Wetmore v. Smith

298 A.2d 567, 130 Vt. 618, 1972 Vt. LEXIS 325
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedDecember 5, 1972
DocketNo. 46-72
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 298 A.2d 567 (Wetmore v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wetmore v. Smith, 298 A.2d 567, 130 Vt. 618, 1972 Vt. LEXIS 325 (Vt. 1972).

Opinion

Shangraw, C.J.

On July 7, 1971, Chris E. Wetmore, the petitioner, pleaded guilty in the District Court of Vermont, [619]*619Unit No. 1, Rutland Circuit, to breaking and entering in the nighttime and petty larceny. The court sentenced him to serve concurrent terms aggregating not less than fourteen nor more than twenty-six months in the St. Albans Correctional Facility at St. Albans, Vermont. A mittimus was issued directing appellant’s confinement in the St. Albans facility.

On January 12, 1972, the appellant was transferred to the Vermont State Prison at Windsor, Vermont, by order of the Commissioner of Corrections pursuant to 28 V.S.A. § 542.

■On January 25, 1972, the petitioner filed a petition in the Windsor County Court for a writ of habeas corpus. The petition alleged that the transfer from St. Albans to Windsor was illegal and sought an order releasing him from the Vermont State Prison, or in the alternative, an order that he be returned to the facility at St. Albans, Vermont.

On February 26, 1972, a hearing was held before the Windsor County Court on the petition for habeas corpus. The following day the court made its Findings of Fact and issued an order denying the petition. In its denial of the petition, the court determined, by way of conclusions, that the petitioner was lawfully confined at the Vermont State Prison, and that by reason of petitioner’s repeated requests for such transfer and the discussions with him by the officials of the facility at St. Albans, he was granted, provided, and afforded all constitutional rights. From such denial an appeal was taken to this Court for review by Chris E. Wetmore.

Following a recitation of the issuance of the mittimus confining petitioner in the St. Albans Correctional Facility, and his subsequent transfer to the Vermont State Prison, the Findings of the Windsor County Court reveal the following facts.

While committed in the St. Albans facility, petitioner made little or no progress towards rehabilitation, and was a continually disruptive influence at the institution. After his commitment to the facility at St. Albans, petitioner intermittently requested to be transferred to the Vermont State Prison.

Upon petitioner’s return from a weekend pass on January 10, 1972, the assistant superintendent of the St. Albans Correctional Facility talked with him and advised the peti[620]*620tioner that in order for him to receive further rehabilitation and treatment, and to protect him from undue pressures and temptations, a more structured environment was necessary rather than the open type of institution like the St. Albans facility. At the time of this discussion the plaintiff made no comment nor did he request a further hearing in regard to the proposed transfer to the Vermont State Prison. He was not asked whether or not he desired a hearing regarding the transfer.

The court found that the superintendent of the St. Albans Correctional Facility, as well as the assistant superintendent, were at the time of the transfer, and are still of the opinion, that in order to rehabilitate and treat Mr. Wetmore a structured environment such as is afforded at the State Prison was required.

Subsequent to the decision in this case by the Windsor County Court, petitioner filed collateral proceedings under the post-conviction statute, 13 V.S.A. §§ 7131-7135, in the Rut-land County Court. In denying the requested relief, that court found that: (1) petitioner entered his plea of guilty voluntarily and with no reservation; (2) petitioner was aware that his sentence would be subject to the transfer authority of the Commissioner of Corrections; and (3) the plea bargain entered into was fully performed by the state’s attorney. The court held, therefore, that petitioner could not maintain a cause of action on either a- breach of a pretrial agreement of consequent sentencing, and that his constitutional rights under the Fifth and Seventh Amendments of the United States Constitution or under the Tenth Amendment of the Vermont Constitution had not been violated. No appeal was taken by the petitioner from the foregoing determination made by the Rutland County Court.

At the hearing before the Windsor County Court the petitioner attempted to introduce the transcript revealing the circumstances surrounding his change of plea and sentencing before the District Court of Vermont at Rutland, Vermont. Its admission was denied by the trial court.

On appeal he now claims that the transcript of the change of plea and sentencing would have tended to show [621]*621that the petitioner changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in reliance upon a promise of the prosecutor that he would recommend that petitioner be sentenced to St. Albans.

By the rejection of the transcript, petitioner claims error, citing Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257, 30 L.Ed.2d 427, 92 S.Ct. 495 (1971). In the Santobello case, supra, the Court accorded official recognition and sanction to “plea bargaining” and therein admonished prosecuting attorneys by stating:

“. . . a constant factor is that when a plea rests in any significant degree on a promise or agreement of the prosecutor, so that it can be said to be part of the inducement or consideration, such promise must be fulfilled.”

In dealing with the petitioner’s first assignment of error he had his day in court on this issue at the time of the hearing before the Rutland County Court where he sought post-conviction relief. He again attempted to present the same issue in this proceeding. The Rutland County Court determined that the plea bargain made in the District Court was fully performed by the state’s attorney. The right of appeal from that determination was not exercised.

The issue presented and passed upon in the Santobello case, supra, upon which petitioner relies, is not properly before this Court. Santobello has no application here in the present posture of this case.

This Court, as the record stands, cannot review the matter relating to the alleged pretrial agreement. To preserve this right an appeal should have been taken from the determination made by the Rutland County Court. Moreover, it is sufficient to say that petitioner has no cause to complain in that he was initially committed to the St. Albans Correctional Facility and in all likelihood would have continued to serve his sentence there had he been responsive to the treatment afforded by that facility. Petitioner cannot prevail on his asserted claim that the rejection of the transcript in question was error.

Petitioner next claims that his transfer from the St. Albans facility to State Prison was not made in accordance with the [622]*622Vermont Statutes. At the time of the transfer 28 V.S.A. § 542 was then in force and effect. This statute authorized such transfer for “evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation.” Act No. 199 óf the 1972 Adjourned Session of the General Assembly [now 28 V.S.A. § 102(b)(5)] repealed § 542, effective July 1, 1972. Under the new statute, the Commissioner of Corrections is now permitted to transfer inmates committed to one' correctional facility to another without having to specify any cause or purpose for the transfer.

More specifically, it is petitioner’s contention that his transfer from St.

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Bluebook (online)
298 A.2d 567, 130 Vt. 618, 1972 Vt. LEXIS 325, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wetmore-v-smith-vt-1972.