Title: Turner v. State

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

Cite as 2010 Ark. 281 SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS No. CR10-420 WALTER GABRIEL TURNER, APPELLANT, VS. STATE OF ARKANSAS, APPELLEE, Opinion Delivered June 3, 2010 MOTION FOR BELATED APPEAL GRANTED. PER CURIAM Appellant, Walter Gabriel Turner, by and through his attorney, Jimmy C. Morris, Jr., has filed a motion for rule on clerk, which we will treat as a motion for belated appeal. Appellant was convicted by a Cleveland County jury of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, possession of a Schedule 1 stimulant with intent to deliver, simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, and three counts of delivery of cocaine. Appellant was sentenced to five counts of life, one count of sixty years, and one count of twenty years. All sentences were to run consecutively. The original Judgment and Commitment Order was entered of record on November 19, 2009; the Amended Judgment and Commitment Order was entered of record on December 9, 2009; and the Second Amended Judgment and Commitment Order was entered of record on December 30, 2009. Appellant filed a motion to set aside the verdict and a motion for a new trial on November 30, 2009. Both motions were denied and entered of record on Cite as 2010 Ark. 281 December 23, 2009. The notice of appeal was filed on January 25, 2010. Appellant identified the order appealed from as the one “entered in this case on November 18, 2009.”1 Pursuant to Ark. R. App. P.–Crim. 2(a)(2), Appellant had thirty days from the December 23, 2009 denial to file his notice of appeal. As he filed three days after that date, the notice of appeal was untimely, and rejected by the clerk of this court. Relief from the failure to perfect an appeal is provided as part of the appellate process granting the right to an appeal. McDonald v. State, 356 Ark. 106, 146 S.W.3d 883 (2004). This court clarified its treatment of motions for rule on clerk and motions for belated appeals in McDonald. There we said that there are only two possible reasons for an appeal not being timely perfected: either the party or the attorney filing the appeal is at fault, or there is “good reason.” Id. at 116, 146 S.W.3d at 891. We explained as follows: Where an appeal is not timely perfected, either the party or attorney filing the appeal is at fault, or there is good reason that the appeal was not timely perfected. The party or attorney filing the appeal is therefore faced with two options. First, where the party or attorney filing the appeal is at fault, fault should be admitted by affidavit filed with the motion or in the motion itself. There is no advantage in declining to admit fault where fault exists. Second, where the party or attorney believes that there is good reason the appeal was not perfected, the case for good reason can be made in the motion, and this court will decide whether good reason is present. Id. (footnote omitted). Although this court no longer requires an affidavit admitting fault before we will consider the motion, an attorney should candidly admit fault where he has erred and is responsible for the failure to perfect the appeal. Id. 1The record reflects that this order was actually entered of record on November 19, 2009. -2- Cite as 2010 Ark. 281 In accordance with McDonald, Mr. Morris candidly admitted fault for not timely filing the notice of appeal. Accordingly, the motion is treated as a motion for a belated appeal and granted. A copy of this per curiam will be forwarded to the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct. -3-