Redeemer v. State

979 S.W.2d 565, 1998 Mo. App. LEXIS 2117, 1998 WL 808020
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 24, 1998
DocketWD 55313
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 979 S.W.2d 565 (Redeemer v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Redeemer v. State, 979 S.W.2d 565, 1998 Mo. App. LEXIS 2117, 1998 WL 808020 (Mo. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

EDWIN H. SMITH, Judge.

Paul 0. Redeemer appeals from the circuit court’s judgment denying his Rule 24.035 motion for postconvietion relief without an evidentiary hearing. The appellant pled guilty in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, before the Honorable Justine E. Del Muro, to one count of unlawful use of a weapon, § 571.030, 1 and two counts of trafficking in the second degree, § 195.223. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment for unlawful use of a weapon and ten years imprisonment for each count of trafficking, with all the sentences to run concurrently.

In his sole point on appeal, the appellant claims that the motion court erred in denying his Rule 24.035 motion because he received ineffective assistance of counsel, rendering his pleas of guilty involuntary, in that his trial counsel: (1) failed to adequately prepare for trial; (2) misled him into believing that if he pled guilty he would request that he be sentenced pursuant to § 217.362 as a chronic nonviolent offender with a cocaine addiction; and (3) failed to advise him that he would not receive credit for the time he was free on bond awaiting trial.

We affirm.

Facts

The appellant does not dispute the sufficiency of the evidence to support his convictions.

On April 14, 1995, the appellant was stopped by two Kansas City, Missouri, police officers in Jackson County, Missouri, for several traffic violations. During an inventory search of his vehicle, the officers found approximately forty grams of crack cocaine and a loaded handgun. The appellant was arrested, taken to the police station, and placed in a detention room, where he was observed, via a surveillance video camera, pulling a bag of approximately ten grams of crack cocaine from his pants and throwing it on the floor.

The appellant was charged in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, with one count of unlawful use of a weapon, § 571.030; two counts of trafficking in the second degree, § 195.223; and two counts of posses *568 sion of a controlled substance, § 195.202. On March 11, 1996, his case was set for trial on April 8, 1996. At that time, he expressed dissatisfaction with his trial counsel’s representation and with the State’s plea offer, which was to reduce the “A” felony charges to “B” felony charges, with a recommendation of eight-year sentences. In addition, his trial counsel made an oral motion to withdraw, which was denied.

On April 4,1996, the appellant’s trial counsel filed a written motion for leave to withdraw as counsel and a motion for continuance. In his motion for leave to withdraw, counsel stated that the appellant had avoided all contact with him since March 11, 1996, and had not responded to telephone messages and letters. Counsel also stated that he had informed the appellant that he should retain new counsel immediately and that he was not preparing for trial based on the appellant’s assurances that he would be obtaining new counsel. Counsel also stated that he had informed the appellant that the State’s plea offer would be withdrawn if not accepted by 5 p.m. on April 3, 1996, but that he never contacted him with instructions regarding whether to accept or reject the plea offer, and that the State withdrew the plea offer on April 3,1996.

On April 8, 1996, the appellant appeared with trial counsel and informed the court that he wished to enter pleas of guilty pursuant to a plea agreement reached with the State. In exchange for his guilty pleas to one count of unlawful use of a weapon, § 571.030, and two counts of trafficking in the second degree, § 195.223, the State agreed to dismiss the two possession counts, not to charge him as a prior and persistent offender, and to recommend that any sentences imposed run concurrently. Upon questioning by the court as to his pleas, the appellant testified that he understood that he was giving up certain constitutional rights by pleading guilty and that his pleas were voluntary. He also testified that he was satisfied'with his counsel’s representation but felt that he needed more time to talk with him so he could negotiate a better plea agreement with the State. The court accepted his guilty pleas as voluntary and deferred sentencing until a presentenee investigation report by Probation and Parole was completed.

On July 24, 1996, at the sentencing hearing, the appellant’s counsel requested that the court consider him for “120-day callback” probation pursuant to § 559.115.2, which the court refused to consider. During the sentencing hearing, the appellant advised the court that he was a cocaine addict. However, the court found that he was not a cocaine addict but was instead a cocaine dealer, and sentenced him to three years imprisonment for unlawful use of a weapon, § 571.030, and ten years imprisonment for each count of trafficking in the second degree, § 195.223, to run concurrently.

The appellant was delivered to the Missouri Department of Corrections on August 2, 1996, and timely filed his pro se Rule 24.035 motion for postconviction relief on October 30, 1996, which was later amended by appointed counsel. In his pro se and amended motions, the appellant alleged that he received ineffective assistance of counsel rendering his pleas involuntary in that his trial counsel: (1) failed to adequately prepare for trial; (2) misled him into believing that if he pled guilty he would request that he be sentenced as a chronic nonviolent offender with a cocaine addiction pursuant § 217.362; and (3) failed to advise him that he would not receive credit for the time he was free on bond before pleading guilty. On November 5, 1997, the appellant filed a pro se supplemental amended motion for posteonviction relief, arguing that the two counts of trafficking in the second degree charged the same conduct and subjected him to double jeopardy in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. On November 25, 1997, the motion court denied the appellant’s Rule 24.035 motion without an evidentiary hearing and, having not given him leave to file a supplemental motion, declined to consider his pro se supplemental motion. This appeal follows.

Standard of Review

Our review of the denial of a Rule 24.035 motion is limited to a determination of whether the motion court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law were clearly errone *569 ous. Rule 24.035(k); Day v. State, 770 S.W.2d 692, 695 (Mo. banc 1989), cert, denied sub nom. Walker v. Missouri, 493 U.S. 866, 110 S.Ct. 186, 107 L.Ed.2d 141 (1989). Findings and conclusions are clearly erroneous only if, after review of the entire record, we are left with a definite and firm impression that a mistake has been made. State v. Fanning, 939 S.W.2d 941, 948 (Mo.App.1997).

I.

The appellant claims he received ineffective assistance of counsel.

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

Related

Pollard v. Payne
E.D. Missouri, 2021
Shawn C. Haynes v. State of Missouri
Missouri Court of Appeals, 2020
Parish v. Steele
E.D. Missouri, 2020
Jeremiah Wilson v. State of Missouri
568 S.W.3d 924 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2019)
Deck v. Steele
249 F. Supp. 3d 991 (E.D. Missouri, 2017)
Rodney E. Allen v. State of Missouri
484 S.W.3d 808 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2015)
Lonzo Davis v. State of Missouri
435 S.W.3d 113 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2014)
Marcus Wharton v. State of Missouri
Missouri Court of Appeals, 2014
Wharton v. State
431 S.W.3d 1 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2014)
Carrie Little v. State of Missouri
427 S.W.3d 846 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2014)
Manuel Burgess v. State of Missouri
Missouri Court of Appeals, 2014
Burgess v. State
455 S.W.3d 21 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2014)
Gapske v. State
358 S.W.3d 566 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2012)
Johnson v. State
318 S.W.3d 313 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2010)
Wills v. State
321 S.W.3d 375 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2010)
Burnett v. State
311 S.W.3d 810 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2009)
Schafer v. State
256 S.W.3d 140 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2008)
Berry v. State
225 S.W.3d 457 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2007)
Jones v. State
211 S.W.3d 210 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
979 S.W.2d 565, 1998 Mo. App. LEXIS 2117, 1998 WL 808020, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/redeemer-v-state-moctapp-1998.