Case Title: Johnson v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 571, 2006

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2007-04-19T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DAMMEYIN A. JOHNSON, 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 571, 2006 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below─Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  Cr. ID No. 9709009665 
§ 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: March 6, 2007 
 
 
 
 
Decided:    April 19, 2007 
 
Before HOLLAND, JACOBS and RIDGELY, Justices. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
O R D E R  
 
 
This 19th day of April 2007, upon consideration of the appellant’s 
opening brief and the appellee’s motion to affirm pursuant to Supreme Court 
Rule 25(a), it appears to the Court that: 
 
(1) 
The defendant-appellant, Dammeyin A. Johnson, filed an 
appeal from the Superior Court’s September 5, 2006 corrected sentencing 
order.  The plaintiff-appellee, the State of Delaware, has moved to affirm the 
Superior Court’s judgment on the ground that it is manifest on the face of 
the opening brief that the appeal is without merit.1  We agree and affirm.  
                                                 
1 Supr. Ct. R. 25(a). 
 
2
 
(2) 
In 1998, Johnson was found guilty by a Superior Court jury of 
the lesser-included offenses of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse in the Second 
Degree, Unlawful Imprisonment in the Second Degree, and Unlawful Sexual 
Contact in the Third Degree, as well as Assault in the Third Degree and 
Aggravated Intimidation.  He was sentenced to a total of 18 years of Level V 
incarceration, to be suspended after 13 years for decreasing levels of 
supervision.  This Court affirmed Johnson’s convictions and sentences on 
direct appeal.2 
 
(3) 
In April 2004, Johnson filed a motion to correct his sentence to 
reflect the time he already had served at Level V in default of bail.  In 
August 2004, the Superior Court granted Johnson’s motion and issued a new 
sentencing order crediting Johnson with 21 days at Level V.  For some 
unknown reason, the sentencing order also imposed a total of $206.00 in 
fines and fees.  Johnson’s original sentencing order had contained an 
assessment of only $1.00 for the Videophone Fund.   
 
(4) 
In May 2006, Johnson filed a motion to correct the August 
2004 sentencing order by deleting the assessment of fines and fees.  The 
Superior Court granted the motion and issued a corrected sentencing order 
                                                 
2 Johnson v. State, 753 A.2d 438 (Del. 2000). 
 
3
on September 5, 2006.  It is from this order that Johnson has filed the instant 
appeal. 
 
(5) 
In his appeal, Johnson claims that he is entitled to have the last 
9-12 months of his Level V sentence reduced to time at Level III probation 
due to the “psychological, mental and emotional hardship . . . caused by the 
Superior Court’s consistent arbitrary abuse of power,” as evidenced by its 
imposition of the unexplained $206.00 fine.   
 
(6) 
Johnson has cited to no authority supporting the proposition 
that he is entitled to a reduction of his sentence due to what appears to have 
been no more than a clerical error in the August 2004 sentencing order.  
Clerical mistakes in judgments, orders or other parts of the record and errors 
in the record resulting from oversight or omission may be corrected by the 
Superior Court at any time.3  The Superior Court has corrected the error in 
its sentencing order and Johnson is entitled to no further relief. 
 
(7) 
It is manifest on the face of Johnson’s opening brief that this 
appeal is without merit because the issues presented on appeal are controlled 
by settled Delaware law and, to the extent that judicial discretion is 
implicated, clearly there was no abuse of discretion. 
                                                 
3 Super. Ct. Crim. R. 36. 
 
4
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to Supreme 
Court Rule 25(a), the State of Delaware’s motion to affirm is GRANTED.  
The judgment of the Superior Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Jack B. Jacobs  
 
 
 
 
 
                                          Justice