People v. Houle

629 N.E.2d 837, 257 Ill. App. 3d 721, 196 Ill. Dec. 292, 1994 Ill. App. LEXIS 232
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 28, 1994
Docket2-92-0660
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 629 N.E.2d 837 (People v. Houle) 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. Houle, 629 N.E.2d 837, 257 Ill. App. 3d 721, 196 Ill. Dec. 292, 1994 Ill. App. LEXIS 232 (Ill. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

JUSTICE PECCARELLI

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Bryan E. Houle, pleaded guilty to the offense of armed robbery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 38, par. 18 — 2(a) (now 720 ILCS 5/18 — 2(a) (West 1992)) in each of four counts and was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment on each count, with each sentence to be concurrent. Defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and vacate the judgment of incarceration. The trial court denied defendant’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea. Defendant appeals and contends that the trial court’s order denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea should be reversed and the cause remanded for a rehearing because defense counsel failed to comply with Supreme Court Rule 604(d) (145 Ill. 2d R. 604(d)). 1

The defendant was indicted on May 15, 1991, on one count of armed robbery. Informations were filed on August 12, 1991, charging defendant with three additional counts of armed robbery. Pursuant to plea negotiations the defendant waived his right to a jury trial and on August 12, 1991, pleaded guilty to the four counts of armed robbery. The plea agreement was that the defendant would plead guilty to four counts of armed robbery; would receive concurrent terms of 17 years’ incarceration; would receive a concurrent term of not more than 17 years for a charge pending in Winnebago County; would waive all rights to appeal; would receive credit on the sentence in the instant cases for time served in Winnebago County; and the State’s Attorney would recommend to the Department of Corrections that the defendant be placed in a medium security facility.

At the guilty plea hearing the trial court admonished defendant of various constitutional rights. The State’s Attorney recited a factual basis for the plea. Defendant’s counsel stipulated to the factual basis. The State’s Attorney represented that if members of the Rochelle police department and the Ogle County sheriffs department, as well as the individual victims, were called as witnesses they would provide evidence implicating the defendant in each armed robbery. There would also be testimony from a codefendant, Kenneth Greer, who previously pleaded guilty to the armed robbery in the indictment.

On count I, the evidence would show that Kenneth Greer was present on December 11, 1990, in Bill’s IGA grocery store when $2,700 was taken from the person of Lori Kramer, and that the defendant used a gun.

On count II, the evidence would show that on November 13,1989, the defendant entered Doc’s Drug Store in Rochelle and took $750 from the person of Diane Frailey, an employee of Doc’s Drug Store, and that defendant used a hunting knife.

On count III, the evidence would show that on January 13, 1990, the defendant entered a Wal-Mart store and took $700 from Joyce Meyers, and used a Crossman air gun.

On count IV, the evidence would show that the defendant took $120 from an employee of the Outer Limits Tavern, and that he threatened the employee with a Crossman air gun. Defendant’s counsel stipulated to the factual basis. The court found there was a sufficient factual basis for the plea and there had been a knowing and voluntary waiver of the right to trial. The court sentenced the defendant to 17 years on each count and the sentences were to run concurrently. On September 11, 1991, defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and vacate the judgment of incarceration.

On November 12, 1991, a hearing was conducted on the motion to withdraw his guilty plea and to vacate the judgment of incarceration. Defendant was represented by defense counsel George Fisher, who had been defendant’s counsel at the time defendant pleaded guilty. The defendant testified. During the hearing it appeared that defense counsel George Fisher might have a conflict of interest. He requested leave to withdraw from the case. The court granted that motion and the hearing was rescheduled. On November 13, 1991, Attorney Donald J. Miller of Forreston, Illinois, was assigned to represent the defendant. On December 19, 1991, another hearing on the defendant’s motion to withdraw his plea of guilty occurred. The defendant testified. The court heard the arguments of counsel. On May 26, 1992, defendant’s motion to withdraw the guilty plea and vacate the judgment of incarceration was denied.

On appeal, defendant contends that the cause must be remanded for a rehearing on his motion to withdraw his guilty plea and to vacate the judgment of incarceration because defense counsel failed to file a Rule 604(d) certificate. In this case no certificate was filed.

The State contends that the defendant waived his right to bring an appeal pursuant to his negotiated plea agreement, that such a waiver is enforceable, and that defendant is estopped from maintaining the instant appeal by virtue of the waiver of his right to appeal as part of the negotiated plea agreement.

The State argues that People v. Wilk (1988), 124 Ill. 2d 93, is similar to the case at bar. In the Wilk case the defendants failed to file a motion to withdraw their plea of guilty. In this case, defendant’s counsel failed to file a certificate of compliance with the requirements of Rule 604(d). That is a substantial difference.

Rule 604(d) requires that a defendant’s attorney file with the trial court a certificate that the attorney has consulted with the defendant to ascertain his contentions of error in the entry of the plea of guilty, has examined the trial court file and report of proceedings of the plea of guilty, and has made any amendments to the motion necessary for the adequate presentation of any defects in those proceedings. 145 Ill. 2d R. 604(d.)

This court has mandated strict compliance with Rule 604(d). (People v. Davis (1994), 255 Ill. App. 3d 647, 649; People v. Kendall (1991), 213 Ill. App. 3d 782, 786; People v. Dickerson (1991), 212 Ill. App. 3d 168, 171.) Since compliance with the rule is mandatory, when counsel fails to comply, the judgment must be reversed and the cause remanded for a rehearing on the motion.

In the case at bar the State argues that the result of the failure to file a certificate pursuant to Rule 604(d) should be imputed to the defendant and defendant’s counsel and the result should be a dismissal and not a remand. The State stated that Wilk reflected "the supreme court was particularly disturbed that the process of an appellate court remand for the filing of a motion to withdraw a plea of guilty would result in the cases having taken a 'needless trip to the appellate court’ and 'wasted the court’s time.’ ” The assertion of the State is taken out of context. In Wilk, the court stated:

"Rule 604(d) was designed to meet a specific need. A few years after the effective date of our 1970 Constitution, it came to the attention of this court that a large number of appeals in criminal cases were being taken from pleas of guilty. One appellate court justice estimated that one-third of all criminal appeals in his division were from pleas of guilty. A review of criminal appeal filings in the appellate court in the five judicial districts substantiated this estimate.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
629 N.E.2d 837, 257 Ill. App. 3d 721, 196 Ill. Dec. 292, 1994 Ill. App. LEXIS 232, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-houle-illappct-1994.