State v. Rodrigue

795 So. 2d 488, 2001 WL 984592
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided August 28, 2001·No. 01-KA-377·Published·Cited by 15 cases

Opinion

795 So.2d 488 (2001)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Glenn D. RODRIGUE.

No. 01-KA-377.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

August 28, 2001.

*490 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Rebecca J. Becker, Terry Boudreaux, Louis M. Butler (Trial Counsel) Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, LA, Counsels for the State of Louisiana, Appellant.

G. Patrick Hand, III, The Hand Law Firm, APLC, Gretna, LA, Counsel for Glenn D. Rodrigue, Defendant-Appellee.

Panel composed of Judges JAMES L. CANNELLA, WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD, and JAMES C. GULOTTA, Pro Tem.

ROTHSCHILD, Judge.

The State of Louisiana appeals a ruling by the trial court which granted the defendant's motion to quash the bill of information charging him with driving while intoxicated, third offense. For the reasons which follow, we reverse and remand.

On August 9, 2000, the defendant, Glenn D. Rodrigue, was charged by bill of information with operating a vehicle while intoxicated ("DWI"), third offense, a violation of LSA R.S. 14:98D. The bill of information charges that on March 6, 2000, the defendant operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and that the defendant had been convicted of DWI on two prior occasions. The first predicate conviction *491 set forth in the bill of information was obtained on April 13, 1994, in the Second Parish Court of Jefferson, Docket No. S556356, Division "B", and the second predicate conviction was obtained on April 4, 1996, in the Second Parish Court of Jefferson, Docket No. S587415, Division "A." On September 20, 2000, the defendant pled not guilty to the charge of DWI, third offense.

On January 25, 2001, the defendant filed a motion to quash the bill of information, with a supporting memorandum, wherein he alleged that the 1994 predicate conviction could not be used for enhancement purposes, because Rodrigue was not represented by counsel during this plea and the State could not show a knowing and intelligent waiver of counsel. A copy of the transcript of the Boykin proceedings for the 1994 predicate conviction and the waiver of rights form for the 1994 conviction were attached as exhibits to the defendant's motion to quash. A hearing on the motion to quash was set for January 29, 2001. At the hearing, the parties submitted the matter on the pleadings and the transcripts filed in the record. After reviewing the documents submitted by the parties, the trial court granted the motion to quash. In granting the defendant's motion to quash the 1994 predicate conviction, the trial judge stated:

I find there are some questions as to whether at the time the defendant entered into a plea of guilty that he knowingly, intelligent[ly], and voluntarily waived his right to counsel, again, as he entered into this plea. I find that the Boykin is insufficient in that it's clearly established that his plea of guilty was [not] knowing, intelligent and voluntary in light of the fact that he was not properly advised in the Boykin and I find also that there is a space which may have been of importance indicating the sentence in the Boykin which was never completed, therefore, I'm going to grant the motion to quash.

The State filed a motion for appeal on February 1, 2001, and it was granted by the trial court on February 13, 2001.

LAW AND DISCUSSION

The State asserts that the trial court erred in granting the motion to quash without holding a hearing pursuant to State v. Carlos, 98-1366 (La.7/7/99), 738 So.2d 556. Alternatively, the State contends that the evidence submitted shows that the predicate conviction was constitutionally obtained.

The defendant responds that the State's appeal is untimely and should not be considered. In the alternative, he argues that the trial court did not err in failing to hold a hearing on the motion to quash where both parties agreed to submit the matter on the pleadings and the record. Finally, the defendant argues that the trial court's ruling was not in error because the defendant's uncounseled guilty plea to the 1994 predicate offense was not constitutionally obtained.

The defendant argues that the State's appeal should be dismissed because it is untimely. The record reveals that the trial court granted the State's motion for appeal on February 13, 2001 and provided a return date of April 1, 2001. This date was a Sunday; therefore, the trial court clerk would have had until the next working day, April 2, 2001, within which to lodge the record in this case. The record was lodged on April 3, 2001. Although the record was lodged one day late, the timely lodging of the appellate record is the responsibility of the clerk of the trial court, not the State, as the defendant contends. LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 917. Further, there has been no showing that the one-day delay is imputable to the State or that the defendant *492 was prejudiced by the delay. The State timely filed its motion for appeal on February 1, 2001 and timely filed its brief on April 30, 2001. Therefore, the defendant's argument is without merit, and the State's appeal will be considered on the merits.

The State first alleges that the trial court erred when it did not hold a hearing on the motion to quash pursuant to State v. Carlos, supra, and State v. Lowry 00-107 (La.App. 5 Cir. 6/27/00), 762 So.2d 1275. In State v. Carlos, supra, the Louisiana Supreme Court extended the burden-shifting principles applicable to multiple offenders, as established in State v. Shelton, 621 So.2d 769, 779-780 (La. 1993), to the recidivist provisions of the DWI statute. Based on Carlos, when a defendant challenges the constitutional validity of a predicate DWI conviction resulting from a guilty plea, the State bears the initial burden of proving 1) the existence of the guilty plea and 2) that an attorney represented the defendant during the plea. Carlos, supra, 738 So.2d at 559. If the State meets this burden, the defendant must produce affirmative evidence indicating an infringement of his rights or a procedural irregularity in the taking of the plea. Id. If the defendant is able to do this, then the burden of proving the constitutionality of the plea shifts back to the State. Id. This Court recognized the Carlos burden-shifting scheme in State v. Pickett, 99-532 (La. App 5 Cir. 10/26/99), 746 So.2d 185.

In the present case, the motion to quash was set for hearing on January 29, 2001. On that date, the following exchange occurred:

MR. PAT HAND, III [Defense Counsel]:
....We're here today on a motion to quash, third offense DWI there were two predicates, one of which we're challenging the validity of, it was Mr. Butler accurately recited the case number and the division.
THE COURT:
I've reviewed it in connection with this matter, I think counsel agreed to waive any other arguments in connection with this.
MR. PAT HAND, III:
Your Honor, I submit my motion [and] memorandum in support thereof. If Mr. Butler wants to argue I ask the right to rebuttal.
MR. BUTLER [Assistant District Attorney]:
I really don't have any argument, Judge. We have discussed it and at this point I would submit it on the documents that are already in the record.....

In this case, it is clear that the parties had the opportunity to have a Carlos hearing, but they chose to waive the hearing and submitted the matter o

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

State v. Rodrigue, 795 So. 2d 488, 2001 WL 984592 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

795 So. 2d 488 (State v. Rodrigue) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State of Louisiana Versus Ricky Joseph, Jr.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2023
State v. Boyd
171 So. 3d 1250 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Bergeron
127 So. 3d 1075 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State of Louisiana v. Thaddius Brock Bergeron
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013
State v. Dillon
101 So. 3d 970 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)
State v. Rosales
94 So. 3d 36 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)
State v. Domino
60 So. 3d 659 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State v. Lanieux
42 So. 3d 979 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State v. Lane
38 So. 3d 413 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State v. Daigle
974 So. 2d 869 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State of Louisiana v. Mark Daigle
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008
State v. Bush
873 So. 2d 795 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004)
State v. Frisella
868 So. 2d 871 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004)
State v. Isidore
845 So. 2d 1123 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2003)
State v. Verdin
845 So. 2d 372 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2003)
State v. Kerwin
821 So. 2d 28 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2002)