Title: MATTER OF HANSON

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 13206 I N T H E SUPREME C O U R T OF THE STATE OF M O N T A N A 1975 I N THE M A T T E R OF KEITH RODNEY HANSON ORIGINAL PROCEEDING: Counsel of Record : For Appellant : David J. Patterson, Missoula, Montana Sandra Rose Muckelston argued, Missoula, Montana Larry Epstein, Law Student, argued, Missoula, Montana For Respondent : Hon. Robert L. Woodahl, Attorney General, Helena, Montana Jock 0. Anderson, Assistant Attorney General, argued, Helena, Montana Submitted : December 1, 1975 Decided : 1 3 1976 Filed: i : 3 4 1 ~ Clerk M r . J u s t i c e Gene B. Daly delivered t h e Opinion of t h e Court. Keith Rodney Hanson f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r post-conviction r e l i e f and memorandum i n support thereof i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t , Missoula County, asking t h a t he be given c r e d i t f o r a l l t h e time served p r i o r t o t h e time h i s suspended sentence w a s revoked and he was sentenced t o t h e state prison. The d i s t r i c t c o u r t denied h i s p e t i t i o n . A p e t i t i o n f o r post-conviction r e l i e f was t h e r e a f t e r f i l e d with t h i s Court. This Court ordered b r i e f s f i l e d and heard o r a l argument and took t h e matter under advisement. O n October 17, 1974, Keith Rodney Hanson, defendant, p e t i t i o n e r h e r e i n , pled g u i l t y i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t , f o u r t h j u d i c i a l d i s t r i c t , Missoula County, t o t h e f t , a felony, and t o deceptive p r a c t i c e s , a felony. H e was sentenced by t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o f i v e years i n t h e s t a t e prison a t Deer Lodge. Four years w e r e suspended and defendant was t o serve one year i n t h e Missoula County j a i l . Under t h e judgment imposing sentence, defendant was given c r e d i t f o r time already served i n t h e Missoula County j a i l , such c r e d i t amounting t o 147 days. O n February 10, 1975, defendant w a s granted permission by t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a j a i l work r e l e a s e program from t h e Missoula County j a i l . Defendant v i o l a t e d t h e terms of t h e work r e l e a s e o r d e r and t h e Missoula County a t t o r n e y f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r revocation of probation and imposition of sentence. O n March 11, 1975, hearing was held i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t i n Missoula with defendant being represented by t h e Missoula public defender. O n t h a t same d a t e , t h e c o u r t entered an o r d e r t h a t re- voked t h e e a r l i e r suspended sentence and sentenced defendant t o serve t h e e n t i r e f i v e year sentence a t Montana s t a t e p r i s o n a t Deer Lodge. The c o u r t a l s o ordered t h a t defendant was e n t i t l e d t o r e c e i v e c r e d i t " f o r time served i n Missoula County j a i l s i n c e February 13, 1975, s a i d c r e d i t amounts t o 26 days." O n August 20, 1975, defendant f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r post- conviction r e l i e f with t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t i n Missoula County s t a t i n g t h a t t h e 26 day c r e d i t received under t h e March 11, 1975, order w a s i n c o r r e c t . Attached t o t h i s p e t i t i o n was a letter from S h e r i f f John C. Moe, Missoula County, Montana, s t a t i n g t h a t p r i o r t o March 19, 1975, (apparently t h e d a t e defendant was t r a n s - f e r r e d from Missoula County j a i l t o Montana state prison, D e e r Lodge), defendant Keith Rodney Hanson had served a t o t a l of 275 days i n t h e Missoula County j a i l f o r t h e criminal charges under consideration. A hearing was held, arguments had and t h e p e t i - t i o n w a s denied. The law i s clear i n t h i s area, s e c t i o n 95-2206, R.C.M. 1947, provides i n p e r t i n e n t p a r t : "Whenever any person has been found g u i l t y of a c r i m e o r o f f e n s e upon a v e r d i c t o r a p l e a of g u i l t y t h e c o u r t may: " ( 2 ) Suspend execution of sentence up t o t h e max- imum sentence allowed f o r t h e p a r t i c u l a r offense. The sentencing judge may impose on t h e defendant any reasonable r e s t r i c t i o n s during t h e period of suspended sentence * * *. " I f any r e s t r i c t i o n s o r conditions are v i o l a t e d , any elapsed t i m e , except j a i l t i m e , s h a l l n o t be a c r e d i t a g a i n s t t h e sentence, u n l e s s t h e c o u r t s h a l l otherwise order." (Emphasis supplied.) S t a t i n g t h e exception i n t h e above sentence i n t h e p o s i t i v e , t h e law c l e a r l y provides t h a t t i m e spent i n j a i l while a defendant i s under a suspended sentence must be c r e d i t e d t o t h e defendant's sentence. There i s no d i s p u t e t h a t defendant spent 147 days i n j a i l p r i o r t o h i s p l e a of g u i l t y , subsequent judgment, and sen- tence; t h a t t h e r e a f t e r he was i n j a i l 128 days u n t i l t h e suspend- ed sentence w a s revoked and defendant was t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e state prison f o r a t e r m of t h e o r i g i n a l f i v e year sentence. Therefore defendant i s e n t i t l e d t o c r e d i t f o r t i m e served i n t h e t o t a l of 275 days t o be applied a g a i n s t t h e f i v e year sentence. The confusion seems t o a r i s e because of t h e o r i g i n a l suspension and one year t o serve i n t h e county j a i l . T i m e served w a s allowed a g a i n s t t h a t one year t e r m . I f t h e t r i a l judge had sentenced t o four years upon revocation h i s c a l c u l a t i o n would be c o r r e c t . However, revocation and sentence f o r t h e f u l l f i v e years e n t i t l e s defendant t o t h e f u l l 275 days. The d i s t r i c t c o u r t i s d i r e c t e d t o e n t e r an order amend- ing its March 11, 1975 order and allow t h e f u l l 275 days f o r time served. J u s t i c e s t J