Potter v. State

2007 WY 83, 158 P.3d 656, 2007 Wyo. LEXIS 90, 2007 WL 1453724
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedMay 18, 2007
Docket06-59, 06-60
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 2007 WY 83 (Potter v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Potter v. State, 2007 WY 83, 158 P.3d 656, 2007 Wyo. LEXIS 90, 2007 WL 1453724 (Wyo. 2007).

Opinion

HILL, Justice.

[¶ 1] Pursuant to a plea agreement, Appellant, Kenneth Potter (Potter), conditionally pleaded guilty to one count of felonious restraint in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-202(a) (LexisNexis 2005). After timely appealing both the Judgment and Sentence and the order revoking his probation, the matters were consolidated. The single issue on appeal is whether Potter was denied his right to a speedy trial.

[¶ 2] We affirm.

*659 ISSUE

[¶ 3] Potter states the single issue as follows: '

Whether, even though some of the delay in bringing [Potter] to trial pertained to his competency, [Potter] was denied his right to a speedy trial; and therefore, the charges against [him] should have been dismissed with prejudice due to violation of W.R.Cr.P. 48 and [Potter's] Constitutional right to a speedy trial.

[¶ 4] The State phrases the issue more simply:

Was [Potter] denied his right to a speedy trial?

FACTS

[¶ 5] This case has a prolonged history, and one that is laden with dates. On September 26, 2004, after an altercation with his mother, Potter was arrested. The case was bound over to district court, where the information was formally filed on October 6, 2004, charging Potter with three counts: attempted murder, battery of a household member, and interference with an emergency call. He was arraigned in district court on October 21, 2004, and pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness or deficiency. He also claimed that he was not competent to proceed to trial and asked the court to order a mental evaluation.

[¶ 6] On October 25, 2004, the district court filed its Order for Evaluation and Suspending Proceedings. The order required an evaluation of Potter at the Wyoming State Hospital and the completion of a written report. Potter filed a Demand for Speedy Trial on November 10, 2004.

[¶ 7] After a new public defender entered her appearance in the case on Potter's behalf, he again asserted his right to speedy trial by filing another written demand on November 23, 2004. Also on that day, he filed a Motion Withdrawing Request for Evaluation and Suspension of Proceedings, moving the district court to withdraw his request for evaluation and suspension of the proceedings, and set the case for rearraignment. Accordingly, the district court set a hearing on the motion for December 9, 2004. During the December 9, 2004 hearing, Potter asked the district court for permission to withdraw his request for an evaluation. 1 The district court ordered the parties to brief whether or not to allow Potter to withdraw his plea of not guilty by reason of mental illness and change his plea to not guilty.

[¶ 8] Each party filed the requested briefing. In the State's brief, it asked the court to set the matter for a competency hearing. In his brief, Potter agreed with the State that "it would be appropriate for the Court to have a hearing to offer the Defendant the opportunity to demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence that he is competent to proceed." Potter further requested that the hearing be set after January 4, 2005, so that he might have time to prepare. Concurrent with filing his brief, Potter also filed a Motion to Withdraw Plea of Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Iliness and Not Competent to Proceed and Enter Plea of Not Guilty.

[¶ 9] At the January 6, 2005 hearing on the party's aforementioned briefs, the issue was Potter's competency. He insisted that he was indeed competent, and introduced testimony in support of his position. The State did not object to Potter withdrawing his "not guilty by reason of mental illness" plea, and further stated that it did not object to his motion. At the conclusion of the hearing, the district court found Potter competent to proceed to trial. However, there remained the issue as to whether or not he intended to introduce evidence of his competence at trial, As such, the issue of his mental status remained a matter of concern, and the district court set a Motion in Limine hearing for January 20, 2005. The hearing was postponed, however, because the court was notified that "extra security" was needed for Mr. Potter.

[¶ 10] Another delay occurred when, on February 25, 2005, the case was reassigned *660 to a different judge. Subsequently, the district court entered an order setting the trial for April 4, 2005. However, on March 28, 2005, the State filed a Motion to Suspend Proceedings, for Production Evaluation, and Motion to Reconsider Issue of Withdrawal of Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Illness Plea. Potter objected to the motion, and as a result of these filings, on March 30, 2005, the district court ordered the proceedings suspended and ordered the Wyoming State Hospital to produce a mental evaluation of Potter.

[T11l] The evaluation was filed in district court on June 1, 2005. The report concluded that Potter was competent to proceed, and on June 7, 2005, the district court allowed him to change his plea from "not guilty by reason of mental illness or deficiency" to "not guilty." Subsequently, the district court set the matter for trial on July 11, 2005. However, the trial was reset for September 26, 2005. 2

[T12] Five days before his trial was set to begin, Potter filed a Motion to Dismiss Charges With Prejudice for Violation of Defendant's Right to Speedy Trial. Also prior to the trial date, a change of plea hearing was held on September 28, 2005. Potter conditionally pleaded "no contest" to a single count of felonious restraint in violation of § 6-2-202(a). 3 He was then released on his own recognizance. On December 6, 2005, he was sentenced, and was also heard on his motion to dismiss. The district court denied the motion, holding that Potter's right to speedy trial had not been violated. He was sentenced to not less than four years, nor more than five years, in prison. The sentence was suspended, and he was placed on probation for four years. The judgment and sentence was filed on February 7, 2006.

[¶ 13] Two weeks after he was sentenced, Potter violated the terms of his probation and, as a consequence, that probation was revoked. He was ordered to the Wyoming State Penitentiary for three years and nine months, to five years, with credit for time served of 421 days. Potter appealed both his judgment and sentence, and the order revoking his probation.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

[114] We review speedy trial claims to ensure that the mandates of W.R.Cz.P. 48 and constitutional guarantees have been met. Taylor v. State, 2001 WY 13, ¶ 5, 17 P.3d 715, 718 (Wyo.2001). We examine de novo the constitutional question of whether a defendant has been denied a speedy trial in violation of the Sixth Amendment. Walters v. State, 2004 WY 37 ¶ 9, 87 P.3d 793, 795 (Wyo.2004).

ARGUMENT

Speedy Trial

[¶ 15] Potter asserts that his right to a speedy trial was violated under W.R.Cr.P. 48(b) and under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and art.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2007 WY 83, 158 P.3d 656, 2007 Wyo. LEXIS 90, 2007 WL 1453724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/potter-v-state-wyo-2007.