State v. Sefcheck

157 N.W.2d 128, 157 N.W.2d 428, 261 Iowa 1159, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 811
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 5, 1968
Docket52729
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 157 N.W.2d 128 (State v. Sefcheck) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Sefcheck, 157 N.W.2d 128, 157 N.W.2d 428, 261 Iowa 1159, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 811 (iowa 1968).

Opinions

LeGrand, J.

Defendant appeals from judgment following his conviction of uttering a.forged, instrument in violation of section 718.2, Code, 1966. Before considering his .assigned errors, an extended discussion of the unusual-'circumstances which bring him here is necessary. .....

On May 23, 1966,. defendant bought- several small items of náerchandise from Hanson’s Mobilgas Service Station in Ames, Iowa. In payment he presented a check which he signed in the name of W. C. Tully. Defendant’s true ñame is Edward Louis Sefcheck. Th,e amount of the purchases was deducted from the check, and the balance .was given defendant in cash. Because of-the unusual identification numbers on the check, Mr. Hanson almost immediately became suspicious of its validity and called the. police. An officer of the Ames Police Department and Mr. Hanson together located defendant at a -local tavern, Where he was questioned- concerning the event. -Although deny[1163]*1163ing the :'eheck was worthless, defendant returned the $50 to Mr. Hanson. At the same time he. was arrested for intoxication, held for investigation, and ultimately charged with uttering a forged check in violation of section 713.3, Code of Iowa.-

On June 2, 1966, defendant appeared with his attorney in the District Court of Story County.- ■ A plea of guilty -was then entered and defendant was sentenced to a term of not more than seven years in the penitentiary at Fort Madison, Defendant filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the District Court of Lee County on October 29, 1966, seeking his release on eight separate grounds. The only one important here is that his plea and -the subsequent judgment pronouncing sentence thereon were void as being in violation of section 777.12, Code, Í966, which provides: ‘

“The plea of guilty can only be made in open court and by the defendant himself, and in the presence of legal counsel acting on behalf of the defendant if the defendant is charged with a felony in substantially the following form: ‘The defendant pleads that he is guilty of the offense charged in the indictment’, and shall-be entered' of record. * * (Emphasis added.) . ■ '

The Lee District Court, by an order dated December 20, 1966, found defendant’s plea had been made for him by his attorney. The section above set out requires a guilty plea to be made by- the defendant personally, and the Lee District Court found the failure to . observe that' statute rendered the. proceedings void. The order of December 20, 1966, included this provision:

“Under sections 663.37 and 663.38 of the 1966 Code of Iowa, the court finds he is required * * * to determine whether an unconditional release is warranted or whether the petitioner should be held for the proper authorities. Under the record in this case, the court finds that the petitioner should be' held Sot proper authorities and returned to the Story County District Court for sentencing. Birk v. Bennett, 141 N.W.2d 576.
“It is therefore hereby ordered that the petitioner -Edward L. Sefcheck be returned to the Story' County District Court for sentencing in- accordance with the requirements of -777.12 of the 1966 Code of Iowa.”

[1164]*1164Despite the provisions of this order defendant was not returned to Story County until January 30, 1967, approximately 40 days thereafter. From June 2, 1966, the date he was sentenced under section 713.3, until February 6, 1967, when his present counsel was appointed to represent him, he was without counsel and was at all times in custody. On February 14, 1967, after defendant asked leave to withdraw his plea, the county attorney dismissed the pending information under section 713.3 and filed a new information alleging violation of section 718.2, Code, 1966. The one charges uttering of a false check and the other uttering a forged instrument. The new information was based on the same cheek and the same conduct as the original charge.

Defendant was tried on this latter charge beginning March 27,1967. Upon a jury verdict of guilty, judgment was entered sentencing defendant to a term of not more than ten years in the penitentiary at Fort Madison, Iowa, and he now appeals therefrom.

In addition to the general claim there had been such procedural unfairness and lack of due process that the charge should have been dismissed or a new trial granted, defendant assigns these six specific errors: (1) That the Story District Court failed to comply with the habeas corpus order of the'Lee District Court. (2) That by the dismissal of the charge under section 713.3 and the filing of one under section 718.2 he was subjected to double jeopardy. (3) That he was denied a speedy trial in violation of section 795.2, Code, 1966. (4) That certain evidence illegally seized and obtained in violation of his constitutional rights was improperly admitted and that he was not properly arraigned. (5) That the State failed to prove one of the essential elements of the charge against him. (6) That he was deprived of a fair trial because of prejudicial newspaper publicity.

It will be noted the first three assignments relate to the dismissal of the original information under section 713.3 and the filing of a new one alleging violation of section 718.2 while the last three' are concerned with alleged errors in the trial itself. We discuss them in the order listed.

[1165]*1165I. Defendant asserts the State’s right is limited to prosecuting him for the original offense because the Lee District Court order so provided. Defendant leans heavily on the language in the order returning defendant to Story County for “sentencing.” Although this term inaccurately describes what the order provided, the intent and purpose are clear. The Lee District Court found section 777.12 had not been complied with and voided defendant’s sentence on that sole ground. Section 777.12 deals exclusively with entry of a plea. This is the defect in the original proceedings which the court found to be fatal. It was only because the plea had been improperly entered that the subsequent sentence was set aside. Therefore returning the defendant to Story County simply for resentencing would have accomplished nothing.

We do not understand the Lee District Court order purported, as defendant claims, to limit the Story District Court to proceeding on the information under section 713.3, nor could it. All that was before the Lee District Court was defendant’s petition for writ of habeas corpus on the ground that his detention was illegal. The court found it was and ordered defendant’s return to Story County under the authority of Birk v. Bennett, 258 Iowa 1016, 141 N.W.2d 576.

We hold the Lee District Court could only sustain the writ or quash it. If sustained, the Lee District Court could either order his release or return him to Story County for further proceedings there. It could not determine what those proceedings should be.

Birk v. Bennett, supra, offers no support for defendant’s position. That decision went no further than to say one whose conviction is set aside on constitutional grounds need not be unconditionally released but may be held for further proceedings which meet constitutional requirements. The fact that there such proceedings involved retrial on the original charge does not imply no other course is permissible.

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

Related

State v. Marks
644 N.W.2d 35 (Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2002)
State v. Cortez
617 N.W.2d 1 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2000)
State v. Allen
601 N.W.2d 689 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1999)
State v. Hamrick
595 N.W.2d 492 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1999)
Sandra Frank v. Duane Brookhart
877 F.2d 671 (Eighth Circuit, 1989)
State v. Cook
330 N.W.2d 306 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1983)
State v. Johnson
318 N.W.2d 417 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1982)
State v. Marr
316 N.W.2d 176 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1982)
State v. Webb
309 N.W.2d 404 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1981)
State v. Frank
298 N.W.2d 324 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1980)
Hansen v. Owens
619 P.2d 315 (Utah Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Dowell
297 N.W.2d 93 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1980)
State v. Uebberheim
263 N.W.2d 710 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1978)
State v. Barker
262 N.W.2d 538 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1978)
State v. Bakker
262 N.W.2d 538 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1978)
State v. Potts
240 N.W.2d 654 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1976)
Matter of Anderson
321 A.2d 516 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1974)
State v. Cooper
217 N.W.2d 589 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1974)
State v. White
209 N.W.2d 15 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1973)
State v. Fetters
202 N.W.2d 84 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 N.W.2d 128, 157 N.W.2d 428, 261 Iowa 1159, 1968 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 811, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sefcheck-iowa-1968.