State v. Becker

37 P.3d 252, 178 Or. App. 602, 2002 Ore. App. LEXIS 11
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJanuary 9, 2002
Docket99CR0428; A110387
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 37 P.3d 252 (State v. Becker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Becker, 37 P.3d 252, 178 Or. App. 602, 2002 Ore. App. LEXIS 11 (Or. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

BREWER, J.

Defendant appeals from his judgment of conviction for escape in the second degree. ORS 162.155. Defendant’s sole contention is that the trial court erred by denying his motion to dismiss the indictment on the ground that the state failed to comply with ORS 135.7601 and ORS 135.7632 by not bringing him to trial within 90 days after the district attorney received his request for a speedy trial. In particular, defendant challenges the trial court’s conclusion that, having invoked his statutory right to a trial within 90 days, defendant waived that right by remaining silent when his attorney agreed to a trial date outside the 90-day period. Because the relevant facts are not in dispute, we review the trial court’s conclusion for errors of law. State v. Hunter, 316 Or 192, 201, 850 P2d 366 (1993). We affirm.

On March 4, 1999, a grand jury charged defendant with second-degree escape. On December 15, while in the custody of DOC for another conviction, defendant sent a letter to the district attorney requesting trial on the escape charge. Defendant did not send a copy of the letter to the court, nor did he otherwise inform the court of his request.3 [605]*605On February 16, 2000, defendant appeared before the court with counsel for entry of a not guilty plea on the escape charge. Counsel told the trial court that defendant was “in custody for an extended period of time on a different case * * * so there is no rush” and that “[w]e are willing to waive the 60-day rule * * The trial court interposed that the 60-day rule did not apply to defendant’s circumstances.* **4 The judge then said that he did not want to set the trial during spring break and suggested mid-April. Counsel agreed. After a discussion about counsel’s trial schedule, the court proposed April 20. Again, counsel agreed. After a further discussion of unrelated matters, the court asked counsel if anything else required attention. Counsel replied, “That is [it], Your Honor. Thank you.” Defendant said nothing throughout the proceeding.

On April 20, the morning of trial, defendant filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on the ground that the state had failed to bring him to trial within 90 days of the district attorney’s receipt of his request for trial. In reviewing the motion, the court noted that there was no copy of defendant’s request under ORS 135.760 in the court file and that, accordingly, the court had not been aware of the request when the trial date was set. Defendant’s counsel advised the court that he first learned of defendant’s request earlier in the week. As it happened, the prosecutor, who had recently taken over the case from another deputy district attorney, had the only copy of defendant’s notice. The prosecutor told the court that he had first learned of defendant’s request when counsel asked him about it a few days before trial.

[606]*606After hearing argument, the trial court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss. The court explained:

“In this case because it is clear that [defendant] intentionally waived his Right to a Speedy Trial this — it does not matter whether the Court intended to ask [defendant for a waiver.
“It is clear on the record in this case that I did not intend to ask [defendant] for a waiver of his 90-day rights. It wasn’t within my consciousness at that time because I had no knowledge of the notice. I assumed it, and took it as a regular case that [defendant] was produced following an indictment on motion [of] the District Attorney, which is how the file reflects it.
“On that basis, I find [defendant’s] actions through counsel in indicating that he wasn’t in any hurry to set the matter for trial constitutes a waiver.”

After the court denied the motion, the parties agreed to a stipulated facts trial that resulted in defendant’s conviction for second-degree escape. Defendant appeals from the ensuing judgment.

Defendant’s argument is straightforward. Defendant correctly notes that he was brought to trial more than 90 days after December 15, 1999, the date the district attorney received defendant’s request under ORS 135.760. He also correctly asserts that no continuances were granted in the case and, thus, ORS 135.763(2) is not implicated. See Hunter, 316 Or at 201. Defendant concedes that he could have waived his statutory entitlement to trial within 90 days but denies that he did so. Defendant notes that neither the court nor his counsel discussed his request with him when the trial date was set. Defendant contends that his silence during his arraignment, in the face of counsel’s agreement to a trial date that violated his statutory right, did not demonstrate that he intended'to waive that right. Defendant relies on the principle that, “ [although mere silence can be a basis for a claim of estoppel when a legal duty to speak exists, waiver must be manifested in an unequivocal manner.” Hohman v. Bartel, 128 Or App 384, 387, 876 P2d 347, rev den 320 Or 110 (1994). Defendant reasons that, because his silence did not unequivocally manifest an intention to surrender his previously [607]*607asserted right, the trial court was required to dismiss the indictment with prejudice based on the state’s violation of ORS 163.763(1). See State v. Waechter, 163 Or App 282, 294, 986 P2d 1281 (1999) (holding that a dismissal based on ORS 135.763 must be with prejudice). Defendant is mistaken.

A defendant may waive “the statutory rights created under ORS 135.760 to 135.765.” Hunter, 316 Or at 199. Waiver

“is an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege. Although a waiver must be intentional, there is no particular formula for determining whether a waiver has occurred. Whether there has been an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege will depend upon the particular circumstances of each case.” Id. at 201 (citations omitted).

For certain fundamental constitutional rights, the defendant personally must make an unequivocal waiver. See, e.g., Brookhart v. Janis, 384 US 1, 7-8, 86 S Ct 1245, 16 L Ed 2d 314 (1966) (right to plead npt guilty); State v. Meyrick, 313 Or 125, 132, 831 P2d 666 (1992) (right to counsel); State v. Cordray, 91 Or App 436, 438, 755 P2d 735 (1988) (right to jury trial).

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Related

Gutale v. State
395 P.3d 942 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2017)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 P.3d 252, 178 Or. App. 602, 2002 Ore. App. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-becker-orctapp-2002.