Title: State v. Varnado

State: louisiana

Issuer: Louisiana Supreme Court

Document:

384 So. 2d 440 (1980) STATE of Louisiana v. Mitchell G. VARNADO. No. 66694. Supreme Court of Louisiana. May 19, 1980. John F. Rau, Jr., Harvey, for defendant-relator. William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., John M. Mamoulides, Dist. Atty., Abbott J. Reeves, W. C. Douglas Friederichsen, Asst. Dist. Attys., for plaintiff-respondent. BLANCHE, Justice.[*] Defendant, Mitchell G. Varnado, was charged by bill of information with attempted murder in violation of R.S. 14:27 (14:30). Pursuant to a plea bargain, defendant entered a guilty plea to aggravated battery, R.S. 14:34. Defendant was sentenced to three years, suspended on the condition that he serve one year in the Jefferson Parish Community Correctional Center, and placed on active probation for two years. While serving the first year term in Jefferson Parish Community Correctional Center, defendant was charged with and pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:967. Defendant's probation was revoked based upon this conviction. By writ of certiorari to this Court, defendant argues one assignment of error. By this assignment, defendant contends that the trial court erroneously revoked his probation because the guilty plea used to support the revocation was uncounseled and made without waiver of counsel. As a condition of his probation, defendant was to refrain from criminal conduct. Defendant's probation officer informed the court that defendant, while incarcerated at the Jefferson Parish Community Correctional Center, was arrested for the charge of illegal possession of marijuana and that defendant entered a plea of guilty to this charge. In the formal notice of revocation, the Department of Probation and Parole *441 specified that defendant had violated the first condition of his probation: that he refrain from criminal conduct. At the revocation hearing, the state did not attempt to prove the underlying marijuana offense but relied exclusively upon the fact that defendant had pleaded guilty to it. To this extent, the validity of defendant's revocation rides or falls on the validity of the marijuana conviction. At the probation revocation hearing, defense counsel challenged the use of this guilty plea, alleging that it had been without counsel and without defendant waiving counsel. The state merely offered the minute entry of Varnado's guilty plea on May 31, 1979, which reads: The state made no effort to prove representation by counsel or either a waiver of the same. Defendant correctly states that the controlling law in this area is found in the case of State v. Harris, 312 So. 2d 643 (La.1975), in which this Court stated: However, the state did not exercise it right to introduce evidence to prove the crime of possession of marijuana. It relied entirely upon the plea of guilty and conviction as a result thereof, and then rested its case without proving any underlying facts. Therefore, the only evidence before the judge was the uncounseled guilty plea which was inadmissible and could not serve as a basis to revoke relator's probation. Harris, supra. It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that the writs of certiorari, prohibition and mandamus issued herein be made peremptory and that there be judgment rendered in favor of relator, Mitchell G. Varnado, reversing the judgment of the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson revoking defendant's probation and sentencing him to three years at hard labor, and that the rule for probation revocation be hereby dismissed. REVERSED. [*] Honorable RICHARD H. GAUTHIER participated in this decision as Associate Justice Ad Hoc.