State v. Smith

105 P.3d 738, 33 Kan. App. 2d 554, 2005 Kan. App. LEXIS 119
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedFebruary 11, 2005
Docket91,628
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 105 P.3d 738 (State v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Smith, 105 P.3d 738, 33 Kan. App. 2d 554, 2005 Kan. App. LEXIS 119 (kanctapp 2005).

Opinion

Pierron, J.:

Jason Wayne Smith appeals the trial court’s modification of his jail time credit.

Smith was charged with criminal possession of a firearm for an event occurring on July 16, 2003. The State later amended the complaint to attempted criminal possession of a firearm. On October 31, 2003, Smith pled no contest to the amended charge.

At sentencing, the trial court inquired if the parties had received a copy of the presentence investigation (PSI) report, and if any additions or corrections needed to be made. The State responded it was not aware of any additions or corrections to the PSI report and did not contest tire criminal history score.

The PSI report contained a narrative summary regarding jail time credit in two cases: Smith’s current case, No. 03CR390, and a prior case, No. 02CR486. According to the summary, Smith had earned 92 days of jail time credit from September 12, 2003, to December 12, 2003, in case No. 03CR390. As for case No. 02CR486, tire tidal court had served Smith witir a probation revocation warrant on September 19, 2003, and Smith remained in custody until November 21, 2003. On November 21, 2003, the court revoked Smith’s probation, and he was remanded to the Department of Corrections.

*555 The trial court sentenced Smith to 11 months’ imprisonment and postrelease supervision for 12 months, which was ordered to rim consecutive to sentences in three other cases. The judge then stated, “Some other things that I want to put on the record here as to your sentence is that you will be given 92 days of credit on die time served in this case.” Following the award of 92 days jail time credit, the State brought to the court’s attention that Smith would be receiving a double credit if awarded a 92-day credit because the court had served Smith with a “probation warrant in 02CR486 on September 19 and he received credit from September 19 to November 21 in that case.”

It was not the trial court’s intention to give Smith a double credit. The court questioned the State as to why no objections or changes were made to the PSI report when asked if any objections or changes were needed. The State responded that it could not object to tiie fact Smith had spent 92 days in jail. The State noted it was informing the court that Smith had already received jail time credit in another case for most of the 92 days. Because Smith received jail time credit amounting to 64 days in case No. 02CR486, the court subtracted those days from the jail time credit awarded in the present case and ultimately gave Smith a jail time credit of 28 days.

Smith objected to the reduction in jail time credit, arguing the trial court could not modify a sentence once it had been announced. The court denied the objection. Smith filed a timely notice of appeal.

Smith contends that under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act (KSGA), tiie trial court was without jurisdiction to modify his sentence by subtracting jail time credit after the court had imposed a lawful sentence. Relying on State v. Zirkle, 15 Kan. App. 2d 674, 678, 814 P.2d 452 (1991), Smith argues that once the court imposed his sentence, the court was unable to vacate that sentence and impose a harsher sentence.

Interpretation of the KSGA is a question of law and tiie appellate court’s scope of review is unlimited. State v. Perez-Moran, 276 Kan. 830, 833, 80 P.3d 361 (2003); State v. Prater, 31 Kan. App. 2d 388, 392, 65 P.3d 1048, rev. denied 276 Kan. 973 (2003).

*556 A sentence is effective when it is pronounced from the bench, not from the date of filing of the journal entry. Once a sentence is imposed, the sentencing court is powerless to vacate that sentence and impose a harsher sentence. State v. Jackson, 262 Kan. 119, 140, 936 P.2d 761 (1997); see also State v. Rinck, 260 Kan. 634, 637-45, 923 P.2d 67 (1996) (discussing due process protections upon resentencing).

“An illegal sentence subject to correction is a sentence imposed by a court without jurisdiction, a sentence which does not conform to the statutory provision, ... or a sentence which is ambiguous with respect to the time and manner in which it is to be served. [Citation omitted.]” State v. Huff, 277 Kan. 195, 199, 83 P.3d 206 (2004).

K.S.A. 2004 Supp. 21-4614 establishes that a defendant is entitled to receive jail time credit. A defendant is entitled to receive credit for time in jail solely for the pending charge for which the defendant is later sentenced. Campbell v. State, 223 Kan. 528, 530-31, 575 P.2d 524 (1978).

According to State v. Royse, 252 Kan. 394, 398, 845 P.2d 44 (1993), after it has imposed a sentence, the trial court cannot vacate the sentence and impose a harsher sentence. However, the sentencing court can modify its judgment within 90 days after entry of judgment to correct arithmetic and clerical errors. K.S.A. 21-4721(i).

In Royse, the defendant pled guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. The district court sentenced the defendant to a term of 15 years to life on each count. At sentencing, the court failed to address whether the sentences were to run consecutive to or concurrent with each other. Upon discovering the omission — 4 days after sentencing- — sua sponte, the court ordered the sentences to run consecutively. The Royse court held that once the district court imposed a sentence, it could not vacate the sentence and impose a harsher sentence. 252 Kan. at 398.

Smith’s case can be distinguished because the district court in Royse changed die original sentence 4 days after the imposition of the original sentence. In this case, the court corrected the jail time credit error at the sentencing hearing. Furthermore, in Royse the *557 district court changed the original sentence by running the sentences consecutively. In this case, the original sentence did not change.

In Zirkle, the defendant pled guilty to burglary, was placed on probation, and subsequently violated the terms of his probation. The district court sentenced the defendant to a term of 1 to 5 years’ imprisonment. The court later discovered the defendant was entitled to 6 months of jail time credit, vacated the original sentence, and resentenced the defendant to a term of 2 to 5 years’ imprisonment. The Zirkle

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
105 P.3d 738, 33 Kan. App. 2d 554, 2005 Kan. App. LEXIS 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-smith-kanctapp-2005.