Walters v. United States

311 F. Supp. 761, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13676
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Arkansas
DecidedDecember 15, 1969
DocketNo. FS-69-C-110
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 311 F. Supp. 761 (Walters v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walters v. United States, 311 F. Supp. 761, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13676 (W.D. Ark. 1969).

Opinion

OPINION

JOHN E. MILLER, Senior District J udge.

On November 14,1969, the court entered an order permitting the petitioner to file a petition in forma pauperis to vacate judgment in Criminal Action No. 3943, United States v. Huron Ted Walters.

The petitioner alleged:

“ * * * that on November 3, 1938, Huron Ted Walters and Floyd Garland Hamilton appeared before the Honorable Heartsill Ragon (deceased) sitting at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and upon their plea of guilty, judgment accordingly entered that he be found guilty of Eight (8) Counts of violation former Title 18, United States Code, Section 408, now found in Section 2312, et seq., Title 18, U.S.C.”
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“The position of movant is taken that judgment entered in Case No. 3943 is null, void, moot and no longer in force, in that: (1) Judgment obtained through deceit and coercion is judgment that cannot stand under direct attack, nor withstand a collateral assault, for; (2) Petitioner, Huron Ted Walters is altogether innocent of any and all charges, laid out in case No. 3943, that; (3) he plead guilty with a foregone agreement that he would never serve one day of any sentence given as any sentence pronounced would be served concurrently with that imposed in Case No. 3942.”
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« * * * that he was led by counsel to plead guilty believing that the sole interest of the Government being to [762]*762‘clean up the books’ and no sentence would be served. With that settled ‘concurrent’ sentence in mind, he plead guilty to 8 counts of Dyer Act.”

It seems necessary to set forth chronologically the facts as reflected by the record in Criminal Actions 3943 and 3942.

On September 22, 1938, the Grand Jury, sitting in the Texarkana Division, returned an indictment (Criminal Action 3418, Texarkana Division) containing two counts charging the petitioner and a co-defendant, Floyd Garland Hamilton, with violation of 12 U.S.C., Sections 588a and 588b, which section was later superseded by 18 U.S.C. § 2113 on June 25, 1948. The same Grand Jury also returned an indictment containing eight counts against the petitioner and his co-defendant (Criminal Action No. 3419, Taxarkana Division) charging them with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 408 (1940 Edition), which was superseded by 18 U.S.C., Section 2312, on June 25, 1948.

Upon the return of the indictments the petitioner and his co-defendant filed a motion to transfer both indictments, and in said motion stated:

“That the defendants each, understanding the nature of the charges pending against them, desire to enter a plea of guilty to all counts of said indictment and if said cause is not transferred to Fort Smith the defendants will be required to remain in jail until the next regular term of court at Texarkana, Arkansas. If this cause is transferred to the Fort Smith Division of said district the defendants each agree to enter a plea of guilty to all counts of the indictment in this case.”

The cases were transferred, and the indictment charging a violation of the Dyer Act was docketed in the Fort Smith Division as Criminal Action No. 3943. The case charging robbing the bank, etc., was docketed as Criminal Action 3942. Upon arraignment in Case No. 3942, the petitioner and his co-defendant entered a plea of guilty to both counts and were sentenced on Count 1 to serve a term in prison of 20 years, and on Count 2 to serve a term of 25 years, to run concurrently with the term of imprisonment adjudged on the first count.

In Criminal Action No. 3943, the petitioner and his co-defendant, upon arraignment, entered a plea of guilty to each of eight counts charging violations of the Dyer Act, and were sentenced as follows:

First Count - Five years.
Fourth Count - Five years to begin at the expiration of the term of imprisonment on Count 1.
Fifth Count - Five years to begin at the expiration of the sentence on the Fourth Count.
Sixth Count - Five years to begin at the expiration of the sentence on Count 5.
Seventh Count - Five years to begin at the expiration of the sentence on Count 6.
Eighth Count - Five years to begin at the expiration of the sentence on Count 7.
On each of Counts 2 and 3-Five years “to run concurrently” with the term of imprisonment adjudged on the First Count.
The judgment further provided as follows:
“that the terms of imprisonment herein adjudged on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh counts of the indictment to run concurrently with the imprisonment this day by this court adjudged against the said Huron Ted Walters in Case No. 3942.”

[763]*763On August 25, 1949, the petitioner and his co-defendant filed motions “for a nunc pro tunc order staying execution date of sentence” in Criminal Action 3943, which motions were overruled.

On February 24, 1955, the court, upon petition of petitioner’s co-defendant, Floyd Garland Hamilton, entered an order holding that the sentence of 25 years imposed upon the defendant Hamilton on Count 2 of the indictment in Criminal Action 3942 was invalid, and the same was vacated, set aside and held for naught.

On December 27, 1968, the petitioner herein filed a motion for correction of sentence in Criminal Action 3942, and for “legal interpretation of the sentences imposed in Criminal Action 3943.” Upon that petition the court entered an order vacating the sentence on Count 2 of Criminal Action 3942, the same as had been entered relative to the co-defendant Hamilton. In reference to the prayer of the petition for legal interpretation of the sentences imposed in Criminal Action 3943, the petitioner alleged that the sentences in Criminal Action 3943 (Dyer Act) had expired, and incidentally mentioned some action that had been taken by the Board of Parole, but did not elaborate thereon, and the court in that connection provided in the order “that the motion of petitioner for an order declaring all sentences imposed in Criminal Action No. 3943 have been served and that the defendant should be released is denied without prejudice to such further action as said petitioner may desire to take in a court of competent jurisdiction.”

The respondent, United States, filed a response to the present petition, and referred to the records of the prison submitted by the Administrative Assistant, Classification and Parole, U. S. Penitentiary, Leavenworth, Kansas. These records show that the petitioner was released from the penitentiary pursuant to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 4163 (mandatory release) on May 10, 1957, and was immediately taken into custody by the State of Texas.

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Related

Huron Ted Walters v. United States
426 F.2d 816 (Eighth Circuit, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
311 F. Supp. 761, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walters-v-united-states-arwd-1969.