Title: Langdeau v. State

State: south-dakota

Issuer: South Dakota Supreme Court

Document:

179 N.W.2d 121 (1970) Victor LANGDEAU, Petitioner, v. STATE of South Dakota, Respondent. No. 10748. Supreme Court of South Dakota. August 24, 1970. David L. Bergren, Fort Pierre, for petitioner. Gordon Mydland, Atty. Gen., Lloyd B. Peterson, Asst. Atty. Gen., Keith A. Tidball, State's Atty., Pierre, for respondent. MEMORANDUM OPINION. On January 4, 1965, petitioner entered a plea of guilty in the Circuit Court of Hughes County, South Dakota, to the crime of Indecent Molestation of a child and was sentenced to serve a term of years in the State Penitentiary less time spent in the Hughes County jail. After a hearing post-conviction relief was denied on July 12, 1969 and this appeal followed. Contrary to petitioner's contention this court in the recent case of Nachtigall v. Erickson, as Warden of the State Penitentiary, S.D., 178 N.W.2d 198, determined that Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S. Ct. 1709, 23 L. Ed. 2d 274, was not retroactive and should apply only to pleas of guilty in South Dakota entered after June 2, 1969. In finding no merit to defendant's allegation of excessive bail pending trial we quote with approval from the recent Nebraska case of State v. Howard, Neb., 177 N.W.2d 566: From the time of arrest until the time of his plea and sentence petitioner had the effective legal assistance of Warren W. May, an experienced, competent, and able attorney of this state. He was fully advised and informed of his rights by both court and counsel. The record further conclusively shows that petitioner voluntarily entered a plea of guilty to the crime charged with full knowledge and understanding of his rights and the consequences of his plea. There is no evidence indicating his plea was induced by fear, trickery, duress or coercion. No violation of constitutional or statutory rights appears and no justifiable reason to set aside petitioner's plea of guilt in this post-conviction proceeding is shown. Affirmed. All the Judges concur.