# 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 9 A0 00 4 . LORI ANN ABERNATHY v . THE STATE.

In 2 0 0 2

, a ju ry fo u n d Lo ri An n A b ern at h y g ui l t y of o n e co u nt o f i n ces t (Co u nt

Fi v e), fi v e co u n t s o f ch i ld m o l es t at i o n (Co u nt s Si x th ro u g h T en ), an d t wel ve co u n t s

o f s ex u al ex p l o i t at i o n o f ch i l dren (Co u nt s El ev en t h ro ug h T wen t y -Two ). Ab ern at hy

co m m i t t ed t h e o ffen s es fro m 1 9 9 9 t o 2 0 0 1

. Th e t ri al co urt s en t en ced Ab ern at h y t o 2 0

y ears ’ co n fi n em en t o n Co u n t Fi v e; 1 0 y ears ’ co n fi n em en t an d 1 0 y ears ’ p ro bat i o n o n

Co u n t Si x , t o ru n c o n s e c u t i v el y t o Co u n t Fi v e; 2 0 y ears ’ co n fi n em en t on Co u nt

Sev en , t o ru n co ncu rren t l y wi t h Co u n t Si x ; 2 0 y ears ’ co n fi n em en t o n Co un t s Ei g h t

, Ni n e, an d Ten

, to ru n co n cu rren t l y wi t h Co u n t Fi ve; an d 1 y ear o f co n fi n em en t o n

Co u n t s El ev e n t h r o u g h Twen t y -Two

, t o ru n co n cu rren t l y wi t h Co u n t Fi v e. W e

affi rm ed Ab ern at h y ’ s co n vi ct i o n s i n an u n p u b l i s h ed o p i n i o n o n ap p eal

. See Cas e No

. A0 7 A1 95 4 (affi rm ed M ar. 2 6 , 2 0 08 ).

In 2 0 1 7

, A b ern at h y fi l ed a m o ti o n t o c o r r e c t v o id sen t en ce, cl ai m i n g t h at
(1 ) h er s en t en ces on Co u n t s Fi v e, Sev en , Ei g h t, Ni n e, an d Te n w e r e v o i d b ecau s e

t h ey were n o t s p li t s en t en ces an d d i d no t i ncl u d e a t erm o f p ro b at i on , as req u i red by

OCGA § 1 7

- 1 0

- 6

. 2 ( b ), an d (2 ) h er s en t en ce o n Co u n t Si x w as im pro p erl y o rd ered

t o ru n co n s ecu t i vel y t o Co un t Fi v e. Th e tri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n, an d Ab ern at hy

fi led th i s ap p eal

. An ap p eal m ay l i e fro m an o rd er d en y i n g a m o t i o n t o co rrect o r v acat e a v o id

s en t en ce i f t h e d efen d an t rai s es a co l orab l e cl ai m t hat t he s en t en ce is

, i n fact

, v o id o r

i l leg al

. See Ha r

per v. S ta t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 2 1 6

, 21 6 n

. 1 ( 6 8 6 S E 2 d 7 8 6) (2 0 09 ); Bu r g v.

S t a t e , 29 7 Ga. Ap p

. 1 1 8

, 1 1 9 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 00 9 ). A s en t en ce i s v o i d o n l y i f i t

i m p o s es p u n i sh m en t t h at t h e l aw d o es n o t al l ow. Cr u m b l ey v. S ta t e , 2 6 1 Ga. 6 1 0

, 6 1 1 September 12, 2018(1 ) (4 0 9 SE2 d 5 1 7 ) (1 9 9 1 ). “ M o t i o n s t o v acat e a v o i d s en t en ce gen eral l y are l i m i t ed

t o cl ai m s t h at

– ev en as s u m i n g t h e ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f th e co n v i ct i o n fo r wh i ch

t h e s en t en ce was i m

p o s ed

– t h e l aw d o es n o t au th o ri ze t h at s en t en ce, m o s t t y p i cal l y

b ecau s e i t ex ceed s t h e m os t s ev ere p u n i s h m en t fo r wh ich t h e ap p l i cab l e pen al s t at u t e

p ro v id es .” vo n Th o ma s v. S t a t e , 2 9 3 Ga. 5 69 , 5 72 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 46 ) (2 0 1 3 ).

