People v. Romero

198 P.3d 1209, 2007 Colo. App. LEXIS 2375, 2007 WL 4336230
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 13, 2007
Docket06CA1209
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 198 P.3d 1209 (People v. Romero) 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. Romero, 198 P.3d 1209, 2007 Colo. App. LEXIS 2375, 2007 WL 4336230 (Colo. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge BERNARD.

Defendant, Ruben A. Romero, appeals the order revoking his probation. We affirm.

I. Background

The following facts are undisputed. On April 20, 2001, defendant pled guilty to one count of attempted aggravated motor vehicle theft and one count of driving while ability impaired. He was sentenced to one year of supervised probation to run from April 20, 2001, until April 20, 2002.

In July 2001, and again in May 2002, the probation department filed motions alleging defendant had violated the terms of his probation. Both motions were resolved by defendant's agreement to extend his probation for an additional year. The second agreement extended his probation until November 4, 2008.

Defendant failed to pay the court-ordered restitution by November 3, 2008. On that date, defendant, his probation officer, and the assistant district attorney signed a "Motion, Stipulation and Order to Extend Probation," which requested that defendant's probation be extended, for a third time, to November 4, 2004. This document was filed with the trial court on November 4, 2003, and the trial court signed it on November 5, 2008.

(On November 4, 2004, the probation department filed a third revocation complaint. The parties stipulated that defendant's probation would be revoked and that he would serve a two-year sentence in a community corrections facility. At his sentencing hearing, defendant contended, for the first time, that his case should be dismissed because the trial court did not have jurisdiction to extend his probation, as the court did not sign the motion extending his probation until one day after his probationary term expired. At a later hearing, the trial court denied defendant's motion and sentenced him to the stipulated term in community corrections.

IL Trial Court's Jurisdiction

Defendant contends the trial court erred by failing to grant his motion to dismiss. He argues the trial court lost jurisdiction over his case because it did not enter the order extending his probation until November 5, 2003, one day after his probation term had ended. We disagree.

We review questions concerning a trial court's jurisdiction to revoke probation de novo. See People v. Brunmer, 87 P.3d 267, 268 (Colo.App.2004).

The court may reduce or increase the term of probation for good cause. § 18-1.3-204(4), C.R.98.2007. Section 16-18.5-105(8)(d)(IID), C.R.8.2007, authorizes a court to extend a defendant's probationary period when the defendant has not paid restitution as ordered. See also People v. Conner, 148 P.3d 235, 287 (Colo.App.2006).

Defendant contends the trial court's jurisdiction in this case is controlled by the statute governing probation revocation proceedings, section 16-11-205, C.R.8.2007. Relying on People v. Galvin, 961 P.2d 1137, 1138-39 (Colo.App.1997), he argues the only way a probationary period can be tolled is by the initiation of probation revocation proceedings, and there are only four ways to initiate such proceedings: (1) the issuance of summons by a probation officer requiring the probationer to appear in court; (2) the arrest of a probationer by a probation officer; (8) the filing of a complaint for the revocation of probation; or (4) the filing of a report by the probation officer or a verified complaint by any person.

Further, defendant argues, citing People v. Gore, 774 P.2d 877, 883-84 (Colo.1989), that one of these steps must be taken before the probationary term ends. We note that Gore relied heavily on People v. Peretsky, 44 Colo.App. 270, 272-73, 616 P.2d 170, 172-78 (1980), in which a division of this court determined that the two-year limitation period for a deferred judgment was tolled when a complaint and arrest warrant were issued within *1211 the statutory period, and the defendant was voluntarily absent from the jurisdiction or imprisoned for another offense. The division concluded that the "erucial factor which in fact tolls the running of the limitation period" is that "the State has initiated revocation proceedings by issuance of a complaint and warrant." Id. at 278, 616 P.2d at 172; see also People v. Nichols, 140 P.3d 198, 201 (Colo.App.2006); People v. Guerrero, 26 P.3d 537, 538 (Colo.App.2001).

However, defendant's argument ignores the difference between revoking and extending probation, a distinction central to this case. In Conner, 148 P.3d at 238-40, the division pointed out the significant differences between proceedings revoking and extending probation, and concluded that due process does not require a court to grant a defendant a hearing before extending probation when a defendant consents to the extension.

Although we agree with defendant that the cases upon which he relies provide an analytical framework useful to the resolution of this case, the issue here is whether the execution and filing of a motion requesting an extension of probation tolls the running of the probationary period, not whether any of the four methods for tolling the probationary period in a probation revocation proceeding was pursued. Thus, we must decide what actions are necessary to initiate a proceeding to extend probation. We find the answer in the statute governing the extension of probation, just as the courts in Gore, Galvin, and Peretsky, turned to the statutes governing probation revocations and deferred judgments to find the answer in those cases. See Gore, 774 P.2d at 879 (probation is a product of statute, and "the terms of probation must be derived from statute").

Section 18-1.8-204(4) states:

For good eause shown and after notice to the defendant, the district attorney, and the probation officer, and after a hearing if the defendant or the district attorney requests it, the judge may reduce or increase the term of probation....

Following Peretsky's reasoning, the "crucial factor[s]" for initiating probation extension proceedings under section 18-1.3-204(4) are (1) showing good cause to extend the term; (2) giving notice to the defendant, the district attorney, and the probation officer; and (8) providing a hearing, if the defendant or the district attorney requests one.

Here, the motion stated defendant had not paid court-ordered restitution, which supplied good cause under section 16-18.5-105(8)(d)(III) to extend his probation. Notice was provided to defendant, the probation officer, and a member of the district attorney's office, because all three signed the motion. Neither defendant nor the district attorney's representative requested a hearing. The motion was filed with the court on the last day of defendant's probationary period. See Brunmer, 87 P.3d at 269 (a probationary period of years "ends on and includes the anniversary date in the concluding year, that is, the same month and day of the concluding year as the month and day from which the computation began").

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
198 P.3d 1209, 2007 Colo. App. LEXIS 2375, 2007 WL 4336230, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-romero-coloctapp-2007.