Ward v. State

315 S.W.3d 461, 2010 WL 11507507, 2010 Tenn. LEXIS 635
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 7, 2010
DocketW2007-01632-SC-R11-PC
StatusPublished
Cited by190 cases

This text of 315 S.W.3d 461 (Ward v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ward v. State, 315 S.W.3d 461, 2010 WL 11507507, 2010 Tenn. LEXIS 635 (Tenn. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION

SHARON G. LEE, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court,

in which JANICE M. HOLDER, C.J., and CORNELIA A. CLARK, GARY R. WADE, and WILLIAM C. KOCH, JR., JJ., joined.

In this post-conviction case, the issue we review is whether the defendant’s plea of guilty to aggravated sexual battery was knowingly, intentionally, and voluntarily made when the trial court did not advise the defendant of the following consequences of his guilty plea: (1) mandatory registration as a sexual offender, and (2) a *464 mandatory sentence of community supervision for life in addition to his incarceration. We hold that the trial court was not required to advise the defendant of the requirement of sex offender registration because it is a remedial and regulatory measure, and therefore a collateral consequence of the guilty plea. We further hold that the trial court was required to advise the defendant of the mandatory sentence of lifetime community supervision because it is a punitive and direct consequence of the guilty plea. Because the trial court failed to ensure that the defendant was informed of the lifetime supervision consequence, we hold that his guilty plea to aggravated sexual battery was not knowingly, intentionally, and voluntarily entered. Accordingly, this case is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Factual and Procedural Background

On June 8, 2005, Marcus Ward pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual battery, three counts of aggravated assault, and one count each of especially aggravated kidnaping and intentionally evading arrest in a motor vehicle. Mr. Ward was sentenced to eight years on the aggravated sexual battery charge to be served at 100%, three years on each of the aggravated assault charges to be served at 30%, thirteen and one-half years on the especially aggravated kidnaping charge to be served at 100%, and one year on the intentionally evading arrest in a motor vehicle charge; all the sentences were to be served concurrently for an effective sentence of thirteen and one-half years. At his sentencing hearing, Mr. Ward was not advised by the trial court that he was required to register with the Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry or that he was subject to lifetime community supervision.

On July 11, 2005, Mr. Ward filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging, among other things, that his guilty plea to the aggravated sexual battery charge was not knowingly, intentionally, and voluntarily made. 1 The post-conviction court held that although the trial court’s failure to advise Mr. Ward of the sex offender registration requirement during the plea colloquy was deficient, notice of the requirement was not constitutionally required for a valid guilty plea because the registration was only a collateral consequence of the plea. As to Mr. Ward’s claim that he was not advised of the requirement of lifetime community supervision, the trial court ruled that this claim failed for the same reason.

A majority of the Court of Criminal Appeals panel affirmed the post-conviction court’s judgment, concluding that neither the sex offender registration requirement nor the mandatory sentence of community supervision for life constituted punishment, and therefore both were collateral, not direct, consequences. Accordingly, the majority ruled that Mr. Ward was not required to have been advised of those consequences in order to enter a constitutionally valid guilty plea. Ward v. State, No. W2007-01632-CCA-R3-PC, 2009 WL 113236 (Tenn.Crim.App. Jan.14, 2009). Presiding Judge Tipton dissented, reasoning that the imposition of a sentence of *465 community supervision for life as mandated by Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-524 imposes a direct and punitive consequence upon a defendant entering a guilty plea. Id. at * 11.

Issue

We granted review in this case to determine whether Mr. Ward’s plea of guilty to aggravated sexual battery 2 was knowingly, intentionally, and voluntarily made when the trial court did not advise him of the following consequences of his guilty plea: (1) mandatoiy registration as a sexual offender, and (2) a mandatory sentence of community supervision for life in addition to his incarceration.

Analysis

To prevail on his claim for post-conviction relief, Mr. Ward bears the burden of proving factual allegations by clear and convincing evidence. Tenn.Code Ann. § 40 — 30—110(f) (2006); Grindstaff v. State, 297 S.W.3d 208, 216 (Tenn.2009). The trial court’s factual findings “are conclusive on appeal unless the evidence preponderates against those findings.” Jaco v. State, 120 S.W.3d 828, 830 (Tenn.2003). “Whether a guilty plea meets the constitutional standards of voluntary and knowing is a mixed question of law and fact.” Id. We review mixed questions of law and fact de novo, applying a presumption of correctness only to the post-conviction court’s findings of fact. Id. at 830-31.

Knowing and Voluntary Guilty Plea

When a defendant enters a guilty plea, he or she waives several constitutional rights, including the right against self-incrimination, the right to a trial by jury, and the right to confront his or her accusers. State v. Mellon, 118 S.W.3d 340, 345 (Tenn.2003). To pass constitutional muster under the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution, a guilty plea must be entered knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently. North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 31, 91 S.Ct. 160, 27 L.Ed.2d 162 (1970); Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742, 747, 90 S.Ct. 1463, 25 L.Ed.2d 747 (1970); Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 242-44, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969); State v. Mackey, 553 S.W.2d 337, 340 (Tenn.1977). In making the determination of whether a guilty plea was knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently entered, the standard of inquiry is “whether the plea represents a voluntary and intelligent choice among the alternative courses of action open to the defendant.” Grindstaff, 297 S.W.3d at 218 (quoting Jaco, 120 S.W.3d at 831); see also Alford, 400 U.S. at 31, 91 S.Ct. 160. A plea is not voluntary unless the defendant understands the consequences of his or her plea. Mellon, 118 S.W.3d at 345. It follows then that “a plea is not ‘voluntary’ if it results from ignorance, misunderstanding, coercion, inducements, or threats.” Id. (quoting Blankenship v. State, 858 S.W.2d 897, 904 (Tenn.1993)). The waiver of these fundamental rights cannot be presumed, but must be evident in the record. Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
315 S.W.3d 461, 2010 WL 11507507, 2010 Tenn. LEXIS 635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ward-v-state-tenn-2010.