Ab ern at hy h as fai l ed t o rai s e a co l o rab l e cl ai m t h at h er s en t en ces are v o i d.

Fi rs t

, reg ard i n g h er s p l i t -s en t en ce cl ai m , OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -6

. 2 wa s fi rs t en act ed in

2 0 0 6

, an d t h erefo re i t h as no b eari n g on th e tri al co urt ’ s s en t en ci n g o f Ab ern at h y

. See

Ri ch a r d s o n v

. S ta t e , 3 3 4 Ga. Ap p

. 3 4 4

, 3 4 7 (1 ) (7 7 9 SE2 d 4 0 6 ) (2 0 15 ) (“ Becau s e

OCGA § 1 7 -1 0-6

. 2 was n o t i n effect wh en [t h e d efen d an t ] co m m i t t e d t h e ch arg ed

cri m e[s ]

, t h e t ri al co u rt co m m i t t ed n o erro r in fai li n g t o ap pl y it s p ro v i s i o n s [.] ”); s ee

al s o S ea r cy v. S t a t e , 1 62 Ga

. A p p

. 6 9 5

, 69 8 (2 ) (2 9 1 SE2 d 5 5 7) (1 9 82 ) (t h i s Co u rt

ap p li es t h e s en t en ci n g l aw i n effect at t h e t i m e t h e cri m e was co m m i t t ed ).

Acco rd in g ly

, Ab ern at h y ’ s “ s en t en ce[s ] [are] n o t v o i d b ecau se [t h ey were] au t h o ri zed

b y th e l aw as i t ex i s ted at t h e t i m e o f [h er] co n v i ct i on .” McCl en d o n v. S ta t e , 2 8 7 Ga.

Ap p . 5 1 5 , 5 1 6 (6 5 1 SE2 d 8 2 0 ) (2 0 0 7 ).

Seco n d

, reg ard i n g Ab ern at h y ’ s ch al l en g e t o t h e i m p o s i t i o n of a co ns ecu t i v e

s en t en ce, a t ri al co u rt h as d i scret i o n t o i m p o se co n s ecu t iv e o r co n cu rren t s en t en ces

fo r s ep arat e o ffen s es , as l on g as t he s en t en ce fo r each o ffen se i s w i t hi n t h e st at u t o ry

l i m i ts

. See Ro o n ey v. S t a t e , 2 8 7 G a

. 1

, 3 -6 (3 ) (6 9 0 SE2 d 8 04 ) (2 01 0 ); s ee al s o

OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -1 0 (a); Do wl i ng v. S t a te

, 2 7 8 Ga. Ap p

. 90 3

, 9 0 4 (6 3 0 SE2 d 1 4 3 )

(2 0 0 6). Here, each o f Ab ern at h y ’ s s en t en ces are wi t h i n t h e s t at u t o ry l i m i t s

. See

OCGA § § 1 6-6 -2 2 (1 9 99 -2 0 0 1 ); 1 6-6 -4 (1 9 9 9 -2 0 0 1 ); 1 6 -1 2 -1 0 0 (1 9 99 -2 0 0 1 ).B e c au s e Ab ern at hy h as n o t rai s ed a v al i d v o i d -s en t en ce cl ai m , we l ac k

ju ri s d i ct i o n to co n s i d er h er ap p eal

. See Ro b er t s v. S t a t e , 2 86 Ga. 5 3 2

, 5 32 (6 9 0 SE2 d

1 5 0 ) (2 01 0); Ha r

p e r , 2 86 G a. at 2 1 8 (2 ). Acco rd i ng l y , t h i s ap p eal i s h ereb y

DISM ISSED.

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 la n t a

,

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I c e r ti fy t h a t t h e a b o v e is a tr 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 t h 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

. 09/12/2018