State v. Leath

977 S.W.2d 132, 1998 WL 293726
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJune 17, 1998
Docket01C01-9511-CC-00392
StatusPublished
Cited by57 cases

This text of 977 S.W.2d 132 (State v. Leath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Leath, 977 S.W.2d 132, 1998 WL 293726 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

WOODALL, Judge.

In this ease, the State has filed a notice of appeal pursuant to Rule 3 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. The trial court sentenced Defendant, Kenneth Leath, to six (6) years incarceration in the Department of Correction as a Range II offender for his conviction of burglary in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-14-402. In a three (3) count indictment, the Defendant was originally charged with one (1) count of burglary, one (1) count of theft of property less than $500.00 value, and one (1) count of vandalism in an amount less than $500.00. The Defendant’s guilty plea was entered on July 16, 1997. On that date, a document styled “Plea of Guilty and Waiver of Jury Trial and Appeal” was signed by the Defendant, his counsel, and the Assistant District Attorney. That document specifically states that the sentence to be imposed upon the negotiated plea agreement pursuant to Rule 11(e)(1)(C) of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure, was an eight (8) year, Range II sentence in the Department of Correction. The theft and vandalism charges were to be dismissed. At the guilty plea hearing, the trial court agreed to allow the Defendant to plead guilty, but unilaterally reduced the length of sentence to six (6) years. We reverse and remand this ease to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The pertinent portion of the guilty plea hearing is as follows:

[ASSISTANT D.A.]: Your Honor please, Mr. Leath is pleading in 97-54 to burglary of a building, a Class E[sie] felony which carries a range of punishment of two to twelve years. Pursuant to our agreement, we’re asking that the second count, theft of property, and the third count, which is vandalism, be dismissed.
The State on a trial in this matter would show that on October the 3rd, 1996 in Madison County, the Defendant did unlawfully enter a building, to-wit, Sunbelt Screen Printers in Madison County, without the consent of the owner and with the intent to commit theft of property.
The State recommends upon a plea of guilty a sentence of eight years as a Range II offender. We recommend that there be no fine, and we recommend that this is to be served in the Depart *134 ment of Corrections [sic] and to run consecutively to any prior convictions.
THE COURT: Mr. Leath, is that what you understood the recommendation to be?
THE DEFENDANT: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: All right. I find your decision to plead guilty has been made freely, that you’ve had the advice of a lawyer whom you say you’re satisfied. [sic]. I’ll accept the recommendation of the District Attorney with the exception I’m going to make it six years rather than eight years.
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[ASSISTANT DA]: Your Honor, this was done pursuant to Rule 11(e)(1)(C). Note the State’s objection.
THE COURT: Note the State’s exception. You’re now sentenced.
[ASSISTANT DA]: For the record, the State withdraws its recommendation and would ask that it be set for trial.
THE COURT: The Court denies that. He’s sentenced. You may take your appeal.
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[ASSISTANT DA]: Just for the record, I want to point out, it’s done pursuant to Rule 11(e)(1)(C), which the State’s position is that the Court can either accept or reject the plea and cannot modify it.
THE COURT: All right, note your exception. Motion is overruled. Your exception is overruled.

The Defendant initially challenges the right of the State to appeal pursuant to Rule 3 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-35-402 allows the State in a criminal case to appeal from the length, range, or manner of the service of a sentence imposed by the sentencing court. However, subsection (b) limits an appeal from a sentence under that code section to one or more of the following conditions:

(1) The court improperly sentenced the defendant to the wrong sentence range;
(2) The court granted all or part of the sentence on probation;
(3) The court ordered all or part of the sentences to run concurrently;
(4) The court improperly found the defendant to be an especially mitigated offender; or
(5) The enhancement and mitigating factors were not weighed properly.

Based upon a fair reading of Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-35-402, none of the conditions of an appeal by the State are applicable to the situation in this case. Under Rule 3(c) of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, the State can appeal from an order of the trial court where:

(1) The substantive effect of which results in dismissing an indictment, information, or complaint;
(2) Setting aside a verdict of guilty and entering a judgment of acquittal;
(3) Arresting judgment;
(4) Granting or refusing to revoke probation; or
(5) Remanding a child to the juvenile court.

Rule 3(e) of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure also provides that the State may appeal from a final judgment in a habe-as corpus, extradition, or post-conviction proceeding.

The State diligently filed a notice of appeal on July 28, 1997, twelve (12) days after the trial court’s action in the guilty plea hearing. While a judgment has been entered reflecting a sentence of six (6) years in the Depart *135 ment of Correction, the judgment includes the following notation: “The court rejects the State’s recommendation to the agreed sentence of 8 year’s, Eg II and modifies the sentence to 6 yrs, Kg II, over the State’s objection.” The judgment was filed on July 28, 1997, the same date that the notice of appeal was filed by the State.

We agree with the Defendant that the State cannot appeal as of right pursuant to Eule 3 of the Tennessee Eules of Appellate Procedure from the trial court’s disposition in this case. In addition, Eules 9 and 10 of the Tennessee Eules of Appellate Procedure pertain to interlocutory orders of the trial court and in this case a final judgment has been entered. However, we feel the State is not without a remedy. Tennessee Code Annotated section 27-8-101, commonly referred to as the “common-law writ of certiorari” provides in pertinent part as follows:

The writ of certiorari may be granted whenever authorized by law, and also in all cases where an inferior tribunal ... has exceeded the jurisdiction conferred, or is acting illegally, when, in the judgment of the court, there is no other plain, speedy, or adequate remedy. This section does not apply to actions governed by the Tennessee Eules of Appellate Procedure.”

As summarized by the Tennessee Court of Appeals,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
977 S.W.2d 132, 1998 WL 293726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-leath-tenncrimapp-1998.