People v. Ledrow

220 N.W.2d 336, 53 Mich. App. 511, 1974 Mich. App. LEXIS 1165
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 30, 1974
DocketDocket 16986
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 220 N.W.2d 336 (People v. Ledrow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan 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. Ledrow, 220 N.W.2d 336, 53 Mich. App. 511, 1974 Mich. App. LEXIS 1165 (Mich. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinions

McGregor, J.

Defendant pled guilty to a charge of breaking and entering, MCLA 750.110; MSA 28.305, on October 11, 1972, and was sentenced on January 12, 1973, to a prison term of 2-1/2 to 10 [513]*513years, with credit granted for 105 days spent in the county jail.

The record indicates that on September 5, 1972, defendant’s brother-in-law, by means of a window, entered a vacant house which contained stored goods. He then opened a door to permit defendant to enter and the men took one or two rifles and a couple of shotguns. Defendant was arrested on October 1, 1972.

As a result of plea bargaining, defendant pled guilty to the charge of breaking and entering in exchange for the prosecutor’s promise to dismiss certain other pending charges. Three days after being sentenced, defendant petitioned for appointment of appellate counsel and, on February 5, 1973, filed a motion in the trial court to withdraw his plea of guilty.

The hearing on the motion was held on April 3 and 5, 1973, and on April 9, 1973, the trial court denied the motion. Finally, on April 25, 1973, defendant filed a claim of appeal from the judgment of conviction and the order denying the motion to withdraw his plea. Other pertinent facts are found in our discussion of the issues.

Defendant first contends that his plea-based conviction is infirm because the prosecutor agreed, as part of the plea bargaining, to dismiss the pending charges only after the 60-day appeal period had expired on the plea-based conviction. This condition, imposed by the prosecutor on his promise to dismiss the pending charges, contends the defendant, contravenes the holding of this Court in People v Butler, 43 Mich App 270; 204 NW2d 325 (1972), specifically, that it is impermissible, under the Michigan Constitution of 1963, for a prosecutor to induce a defendant to waive his right of appeal as part of a plea agreement.

[514]*514Preliminarily, we note that Butler was decided after defendant’s plea of guilty was accepted, but before he was sentenced and before his motion to withdraw the plea was denied. Indeed, a substantial portion of the trial court’s written opinion denying that motion was devoted to a discussion of Butler’s effect on the validity of Mr. Ledrow’s guilty plea. In these circumstances, we are of the opinion that the plea must be examined in light of the rule enunciated by this Court in Butler. However, we refrain from ruling on the retroactive applicability of that rule in cases where sentence was imposed prior to the date of decision in Butler. Cf. People v McMillan, 389 Mich 114; 204 NW2d 682 (1973), holding that the requirements of People v Jaworski, 387 Mich 21; 194 NW2d 868 (1972), are applicable to cases in which a plea of guilty was accepted prior to the date of decision in Boykin v Alabama, 395 US 238; 89 S Ct 1709; 23 L Ed 2d 274 (1969), but in which sentencing occurred after that date.

In Butler, this Court held:

"The remedy which we here adopt, then, to cure this chilling effect [on the defendant’s constitutional right to appeal] is to vacate the plea conviction whenever it is based on a stipulation that the defendant must waive his right to appeal in order to receive all or part of the consideration offered in exchange for his plea. Only in this manner can we protect defendant’s right to appeal.”

The primary dispute in this case is a factual one, mainly whether the plea bargain contained the prohibited stipulation that defendant Ledrow not appeal the conviction. The plea transcript in the instant case contains the following exchange between the trial court and the defendant:

[515]*515"The Court: All right. Has there been any plea bargaining here at all in this matter? Are there other charges against this man?
"Mr. Fraser [prosecutor]: If it please the court, there are other charges pending below, in the district court. It would be the intention of the people not to proceed with those matters upon the acceptance of a guilty plea on this charge.
"The Court: All right. You understand that, do you, Mr. Ledrow?
"The Defendant: Yes, sir.
"The Court: There are certain other charges that might be pressed against you and the prosecutor says he won’t press those, in view of your plea of guilty to this particular charge. He will dismiss them, in other words.
"The Defendant: Yes.”

During the course of the April 3 hearing held pursuant to defendant’s motion to withdraw his plea, the trial court made the following statements:

"The Court: Number one, the claim is made that promises were made and there is no question what this was a plea bargain that was entered into and it’s stated on the — in the transcript of the arraignment. But the court is of the opinion that the prosecution is not obliged to nol-pros a pending case where under the circumstances of this case after that — the man was sentenced on January 12th, three days later he took an appeal. And until such time as that appeal is determined, it seems to me, that the prosecution is not obliged to dismiss.
"In other words, this man made a bargain, he says. He didn’t keep his bargain. He made a bargain that he wanted to plead guilty here and the rest of the bargain was that the case would be dismissed.
"Well, he promptly, after he found out what his sentence was, he decided he didn’t want that bargain; he wanted to take an appeal, which he did. This is not a situation where any attempt has been made to enforce this other case.
[516]*516"I don’t think there is any question what the prosecution agreed to dismiss and the prosecution should dismiss that at the proper time. Now, in other courts, they follow the procedure that they do not dismiss other pending cases on plea bargains until the 60-day appeal period goes by. I know this is the practice.
"Mr. Rowland: Was that the reason for this in this case?
"Mr. Rhead [prosecutor]: It’s one of the reasons, your Honor. That a premature dismissal of this matter — we generally hold it until the appeal period is up or if an appeal is taken the matter remains dormant until the appeal is settled.
"Mr. Rowland [defense attorney]: Your Honor, I’d cite the case of People v Butler, 43 Michigan 270 [sic], and ask the court to reconsider its opinion on that point.
"The Court: Okay.”

The trial court, with commendable thoroughness and concern for the rights of the defendant, took the matter under advisement and then issued its opinion, on April 5, 1973, from the bench. During the course of that opinion, thé trial court stated:

"Now on the other point the court in its previous findings got off on a side issue here and indicated — and the court’s not attempting to extricate itself from that statement the court made. The court said that the court can see in effect nothing wrong with holding up a dismissal until the appeal period expires.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lockert v. State
711 N.E.2d 88 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1999)
State Ex Rel. Gray v. McClure
242 S.E.2d 704 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1978)
People v. Strickland
259 N.W.2d 232 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1977)
People v. Webb
255 N.W.2d 661 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1977)
People v. Stevenson
252 N.W.2d 767 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1977)
State v. Gibson
348 A.2d 769 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1975)
People v. Soto
233 N.W.2d 545 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)
People v. Stevenson
231 N.W.2d 476 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)
People v. Marshall
229 N.W.2d 346 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1975)
People v. Ledrow
220 N.W.2d 336 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
220 N.W.2d 336, 53 Mich. App. 511, 1974 Mich. App. LEXIS 1165, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ledrow-michctapp-1974.