People v. Hamilton

398 N.E.2d 33, 78 Ill. App. 3d 1031, 34 Ill. Dec. 358, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 3650
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 15, 1979
Docket78-257
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 398 N.E.2d 33 (People v. Hamilton) 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. Hamilton, 398 N.E.2d 33, 78 Ill. App. 3d 1031, 34 Ill. Dec. 358, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 3650 (Ill. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE JIGANTI

delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a bench trial in the circuit court of Cook County, the defendant, Darnell Hamilton, was found guilty of attempt robbery and attempt rape and sentenced to a term of three to nine years. On appeal, the defendant argues: (1) the juvenile court judge was without jurisdiction to reconsider his earlier denial of the State’s motion to permit criminal prosecution made pursuant to section 2 — 7 of the Juvenile Court Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 37, par. 702 — 7; hereinafter 702 motion); (2) since the 702 motion had been granted on a petition charging attempt rape the preliminary hearing court was without power to allow the State to substitute a charge of rape; and (3) the statutory speedy-trial period had run and, therefore, the criminal court erred in denying his motion for discharge.

On July 13,1976, the defendant was arrested for allegedly raping and attempting to rob the complainant, an 89-year-old woman, at her home in the city of Chicago. At the time of the occurrence the defendant was 16 years old. On August 18, 1976, there was a probable cause hearing and a hearing on the State’s 702 motion before Judge White of the juvenile court. The judge found probable cause on the attempt robbery count. However, the court allowed the State to amend the rape count to attempt rape and found probable cause on the latter because the State had not presented evidence of penetration. The court then heard testimony and made findings of probable cause on an unrelated petition charging the defendant with attempt robbery, battery, and attempt rape. After hearing argument from both counsel and reading the reports of the probation officer and court psychiatrist, the court denied the motion to permit criminal prosecution. The defendant was ordered held in custody and the matter was scheduled for a pretrial proceeding on August 19, 1976.

On August 19, 1976, the defendant was released by Judge McGury of the juvenile court and the adjudicatory hearing was set for September 22, 1976. The defendant was arrested again on August 27,1976, and charged in juvenile petitions with attempt rape and deviate sexual assault in one case and with robbery in another. On August 30,1976, the State presented a motion to permit criminal prosecution on these new cases. Judge Walsh of the juvenile court made findings of probable cause and granted the State’s 702 motions on the two new cases.

On September 17,1976, the State filed a motion for rehearing asking Judge White to reconsider his earlier denial of the original motion to permit criminal prosecution. The motion for rehearing was presented and granted on September 21, 1976, and the rehearing was set for the next day. At the September 22 hearing, the State asked the court to take judicial notice of the proceedings occurring after the first 702 motion was denied. The court heard argument from both counsel, read the probation officer’s supplemental report, and granted the State’s motion to permit criminal prosecution.

The case was then transferred to the criminal court and on September 28, 1976, the defendant appeared for a preliminary hearing. Prior to the preliminary hearing the People sought to substitute a rape complaint for the attempt rape complaint. The State was granted leave to file the rape complaint over defendant’s objections. The People were granted leave to strike the attempt rape charge with leave to reinstate and defense counsel demanded trial on the attempt rape charge. At the preliminary hearing the complainant identified the defendant and testified in part that he had entered her vagina with his penis and that he had hit her. The court entered a finding of probable cause on the rape charge. Thereafter the defendant was charged in a two-count indictment with rape and attempt robbery.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and waived a jury. The trial commenced on May 17,1977. At the conclusion of the evidence the court found that penetration had not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt but found defendant guilty of the lesser included offense of attempt rape and of armed robbery.

The defendant first contends that the juvenile court was without jurisdiction to reconsider its earlier denial of the State’s 702 motion because the motion was filed, but was not presented or ruled upon, within 30 days of the entry of the original order. In support of his contention that a 30-day period applies, the defendant cites People v. Heil (1978), 71 Ill. 2d 458, 376 N.E.2d 1002. The defendant in Heil argued that the trial court had no power to reconsider its order granting his petition for discharge even though the State’s motion for reconsideration was filed, presented and ruled upon within 30 days of the entry of the order. The court rejected this contention and held:

“The relevant statutes, and the rules promulgated by this court, demonstrate the intent that in criminal as well as civil matters the circuit court be given the opportunity to reconsider final appealable judgments and orders within 30 days of their entry.” People v. Heil (1978), 71 Ill. 2d 458, 461, 376 N.E.2d 1002, 1003.

In finding that the circuit court has the power to reconsider orders within 30 days of their entry, the Heil court relied upon an analysis of various statutes and rules of the court. The court referred to the provisions of the criminal code governing the court’s jurisdiction to reduce or modify a sentence (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 8—1(d)) motions for new trials (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 116 — 1) and motions in arrest of judgment (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 116 — 2) and to supreme court rules which utilize a 30-day time period (58 Ill. 2d R. 604(d), R. 605(b), R. 606(b)).

We are not persuaded that the Heil decision stands for the proposition that a juvenile court judge is powerless to reconsider his denial of a 702 motion after more than 30 days. The court in Heil referred to “final appealable judgments” and notwithstanding the decision in People v. Martin (1977), 67 Ill. 2d 462, 367 N.E.2d 1329 (that the denial of a 702 motion is appealable by the State), we are not convinced that the decision of a juvenile court judge to deny permission to prosecute under the criminal laws can be classified as a final appealable judgment.

However, whether the Heil decision bars a juvenile court judge from reconsidering his denial of a 702 motion after 30 days need not be decided here. The State filed its motion for such reconsideration less than 30 days from the entry of the order denying its motion. Neither Heil or the statutes the Heil court relied upon, nor any rule of the supreme court, nor any requirement of the Civil Practice Act, require that motions be heard within the period in which they must be filed. It is sufficient that they be filed within that period. (See, e.g., People ex rel. Carey v. Forberg (1975), 33 Ill. App. 3d 161, 337 N.E.2d 369; City of Chicago v. Exchange National Bank (1971), 133 Ill. App. 2d 370, 273 N.E.2d 484

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Bluebook (online)
398 N.E.2d 33, 78 Ill. App. 3d 1031, 34 Ill. Dec. 358, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 3650, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hamilton-illappct-1979.