State v. Hoffman

246 P.3d 992, 45 Kan. App. 2d 272, 2011 Kan. App. LEXIS 12
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 28, 2011
Docket103,133
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 246 P.3d 992 (State v. Hoffman) 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. Hoffman, 246 P.3d 992, 45 Kan. App. 2d 272, 2011 Kan. App. LEXIS 12 (kanctapp 2011).

Opinion

246 P.3d 992 (2011)

STATE of Kansas, Appellee,
v.
Russell HOFFMAN, Appellant.

No. 103,133.

Court of Appeals of Kansas.

January 28, 2011.

*994 Lydia Krebs, of Kansas Appellate Defender Office, for appellant.

Stephen D. Maxwell, senior assistant district attorney, Keith E. Schroeder, district attorney, and Steve Six, attorney general, for appellee.

Before HILL, P.J., LEBEN and STANDRIDGE, JJ.

STANDRIDGE, J.

Russell Hoffman appeals the district court's decision to revoke his probation, arguing that the district court lacked jurisdiction to do so. We agree and therefore reverse and remand the decision of the district court with instructions to release Hoffman from custody.

FACTS

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Russell Hoffman entered guilty pleas to indecent liberties with a child, a severity level 5 person felony, and indecent solicitation of a child, a severity level 7 person felony. On March 19, 2004, the district court imposed and then suspended a controlling sentence of 32 months in prison and then placed him on probation with community corrections for 36 months. The district court also ordered Hoffman to pay $152 in court costs, a $400 lab fee, a $50 Board of Indigents' Defense Services (BIDS) application fee, and to reimburse BIDS $600 in attorney fees. The amount Hoffman was ordered to reimburse BIDS later was lowered to $500.

At sentencing, the State asked the district court to order Hoffman to pay $250 in restitution to the victim's father for travel expenses and cell phone charges. In response, the district court stated, "I don't know that I'll order restitution for travel expenses of [the victim's] father. It's hard to limit that I guess." Ultimately, the district court did not order Hoffman to pay restitution.

On June 24, 2005, the State filed a motion to revoke Hoffman's probation. A revocation hearing was held on July 1, 2005, during which Hoffman stipulated to violating the terms of his probation as alleged in the State's motion. The district court decided not to revoke Hoffman's probation and ordered it to continue on the original terms with an additional condition that required Hoffman to serve 60 days in jail.

On January 29, 2007, the district court filed an order stating:

"Whereas it appears that the defendant has not completed fines, court costs, restitution or a sex offender treatment program in this matter.
"Now therefore it is ordered that the defendant's probation be extended for one year unless the defendant show cause why this order should not be issued by the 19th day of March, 2007.
"It is further ordered that the defendant shall be served with this order on or before the next reporting date of the defendant." (Emphasis added.)

The order indicated that Brad Wedel, Hoffman's Intensive Supervision Officer, hand-delivered a copy of the order to Hoffman. Both men signed and dated the order on January 5, 2007. It appears from the record that the district court never held a hearing with regard to the matters in the order.

On July 26, 2007, the State filed another motion to revoke Hoffman's probation. A revocation hearing was held on August 23, 2007, during which Hoffman again stipulated to violating the terms of his probation as alleged in the State's motion. The district court revoked Hoffman's probation and thereafter reinstated it for a term of 36 months. As a condition of probation, the district court ordered Hoffman to serve 60 days in jail on work release.

On August 6, 2009, the State filed a third motion to revoke Hoffman's probation. Hoffman moved to dismiss the petition for revocation, asserting the district court did not have jurisdiction to revoke his probation because his term of probation expired on March 19, 2007. At a hearing on the motion, Hoffman argued the district court's failure to conduct a modification hearing or make a *995 judicial finding of necessity—as required by K.S.A.2009 Supp. 21-4611(c)(8)—before extending the term of his probation rendered the January 29, 2007, order of extension invalid as a matter of law. Although conceding he signed and dated the order purporting to extend the term of his probation, he argued this act could not be construed as a waiver of his rights under K.S.A.2009 Supp. 21-4611(c)(8) because he was never informed that he was entitled to a hearing and a judicial finding of necessity in these circumstances.

Finding no merit to Hoffman's argument, the district court denied the motion to dismiss. Critical to this decision was a factual finding by the court that Hoffman still owed restitution at the time the order extending Hoffman's probation was filed in January 2007. Based on this fact, the court concluded Hoffman's probation was properly extended under K.S.A.2009 Supp. 21-4611(c)(7), a statute that does not require a hearing or a judicial finding of necessity prior to extending a term of probation. After the court denied his motion, Hoffman stipulated to violating the terms of his probation. The district court thereafter revoked Hoffman's probation and ordered him to serve the underlying prison sentence previously imposed.

ANALYSIS

Hoffman asserts the district court did not have subject matter jurisdiction to revoke his probation. Subject matter jurisdiction may be raised at any time. State v. Patton, 287 Kan. 200, 205, 195 P.3d 753 (2008). Moreover, "`"parties cannot confer subject matter jurisdiction by consent, waiver, or estoppel. Nor can parties convey jurisdiction on a court by failing to object to its lack of jurisdiction. [Citations omitted.]"'" State v. Elliott, 281 Kan. 583, 588, 133 P.3d 1253 (2006). Whether the district court has jurisdiction to revoke probation is a question of law over which this court's review is unlimited. State v. Cisneros, 36 Kan.App.2d 901, 902, 147 P.3d 880 (2006). A district court has jurisdiction to revoke probation so long as proceedings are commenced within 30 days after the probation term expires. See K.S.A.2009 Supp. 22-3716(d); State v. Curtis, 42 Kan.App.2d 132, 135, 209 P.3d 753 (2009). If proceedings are not commenced prior to the expiration of the 30-day period of K.S.A.2009 Supp. 22-3716(d), the district court no longer has jurisdiction over the probationer. See Cisneros, 36 Kan.App.2d 901, Syl. ¶ 1, 147 P.3d 880.

In order to determine whether the district court had jurisdiction to revoke Hoffman's probation and order him to serve his underlying prison sentence, we must determine whether the provisions of K.S.A.2009 Supp.

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Bluebook (online)
246 P.3d 992, 45 Kan. App. 2d 272, 2011 Kan. App. LEXIS 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hoffman-kanctapp-2011.