People v. Fennell

32 P.3d 1092, 2000 Colo. J. C.A.R. 6339, 2000 Colo. App. LEXIS 2041, 2000 WL 1732402
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 24, 2000
Docket98CA2459
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 32 P.3d 1092 (People v. Fennell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Fennell, 32 P.3d 1092, 2000 Colo. J. C.A.R. 6339, 2000 Colo. App. LEXIS 2041, 2000 WL 1732402 (Colo. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

Opinion by

JUDGE RULAND

Defendant, Troy M. Fennell, appeals from the order denying his motion to dismiss the charges against him based upon an alleged violation of his statutory and constitutional right to speedy trial. In the alternative, he also challenges the order reinstating his guilty plea on those charges. We affirm.

On May 4, 1992, defendant pled guilty to one count each of second degree burglary, theft, and aggravated motor vehicle theft. In exchange for his plea, the prosecution agreed to dismiss other charges against him and to forgo filing habitual criminal charges.

Defendant was on "mandatory release" status from a federal prison at the time he entered his plea. As a result, he was subject to a federal detainer for parole violation. Accordingly, the parties added a stipulation to the plea agreement. The stipulation provided that the prosecution would recommend that defendant's sentence run concurrently with any federal sentence he might serve.

The court acknowledged this stipulation at the sentencing hearing but expressed its concern that this condition might not be enforceable against the federal authorities. Nevertheless, the court imposed concurrent sentences of 25 years for burglary and theft and a consecutive 10-year sentence for aggravated motor vehicle theft, all to run concurrently with defendant's federal sentence.

Later, defendant learned that the federal authorities would not take him into custody until he completed his state sentence. He then filed a pro se Crim.P. 35(c) motion claiming that his sentence was illegal because his federal sentence was not being served concurrently with his state sentence and that, therefore, his plea had been made involuntarily.

Following a hearing, the trial court denied the motion, finding that the plea agreement had called only for a recommendation that the federal sentence be served concurrently with the state sentence. The court also found that the required recommendation had been made.

On appeal, however, a division of this court reversed based upon its determination that the sentencing stipulation was not merely that the sentencing court make a recommendation. The division also concluded that the *1094 stipulation could not be enforced and that, therefore, defendant must be afforded the opportunity to affirm or withdraw his plea. The case was remanded with directions. People v. Fennell, (Colo.App. No. 96CA0658, March 27, 1997)(not selected for official publication) (Fennell I).

Following issuance of the mandate by this court on January 30, 1998, defendant filed a motion to withdraw his plea and requested that the speedy trial period begin running. The trial court allowed defendant to withdraw his plea at a hearing on April 20, 1998. However, the prosecution then asked for time to contact the federal authorities to determine whether the concurrent sentencing stipulation would be honored.

On May 11, 1998, the prosecution filed with the court a "Notice of Action" from the United States Parole Commission. In this document, the Commission stated that it was withdrawing its federal detainer because defendant had served the remainder of his sentence while in state custody.

At a hearing on the same day, the prosecution asked the court to reinstate defendant's guilty plea because the release of the federal detainer fulfilled the stipulation in the original plea agreement. The court declined to rule on the request because defendant was not represented by counsel at that point and was resisting appointment of the public defender.

The court concluded that it would appoint new counsel and set a hearing date of June 22, 1998, for defendant to enter a guilty plea if a new agreement was reached. The cout also informed defendant that if he wanted to enter a plea of not guilty after consulting with his new counsel, he could do so by telephone any time before the next hearing and a trial date would be set.

Defendant entered a not guilty plea during a telephonic hearing on June 22. The court determined that the speedy trial period began on this day.

At a status hearing on November 6, 1998, the court reviewed the prosecution's motion to reinstate defendant's guilty plea. Treating the request as a motion for reconsideration of the withdrawal of defendant's plea, the court concluded that defendant had now received the benefit of his plea bargain and reinstated the guilty plea. This appeal followed.

I.

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to dismiss all of the charges because his statutory and constitutional rights to speedy trial were violated. We disagree.

A.

With reference to his statutory claim, defendant argues that under $ 18-1-405(2), C.R.S.2000, the trial court had only six months from January 30, 1998, the date it received the mandate, to set his case for trial. Therefore, he argues, the dismissal of the charges is mandated.

The prosecution responds that, because defendant did not have a trial that resulted in a conviction, the time limitation of § 18-1-405(2) does not apply to him. Instead, it contends that the trial court was required under §$ 18-1-405(1), C.R.S.2000, to set the trial date within six months of defendant's entry of his not guilty plea. We agree with the prosecution.

Under § 18-1405, C.R.S.2000, a defendant must be brought to trial within six months of the entry of a plea or the charges must be dismissed. See People v. Arledge, 938 P.2d 160 (Colo.1997).

If a trial results in a judgment of conviction that is reversed on appeal, § 18-1-405(2) requires that any new trial must he commenced within six months after the date the trial court receives the mandate from the appellate court. Hence, by its plain language, this statute applies only to those cases in which a judgment of conviction entered after a trial is reversed on appeal. See Bertrand v. Board of County Commissioners, 872 P.2d 223 (Colo.1994)(words and phrases of statutory language must be read in context and given their plain and ordinary meaning). And, contrary to defendant's contention, we do not read People v. Arledge, supra, as requiring the statute to be construed oth *1095 er than consistently with the plain meaning of the words used.

Here, because defendant entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement, he was not convicted following a trial. Thus, § 18-1-405(2) does not apply. As a result, because defendant entered his not guilty plea on June 22, 1998, the trial court had six months from the entry of that plea under § 18-1-405(1), C.R.$.2000, to try the case. Then, because the case reached a final disposition by the reinstatement of the guilty plea on November 6 and before the six months expired, defendant's statutory right to speedy trial was not violated.

B.

-In the alternative, defendant contends that his constitutional right to speedy trial was violated. He argues that the delays caused by the prosecution and the court before allowing him to withdraw his plea deprived him of this constitutional right.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
32 P.3d 1092, 2000 Colo. J. C.A.R. 6339, 2000 Colo. App. LEXIS 2041, 2000 WL 1732402, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-fennell-coloctapp-2000.