People v. Cissna

524 N.E.2d 268, 170 Ill. App. 3d 398, 120 Ill. Dec. 503, 1988 Ill. App. LEXIS 795
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 2, 1988
Docket4-87-0576
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 524 N.E.2d 268 (People v. Cissna) 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. Cissna, 524 N.E.2d 268, 170 Ill. App. 3d 398, 120 Ill. Dec. 503, 1988 Ill. App. LEXIS 795 (Ill. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

JUSTICE LUND

delivered the opinion of the court:

On March 21, 1986, in the circuit court of Adams County, defendant Mark Cissna pleaded guilty to the offense of unlawful use of weapons by a felon in violation of section 24 — 1.1(a) of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 (Code) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 24— 1.1(a)). He was placed on 30 months’ probation for that offense on July 2, 1986.

On August 13, 1986, defendant was found guilty by a jury in the circuit court of Adams County of the offense of theft in excess of $300 in violation of section 16 — 1 of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 16 — 1). On September 29, 1986, a sentencing hearing on the theft conviction and a hearing to revoke defendant’s weapons probation based on said theft conviction was held. Defendant was placed on 30 months’ probation for the theft conviction after the court warned defendant he qualified for an extended-term sentence on this conviction. The court continued the hearing on the petition to revoke the first probation for a 90-day period.

On October 29, 1986, a petition to revoke probation was filed in defendant’s theft probation case. The petition alleged that defendant failed to abide by his curfew restrictions. On December 17, 1986, defendant admitted this violation. On January 21, 1987, the court re-sentenced defendant to 30 months’ probation on the theft conviction with a condition of four months’ periodic imprisonment. The State withdrew the previously filed petition to revoke on the weapons conviction.

On February 6, 1987, petitions to revoke probation were filed in each case alleging defendant violated section 4(a) of the Cannabis Control Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 56½, par. 704(a)) by possessing less than 2.5 grams of cannabis. On February 24, amended petitions to revoke probation were filed alleging additionally that defendant committed the offense of escape in violation of section 31 — 6(a) of the Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 31 — 6(a)) by failing to return to the Adams county jail from work release.

On July 6, 1987, defendant admitted the above violations, and the court revoked the probations. On July 31, 1987, the court sentenced defendant to five years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections on each conviction to be served concurrently. Defendant appeals from the sentence.

Defendant appeals alleging three errors. First, he asserts the court mistakenly believed defendant qualified for an extended-term sentence on his convictions and this mistake entitles him to a new sentencing hearing. Second, defendant argues the court improperly considered the revoking offenses when imposing sentence. Third, defendant asserts the court improperly considered victim-impact evidence. We affirm.

Defendant first argues the court mistakenly believed he was eligible for an extended-term sentence pursuant to section 5 — 5— 3.2(b)(1) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 5—3.2(b)(1)). He acknowledges he did not receive an extended-term sentence, being sentenced to the maximum nonextended term on each offense, but maintains it is settled that, if the court is mistaken as to the possible maximum sentence which can be imposed, the defendant is entitled to be resentenced. People v. Hargis (1983), 118 Ill. App. 3d 1064, 1081, 456 N.E.2d 250, 259.

In regards to the unlawful use of weapons conviction, this argument is without merit. Defendant appears to have misapprehended the record. It is clear the court’s focus in these proceedings was almost entirely on the theft conviction. Any discussion of a possible extended-term sentence by the court was addressed entirely to the theft conviction.

At the sentencing hearing, the court observed defendant qualified for an extended-term sentence on the theft conviction based on the prior weapons conviction and that defendant had previously been so advised. Defendant believes this is incorrect.

The section in question provides a person may receive an extended-term sentence:

“When a defendant is convicted of any felony, after having been previously convicted in Illinois of the same or greater class felony, within 10 years, excluding time spent in custody, and such charges are separately brought and tried and arise out of different series of acts.” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 5—3.2(b)(1).)

Our supreme court in People v. Hobbs (1981), 86 Ill. 2d 242, 427 N.E.2d 558, held that an extended-term sentence is not possible where the sentencing offense is a misdemeanor enhanced to a felony by the same prior conviction which would allow the extended-term sentence. Three of our sister courts have extended this analysis to preclude an extended-term sentence in any case where the sentencing offense is a misdemeanor enhanced to a felony regardless of what prior conviction is used to authorize it. (People v. Nally (1985), 134 Ill. App. 3d 865, 873-75, 480 N.E.2d 1373, 1379-80; People v. Grayson (1983), 119 Ill. App. 3d 252, 261-63, 456 N.E.2d 664, 669-70; People v. Spearman (1982), 108 Ill. App. 3d 237, 238-40, 438 N.E.2d 1320, 1321-22.) Defendant asserts the logical expansion of this analysis is to hold that a defendant cannot receive an extended-term sentence where, regardless of the sentencing offense, the prior conviction which would authorize the imposition of the sentence is a misdemeanor enhanced to a felony and not a pure felony. We have not ruled on a situation such as is present in Natty, Grayson, and Spearman, and reserve that for a more appropriate case, but we do hold that defendant’s asserted expansion in this case is not supported by Hobbs.

In Hobbs, the supreme court stated as follows:

“To again use that 1978 felony conviction to trigger the court’s authority to impose an extended term pursuant to section 5— 5 — 3.2(b) is, in our judgment, incompatible with that section’s requirement that the charges must be ‘separately brought and tried and arise out of different series of acts.’ The logical interpretation of that language indicates an intent to severely punish a recidivist convicted of separate felonies within 10 years where the latest offense consisted of conduct which itself constituted a felony. Here, the 1979 conduct was a simple misdemeanor until the earlier conviction was added by allegation and proof, and these circumstances, in our judgment, are simply not those at which section 5 — 5—3.2(b) is aimed.” Hobbs, 86 Ill. 2d at 246, 427 N.E.2d at 560.

In the case now before us, the theft conviction, without enhancement, constituted a felony. The prior felony triggering the extended-term option was not a part of the theft case and was separately brought, tried, and arose out of a different series of acts.

The extended-term provision is contained in that section setting forth factors in aggravation to be considered in sentencing.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
524 N.E.2d 268, 170 Ill. App. 3d 398, 120 Ill. Dec. 503, 1988 Ill. App. LEXIS 795, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-cissna-illappct-1988.