Title: Don Mallett v. State of Arkansas

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

Don MALLETT v. STATE of Arkansas

CR 97-930                                          ___ S.W.2d ___

                    Supreme Court of Arkansas
               Opinion delivered October 30, 1997


1.   Attorney & client -- attorney cannot abandon appeal simply because
     defendant has not paid for transcript. -- Under no circumstances may
     an attorney who has not been relieved by the trial court
     abandon an appeal simply because defendant has not paid for
     the transcript where he is aware with the thirty days allowed
     to file a notice of appeal that the convicted defendant
     desires to appeal.

2.   Attorney & client -- direct appeal of conviction is matter of right --
     defendant cannot be penalized when counsel fails to follow appellate rules
     -- motion for belated appeal granted. -- A convicted criminal
     defendant is entitled to effective assistance of counsel on
     appeal; the direct appeal of a conviction is a matter of
     right, and a state cannot penalize a criminal defendant by
     declining to consider his first appeal when his counsel has
     failed to follow mandatory appellate rules; to cut off a
     defendant's right to appeal because of his attorney's failure
     to follow rules would violate the Sixth Amendment right to
     effective assistance of counsel; the supreme court granted
     appellant's motion for belated appeal.


     Pro Se Motion for Belated Appeal of Judgment; granted.
     Petitioner, pro se.
     No response.

     Per Curiam. 
     On August 26, 1996, judgment was entered reflecting that Don
Mallett had been found guilty by a jury of theft of property by
deception.  A sentence of fifteen years' imprisonment with three
years suspended was imposed.  
     Mallett's retained attorney, Andrew Clark, filed a notice of
appeal; but because it was filed before the judgment was entered,
it was of no effect.  Hicks v. State , 324 Ark. 450, 921 S.W.2d 604
(1996).  Now before us is Mallett's pro se motion seeking to
proceed with a belated appeal of the judgment pursuant to Rule 2(e)
of the Rules of Appellate Procedure--Criminal, which permits a
belated appeal in a criminal case in some instances.  
     It is the practice of this court when a pro se motion for
belated appeal is filed alleging that counsel was ineffective for
failure to perfect an appeal to request an affidavit from the trial
attorney in response to the allegations in the motion.  Mr. Clark
expresses in his affidavit the erroneous assumption that the notice
of appeal was timely.  He avers that he did not perfect the appeal
because Mallett did not produce the $1,600.00 necessary to pay the
court reporter to begin work on the transcript.  
     Rule 16 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure--Criminal provides
in pertinent part:
          Trial counsel, whether retained or court appointed,
          shall continue to represent a convicted defendant
          throughout any appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court,
          unless permitted by the trial court or the Arkansas
          Supreme Court to withdraw in the interest of justice or
          for other sufficient cause.
The record does not reflect, and attorney Clark does not contend,
that he was relieved as counsel by the trial court, and it is clear
from the filing of the untimely notice of appeal that Clark knew
that Mallett desired an appeal.  See Miller v. State, 299 Ark. 548,