State v. Roe

903 So. 2d 1265, 2005 WL 1279123
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 1, 2005
Docket2005-116
StatusPublished
Cited by88 cases

This text of 903 So. 2d 1265 (State v. Roe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Roe, 903 So. 2d 1265, 2005 WL 1279123 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

903 So.2d 1265 (2005)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Roy D. ROE.

No. 2005-116.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

June 1, 2005.

*1266 Herman A. Castete, Winnfield, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Roy D. Roe.

James D. White, Jr., Assistant District Attorney, Colfax, LA, for Appellee, State of Louisiana.

Court composed of JOHN D. SAUNDERS, OSWALD A. DECUIR, and MARC T. AMY, Judges.

AMY, Judge.

The defendant pled guilty to one count of aggravated second degree battery in violation of La.R.S. 14:34.7, and was sentenced to serve three years at hard labor and pay restitution to the victim. The defendant appeals, asserting that he pled guilty based on the belief that he would receive a probated sentence as part of his *1267 plea agreement. He alleges that the trial court erred in not determining that he understood that his sentence could be imposed at hard labor, and in not allowing him to withdraw his guilty plea after his sentencing. For the following reasons, we affirm, and remand with instructions.

Factual and Procedural Background

According to the factual basis provided by the State at the defendant's guilty plea hearing, on August 31, 2003, the defendant, Roy D. Roe, entered a residence where his estranged wife was residing. He found her and Darren Treadway in the bedroom and began to strike Mr. Treadway repeatedly, causing him serious injuries which required his hospitalization for twelve days. When the police apprehended the defendant later that afternoon, they found blood on his hands. He subsequently provided a statement that he had gone to the residence and beaten Mr. Treadway.

The State charged the defendant by bill of information on October 14, 2003 with one count of aggravated burglary, in violation of La.R.S. 14:60(3), and one count of second degree battery, in violation of La. R.S. 14:34.1. On May 10, 2004, the day the matter was scheduled for jury trial, the State amended the bill of information to charge the defendant with aggravated second degree battery, in violation of La.R.S 14:34.7. On the same day, the defendant indicated that he wished to plead guilty to the aggravated second degree battery charge, and the trial court conducted a Boykin hearing. During the guilty plea hearing, the district court advised the defendant of his rights, the State offered a factual basis for the plea, the parties waived all motions, and the trial court accepted the defendant's guilty plea.

After accepting the defendant's guilty plea, the district court ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set the sentencing hearing for July 22, 2004. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court listened to a victim impact statement given by the victim's mother and reviewed its findings based on the pre-sentence investigation report. Based thereon, the district court sentenced the defendant to serve three years at hard labor, recommended participation in an impact program, and ordered the defendant to pay $56,000.00 in restitution to the victim for medical expenses.

On August 20, 2004, the defendant filed a "Motion for Reconsideration of Sentence and in the Alternative, Withdrawal of Guilty Plea[.]" Following a hearing on December 15, 2004, the trial court denied the motion. The defendant now appeals, asserting the following assignments of error:

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1
[.] The trial court erred by not informing the defendant of, and determining that he understood the nature of the charge to which he pled, as well as the maximum sentence provided by law.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2
[.] The trial court erred in not allowing the defendant to withdraw his plea of guilty as not being knowing and voluntary when he was advised that he was to be given a probated sentence under [Louisiana] Code of Criminal Procedure Article 893 and then was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 3 years at hard labor.

Discussion

Errors Patent

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, this court reviews all appeals for errors patent on the face of the record. After reviewing the record, we have found *1268 that there is one error that requires correction.

Our review indicates that the trial court failed to advise the defendant of the prescriptive period for filing for post-conviction relief as required by La.Code Crim.P. art. 930.8.[1] Therefore, the trial court is directed to inform the defendant of the provisions of La.Code Crim.P. art. 930.8 by sending appropriate written notice to the defendant within ten days of the rendition of this opinion and to file written proof that the defendant received the notice in the record of the proceedings. See State v. Burgess, 04-121 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/16/04), 876 So.2d 263.

Defendant's Understanding of Guilty Plea

For his first assignment, the defendant asserts that the trial court did not inform him of the nature of the charge he was pleading guilty to or the maximum sentence for the charge, and also that the court did not "determin[e] that he understood" that information.

The defendant first argues in his appellate brief that La.Code Crim.P. art. 556.1(A)(1) "clearly states that the court must personally inform the defendant in open court of the nature of the charge and the maximum penalty provided by law." The defendant contends that the failure of the trial court to comply with La.Code Crim.P. art. 556.1 requires a reversal of his guilty plea as neither knowing nor voluntary.

Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 556.1(A)(1) provides:

A. In a felony case, the court shall not accept a plea of guilty or nolo contendere without first addressing the defendant personally in open court and informing him of, and determining that he understands, all of the following:
(1) The nature of the charge to which the plea is offered, the mandatory minimum penalty provided by law, if any, and the maximum possible penalty provided by law.

We first consider the defendant's argument that the trial court did not inform him of the maximum penalty for the offense. However, the record does not support the defendant's allegation, as demonstrated by the following excerpt from his guilty plea colloquy:

BY THE COURT: Do you understand that you [sic] pleading guilty to one count of aggravated second degree battery in violation of La.R.S. 14:34.7?
BY THE DEFENDANT: Oh. Yes, sir.
BY THE COURT: And that carries a fifteen years at hard labor and/or a ten thousand dollar fine? Do you ...
BY THE DEFENDANT: Yeah.

Additionally, the trial court asked the defendant's attorney if he had advised the defendant of the minimum and maximum penalties provided by law for the offense and if the defendant had understood. The defendant's attorney responded affirmatively to both questions. Therefore, we find that the defendant was properly apprised of the maximum possible penalty *1269 for his charge of aggravated second degree battery.

Turning to the defendant's challenge to the sufficiency of the trial court's description of the nature of the offense, we note that this court has considered a similar issue in State v. Whiddon, 99-1 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/2/99), 741 So.2d 797. In Whiddon,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
903 So. 2d 1265, 2005 WL 1279123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-roe-lactapp-2005.