Title: Woods v. Holden, et al.

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DANIEL M. WOODS, 
 
Petitioner Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
DWIGHT HOLDEN, et al., 
 
Respondents Below- 
Appellees. 
§ 
§  No. 143, 2005 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below─Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  C.A. No. 05M-03-071 
§ 
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted: July 29, 2005 
Decided: September 20, 2005 
 
Before HOLLAND, BERGER and JACOBS, Justices 
 
 
 
 
 
 
O R D E R  
 
 
This 20th day of September 2005, upon consideration of the briefs on 
appeal and the record below, it appears to the Court that: 
 
(1) 
The petitioner-appellant, Daniel M. Woods, filed an appeal 
from the Superior Court’s March 29, 2005 order denying his petition for a 
writ of habeas corpus.  We find no merit to the appeal.  Accordingly, we 
AFFIRM.   
 
(2) 
In 1981, Woods was convicted of Conspiracy in the Third 
Degree and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree.  He was sentenced to a 
total of 2 years and 3 months incarceration at Level V.  In 1982, Woods was 
convicted of five counts of Burglary in the Second Degree and one count 
 
2
each of Felony Theft, Misdemeanor Theft, Conspiracy in the Third Degree 
and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle.  He was sentenced to a total of 14 
years incarceration at Level V for those crimes.  Between June 1981 and 
April 1989, Woods was continuously either at Level V incarceration or 
Level IV work release in connection with these sentences.  On April 27, 
1989, Woods was released on parole.   
 
(3) 
While on parole, Woods committed new offenses resulting in 
his convictions of six counts of Burglary in the Second Degree.  He was 
arrested on January 5, 1990 and held in default of bail.  On June 1, 1990, he 
was sentenced to 34 years incarceration at Level V, to be suspended after 30 
years for decreasing levels of probation.  Woods was incarcerated from 
January 5, 1990 until September 19, 2002, when he again was released on 
parole.  Woods again committed new offenses, resulting in his re-
incarceration on August 10, 2004, where he remains at the present time.   
 
(4) 
On November 10, 2004, the Board of Parole determined that 
Woods had violated the conditions of his parole and ordered him to serve the 
remainder of his Level V sentence.  The Board also revoked the good time 
credits previously earned by Woods.  On February 9, 2005, Woods was 
convicted of two additional counts of Burglary in the Second Degree and 
 
3
one additional count of Felony Theft.  He was sentenced to 18 years 
incarceration at Level V, to be suspended after 3 years for probation. 
 
(5) 
In this appeal, Woods claims that the Superior Court should 
have granted his petition for a writ of habeas corpus.  He argues that the 
Board of Parole had no authority to revoke his good time on sentences he 
already had completed serving.   
 
(6) 
In Delaware, the writ of habeas corpus provides relief on a very 
limited basis.1  Habeas corpus only provides “an opportunity for one 
illegally confined or incarcerated to obtain judicial review of the jurisdiction 
of the court ordering the commitment.”2  “Habeas corpus relief is not 
available to ‘[p]ersons committed or detained on a charge of treason or 
felony, the species whereof is plainly and fully set forth in the 
commitment.’”3   
 
(7) 
Woods has presented no evidence that the charges against him 
were not valid on their face or that the Superior Court lacked jurisdiction to 
adjudicate the various criminal charges against him.  As such, he is not 
entitled to habeas corpus relief and the Superior Court was correct in so 
deciding.   
                                                 
1 Hall v. Carr, 692 A.2d 888, 891 (Del. 1997). 
2 Id. 
3 Id. (quoting Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 6902(1)). 
 
4
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the 
Superior Court is AFFIRMED.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Carolyn Berger 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice