Title: Willie Ray Ester v. State of Arkansas

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

Petitioner also timely filed a pro se notice of appeal. 1 ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT No. CR 07-866 WILLIE RAY ESTER Petitioner v. STATE OF ARKANSAS Respondent Opinion Delivered September 20, 2007 PRO SE MOTION FOR BELATED APPEAL [CIRCUIT COURT OF CLEVELAND COUNTY, CR 2006-49, HON. LARRY CHANDLER, JUDGE] MOTION TREATED AS MOTION FOR RULE ON CLERK AND GRANTED; MOTION TO PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS GRANTED. PER CURIAM On December 18, 2006, judgment was entered reflecting that petitioner Willie Ray Ester had been found guilty by a jury of four counts of delivery of a controlled substance for which an aggregate sentence of 960 months’ imprisonment was imposed. A fine of $28,000 was also imposed. Don G. Gillaspie, petitioner’s retained attorney who had represented him at trial, filed a motion for new trial, which was denied on December 29, 2006. Mr. Gillaspie timely filed a notice of appeal from the judgment on Monday, January 29, 2007. The appeal was not perfected, and 1 petitioner Ester has tendered a partial record to this court with the instant pro se motion to proceed with the appeal. As a notice of appeal was timely filed in the case, we treat the motion as a motion for rule on clerk to lodge the record. See Johnson v. State, 342 Ark. 709, 30 S.W.3d 715 (2000) (per curiam); see also Muhammed v. State, 330 Ark. 759, 957 S.W.2d 692 (1997) (per curiam). For the -2- reasons set out in this opinion, we grant the motion. Petitioner has appended to the motion for rule on clerk a request to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal with an affidavit of indigency appended. The State has not filed a response taking issue with his assertion that he is now indigent. Accordingly, we grant the request to proceed as a pauper and declare petitioner indigent for the purposes of an appeal of the judgment. When judgment is entered in a criminal case and the trial attorney is made aware by the convicted defendant that the defendant desires to appeal within the thirty-day period from the date of judgment allowed by Ark. R. App. P.–Crim. 2(a) for filing a notice of appeal, counsel is obligated to file a timely notice of appeal. Spillers v. State, 341 Ark. 749, 19 S.W.3d 35 (2000) (per curiam). Once the notice of appeal is filed, counsel is further obligated to lodge at least a partial record in this court to preserve the appeal. James v. State, 329 Ark. 58, 945 S.W.2d 941 (1997) (per curiam). The obligation to preserve the appeal by lodging the record in the appellate court exists even if counsel believes the appeal to be meritless. Mallett v. State, 330 Ark. 428, 954 S.W.2d 247 (1997) (per curiam). Counsel who is made aware of the defendant’s desire to appeal and who deems the appeal to be entirely without merit must file a timely notice of appeal, lodge the record in the appropriate appellate court, and comply with Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 4-3(j)(1). Rule 4-3(j)(1) requires counsel to file a motion to be relieved on the ground that the appeal is wholly without merit and submit a brief that complies with the procedure set out in Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967). Matthews v. State, 332 Ark. 661, 966 S.W.2d 888 (1998) (per curiam). The obligation to preserve the appeal also exists if retained counsel believes the appellant is indigent and cannot pay the costs of the appeal or if counsel believes the appellant to be capable, but unwilling, to pay the costs of the appeal. When an attorney desires to be relieved of the If retained counsel is aware at the time the notice of appeal is filed that his client is 2 indigent, the notice of appeal shall include a petition to obtain the record as a pauper if, for the purposes of the appeal, a transcript is deemed essential to resolve the issues on appeal. Ark. R. App. P.–Crim. 2(c)(2). -3- responsibility for an appeal after the notice of appeal is filed because the appellant will not pay the costs or the attorney desires to have his client declared indigent, counsel’s course of action must be an appropriate motion or motions filed here with a partial record. 2 In no event may counsel simply abandon an appeal. Evans v. State, ___ Ark. ___, ___ S.W.3d ___ (June 28, 2007); Wann v. State, ___ Ark. ___, ___ S.W.3d ___ (Apr. 12, 2007); Trowbridge v. State, 368 Ark. 36, ___ S.W.3d ___ (2006). Rule 16 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure--Criminal provides in pertinent part that trial counsel, whether retained or court- appointed, shall continue to represent a convicted defendant throughout any appeal, unless permitted by the trial court or the appellate court to withdraw in the interest of justice or for other sufficient cause. It is well settled that under no circumstances may an attorney who has not been relieved by the court fail to preserve an appeal when the convicted defendant desires to appeal. Johnson, supra; Ragsdale v. State, 341 Ark. 744, 19 S.W.3d 622 (2000) (per curiam); Langston v. State, 341 Ark. 739, 19 S.W.3d 619 (2000) (per curiam); Muhammad, supra; Mallett, supra; James, supra; Jackson v. State, 325 Ark. 27, 923 S.W.2d 280 (1996) (per curiam). In the instant case, Mr. Gillaspie filed a notice of appeal from the judgment and was thus obligated to represent petitioner on appeal until such time as he was permitted by the appellate court to withdraw pursuant to Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 4-3(j)(1). Mr. Gillaspie did not act to protect appellant’s right to appeal, and thus appellant was left without the effective appellate representation guaranteed to a convicted criminal defendant by the Sixth Amendment. See Pennsylvania v. Finley, 481 U.S. -4- 551 (1987). Mr. Gillaspie’s failure to preserve petitioner’s right to appeal was clearly error. The direct appeal of a conviction is a matter of right, and a State cannot penalize a criminal defendant by declining to consider his first appeal when counsel has failed to follow mandatory appellate rules. Franklin v. State, 317 Ark. 42, 875 S.W.2d 836 (1994); see Evitts v. Lucey, 469 U.S. 387 (1985). There is no need to require Mr. Gillaspie to admit fault in this matter as the record plainly shows him to be at fault. McDonald v. State, 356 Ark. 106, 146 S.W.3d 883 (2004). Our clerk is directed to lodge the appeal with Mr. Gillaspie as attorney-of-record. Mr. Gillaspie is directed to file within fifteen days a petition for writ of certiorari to bring up the remainder of the record, or that part of it, necessary for the appeal. A copy of this opinion will be forwarded to the Committee on Professional Conduct. Motion treated as motion for rule on clerk and granted; motion to proceed in forma pauperis granted.