State v. McConnell

876 P.2d 605, 125 Idaho 907, 1994 Ida. App. LEXIS 79
CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 20, 1994
DocketNo. 20380
StatusPublished

This text of 876 P.2d 605 (State v. McConnell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. McConnell, 876 P.2d 605, 125 Idaho 907, 1994 Ida. App. LEXIS 79 (Idaho Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

WALTERS, Chief Judge.

Eldon McConnell appeals from the district court’s denial of his motion to dismiss a felony charge of driving under the influence [908]*908(DUI). See I.C. §§ 18-8004 and 18-8005(5). McConnell entered a conditional guilty plea to the charge under I.C.R. 11(a)(2), reserving his right to appeal the court’s determination that his previous DUI convictions could be used to enhance the current charge from a misdemeanor to a felony. We affirm.

McConnell was charged with felony DUI in January, 1992, and throughout the proceedings was represented by counsel. He had previously been convicted of DUI twice within the preceding five years — in February, 1989, and December, 1989. He pled guilty to both of those charges, but was represented by counsel only at the proceedings leading to his conviction in February, 1989. His motion to dismiss was based on the assertion that his guilty plea entered pro se on December 18,1989, in the magistrate division was invalid because the record did not show that he voluntarily waived his right to counsel. After reviewing the record and transcripts from the magistrate division and hearing oral arguments, the district court concluded that McConnell’s waiver and his plea were entered voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently, and denied the motion. McConnell then entered his conditional guilty plea and the court imposed sentence, which was suspended. McConnell was place on probation for five years, and the court stayed execution of the sentence pending this appeal.

McConnell's motion challenged the validity of his misdemeanor guilty plea entered on December 18, 1989. Idaho Criminal Rule 11(c) “applies to the acceptance of misdemeanor pleas of guilty,” and provides that before such pleas are accepted, the record of the entire proceedings, including reasonable inferences drawn therefrom, must show the voluntariness of the plea. I.C.R. 11(c)(1); State v. Maxey, 125 Idaho 505, 509-10, 873 P.2d 150, 154-55 (1994). The motion, however, challenged the guilty plea only by disputing McConnell’s waiver of his right to counsel. Our analysis focuses on that waiver.

On December 18, 1989, McConnell was facing a possible conviction and imprisonment for a misdemeanor which also could be used for a later felony enhancement. Therefore, he had a statutory right to court-appointed counsel if he was indigent. M.C.R. 6(c); State v. Maxey, 125 Idaho 505, 507-08, 873 P.2d 150, 152-53 (1994). He also had a right to private or court-appointed counsel based on Article I, Section 13 of the Idaho Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. According to State v. Hunnel, 125 Idaho 623, 873 P.2d 877 (1994):

The standard to be applied in determining whether there has been a valid waiver of the right to counsel is whether there has been a “knowing and intelligent relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege” and such determination rests on the facts of each individual case. State v. Ruth, 102 Idaho 638, 642, 637 P.2d 415, 419 (1981) (citations omitted). The State carries the burden of showing a voluntary waiver of Sixth Amendment rights. State v. Mesenbrink, 115 Idaho 850, 851, 771 P.2d 514, 515 (1989) (citing Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709 [23 L.Ed.2d 274] (1969)). In Idaho, Boykin has been interpreted to require that the court record affirmatively show that the waiver was understood and was voluntary. Id.

Hunnel, 125 Idaho at 625-26, 873 P.2d at 879-80.

When determining on appeal whether a defendant has waived a constitutional right, we accept the lower court’s findings of fact if supported by substantial evidence; however, we freely review the court’s application of constitutional requirements to the facts found. State v. Hoffman, 116 Idaho 689, 691, 778 P.2d 811, 813 (Ct.App.1989).1 [909]*909None of the transcripts of the proceedings which culminated in the entry of McConnell's guilty plea before the magistrate to his second misdemeanor DUI offense on December 18, 1989, have been submitted to this Court on appeal.2 Only the transcript of the motion to dismiss before the district court has been made part of the record. Under these circumstances, error will not be presumed from an incomplete record, State v. Wolfe, 99 Idaho 382, 390, 582 P.2d 728, 736 (1978); State v. Hanslovan, 116 Idaho 266, 269, 775 P.2d 158, 161 (Ct.App.1989); and, because we are faced with an incomplete record, the missing transcript must be deemed to support the action of the trial court. Hoffman v. State, 125 Idaho 188, 191, 868 P.2d 516, 519 (Ct.App.1994); Kugler v. Drown, 119 Idaho 687, 809 P.2d 1166 (Ct.App.1991).

The record on appeal does contain the Uniform Citation completed on November 15, 1989, the Judgment of Conviction filed on December 18, 1989, and the Confirmation of Plea and Waiver of Counsel also filed on December 18, 1989. The Uniform Citation indicates that McConnell had been advised of his right to counsel and was waiving that right and entering a plea of guilty. The Confirmation of Plea and Waiver of Counsel states that he was informed of the nature of the DUI charge, the possible penalties, and that he had a right to counsel which he indicated he was voluntarily waiving. McConnell signed this document, along with the Judgment of Conviction. He does not, however, address any of these documents on appeal. Instead, he focuses solely on a discussion he had with the magistrate about waiving his right to counsel. Because the transcript of the discussion was not made part of the appellate record, we base our review upon the partial transcript excerpted by the district court in its memorandum decision denying McConnell’s motion. The discussion reads as follows:

COURT: I want you also to know that you have the right to have an attorney with you and you don’t have one with you today. You also have a constitutional right to represent yourself, if you wish to do so. But I need to make sure if you decide that’s what you want, that you understand what’s happening to you. And that’s why we are going through this. I want you to understand, also, that if you cannot afford an attorney, I would be happy to appoint one for you to assist you, even at sentencing. Do you want to have such an attorney or do you want to go ahead and represent yourself?
McCONNELL: I don’t know. I would like to have and attorney, but—
COURT: If you want an attorney, then let’s get you down — if you are indigent, and see if we can get you — get you one to assist you, if you feel it’s going to help you.

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Related

Boykin v. Alabama
395 U.S. 238 (Supreme Court, 1969)
State v. Goerig
822 P.2d 1005 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1991)
Hoffman v. State
868 P.2d 516 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1994)
State v. Ruth
637 P.2d 415 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1981)
Kugler v. Drown
809 P.2d 1166 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1991)
State v. Maxey
873 P.2d 150 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Hunnel
873 P.2d 877 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Hanslovan
775 P.2d 158 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1989)
State v. Hoffman
778 P.2d 811 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1989)
State v. Mesenbrink
771 P.2d 514 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1989)
State v. Wolfe
582 P.2d 728 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1978)
State v. Carrasco
787 P.2d 281 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1990)
State v. Jennings
835 P.2d 1342 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1992)

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Bluebook (online)
876 P.2d 605, 125 Idaho 907, 1994 Ida. App. LEXIS 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcconnell-idahoctapp-1994.