Case Title: Drayer v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 636, 2002

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2003-07-16T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
JOHN R.  DRAYER, JR.,
§
§
No.  636, 2002
Defendant Below,
§
Appellant,
§
Court Below–Superior Court
§
of the State of Delaware, in and
v.
§
for Sussex County in Cr.A. No.
§
VS97-06-0646-01.
STATE OF DELAWARE,
§
§
Plaintiff Below,
§
Appellee.
§
Def.  ID No.  9605014843
Submitted: April 10, 2003
Decided:
July 16, 2003
Before VEASEY, Chief Justice, BERGER and STEELE, Justices.
O R D E R
This 16th  day of July 2003, upon consideration of the appellant’s opening brief
and the State’s motion to affirm, it appears to the Court that:
(1)
On June 30, 1997, John R. Drayer, Jr. pleaded no contest to Reckless
Endangering.  Drayer was immediately sentenced to five years at Level V, suspended
for three years at Level II probation.  
(2)
On November 25, 1997, the Superior Court issued a capias for Drayer’s
arrest for violating his probation.  Drayer was returned to Delaware on October 7,
2002, and a violation of probation (VOP) hearing was held on October 18, 2002.
2
Drayer was convicted of VOP and was sentenced to three years at Level V, suspended
after four months for sixty days at Level IV VOP Center.  This appeal followed.   
(3)
During the course of this appeal, Drayer has inundated the Court with
papers, including:  (i) copies of papers purportedly filed in the United States District
Court for the District of Delaware, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the United
States Supreme Court; (ii) various motions to “vacate” the decisions issued in prior
appeals in this Court; (iii) documents that purport to “supplement” or “amend” the
notice of appeal in this Court; (iv) a document entitled “reargument/rehearing en
banc”; (v) a notice of interlocutory appeal; (vi) a petition for an extraordinary writ;
and (vii) a certificate of question of law.  To the extent that Drayer’s papers are
intelligible, and most are not, they clearly have no bearing on this appeal and thus
have not been considered by the Court. 
(4)
In his opening brief, Drayer appears to argue that (i) he did not receive
a fair VOP hearing; (ii) the Superior Court abused its discretion when it sentenced him
in 2002 for a VOP that occurred in 1997; and (iii) the Superior Court abused its
discretion in 1997 when it accepted Drayer’s guilty plea to Reckless Endangering.
Drayer’s claims are without merit or are unavailing.
(5)
There is no basis in the record for Drayer’s claim that he did not have a
full and fair VOP hearing.  Drayer had written notice of the alleged violation.  Drayer
1
Super.  Ct.  Crim.  R.  32.1(a); Gibbs v.  State, 760 A.2d 541, 543 (Del.  2000) (citing Gagnon v.
Scarpelli, 411 U.S. 778, 786 (1973)).
2
Brown v.  State, 249 A.2d 269 (Del.  1968).
3
Larson v.  State, 1995 WL 236650 (Del.  Supr.); Tiller v.  State, 257 A.2d 385, 387 (Del.  1969).
3
then had an opportunity to appear and to present evidence on his own behalf.1  Drayer
denied violating his probation, but he admitted that he did not return to Delaware in
1997 as instructed by his probation officer.  Drayer’s admission was sufficient
competent evidence to support the Superior Court’s finding of VOP.2
(6)
Drayer’s conduct that led to the VOP charge occurred in 1997, within the
first year of Drayer’s probationary period.  Thereafter, a capias issued in a timely
manner for Drayer’s arrest.  The fact that Drayer absconded from probation and was
not returned to Delaware until 2002 did not affect the validity of the probation
revocation and sentence.3 
(7)
Drayer’s claims about his 1997 guilty plea are unavailing.  Those claims
are not properly before us in this appeal from Drayer’s October 2002 VOP conviction
and sentence.
4
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the State’s motion to affirm is
GRANTED.  The judgment of the Superior Court is AFFIRMED.
BY THE COURT:
/s/ Myron T. Steele
Justice