State v. Ward

586 P.2d 974, 120 Ariz. 413, 1978 Ariz. LEXIS 287
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 30, 1978
Docket3887-2
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 586 P.2d 974 (State v. Ward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona 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. Ward, 586 P.2d 974, 120 Ariz. 413, 1978 Ariz. LEXIS 287 (Ark. 1978).

Opinion

CAMERON, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a jury verdict and judgment of guilt to the crime of armed robbery, A.R.S. § 13-641, -643(B). We take jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 47(e)(5), Rules of the Supreme Court, 17A A.R.S.

We need answer four questions to resolve this appeal:

1. Were the speedy trial provisions of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure violated?
2. Was defendant’s constitutional right to speedy trial violated?
3. Did the Clerk of the Superior Court of Navajo County violate Rule 28.1(c), Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S.?
4. Did the failure to subpoena the court reporter prejudice the defendant at his second trial?

The facts necessary for a resolution of this appeal are as follows. In April of 1975, defendant Ward and three other codefend-ants were jointly tried before a jury and found guilty of the armed robbery of a gas station in Winslow, Arizona. Defendant appealed. Before the appeal could be heard, the court reporter who recorded the trial moved to Florida without transcribing the trial proceedings. The Clerk of the Superior Court of Navajo County sent the court reporter’s notes of the trial to the court reporter in Florida for the purpose of preparing a transcript. What happened to these notes is not clear. In any event, the reporter’s transcript was not available and this court, in face of defendant’s prima facie allegation of fundamental error, State v. Masters, 108 Ariz. 189, 494 P.2d 1319 (1972), reversed with an unpublished opinion. Rule 48, Rules of the Supreme Court, 17A A.R.S.

The matter was retried and the evidence at the retrial indicated that a service station in Winslow, Arizona, was robbed and that the defendant was involved. The robbers were four in number and left the scene by automobile headed for Holbrook, Arizona. The testimony given by law enforcement officers indicated that the defendant was driving the car when it tried to run a roadblock outside Holbrook. The defendant fled on foot from the automobile after it was disabled and stopped. He was taken into custody shortly thereafter at a nearby motel. The evidence also indicated that the amount taken in the robbery was $107 and some change. When arrested, each person had about one-fourth of this amount. Defendant had $27.85 in his possession.

Defendant took the stand and testified in his own behalf. He admitted two prior felony convictions for armed robbery. Defendant contended that he had been asleep in the back seat at the time of the robbery, knew nothing about it, that he had been awakened and asked to drive shortly before the roadblock. Defendant also contended that a codefendant, Ghormley, had given him the $27.85 as money for gas. Defendant testified he ran the roadblock because he had two driving while intoxicated warrants outstanding in Phoenix, Arizona, and was afraid of going to jail with his prior felony record. Defendant was convicted and appeals.

*415 VIOLATION OP ARIZONA’S SPEEDY TRIAL RULE

The unpublished memorandum opinion stating the reason for reversal and need for a new trial was filed on 1 June 1977. The order (mandate) reversing and remanding was not filed until 24 June 1977. Retrial commenced within 60 days of the order, but more than 60 days after the opinion was filed. Our rule reads:

“d. New Trial. A trial ordered after a mistrial, upon a motion for a new trial, or upon the reversal of a judgment by an Appellate Court shall commence within 60 days of the entry of the order of the court or service of the mandate of the Appellate Court.” Rule 8.2(d), Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S.

Defendant contends that the time began to run from the day the memorandum opinion was filed and not the order. We disagree. After an opinion of an appellate court is filed and made available to the parties, a motion for rehearing may be made and considered by the court. The decision of the appellate court does not become final until the order (or mandate) is filed. See Rule 31.18, Rules of Criminal Procedure, as amended 1974, and Rule 9(a), Rules of the Supreme Court. Unless indicated by the appellate court, the decision is not final until after time for rehearing has passed and the order (or mandate) has issued. In the instant case, the matter was brought to trial within 60 days after the order was filed. We find no violation of the speedy trial provisions of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S.

CONSTITUTIONAL SPEEDY TRIAL VIOLATION

Defendant contends that the United States Constitution’s Sixth Amendment right to speedy trial was also violated because of the length of time from his indictment and the conviction in the instant case. Defendant was indicted on 3 March 1975. He was convicted by a jury on 23 April 1975 and he was sentenced on 27 May 1975 to 10 to 16 years in the Arizona State Prison. The matter was timely appealed to the Court of Appeals and the matter thereafter was transferred to this court pursuant to Rule 47(e)(5), Rules of the Supreme Court, 17A A.R.S.

Because the court reporter at the original trial had left the state and the reporter’s notes were not available, there was a delay while an attempt was made to obtain the notes and have them transcribed. When it became apparent that the reporter’s notes were not available and a record of the trial could not be reconstructed, this court reversed for new trial. Although the defendant was promptly retried, it was over two years from the first trial in April of 1975 to the retrial in August of 1977.

The United States Supreme Court has applied the Sixth Amendment requirement of speedy trial to the states. Klopfer v. North Carolina, 386 U.S. 213, 87 S.Ct. 988, 18 L.Ed.2d 1 (1967). In United States v. Marion, 404 U.S. 307, 92 S.Ct. 455, 30 L.Ed.2d 468 (1971), the court held the speedy trial requirements do not apply until the defendant becomes an accused or is arrested and is placed under restraint. The court declined to extend the reach of the speedy trial provision to the period prior to arrest. In the instant case, there was no speedy trial violation between the time of arrest and the first trial. Neither was there any speedy trial violation between the issuance of the mandate and the second trial. We are then concerned only with the time between the notice of appeal and the decision of this court reversing the first conviction. Counsel has cited no cases and we have found none which hold that this period of time is to be included in the speedy trial computation. The Louisiana Supreme Court has stated in a case wherein the defendant was adjudged guilty after a plea and a new trial ordered by the federal district court after two years that their speedy trial rules did not apply:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
586 P.2d 974, 120 Ariz. 413, 1978 Ariz. LEXIS 287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ward-ariz-1978.