State of Iowa v. Kevin Duane Fisher II

877 N.W.2d 676, 2016 WL 1391874, 2016 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 42
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 8, 2016
Docket13–1238
StatusPublished
Cited by116 cases

This text of 877 N.W.2d 676 (State of Iowa v. Kevin Duane Fisher II) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Iowa v. Kevin Duane Fisher II, 877 N.W.2d 676, 2016 WL 1391874, 2016 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 42 (iowa 2016).

Opinion

MANSFIELD, Justice.

This case requires us to determine whether a defendant pleading guilty to a controlled-substance offense has a right to be informed beforehand that, as a result of the conviction, his driver’s license will be revoked for 180 days. We conclude that because revocation is automatic, immediate, punitive, and a part of the sentencing order, the defendant has a right to be informed of this consequence. We further conclude that the defendant has a right to be informed of fine surcharges. Accordingly, we vacate the defendant’s conviction and remand for further proceedings consistent herewith.

I. Background Facts and Prior Proceedings.

According to the minutes of testimony, on April 11, 2013, Eric Seckel of the University of Iowa Police Department was performing a bar check in Iowa City. As he walked toward the back of the bar, he could smell the odor of marijuana. He made contact with Kevin Fisher and could smell a strong odor of burnt marijuana on his breath. . When Fisher was asked if he had any marijuana on him, he handed’ Officer Seckel .a cigarette box that contained a partially used joint. The joint contained marijuana. ■ ■

On April 25, Fisher was charged with possession of a controlled substance first offense, a serious misdemeanor, in violation of Iowa Code sections 124.401(5) and 124.204(4)(to ) (2013). Initially, Fisher pled not guilty and demanded a speedy trial. However, on June 17, the scheduled date of his pretrial conference, Fisher’s counsel submitted a written guilty plea signed by Fisher. Among other things, the plea set forth the maximum punishment — six months — and the basic range of fines — $315 to $1875 — for the offense. Ad *679 ditionally, it disclosed the constitutional rights that Fisher was waiving by pleading and not going to trial.

The actual plea agreement was handwritten into the signed form. It consisted of two days in jail, a $315 fíne, substance abuse evaluation and treatment, and urinalysis within ten days.

In the plea form Fisher also acknowledged, in writing, as follows:

I have been advised of my right to challenge this plea of guilty by filing a Motion in Arrest of Judgment at least five (5) days prior to the date that the Court sets for sentencing and within forty-five (45) days after the Court accepts my plea.

Fisher’s counsel certified in the plea form that., he had “carefully explained to the defendant the procedural steps of filing a Motion .in Arrest of Judgment, the definition and grounds thereof and the time within which such Motion should be filed.”

On that sarhe day of June 17, the district court entered a written order accepting the plea and entering judgment- and sentence. The order stated that the defendant was advised of his right to file a motion in arrest of judgment pursuant to the provisions of Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 2.24(3) and that “[t]he Defendant waives the right to have time prior to sentencing, waives the right to be present for sentencing, and requests the Court proceed to immediate entry of judgment and sentencing.”

The ensuing judgment and sentence were consistent with the terms of the plea agreement. However, they also provided for several surcharges on top of the fine, including a thirty-five percent surcharge and a $125 law enforcement surcharge. Furthermore, the judgment and sentence stated that “[t]he Department of Transportation shall impose any suspensions or revocations of Defendant’s driver’s license or motor vehicle operating privilege as required by Iowa Code Chapter 321J, Iowa Code Section 901.5(10), or other applicable statute or rule,”

On July 18, Fisher filed a notice-of appeal. ‘The district 'court appointed appellate counsel on October 2. This counsel subsequently filed a motion for leave to withdraw under Iowa Rule of. Appellate Procedure 6.1005 on November 15. 1 We denied the motion because it failed to provide sufficient detail regarding the plea and sentencing proceedings. See Iowa R.App. P, 6.1005(2)(a- ). 2 Appellate counsel filed two more rule 6.1005 motions, both of which we denied for similar reasons. In our September 3, 2014 order denying appellate counsel’s third and final rule. 6.1005 motion, we removed this counsel for his repeated failure to comply with rule 6.1005. The counsel who is handling the present appeal was appointed on October 3.

*680 Following briefing,-we transferred the case to the court of appeals. • On appeal, Fisher argued his written plea was defective because it failed to disclose the statutory minimum sentence of two days in jail, the mandatory six months’ revocation of his driver’s license, and the surcharges that were later added to his fine. See Iowa Code § 124.401(5); id. § 901.5(10); id. §§ 911.1-.3. In addition, Fisher urged the court to bypass any error preservation concerns despite his failure to file a motion in arrest of judgment because the plea did not adequately inform him that a failure to file a motion in arrest of judgment would foreclose his ability to challenge his guilty plea on direct appeal. Alternatively, Fisher argued that his counsel rendered ineffective assistance for failing to ■■ file a motion in arrest of judgment. . ,

In a September 23, 2015 decision, the court of appeals concluded “there was substantial compliance with thé requirement Fisher' be' informed of the necessity of filing -a motion' in arrest of judgment in order to challenge his guilty plea,” thus barring Fisher’s direct appeal. The court also determined that Fisher’s counsel was not ineffective for failing to challenge the alleged defects' in- the written plea. According to the court of appeals, Fisher “failed to show ... he was unaware of the mandatory minimum sentence of two days in jail”; the surcharge did not “affect the range of Fisher’s punishment”; and, “[t]he suspension of Fisher’s driver’s license was also a collateral consequence of his guilty plea.” The court thus affirmed Fisher’s plea and sentence.

Fisher applied for further review. We granted his application.

II. Standard of Review.

We ordinarily review challenges to guilty pleas for correction of errors at law. State v. Velez, 829 N.W.2d 572, 575 (Iowa 2013).

III. Analysis.

A. Error Preservation. We must first address whether Fisher can appeal his guilty plea despite not having filed a timely motion in arrest of judgment. Generally, “[a] defendant’s failure to challenge the adequacy of a guilty plea proceeding by motion in arrest of judgment shall preclude the defendant’s right to assert such challenge on appeal.” Iowa R.Crim. P. 2,24(3)(a). However, this rule does not apply to defendants who were not advised

during the plea proceedings, as required by rule 2.8(2)(d), that challenges to the plea must be made in a motion in arrest of judgment

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

Related

State of Iowa v. Seven L. Divine
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2025
State of Iowa v. Daniel Welchs Doyen
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2025
State of Iowa v. Courtney Shane Smith
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2025
State of Iowa v. David Edward Wetzel, Jr.
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2025
State of Iowa v. Blessing Timothy Toe
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2025
State of Iowa v. Bryan Ray Dunn
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2024
State of Iowa v. Shannon Paige Hightower
Supreme Court of Iowa, 2024
State of Iowa v. Lauren Schulte
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2021
State of Iowa v. Joseph Eugene Peck
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2021
Kenneth Lee Doss v. State of Iowa
Supreme Court of Iowa, 2021
State of Iowa v. Tyjaun Levell Tucker
Supreme Court of Iowa, 2021
State of Iowa v. Mercedes JoJean Damme
Supreme Court of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Ronald Wayne Downs II
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Paul A. Garrity
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Leonard D. Boyd
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Shane Allen Cheely
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Jason Thomas Purtilo
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2020
State of Iowa v. Chad Leroy Wilson
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2019
State of Iowa v. Ricky Timothy Williams
Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2019

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
877 N.W.2d 676, 2016 WL 1391874, 2016 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 42, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-iowa-v-kevin-duane-fisher-ii-iowa-2016.