State v. Robinson

469 N.W.2d 376, 1991 S.D. LEXIS 66, 1991 WL 63581
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 24, 1991
Docket17103
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 469 N.W.2d 376 (State v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Robinson, 469 N.W.2d 376, 1991 S.D. LEXIS 66, 1991 WL 63581 (S.D. 1991).

Opinions

DOBBERPUHL, Circuit Judge.

ISSUES PRESENTED

Kendall M. Robinson (petitioner) brings the following issues to this court for our resolution:

1. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO DISMISS THE PART II INFORMATION ACCUSING PETITIONER OF BEING AN HABITUAL OFFENDER?
2. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN RULING THAT SDCL 23A-44-5.1 (THE 180-DAY RULE) DID NOT REQUIRE DISMISSAL OF THIS CASE?

We affirm.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On June 10, 1985, pursuant to an information, petitioner was charged with escape and aggravated assault. Petitioner pled not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to both charges. On October 18, 1985, a jury returned a verdict of guilty but mentally ill to both counts. Pursuant to a Part II information petitioner was charged with having been convicted of three prior felonies. Petitioner changed his plea to Part II of the information to guilty and admitted to being an habitual offender. Petitioner was sentenced to five years on Count I and twenty-two years on Count II. Petitioner’s conviction was appealed and affirmed. State v. Robinson, 399 N.W.2d 324 (S.D.1987).

Petitioner filed his first petition for writ of habeas corpus on April 30, 1987. Petitioner appealed the denial of the writ to this court; the denial was affirmed. Robinson v. Solem, 432 N.W.2d 246 (S.D.1988).

On January 6, 1989, petitioner filed his second petition for writ of habeas corpus. On August 15, 1989, Sixth Circuit Court Judge Donald Heck, issued a memorandum decision holding that the application of SDCL 22-5-10, as amended effective July 1, 1985, to petitioner’s offenses committed on May 8, 1985, constituted an ex post facto law. Based upon that ruling, he granted the writ, vacated the judgment of conviction and directed the release of petitioner, or, in the alternative, a new trial. Judge Heck specifically refused to rule on whether the prior convictions used to enhance petitioner’s penalty were valid. Neither the state nor petitioner appealed that decision to this court.

On January 15, 1990, petitioner was transported to Pierre to attend an arraignment hearing on the amended information which recharged the aggravated assault and escape offenses. Petitioner was also arraigned on an amended Part II information, which charged him with being an habitual offender. Petitioner again entered pleas of not guilty.

Petitioner’s jury trial began on April 4, 1990. On April 5,1990, the jury returned a verdict of guilty to escape and guilty to aggravated assault.

The trial court refused to grant a retrial on the Part II habitual offender information and did take judicial notice of the court files of petitioner’s prior felonies. A sentencing hearing was held on April 9, 1990, and petitioner was sentenced to five years on the escape charge and twenty-two years on the aggravated assault charge, with credit for time served being granted. Petitioner appeals.

WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO DISMISS THE PART II INFORMATION ACCUSING PETITIONER OF BEING AN HABITUAL OFFENDER?

Petitioner argues that the trial court failed to determine whether petitioner’s prior felony convictions were constitutionally valid. Further, petitioner alleges [378]*378that the trial court failed to consider and determine on the record, that for each of the prior felonies listed, petitioner had been properly advised of all of his “Boykin rights” and had then voluntarily and intelligently waived those rights prior to entering guilty pleas. As a matter of federal constitutional law, “[a] plea of guilty cannot stand unless the record in some way indicates a free and intelligent waiver by the defendant of his constitutional right to confront and cross-examine witnesses against him, his constitutional right to trial by jury, and his constitutional privilege against self-incrimination.” Stacey v. State, 349 N.W.2d 439, 441 (S.D.1984) (citing Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969)).

In addition to waivers of these three “Boykin rights” the record must disclose, as a matter of South Dakota law, that the defendant understood the nature and consequences of his plea. Nachtigall v. Erickson, 85 S.D. 122, 178 N.W.2d 198 (1970). While there is no set formula for establishing on the record the voluntariness of a guilty plea, “[t]he trial court must normally inform the defendant of these rights personally to insure that the record indicates a free and intelligent waiver of these rights.” Logan v. Solem, 406 N.W.2d 714, 716-717 (S.D.1987) (emphasis original). The court’s obligation to satisfy itself as to each of these four prerequisites before accepting a guilty or a guilty but mentally ill plea by “addressing the defendant personally in open court” and making a record of it are codified at SDCL 23A-7-4, 23A-7-5, 23A-7-15, and 23A-7-16. State v. Bailey, 464 N.W.2d 626 (S.D. 1991).

This court in Gregory II (Gregory v. State, 353 N.W.2d 777 (S.D.1984)), adopted the rule that before a plea can be voluntarily entered, the defendant must possess an understanding of the nature of the charge against him. We further have held that, “the ultimate burden of assuring that a defendant is advised of the nature of the charge against him falls upon the trial court and not upon the defendant’s attorney.” Gregory v. Solem, 449 N.W.2d 827, 832 (S.D.1989) (Gregory III).

We based our premise in Gregory III, on our decision in Application of Garritsen, 376 N.W.2d 575, 577 (S.D.1985) where we held:

[T]he record must indicate that the pleading defendant understood the nature and consequences of his plea. The record must indicate that the defendant was informed of his right to a jury trial in the county in which the crime was committed. The record must also indicate a factual basis for a guilty plea before it is accepted. The circuit court cannot assume counsel has so advised the defendant and the record of the preliminary hearing cannot substitute for the circuit court’s duty to actively participate by informing and canvassing the defendant, so as to make certain he understands and knows his rights and the nature and consequences of his plea, (citations omitted).

Thus, just as we held in Gregory III

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State v. Robinson
469 N.W.2d 376 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
469 N.W.2d 376, 1991 S.D. LEXIS 66, 1991 WL 63581, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-robinson-sd-1991.