State v. Ebertz

2010 ND 79, 782 N.W.2d 350, 2010 N.D. LEXIS 80, 2010 WL 1875742
North Dakota Supreme Court·Decided May 11, 2010·No. 20090245·Published·Cited by 24 cases

Opinion

MARING, Justice.

[¶ 1] George Ebertz appeals from a district court order dismissing the State’s motion to revoke his probation and ordering his conviction stands and the file will not be sealed. Ebertz argues the district court committed reversible error by revoking his deferred imposition of sentence. We conclude the district court did not have jurisdiction to order Ebertz’s conviction stands and the file will not be sealed, and we reverse that part of the court’s order. We remand for entry of judgment dismissing the State’s case and sealing the file.

I

[¶ 2] Ebertz pled guilty to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor, on November 6, 2007. The court deferred imposition of sentence for one year and placed Ebertz on unsupervised probation for one year. The order deferring imposition of sentence said, “61 days after probation ends (if all conditions are met) the guilty plea is withdrawn, the *352 case dismissed, and the file sealed.” As a condition of his probation, Ebertz was required to refrain from violating any municipal, state, or federal laws.

[¶ 3] Ebertz’s probation ended on November 6, 2008. On January 8, 2009, the State moved to revoke Ebertz’s probation. The State alleged Ebertz violated the terms of his probation when he was convicted of actual physical control in June 2008 and minor in possession in August 2008. During a March 18, 2009, hearing, Ebertz objected to the motion and requested dismissal, arguing the motion was untimely because the time to file a motion to revoke his probation had expired.

[¶ 4] On July 24, 2009, the State moved to dismiss its motion to revoke probation, conceding its motion was untimely, but requested Ebertz’s guilty plea remain on the record, the case not be dismissed, and the file remain unsealed. The State also provided evidence of Ebertz’s two convictions during his probation period. On July 30, 2009, the district court dismissed the State’s motion to revoke probation, but the court found Ebertz did not comply with all of the conditions of his probation and ordered his “conviction stands and the file shall not be sealed.”

II

[¶ 5] Ebertz argues the district court erred in revoking his deferred imposition of sentence. He contends that once the State’s authority to file a motion to revoke his probation expired, the district court lacked authority to revoke his deferred imposition of sentence.

[¶ 6] Under N.D.C.C. § 12.1-32-02(4), a court may defer imposition of a sentence and place a defendant on probation during the deferment period. The State may petition to revoke a defendant’s probation during the probation period or within sixty days of the expiration or termination of probation. N.D.C.C. § 12.1-32-07(7). Under N.D.C.C. § 12.1-32-07.1:

Whenever a person has been placed on probation pursuant to subsection 4 of section 12.1-32-02, the court at any time, when the ends of justice will be served, and when reformation of the probationer warrants, may terminate the period of probation and discharge the person so held.... Every defendant who has fulfilled the conditions of probation for the entire period, or who has been discharged from probation pri- or to termination of the probation period, may at any time be permitted in the discretion of the court to withdraw the defendant’s plea of guilty. The court may in its discretion set aside the verdict of guilty. In either case, the court may dismiss the information or indictment against the defendant.

[¶ 7] Rule 32.1, N.D.R.Crim.P., sets out the requirements for orders deferring the imposition of a sentence for an infraction or a misdemeanor, and provides:

Unless the court orders otherwise, an order deferring imposition of sentence for an infraction or a misdemeanor must require that:
(a) the defendant’s guilty plea be withdrawn, or the guilty verdict be set aside;
(b) the case be dismissed; and
(c) the file be sealed 61 days after expiration or termination of probation.

[¶ 8] The interpretation of a court rule, like the interpretation of a statute, is a question of law. Carlson v. Workforce Safety & Ins., 2009 ND 87, ¶ 22, 765 N.W.2d 691. When we interpret a rule or a statute, we apply the rules of statutory construction and look at the language of the rule or statute to determine its meaning. State v. Ferrie, 2008 ND 170, ¶ 8, 755 N.W.2d 890. We give words their plain, *353 ordinary, and commonly understood meaning and construe the statute or rule as a whole. Id.

[¶ 9] Section 12.1-32-07.1, N.D.C.C., gives a court the authority to dismiss a case when a deferred imposition of sentence has been ordered and the defendant has fulfilled the conditions of probation or has been discharged from probation. Under the plain language of the statute, the court has discretion to allow a defendant to withdraw a guilty plea at any time after the conditions of his probation have been fulfilled or after his probation has been discharged. The withdrawal of the plea and dismissal of the case are not automatic under the terms of the statute, and the court has discretion in deciding whether to allow a defendant to withdraw his plea.

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State v. Ebertz, 2010 ND 79, 782 N.W.2d 350, 2010 N.D. LEXIS 80, 2010 WL 1875742 (N.D. 2010).

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