Rul e 26. 1 of the Tex as Rul es of Appel lat e Procedu re prov ide s t hat a n o ti ce of 1 appeal is due w it hin thi rty days a fter t he j udg ment i s s ig ned; how ev er , s ubparag ra ph ( a) (1 )

NO. 07-07 -031 8-CV IN THE CO UR T OF APPEA LS FO R THE S EVEN TH D ISTRI CT O F TEXAS

AT AM AR ILLO PAN EL A AU GU ST 24, 2007

_________

_________

_________

___ MICHAEL SCOT T , APPE LLA NT

V. DA VID W ALKER , ET A L., APPEL LEES

_________

_________

_________

______ FRO M T HE 18 1 ST DIS T RI CT COU RT OF P OT T ERCOU NT Y; NO . 93, 924- B; H ON ORABLE JOH N BOAR D, JU DG E

_________

_________

_________

____ Before CAMPBE LL a nd HANCOCK an d PIRT LE, JJ. A BA TEMENT A ND R EMA ND Appel lan t, Mi chael S co tt, an i nmate proceed ing pro s e, ap peal s a final j udg ment dis mis si ng hi s s uitag ain st Appel lee s. The judg ment was si g ned on Apr il 16, 2007, and t he noti ce of appeal w as filed on J uly 18, 2007. 1prov ide s for a ni nety-d ay

deadl ine w hen a ti mely moti on for new

tr ial i s fil ed. W ar ner hol ds that a pro s e inmate’ s peti ti on th at i s p lac ed i n a p ro per ly address ed 2 a n d s t a mp e d e n v e l o p e o r w ra p p e r

i s d e e me d fi l e d a tt h e m o me n tp r i s o n a u t h o r it ies re cei v ed th e doc ument for mai li ng . 135 S. W .3d a t 682
.

2 Th i s C o u rti s o b l i g a t e d t o d e t e r mi n e, su a sp onte , i ts jur is dicti on to ente rt ain an appeal
. W

elch v . McD ougal , 876 S.W .2d 218 , 220 (Tex.App .–A ma rill o 19 94, w rit denied ), cit in g New Yor

k U nder writer s Ins. C o. v

. Sa nchez , 799 S.W .2d 6 77, 6 78 ( Tex . 199 0)
. A ti mely notic e of appeal i nv okes thi s C our t’ s j ur is dicti on. See Tex . R . Ap p. P . 25. 1 & 26.1. See als o Gar

za v. Hi ber nia Nat. Bank , 227 , S. W .3d 2 33 ( Tex .App. –Ho ust on [1 st Di st. ] 2007, no pet .)
. By lette r dated August 1, 20 07, the Cou rt directed Scott t o s h o w c a use why his app eal sho uld notb e dism issed for want of ju risdiction due t o an unt ime ly n otice o f app eal. Scot tfi l e d a re s p o n s e i n w h i c h h e m a i n t a i n s t h a tt h e t i me i n w h i c h t o fi l e h i s n o t i c e of appeal w a s e xte nded t o ni nety days b ecaus e hi s mot ion for n ew tr ial w as ti mely

fil ed pursuantto W

arne r v. Glass , 135 S.W .3d 681 , 682 (Tex. 2004 ). 2

Mo ti on for New

Tri al Beca use the j udg ment in qu est ion w as si g ned on Apr il 16, 2007, Scott’ s mot ion for new tr ial w as due to be filed no lat er than Ma y 16, 2007. The c ler k’ s record reflect s t hat the mot ion for n ew

tr ial w as not filed unti l Ma y 21, 2007. The env elo pe i n w hic h he mail ed his mo tion fo r new trial ref lects a post ma rk of May18, 20 07. Scott alleges tha t beca use he depo si ted h is moti on for new tr ial w it h pr is on mail ing author it ies on Ma y 16, 2 007, the3

moti on w as ti mely

fil ed. See i

d. Beca use Scot t’s m otion for n ew trial w as no t f iled w ithin thi rty days, in order

to deter mine it s jur is dicti on thi s Cou rt must deter mine how and w hen Scot t dep osited his mot ion for new trial w ith prison a uth orities. Not ic e of Appeal Ass uming Sc ott’ s moti on for new tr ial w as ti mely fil ed, t hen hi s n oti ce of appeal w as due w it hin ni nety

days a fter t he j udg ment was si g ned, or Ju ly 15, 2007. That da te, how ev er , fell on a Sunda y w hic h extended the d eadl ine to Mo nday , J uly 16. Tex . R . Ap p. P. 4 .1( a)
. Howev er , t he c ler k’ s record reflects thatthe noti ce of appeal w as filed w it h the tr ial co urt c ler k o n J uly

18, 2007. A n oti ce that is filed outs ide the nin ety -d ay deadl ine but w ithin f if tee n days m ay still be co nside red time ly if t he party filing the no tice provides this Cou rtw it h a reason abl e ex pla nati on for the l ate n oti ce. See Te x . R
. A p p . P
. 26.3
. See also Jones

v. Cit y o f Houston , 976 S.W .2d 6 76, 6 77 ( Tex . 199 8)
. Beca use the n oti ce of appeal in this case w as potent ial ly f il ed w it hin that f ifteen day peri od, in ord er

to deter mine it s j ur is dicti on, t his C our t mus t det er mine w hether Scott has a reason abl e ex pla nati on for the late no tice of

app eal. The dates thatSc ott’ s mot ion for n ew tr ial and noti ce of appeal we re d e live re d to prison au tho rities and Sco tt’s reason s for the lat e f iling of his notice o f

a p p e a l a re fact q uest ion s we are unabl e to deter mine. Therefore, w e now abat e thi s a ppeal and re mand t h e ca u s e t o t h e t ri a l c o u rtfo r f u rt h e r p ro c e e d in gs . Up o n re m a n d , t h e t ri a l c o u rtsh a ll u t il ize wha te ver me a n s ne ce ss a ry, in clu d in g a h e a rin g, if ne ce ss a ry, to de te rm in e th e fo llo wing:4

1. w het her Sco tt’s Motion for New Trial w as plac ed in a proper ly address ed and s tamped e nv elo pe or w ra pper and the d ate p ri son author it ies recei v ed the mot ion for mai li ng ; and 2. w het her Sco tt’s Notice of Appe al w as pla ced in a proper ly address ed and sta mped env elo pe or

w rap p e r a n d the date pr is on aut hor it ies recei v ed th e n o ti ce fo r m a ili n g. 3. any ex plan ation as to w hy Scot t ma y have filed his Not

ic e of Appeal

l ate. The tr ial courtshall gath er ev ide nce suc h as mai l log s, re tur ned recei pts , or othe r proo f of mailing f rom Sco tt, th e T exas Dep artm ento f Crimin al Justice, o r any oth er source to de ter mine the d ates the document s a t i ss ue w ere depos it ed w it h pr is on aut hor it ies
. The tr ial co urt s hal l ex ecut e findi ng s o f fact, co n clu sions of law , and any othe r order

i t may dee m ne cessary regarding the aforem ent ione d issues and cause its f indings, con clusions, and orders, if any , t o be inc lud ed i n a s uppl emental cl er k' s reco rd . A s uppl emental re por ter ’s record of the hear ing , i f any , s hal l als o be inclu d e d i n the appel lat e record. Fi nal ly , t he tr ial co urt s hal l file the s uppl emental cl er k' s record and the s uppl emental re por ter's record w it h the C ler k o f this C our t by Sept ember

21, 2007. It is so ordered. Per C ur iam