State v. Olson

609 N.W.2d 293, 2000 Minn. App. LEXIS 422, 2000 WL 519510
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedMay 2, 2000
DocketC3-99-1558
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 609 N.W.2d 293 (State v. Olson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Olson, 609 N.W.2d 293, 2000 Minn. App. LEXIS 422, 2000 WL 519510 (Mich. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinions

OPINION

RANDALL, Judge

This is an appeal from an order denying postconviction relief. Appellant argues that double jeopardy barred his retrial after the district court declared a mistrial in his first case. In that trial, the district court denied appellant’s substitute counsel’s motion for a continuance. The denial of that motion had the effect of forcing appellant to proceed pro se at trial. After jeopardy attached, the district court reconsidered its earlier denial of a continuance and now decided that a mistrial should be declared as a method of giving appellant a continuance.

Appellant argues that the district court erred in finding that he, acting pro se, impliedly consented to the district court’s declaration of a mistrial. Appellant argues he never waived his right to the defense of double jeopardy. Appellant also argues that his first attorney rendered ineffective assistance of counsel. That issue is moot because appellant’s first attorney was discharged long before he went to trial. We conclude that double jeopardy protects appellant from having to go through a second trial. We reverse.

FACTS

On December 12, 1996, appellant Leonard Arthur Olson was charged by complaint filed in Isanti County District Court with second-degree criminal sexual conduct and gross-misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct in the fifth-degree. The complaint alleged that on the evening of December 10, 1996, Olson molested six-year old N.P. by placing his arm around her and touching her genital area.

At his first appearance on December 18, 1996, Olson was represented by attorney Gerald Paulson. Following a number of pre-trial proceedings, the matter was set for trial on August 4, 1997. At the state’s request, the trial was continued until September 2, 1997, and the matter was then set for trial on November 3, 1997. The matter was continued again and eventually set for trial on January 5,1998.

By letter dated December 31, 1997, Paulson informed the district court that Olson had discharged him. On January 5, 1998, Olson appeared without counsel and stated that he recently fired Paulson. The district court appointed the district public defender, Arden Fritz, to represent Olson. After Fritz and Olson had the chance to [297]*297speak, Fritz informed the court that Olson declined public defender representation. Fritz then stated that it was inappropriate for the public defender’s office to represent Olson absent a finding that Olson was eligible for public defender services. The district court stated that Olson did not want to represent himself, but told him, “since [you] discharged private counsel and declined to be represented by the Public Defender’s office as primary, that really leaves you with representing yourself.” The court then appointed Fritz as standby counsel and continued the matter to the next day so Olson could procure his file from Paulson.

The next day, Olson appeared, accompanied by attorney Jerry Strauss. Strauss appeared to argue a motion for a continuance and agreed to represent Olson if the motion was granted. Strauss argued for a minimum 30-day continuance, given the complexity and seriousness of the case. He stated that he was confident Olson did not fire Paulson as a delay tactic. He further stated that in light of the fee Olson was able to secure for his representation, Olson was serious about defending his ease.

The district court stated that it did not like to grant continuances where defendants fired their lawyers on the eve of trial. It noted that in the previous two months an apparent trend was developing where defendants would fire their attorneys on the eve of trial so they could obtain a continuance. The district court perceived this as a ploy “by people who don’t want to go to trial.” The court noted that it was concerned about calendaring issues and stated that “any disadvantage that [Olson] is suffering is his own doing.” The court continued, stating that it “must adhere to management standards that don’t grant continuances unless they’re absolutely necessary. There is no showing of necessity.” Strauss responded, stating that “to take [a] trial courtroom management schedule, before constitutional rights is ⅜ * * grievous err [sic].” On the record, the district court denied Strauss’s motion for a continuance. Strauss then declined to represent Olson because he was totally unprepared for an immediate trial.

Olson was then given the chance to be heard. He stated that Paulson advised him that the longer the case continued, the better it was for the defense. Not knowing better, Olson took Paulson at his word. The court concluded by commenting, “I think by delaying the right of the people of this State to a timely trial, I would be doing the wrong thing. So I’m not going to do it.” Then the trial started. After a 15-minute recess, Olson attempted to conduct voir dire with the assistance of the prosecutor. The jury was then impaneled and sworn.

On the morning of January 9, the district court convened the jury with the intent of beginning the taking of evidence. Outside the presence of the jury, the court briefly recited the procedural history of the case and noted that Olson was “involuntarily representing himself’ and that Olson never affirmatively stated that he wanted to represent himself. The court acknowledged it was forcing Olson to represent himself, stating, “the circumstances are that I’ve basically ordered [Olson] out to trial after he discharged his Lawyer that he had for a one year period.” When asked by the court if he was competent to represent himself, Olson stated that he was not. Olson repeated his contention that he did not want the previous continuances and that he was simply following Paulson’s advice. Olson questioned how he himself, or Fritz, or any other attorney, could adequately present a defense without being granted a continuance and time to prepare.

Fritz put on the record that he objected to the court’s decision to appoint the public defender’s officer to represent Olson or act as standby counsel. He noted that Olson never completed a public defender application form and that by statute, the public defender’s office cannot represent a defendant unless the individual meets the indi-[298]*298gency standards set forth by statute. He also stated that he was “strictly incompetent” to represent Olson because he had no time to review the file and was completely unfamiliar with the facts of the case. He asked permission to withdraw as standby counsel.

The district court denied Fritz’s motion and adjourned to reconsider its decision compelling Olson to proceed pro se and to reconsider the necessity of a continuance. Approximately an hour later, the district court granted a 30-day continuance. The court acknowledged, “This is not an election to represent oneself, this is an imposition of self-representation * * The court was concerned that any conviction obtained would be reversed and that “bad law would be made,” limiting a district court’s ability to manage its trial calendar.

The prosecutor stated that double jeopardy was now an issue because the jury had been impaneled and sworn. He quickly moved the district court for a mistrial. The court agreed and declared a mistrial. The court attributed the mistrial to Olson’s “dilatory behavior” and not to the state’s conduct. Neither Olson nor Fritz was given the opportunity to object to the prosecutor’s request for a mistrial. The matter was set for a new trial on March 2, 1998.

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State v. Olson
609 N.W.2d 293 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
609 N.W.2d 293, 2000 Minn. App. LEXIS 422, 2000 WL 519510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-olson-minnctapp-2000.