# C o u rt o f

A p p ea ls

o f t h e S t a te o f

G eo rg ia

ATLANTA,_

_ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Th e Co u rt

o f Ap p ea l s h er eb y p a s s es t h e f

o ll owi n g o r der :

A1 7 A0 67 3 . LEW IS ALAN CARLTON v . THE STATE.

Lewi s Al an Carl t o n p l ed g u i l t y t o t h ree co un t s o f i m p e r s on at i o n o f a p u b l i c

em pl o y ee, an d o n Oct o b er 1 5

, 2 0 1 2, t h e t ri al co u rt im po s ed a 15 y ear-s en t en ce, wi th

t h e fi rs t 6 y ears t o b e s erv ed i n co n fi nem en t an d t h e bal an ce o n pro b at i o n. He d i d n ot

fi le a d i rect ap p eal

. On J an u ary 2 0

, 2 0 1 6

, h e f i l ed a m o t i o n t o v acat e an i l l eg al

s en t en ce, cl ai m i n g t h at h i s s en t en ce was i l leg al b ecau se th e t ri al co u rt d ev i at ed fro m

t h e reco m m en d at i o n of th e n eg o t i at ed p lea ag reem en t wi t h o u t an n o u nci n g i t s i n t en t

t o reject t h e reco m

m en dat i o n

. Th e t ri al co u rt d i s m i s s ed t h e m o t i on , an d Carl t o n

ap p eal s . W e l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

. Un d er OCGA § 1 7-1 0 -1 (f), a s en t en ci n g co u rt o nl y h as t h e p o w er t o m o d i fy

a s en t en ce wi t h i n o ne y ear o f t h e d at e u p o n wh i ch t h e s en ten ce i s im p o s ed

, o r wi t h in

1 2 0 d ay s aft er recei p t of t h e rem i t t i t u r u p o n affi rm an ce o f t h e ju d g m en t aft er d i rect

ap p eal

, wh i ch ev er i s l at er. Ho wev er, a s en t en ci n g co u rt has ju ri sd i ct i o n t o m o d i fy a

s en t en ce b ey o n d t hi s st at u to ry l i m i t i f t h e s en t en ce i s v oi d

. See Jo n es v. St a t e , 2 7 8 Ga.

6 6 9

, 6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ). A di rect ap p eal m ay l i e fro m an ord er d en y i n g a

m o ti o n t o vacat e a vo i d s e n t en ce o n l y if th e defen d an t rai s es a co lo rab l e cl ai m t h at

t h e s en t en ce i s , i n fact

, v o i d

. See Ha r p er v. S t a t e , 28 6 Ga. 2 16 , 2 1 7 n

. 1 (6 8 6 SE2 d

7 8 6 ) (2 0 0 9 ); Bu rg v. St a t e , 29 7 Ga. Ap p

. 1 1 8

, 1 19 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 00 9 ). “ M o t i on s

t o v acat e a v o id sen t en ce g e n e r a l l y a re l i m i t ed t o cl ai m s t h at – ev en as su m i n g t h e

ex i s t en ce an d v al id it y o f t h e co n v i ct i o n fo r w hi ch t h e s en t en ce was i m p os ed

– t h e l aw

d o es n o t au t ho ri ze t h at sen ten ce, m os t t y p i cal l y b ecau s e it ex c e e d s t h e m o s t s ev ere

p u n i s h m en t fo r wh i ch t h e ap p li cab le p en al s t at u t e p ro v id es .” vo n T h o m a s v

. S t a t e , 2 9 3 Ga. 5 6 9

, 5 72 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 ) (2 0 1 3 ). W h en a s en t en ce i s wi t h i n t h e st at u t o ry December 08, 2016ran g e o f p u n i s h m en t , i t i s n o t v o i d

. Jo n es , s u pra at 6 7 0

.

Here, Carl t o n ’ s s en t en ce fel l wi t h i n t h e st at ut o ry ran g e o f p u n i s h m en t

. See

OCGA § 1 6 -1 0 -2 3 (p ro v id i n g t h at t h e m ax im um t erm o f i m

pri s on m en t fo r

i m p ers o n at i o n o f a p u b l i c em p l o y ee i s fi v e y ears ). Fu rt her, h i s ch al l en g e to t h e t ri al

co u rt ’ s p urp o rt ed dev i at i o n fro m t h e n eg o t i at ed p l ea ag reem en t do es no t s t at e a v al id

v o i d -s en t en ce cl ai m

. “ As s ert i o n s t ak i n g i ss u e wi t h t h e p ro ced u re em p l o y e d in

i m p o s i n g a v al id s en ten ce o r qu es t i o n i n g t h e fai rn es s o f an im p o s ed s en t en ce d o n ot

al l eg e a s en t en ce i s v o i d an d t h erefo re are no t a m ean s fo r p o s t -ap p eal

, p o s t -§ 1 7 -1 0 -1

(f) s en t en ce m o d i fi cat io n.” Jo n es , s u p ra at 6 7 0 ; s ee al s o Cr an e v. S t at e , 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p.

4 2 2

, 4 23 (2 ) (a) (6 9 1 SE2 d 5 5 9 ) (2 0 1 0 ) (s en ten ce at o d ds wi t h p l ea ag reem en t fel l

wi t h i n s t at u to ry g u i d el i n es an d was n o t

, t h erefo re, v o i d )

. Becau s e Carl t on h as n ot

rai s ed a v al i d v o i d -s en t en ce cl ai m , we lack ju ri s d i ct io n t o co n si d er h i s ap p e al

. See

Bu r g , s up ra at 1 2 0. 1

Acco rd i ng l y , t h i s ap p eal i s h ereb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s o f t h e S t a t e o

f G e o r g ia

C le r k ’ s O f f i c e

, A t l a n ta

,

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I c e r ti fy t h a t t h e a b o v e i s a t r u e e x t r a c t f r o m

t h e m i n u t e s o

f t h e C o u r t o

f A p p e a l s o f G e o r g i a

. W i tn e s s m y s i g n a t u r e a n d th e s e a l o

f s a i d c o u r t

h e r e t o a f f i x e d t h e d a y a n d y e a r l a s t a b o v e w r i t t e n

.

, C l e r k

.

1 To t h e ex t en t Carl t o n ’ s m o t i o n sh o ul d b e co n s t ru ed as a req u es t t o wi t h d raw h i s g u i lt y p l ea, i t was u n t i m el y , b ecau s e it was fi l ed o u ts i de o f t h e t e r m o f c o u r t in

wh i ch h e was s en t en ced . See Cr a n e , s u p ra at 4 2 2-4 2 3 (1 ). 12/08/2016