Title: Kenneth Jordan v. State of Arkansas

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION June 3, 2004 KENNETH JORDAN Petitioner v. STATE OF ARKANSAS Respondent CR 04-496 PRO SE MOTION FOR BELATED APPEAL OF ORDER [CIRCUIT COURT OF PULASKI COUNTY, CR 2002-381, JOHN LANGSTON, JUDGE] MOTION DENIED Per Curiam Kenneth Jordan was found guilty by a jury of aggravated robbery and sentenced as a habitual offender to 240 months' imprisonment.1 The court of appeals affirmed. Jordan v. State, CACR 02-1040 (Ark. App. June 4, 2003). Jordan subsequently filed in the trial court a pro se petition for postconviction relief pursuant to Criminal Procedure Rule 37.1 which was denied on January 13, 2004. Petitioner Jordan did not file a notice of appeal until February 18, 2004, which was not within the thirty-day period allowed for filing a notice of appeal under Rule 2(a)(4) of the Rules of Appellate Procedure-Criminal. He now seeks leave to proceed with a belated appeal of the order. Petitioner contends that he should be permitted to proceed with a belated appeal because he mailed the notice of appeal to the circuit clerk January 28, 2004, but the circuit clerk failed to file it until February 18, 2004. He alleges the clerk was inadequate and he should not be penalized for her ineptitude. Petitioner has appended to the motion for belated appeal a copy of forms entitled "Inmate Personal Fund Check," which he contends support his claim that he mailed the notice of appeal on January 28, 2004. There is, however, nothing to show that the notice was indeed placed in the mail or received by the clerk within the thirty-day period allowed for filing a notice of appeal. A petitioner has the right to appeal a ruling on a petition for postconviction relief. Scott v. State, 281 Ark. 436, 664 S.W.2d 475 (1984). With that right, however, goes the responsibility to file a timely notice of appeal within thirty days in accordance with Rule 2(a)(4). If the petitioner fails to file a timely notice of appeal, a belated appeal will not be allowed absent a showing by the petitioner of good cause for the failure to comply with proper procedure. Garner v. State, 293 Ark. 309, 737 S.W.2d 637 (1987). The fact that a petitioner is proceeding pro se in itself does not constitute good cause for the failure to conform to the prevailing rules of procedure. Walker v. State, 283 Ark. 339, 676 S.W.2d 460 (1984); Thompson v. State, 280 Ark. 163, 655 S.W.2d 424 (1983); see also Sullivan v. State, 301 Ark. 352, 784 S.W.2d 155 (1990). This court has specifically held that it is not the responsibility of the circuit clerk or anyone other than the appellant to perfect an appeal. See Sullivan v. State, supra. We have further held that the litigant who claims to have mailed an item has the burden of proving that he mailed it and that it reached the circuit clerk by the date it was due to be filed. See Leavy v. Norris, 324 Ark. 346, 920 S.W.2d 842 (1996). The bare allegation that a notice of appeal was mailed is not in itself good cause to grant a belated appeal. Skaggs v. State, 287 Ark. 259, 697 S.W.2d 913 (1985). As we said in Skaggs, If it [the allegation that a notice was mailed] were [sufficient], there would be no point in setting up rules of procedure since the procedural requirements could be circumvented by a simple claim that the petitioner's failure to comply with the rules was caused by the post office. It must be assumed that if the petitioner had mailed the notice to the clerk on time, it would have been delivered and filed. Leavy, supra. As petitioner has not established that the clerk received the notice within thirty days of the order appealed from but did not file it and has stated no good cause for his failure to file a timely notice of appeal, the motion to proceed with a belated appeal is denied. Motion denied. 1 Petitioner was also found guilty of battery in the third degree, a misdemeanor. The twelve-month sentenced imposed for the misdemeanor conviction merged with the sentence for felony aggravated robbery.