Case Title: STATE v PRZYBYLOWICZ

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: montana

Court: Montana Supreme Court

Date: 1982-12-09T00:00:00Z

Document:
No. 82-167 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1982 STATE OF MONTANA, Plaintiff and A~pellant, vs . WILLIAM PRZYBYLOWICZ, Defendant and Respondent. Appeal from: District Court of the Fourth Judicial District, In and for the County of Ravalli Honorable James R. Wheelis, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: Hon. Mike Greely, Attorney General, Helena, Montana Robert B. Brown, County Attorney, Hamilton, Montana For Respondent: Smith, Connor and Van Valkenberg, Missoula, Montana Fred Van Valkenberg, Missoula, Montana Submitted on briefs: September 30, 1982 Decided: December 9, 1982 PER CURIAPI: On O c t o b e r 7 , 1 9 6 1 , a j u r y c o n v i c t e d d e f e n d a n t , William Pryzbylowicz and h i s w i f e , H e i d i , of c r i m i n a l m i s - c h i e f and arson. Defendant, B i l l Pryzbylowicz, o r a l l y moved a t t h e November 27, 1981, s e n t e n c i n g h e a r i n g t o have h i s v e r d i c t s set a s i d e and t h e c h a r g e s a g a i n s t himself d i s m i s s e d f o r l a c k of s u f f i c i e n t evidence t o s u p p o r t t h e v e r d i c t s . The c o u r t took d e f e n d a n t ' s motion under advisement and pro- ceeded t o s e n t e n c e each d e f e n d a n t t o e i g h t y e a r s i n p r i s o n and suspended t h e s e n t e n c e s . I n o r d e r t o be p r o p e r i y b e f o r e t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t , d e f e n d a n t ' s motion should have been made p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 46-16-702(2), MCA, motion f o r a new t r i a l . That s e c t i o n r e - q u i r e s t h a t such a motion be i n w r i t i n g , be s p e c i f i c regard- i n g t h e grounds t h e r e f o r , be made w i t h i n t h i r t y d a y s follow- ing t h e v e r d i c e and t h a t r e a s o n a b l e n o t i c e of t h e motion be g i v e n t h e S t a t e . None of t h o s e requirements were met h e r e . The motion t o d i s m i s s t h e c h a r g e s and s e t a s i d e t e h v e r d i c t s a g a i n s t B i l l Pryzbylowicz was made o r a l l y , f i f t y - s e v e n days a f t e r e n t r y of t h e v e r d i c t s . l\lo n o t i c e of t h e motion was g i v e n t h e S t a t e . T h e r e f o r e , d e f e n d a n t ' s motion was n o t p r o p e r l y b e f o r e t h e c o u r t , and t h e c o u r t should n o t have r u l e d on it. I t is i r r e l e v a n t t h a t t h e S t a t e f a i l e d t o complain of t h e p r o c e d u r a l p r o c e s s employed by d e f e n d a n t p r i o r t o t h e S t a t e ' s a p p e a l t o t h i s Court. The p r o c e d u r a l e r r o r was such t h a t t h e motion should never have been b e f o r e t h e D i s t r i c t Court. The January 2 6 , 1982, o r d e r of t h e Fourth J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t Court is v a c a t e d . This case is remanded t o t h a t c o u r t f o r r e i n s t a t e m e n t o f t h e j u r y v e r d i c t a g a i n s t d e f e n d a n t .