State v. Freeman

689 P.2d 885, 236 Kan. 274, 1984 Kan. LEXIS 404
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedOctober 26, 1984
Docket56,610
StatusPublished
Cited by51 cases

This text of 689 P.2d 885 (State v. Freeman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court 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. Freeman, 689 P.2d 885, 236 Kan. 274, 1984 Kan. LEXIS 404 (kan 1984).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Lockett, J.:

This is an appeal by the State of Kansas in a criminal prosecution from an order of the district court dismissing two counts of a four-count indictment. This case was before the Supreme Court once before on a State’s appeal but was dismissed because this court lacked jurisdiction under K.S.A. 22-3602(b). The facts of the case, as set forth in State v. Freeman, 234 Kan. 278, 670 P.2d 1365 (1983) (Freeman I), are as follows:

On June 19, 1982, a pickup truck driven by the defendant, James D. Freeman, II, was involved in a two-vehicle collision at the junction of Highways 81 and 24 in Cloud County. A passenger in the other vehicle, Edward Strecker, subsequently died. The State alleges Mr. Strecker died as a result of injuries received in the accident and that the accident was caused by the defendant. Defendant was originally charged in a complaint and information with one count of involuntary manslaughter (K.S.A. 1983 Supp. 21-3404). Immediately following the preliminary hearing the State issued three new misdemeanor complaints against defendant and filed an amended information. The amended information charged the defendant with involuntary manslaughter in count one, vehicular homicide in count two, failure to yield the right-of-way in count three and speeding in count four.

On December 6, 1982, defendant was arraigned on all four counts. Defendant pleaded not guilty to counts one, two and four and guilty to count three, the charge of failing to yield the right-of-way. On December 22, 1982, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss counts one and two on the grounds that further prosecution of those two counts would be duplicitous in violation of K.S.A. 1983 Supp. 21-3107(2)(d), and barred by the double jeopardy provisions of K.S.A. 21-3108(2)(a). After extensive argument on January 3, 1983, the court sustained defendant’s motion on the basis of double jeopardy and dismissed counts one *276 and two. Without dismissing the remaining speeding charge, the State filed this appeal from the dismissal of counts one and two.

In Freeman I, we found that there was no jurisdiction to hear the appeal. We held that there is no statutory authority for the State to appeal from the dismissal in a criminal case of some of the counts of a multiple-count complaint, information or indictment while the case remains pending before the district court on a portion of the remaining counts which have not been dismissed nor finally resolved.

Our decision was received by the Clerk of the District Court of Cloud County on December 7, 1983. On December 9, 1983, the State filed a motion to dismiss the remaining count of speeding and to set the date for sentencing on the third count of failure to yield the right-of-way to which Freeman had previously pleaded. Freeman was ordered to appear on January 3, 1984, for sentencing. Freeman appeared by counsel and was fined $50.00 and costs. On January 30, 1984, the State filed its Notice of Appeal pursuant to K.S.A. 22-3602(b)(3). On February 28, 1984, the defendant filed a motion for involuntary dismissal of the State’s appeal based on lack of jurisdiction.

The right to appeal in a criminal case is strictly statutory and absent statutory authority there is no right to appeal. The statutes authorizing appeals by the prosecution in criminal actions are found at K.S.A. 22-3602 and 22-3603.

K.S.A. 22-3602(b) provides that appeals may be taken by the prosecution as follows:

“(1) From an order dismissing a complaint, information or indictment;
“(2) From an order arresting judgment;
“(3) Upon a question reserved.”

The Kansas Code of Criminal Procedure does not state a time limit for appeals by the prosecution under K.S.A. 22-3602. Freeman, therefore, argues that the rules of civil procedure apply, and the State failed to file an appeal within 30 days from the entry of judgment. The defendant argues that the ruling of the trial court dismissing counts one and two was a final judgment; the appeal of such had to be within 30 days of the dismissal, and the State’s failure to perfect the appeal within that time now bars this appeal.

K.S.A. 22-3608 provides the time limits for appeal by a defendant. There is no similar provision as to time limits for the *277 prosecution to appeal under K.S.A. 22-3602(b). K.S.A. 22-3606 provides that:

“Except as otherwise provided by statute or rule of the supreme court, the statutes and rules governing procedure on appeals to an appellate court in civil cases shall apply to and govern appeals to an appellate court in criminal cases.”

Since there is no time limit delineated in K.S.A. 22-3602(b) for the prosecution to appeal, the time specified under the rules of civil procedure apply. Therefore, an appeal by the State must be taken within 30 days from the entry of final judgment as required by the rules of civil procedure. K.S.A. 60-2103.

When was the judgment in Freeman I final? In City of Topeka v. Martin, 3 Kan. App. 2d 105, 590 P.2d 106 (1979), the Court of Appeals held that a sentence must be imposed or the imposition of sentence suspended in order to have a final appealable judgment. The court said:

“An order finding a defendant guilty is not an appealable order and may not be appealed until the defendant is sentenced or the imposition of sentence is suspended pursuant to 22-3608. State v. Woodbury, 133 Kan. 1, 298 Pac. 794 (1931); Roberts v. State, 197 Kan. 687, 689, 421 P.2d 48 (1966); 21 Am. Jur. 2d, Criminal Law § 525, p. 509; 24 C.J.S., Criminal Law §§ 1556, 1648, 1649, 1653.” 3 Kan. App. 2d at 105.

In State v. Lottman, 6 Kan. App.

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Bluebook (online)
689 P.2d 885, 236 Kan. 274, 1984 Kan. LEXIS 404, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-freeman-kan-1984.