United States v. Scherk

177 F. Supp. 793, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2723
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedOctober 26, 1959
DocketCr. No. 35992
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 177 F. Supp. 793 (United States v. Scherk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Scherk, 177 F. Supp. 793, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2723 (N.D. Cal. 1959).

Opinion

OLIVER J. CARTER, District Judge.

The defendant has filed a petition under the provisions of Title 28 U.S.C. § 2255, asking this Court to set aside a sentence of imprisonment against the defendant heretofore imposed by this Court. Defendant has also filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum asking that he be produced at the time of hearing on his motion for relief under Section 2255.

The petition sets out three claims for relief:

“(1) Your humble Petitioner’s plea of guilty was entered by reasons and results of duress.
“(2) Your humble Petitioner’s mental condition.
“(3) Your humble Petitioner’s plea of guilty was entered in a state [794]*794of mental incoherence and inadvertence.”

Since claims 2 and 3 refer to the same subject matter, namely, the petitioner’s mental condition at the time he entered his plea of guilty, they will be treated together as one claim. The petitioner places his greatest emphasis on the claim that he was mentally incompetent to enter a plea of guilty, and that therefore the sentence based on that plea should be set aside. Nowhere in his petition, or in any of the accompanying documents, does petitioner allege the nature of his illness, the nature of his mental condition prior to the time of the commission of the alleged offense, or prior to the time of the entry of his plea of guilty; nor does he make any allegation of the nature of his mental condition, or any treatment thereof, subsequent to his plea of guilty, and subsequent to the sentence imposed pursuant to the plea of guilty. In other words, the petition simply makes the bare allegation that the petitioner was mentally incompetent at the time he entered his plea of guilty, and that said plea was entered because of his serious physical condition. The main thrust of his argument is that the Court failed to follow the procedure set up in Title 18 U.S.C. § 4244, and that therefore he has had no hearing to determine the question of his mental competence at the time of the entry of the plea.

Section 2255 provides:

“Unless the motion and the files and records of the case conclusively show that the prisoner is entitled to no relief, the court shall cause notice thereof to be served upon the United States attorney, grant a prompt hearing thereon, determine the issues and make findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect thereto.”

Since the records and files of the court show that the provisions of Title 18 U.S.C. § 4244 were substantially followed the Court is presented at the outset with the question as to whether it is necessary to hold a hearing in a § 2255 proceeding in which the prisoner has made the bare allegation that he was mentally incompetent at the time of the entry of his plea of guilty.

A resume of the record shows, and the Court finds as follows:

(1) On February 12, 1958, an indictment was returned charging the defendant in two counts with armed bank robbery in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) (d), alleging that on or about the 10th day of January, 1958, the defendant committed the bank robbery.

(2) On February 13, 1958, the defendant appeared in court with retained counsel to be arraigned, and requested permission to enter a plea of guilty to count two of the indictment. The transcript of the proceedings on arraignment, plea and sentence held on February 13, 1958, in part discloses the following:

“Mr. Constine: (AUSA) May it please the Court, the Marshal has in custody one Peter S. Scherk, yesterday indicted by the Grand Jury. Mr. Scherk is represented by Mr. Livingston.
“The Court: Mr. Scherk, yesterday the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging you with violation of Title 18, Section 2113(a) and (d), being armed bank robbery. The indictment is in two counts. This is the time for arraignment. Mr. Clerk, I will have you arraign the defendant.
“The Clerk: The United States Grand Jury for this District and Division has returned an indictment against one Peter S. Scherk. Is that your true name ?
“The Defendant: That is right.
“The Clerk: This indictment is in two counts. Count one charges that on or about the 10th day of January, 1958, in San Francisco, you did rob the said Bank of America which is insured by the Federal Government. Count two charges on or about the 17th day of January, 1958, in San Francisco, you did rob another bank, the Market-Jones [795]*795Branch of the Crocker-Angle National Bank. Counsel, do you waive further reading?
“Mr. Livingston: I do.
“The Clerk: Have you received a copy?
“Mr. Livingston: Thank you.
“The Defendant: Yes.
“Mr. Constine: I might state before any plea is taken that on January 21, 1958, Judge Hamlin under Section 4244, Title 18, ordered an examination conducted by a psychiatrist to determine this defendant’s mental capacity to proceed to trial. On January 30th Doctor Poliak examined the defendant after having been designated as the psychiatrist by our probation office. I have here the report of Doctor Poliak which I would like to file with Your Honor at this time.
“The Court: You may.
“Mr. Constine: Which concludes that the defendant is both legally and medically sane at present as well as at the time of the alleged commission of the offense.
“I certify, based on this examination, it is our position the defendant is able to stand trial and assist counsel in his own defense.
“The Court: Does he have the mental competence to enter a plea?
“Mr. Constine: Yes, based on this report.
“Mr. Livingston: I haven’t a copy of that letter.
“Mr. Constine: No. I was to give counsel a letter. He has examined the letter, but I was to give him a copy and I did not, and may I obtain the letter and provide a copy to counsel?
“The Court: Yes, that may be done.
“Mr. Livingston: I think the position taken by the United States Attorney is all right so far as it goes. I think the defendant is able to make a plea. I do urge Your Honor, however, to look at the last part of the letter which says that the man should have psychiatric treatment.
“He would like Your Honor’s permission, with the United States Attorney’s acquiescence, to plead to the second count.
“The Court: The defendant is ready to enter his plea at this time ?
“Mr. Livingston: Yes. I would move for a dismissal of the first count.
“The Court: Mr. Scherk, you had a chance to go over this with your counsel ?

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Related

Anderson v. State
493 S.W.2d 681 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1973)
People v. Williams
196 N.W.2d 327 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1972)
People v. Kearns
181 N.W.2d 548 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1970)
Scherk v. United States
242 F. Supp. 445 (N.D. California, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
177 F. Supp. 793, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2723, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-scherk-cand-1959.