State v. Wright

646 P.2d 1128, 7 Kan. App. 2d 631, 1982 Kan. App. LEXIS 200
Court of Appeals of Kansas·Decided June 17, 1982·No. No. 53,174; No. 53,539·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Swinehart, J.:

This is a consolidated appeal of cases numbered 53,174 and 53,539 which arise from the same criminal action. Case No. 53,174 is an appeal by defendant of the trial court’s order denying his motion to set aside or vacate the sentence imposed on defendant upon his guilty plea to the charge of attempted indecent liberties with a child in violation of K.S.A. 21-3301 (Weeks) and K.S.A. 21-3503. Case No. 53,539 is an appeal by defendant of the trial court’s order denying his motion to set aside judgment of conviction or permit defendant to withdraw his plea of guilty.

Defendant basically raises the following issues on this consolidated appeal: (1) Whether the provisions of K.S.A. 21-4604 regarding presentence investigation reports are mandatory; (2) whether a sentence imposed in violation of 21-4604 is void and illegal; (3) whether the imposition of a sentence in a felony conviction without the benefit of a presentence report, or other such current information made known to the defendant, violates due process of law; and (4) whether the trial court erred in denying defendant’s motion to set aside the judgment of conviction or permit defendant to withdraw his plea of guilty.

On November 13, 1980, defendant, a twenty-three-year-old male, entered a plea of guilty to attempted indecent liberties with [632] a child (Class E felony) after the State reduced the charge from indecent liberties with a child and dismissed a charge of contributing to the misconduct of a child by encouraging the child to become a wayward child. The victim of defendant’s attentions is a fifteen-year-old girl. The reduction in the charge was a direct result of plea bargaining between the State, defendant and his attorney. The trial court accepted the plea after determining that it was knowingly and voluntarily made. The trial court then sentenced defendant to the Secretary of Corrections for a sentence of not less than one or more than five years. The trial court further ordered that defendant be taken to the Kansas Reception and Diagnostic Center and a report made within 120 days. It appears from the record that the trial court would have been receptive to modifying the sentence, depending on what the diagnostic report stated. The defendant then allegedly escaped from the custody of the Pratt County Law Enforcement Center on November 21, 1980, and was not returned to custody until February 12, 1981. Therefore, it was impossible for a report to be made on the defendant by the Diagnostic Center within 120 days from the sentencing as originally ordered by the court, and, consequently, the trial court lost its jurisdiction to modify defendant’s sentence under the provisions of K.S.A. 21-4603.

A Diagnostic Center report was completed on defendant after the expiration of 120 days, and the report assumed the position that further incarceration of defendant would have no deterrent effect, and probation was indicated.

The conviction of defendant was for a Class E felony. Prior to the sentencing the trial court did not order, nor did it receive, a presentence investigation report as is provided for under the provisions of K.S.A. 21-4604. Nor did the trial court make a finding that adequate and current information was available from a previous presentence investigation report, or other source. The record does indicate, however, that the sentencing judge knew defendant personally. Neither the defendant nor his attorney requested a presentence investigation report, and no objection to the lack of such a report was expressed at the time of sentencing.

On March 4, 1981, defendant, through a new attorney, moved the trial court to set aside the judgment of conviction and permit him to withdraw his plea of guilty because the plea was not knowingly, intelligently and freely made. On April 1, 1981, [633] defendant moved the trial court for an order setting aside and vacating the sentence because a presentence investigation report was not ordered as is required by K.S.A. 21-4604. At the hearing on these motions, the trial court made the following comments concerning the way it proceeded at the sentencing, and in particular why a presentence investigation report was not ordered:

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State v. Wright, 646 P.2d 1128, 7 Kan. App. 2d 631, 1982 Kan. App. LEXIS 200 (kanctapp 1982).

646 P.2d 1128 (State v. Wright) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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