Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-3_12-cv-08040/USCOURTS-azd-3_12-cv-08040-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (State)

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WO MDR

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Edward Faye Parks, 

Petitioner, 

vs.

Tom Shehan, et al., 

Respondents. 

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No. CV 12-8040-PCT-GMS (DKD) 

ORDER

On March 5, 2012, Petitioner Edward Faye Parks, who is confined in the Mohave

County Jail in Kingman, Arizona, filed a pro se Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus pursuant

to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (Doc. 1). In a March 8, 2012 Order, the Court noted that Petitioner had

not paid the filing fee or filed an Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis. The Court gave

Petitioner 30 days to either pay the filing fee or file an Application to Proceed In Forma

Pauperis.

On March 21, 2012, Petitioner filed a “Motion in Request, for Spe[ci]al Action

Rule-7” (Doc. 4). On March 26, 2012, he paid the filing fee. The Court will dismiss this

case and will deny the Motion in Request.

I. Petition

Petitioner alleges that he was convicted in Mohave County Superior Court, case CR2011-0853, of disorderly conduct with a weapon, and two counts of aggravate assault, and

that he was sentenced to prison terms of one year, 2 years, and 3.5 years, respectively. In his

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 1In addition, attached to Petitioner’s March 21st Motion in Request are two pages from

a probation officer that indicate that Petitioner’s sentencing was set for March 14th and

Petitioner’s own statement that “sentencing was postponed two weeks - no date yet.”

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Petition, Petitioner names Tom Shehan as Respondent and the State of Arizona and Arizona

Attorney General as Additional Respondents. 

Petitioner raises four grounds for relief in his Petition. He also alleges that he has

filed an appeal and/or petition for special action with the Arizona Court of Appeals, as well

as two petitions with the Mohave County Superior Court.

II. Discussion

First, it is not clear that relief is available pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, which

requires that a person be in custody pursuant to a judgment of a State court. Petitioner states

in his Petition that his sentence was not imposed until March 14, 2012, nine days after he

filed this Petition.1

Second, before the court may grant habeas relief to a state prisoner, the prisoner must

exhaust remedies available in the state courts. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b)(1); O’Sullivan v.

Boerckel, 526 U.S. 838, 842 (1999). “In other words, the state prisoner must give the state

courts an opportunity to act on his claims before he presents those claims to a federal court

in a habeas petition.” O’Sullivan, 526 U.S. at 842. The failure to exhaust subjects the

Petition to dismissal. See Gutierrez v. Griggs, 695 F.2d 1195, 1197 (9th Cir. 1983).

If a prisoner has post-conviction proceedings pending in state court, the federal

exhaustion requirement is not satisfied. See Sherwood v. Tomkins, 716 F.2d 632, 634 (9th

Cir. 1983) (pending appeal); Schnepp v. Oregon, 333 F.2d 288, 288 (9th Cir. 1964) (pending

post-conviction proceeding). The prisoner must await the outcome of the pending state-court

challenge before proceeding in federal court, “even where the issue to be challenged in the

writ of habeas corpus has been finally settled in the state courts.” Sherwood, 716 F.3d at

634. The pending state-court proceeding could affect the conviction or sentence and,

therefore, could ultimately affect or moot these proceedings. Id.

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In light of Petitioner’s pending appeal and/or special action, and his pending motions

in the superior court, the Petition is premature and must be dismissed. See id.; Schnepp. The

Court will dismiss the case without prejudice.

III. Motion in Request

In his Motion in Request, Petitioner appears to be asking this Court to contact the

Arizona Court of Appeals and “request, by–fax–or mail–this Rule -7- Spe[ci]al Action, so

[Petitioner] can fill it out, and send [it] back [to the] Appeal[]s Court.” Because the Court

is dismissing this habeas action, the Court will deny as moot the Motion in Request.

IT IS ORDERED:

(1) Petitioner’s Petition for Habeas Corpus (Doc. 1) and this case are dismissed

without prejudice.

(2) Petitioner’s “Motion in Request, for Spe[ci]al Action Rule-7” (Doc. 4) is

denied as moot.

(3) The Clerk of Court must enter judgment accordingly and close this case.

(4) Pursuant to Rule 11(a) of the Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases, in the event

Petitioner files an appeal, the Court declines to issue a certificate of appealability because

reasonable jurists would not find the Court’s procedural ruling debatable. See Slack v.

McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000).

DATED this 3rd day of April, 2012.

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