counsel’s effectiveness may not extend into areas of trial strategy or tactics. People v. Gapski, 283 Ill. App. 3d 937, 670 N.E.2d Ill. (1996).

Pursuant to section 5 — 8—7(b) of the Unified Code of Corrections, a defendant is to receive credit against his sentence for time spent in custody as a result of the offense for which the sentence is imposed. 730 ILCS 5/5 — 8—7(b) (West 2004). A defendant may receive section 5 — 8—7(b) credit for time spent in custody on a pending petition to revoke his probation. See People v. Morrison, 298 Ill. App. 3d 241, 698 N.E.2d 671 (1998).

When a defendant is out on bond pursuant to one offense and is subsequently arrested and returned to custody on a second offense, the defendant is returned to custody on the initial offense when his bond is withdrawn or revoked. People v. Arnhold, 115 Ill. 2d 379, 504 N.E.2d 100 (1987); People v. Hatchett, 203 Ill. App. 3d 989, 560 N.E.2d 1347 (1990).

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People v. Centeno
916 N.E.2d 70 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
916 N.E.2d 70, 334 Ill. Dec. 37, 394 Ill. App. 3d 710, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 902, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-centeno-illappct-2009.