State v. Chappell

729 P.2d 1241, 11 Kan. App. 2d 546, 1986 Kan. App. LEXIS 1547
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedDecember 11, 1986
DocketNo. 59,032
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 729 P.2d 1241 (State v. Chappell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Chappell, 729 P.2d 1241, 11 Kan. App. 2d 546, 1986 Kan. App. LEXIS 1547 (kanctapp 1986).

Opinion

Brazil, J.:

Otha Chappell, Jr., appeals his conviction of aggravated failure to appear. K.S.A. 21-3814.

The case was submitted to the trial court on stipulated facts as follows:

[547]*547“1. The defendant, Otha Chappell, Jr., was charged on November 8, 1982, with felony theft, Sedgwick County Case No. 82 CR 1917, and was released on bond following his arrest. . . .
“2. That on February 8, 1983, defendant entered into an agreement with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office placing the defendant on pretrial diversion pursuant to K.S.A. 22-2907; further, that on February 8, 1983, the district court approved the diversion agreement and removed defendant’s case from the criminal court trial docket. . . .
“3. That said diversion agreement required the defendant to (among other things) make monthly reports to the district attorney’s office and to report any change of address.
“4. That records in the District Attorney’s Office would show that the defendant made two monthly reports, one in March and one in April of 1983, and in those reports indicated a change of address from 4263 Greenhaven (as shown on the appearance bond) to 1211 Vz East English, Wichita, Kansas.
“5. That sometime after these reports were made the defendant left Kansas and failed to report further.
“6. That on June 10, 1983, and on August 5, 1983, letters were sent to the defendant at 1211 Vz East English telling him he was in violation of his diversion contract, and said letters were returned to the district attorney’s office marked ‘moved, left no forwarding address.’
“7. That on August 17, 1983, the district attorney filed a motion to take the defendant off diversion and place his case back on the jury trial docket, and copies of the motion and notice of hearing were sent to the defendant at 1211 Vz East English, his last known address, and to his attorney; further, that the defendant never received said motion and notice of hearing and had no knowledge of said motion and hearing.
“8. That on September 2, 1983, the motion to take the defendant off diversion was sustained by the district court without any appearance by the defendant or his attorney, and the case was set for jury trial on October 24, 1983.
“9. That on September 27, 1983, attorney Tom Fulzenloger was allowed to . withdraw as attorney for the defendant; further, on September 28, 1983, attorney Andrew Busch was appointed to represent the defendant.
“10. That on December 5, 1983, the defendant’s case was called for jury trial; that the defendant, because of his absence from the state, had never received notice of the October 24 or December 5 trial dates, and had no knowledge he was to appear on those dates; that neither the defendant nor his newly-appointed counsel appeared on December 5, when the case was called for jury trial; further, that the district court ordered a forfeiture of the defendant’s bond on that date and issued an alias warrant for the defendant’s arrest.
“11. That the defendant, because of his absence from the state, never received notice of this bond forfeiture and made no further court appearances until after his arrest on August 23, 1985.
“12. That no further trial or appearance date was set for the defendant until after he was arrested on August 23, 1985.”

K.S.A. 21-3814 defines the crime of aggravated failure to appear.

[548]*548“Aggravated failure to appear is willfully incurring a forfeiture of an appearance bond and failing to surrender oneself within thirty (30) days following the date of such forfeiture by one who is charged with a felony and has been released on bond for appearance before any court of this state . . .

To establish a violation of K.S.A. 21-3814, the State must prove that defendant incurred a forfeiture of his appearance bond, the forfeiture was incurred willfully, defendant did not surrender within 30 days following his forfeiture, and defendant was charged with a felony.

Defendant argues the diversion agreement terminated his appearance bond obligation. He claims the diversion agreement superseded the conditions of the appearance bond and, thus, the appearance bond conditions ceased to have effect. As a result, the State failed to prove an element of the crime because the appearance bond was never forfeited.

The appearance bond states that the defendant and his surety “do hereby bind ourselves to the State of Kansas in the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) conditioned upon the appearance of the above-named defendant on the 17th day of November, 1982 . . . and thereafter before a Judge when ordered, to answer the charge against the defendant and from time to time thereafter as the Court may require until the case is terminated.” (Emphasis added.) The bond specifies no conditions other than the above-mentioned times of appearance. It next states:

“If the amount of the recognizance required for the defendant’s appearance or the other conditions are modified from the above amount or conditions, then this bond is null and void, and a new bond in the required amount and/or with the modified other conditions must be posted at that time.
“We, the undersigned, state that this bond is continuing in nature.” (Emphasis added.)

Under the terms of the bond, if the diversion agreement constitutes a modification of the appearance bond conditions, the bond is null and void and defendant could not have breached its conditions and forfeited his appearance bond.

The applicable statutory provisions governing the provisions of diversion agreements and the failure to fulfill those provisions are found at K.S.A. 1985 Supp. 22-2909(f) and 22-2911. K.S.A. 1985 Supp. 22-2909(f) provides:

“If the county or district attorney elects to offer diversion in lieu of further criminal proceedings on the complaint and the defendant agrees to all of the [549]*549terms of the proposed agreement, the diversion agreement shall be filed with the district court and the district court shall stay further proceedings on the complaint.” (Emphasis added.)

K.S.A. 1985 Supp. 22-2911 states:

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Related

State v. Sedam
122 P.3d 829 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
729 P.2d 1241, 11 Kan. App. 2d 546, 1986 Kan. App. LEXIS 1547, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-chappell-kanctapp-1986.