Title: Mason v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
TAURIUN MASON, 
 
Defendant Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 452, 2023 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  Cr. ID Nos. N1907020763  
§                      N2011005103 
§                      N2107013653 
§                      N2203010114 
§                      N2304008615 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted:   February 16, 2024 
 
 
 
 
Decided: 
April 3, 2024 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and GRIFFITHS, Justices. 
 
 
 
ORDER 
 
Upon consideration of the appellant’s opening brief, the appellee’s motion to 
affirm, and the record below, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Tauriun Mason, filed this appeal from his sentencing for 
violations of probation (“VOPs”).  The State has moved to affirm the judgment 
below on the ground that it is manifest on the face of Mason’s opening brief that his 
appeal is without merit.  We agree and affirm. 
(2) 
On February 10, 2020, Mason pleaded guilty to second-degree assault 
in Criminal Action No. 1907020763 (the “2019 case”).  The Superior Court 
sentenced Mason to eight years of imprisonment, suspended for one year of Level 
III probation.  On March 18, 2020, the Superior Court found Mason in violation of 
2 
 
probation in the 2019 case and sentenced him to eight years of imprisonment, 
suspended for three months of Level IV supervision, followed by six months of 
Level III probation.   
(3) 
In September 2020, Mason was again alleged to be in violation of 
probation in the 2019 case.  Before that VOP was resolved, however, Mason incurred 
several sets of additional criminal charges in Criminal Action Nos. 2011005103 (the 
“2020 case”), 2107013653 (the “2021 case”), and 2203010114 (the “2022 case”), 
respectively.  In each instance, the new charges also triggered VOP allegations in 
the 2019 case, but the Superior Court scheduled the VOP proceedings to occur after 
resolution of the criminal charges.   
(4) 
On April 4, 2022, Mason pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in the 
2020 case.  The Superior Court sentenced him to four years of imprisonment, 
suspended for one year of Level III probation.  Following the resolution of the 
criminal charges in the 2020 case, on April 12, 2022, the court found Mason in 
violation of probation in the 2019 case and sentenced him to seven years of 
imprisonment, suspended after thirty-one days for twelve months of Level III with 
GPS monitoring. 
(5) 
Mason then incurred new charges in a fifth case, Criminal Action No. 
2304008615 (the “2023 case”).  On June 21, 2023, Mason resolved the 2021, 2022, 
and 2023 cases by pleading guilty to second-degree assault, second-degree robbery, 
3 
 
and criminal contempt.  The court sentenced Mason as follows:  for second-degree 
assault, eight years of imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months at Level III 
with GPS monitoring; for second-degree robbery, five years of imprisonment, 
suspended for eighteen months of Level III with GPS monitoring; and for criminal 
contempt, one year of imprisonment, suspended for one year of Level III with GPS 
monitoring. 
(6) 
On October 20, 2023, a probation officer filed an administrative 
warrant alleging that Mason had been released from prison on June 22, 2023, but 
failed to report to probation as required on multiple dates and otherwise failed to 
fulfill the conditions of his probation.  On November 7, 2023, the Superior Court 
found Mason in violation of probation and sentenced him.  In the 2019 case, the 
VOP sentence was six years and ten months of imprisonment, suspended after thirty 
days.  In the 2020 case, the VOP sentence was four years of imprisonment, with 
credit for 105 days previously served, suspended after ninety days.  In the 2021, 
2022, and 2023 cases, the court imposed a total of 270 days of unsuspended time for 
the VOPs. 
(7) 
Mason appeals the VOP sentences imposed in the 2019 and 2020 cases 
(Criminal Action Nos. 1907020763 and 2011005103).  He appears to contend that 
the June 2023 plea deal that resolved the criminal charges in the 2021, 2022, and 
4 
 
2023 cases provided that his probation in the 2019 and 2020 cases would be 
discharged. 
(8) 
We find no reversible error.  “It is well-established that appellate review 
of sentences is extremely limited.”1  Our review of a sentence generally ends upon a 
determination that the sentence is within the statutory limits prescribed by the 
legislature.2  If the sentence falls within the statutory limits, “we consider only 
whether it is based on factual predicates which are false, impermissible, or lack 
minimal reliability, judicial vindictiveness or bias, or a closed mind.”3  When 
sentencing a defendant for a VOP, the trial court may impose any period of 
incarceration up to and including the balance of the Level V time remaining to be 
served on the original sentence.4  
(9) 
Mason’s argument that the June 2023 plea deal provided for discharge 
of his probation in the 2019 and 2020 cases is without support in the record.  The 
June 2023 plea agreement reflects that, in exchange for Mason’s guilty plea to 
certain charges in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 cases, all other charges in those cases, a 
Family Court case, and two Justice of the Peace Court cases would be dismissed.  
The agreement does not refer to dismissal of any charges in the 2019 and 2020 cases, 
 
1 Kurzmann v. State, 903 A.2d 702, 714 (Del. 2006). 
2 Mayes v. State, 604 A.2d 839, 842 (Del. 1992). 
3 Kurzmann, 903 A.2d at 714. 
4 11 Del. C. § 4334(c). 
5 
 
nor does the agreement indicate that probation in the 2019 and 2020 cases would be 
discharged.  Mason therefore has not established any basis to conclude that his VOP 
sentences exceeded the Level V time remaining or are otherwise subject to reversal. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the Motion to Affirm is 
GRANTED and the judgment of the Superior Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       Chief Justice