Order issued November 20, 2014

In The

Court of Appeals 

For The

First District of Texas 

NO. 01-13-01027-CR

RODNEY MILUM, Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 184th District Court

Harris County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 1347043

ABATEMENT ORDER

Appellant, Rodney Milum, pleaded guilty to the offense of sexual assault of 

a child. After a trial by jury, he was found guilty and sentenced to two years with 
- 2 -

the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The court suspended his sentence in 

favor of eight years’ community supervision. 41 conditions of community service 

were imposed, including:

 You may enter a church, synagogue or other place of worship only to 

attend a public service. You may arrive fifteen (15) minutes prior to 

service and you must depart the place of worship immediately 

following the service. (Item number 26 in Conditions of Community 

Supervision).

 You may not access to the Internet through any manner of method, 

beginning 10/18/2013 for any reason unless specifically ordered by 

the Court. (Item number 32 in Conditions of Community 

Supervision).

Milam’s court-appointed counsel on appeal, Melissa Martin, has filed a 

motion to withdraw from representing Milum and an Anders brief in which she 

opines that no valid grounds for appeal exist and that Milum’s appeal is frivolous. 

See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 744, 87 S. Ct. 1396, 1400 (1967); In re 

K.D., 127 S.W.3d 66, 67 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2003, no pet.). Martin

did not address the conditions of community supervision in her brief. Specifically, 

Martin did not address whether any of the conditions are overbroad or unrelated to 

the offense. Milum has filed a pro se response arguing ineffective assistance of 

counsel in regards to informing him of possible sexual offender registration 

requirements. The State waived its opportunity to file an appellee’s brief.
- 3 -

When this Court receives an Anders brief from an appellant’s courtappointed attorney who asserts that no arguable grounds for appeal exist, we must 

determine that issue independently by conducting our own review of the entire 

record. See Anders, 386 U.S. at 744, 87 S. Ct. at 1400 (emphasizing that reviewing 

court—and not counsel—determines, after full examination of proceedings, 

whether case is “wholly frivolous”); Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. 

Crim. App. 1991) (same); Martin v. Dep’t of Family & Protective Servs., No. 01-

07-00842-CV, 2009 WL 276759, at *1 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Feb. 5, 

2009, pet. denied) (stating that reviewing court must conduct independent review 

of entire record to determine whether arguable grounds for appeal exist). An 

arguable ground for appeal is a ground that is not frivolous; it must be an argument 

that could “conceivably persuade the court.” See In re Schulman, 252 S.W.3d 403, 

407 n.12 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008) (quoting McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisc., 

Dist. I, 486 U.S. 429, 436, 108 S. Ct. 1895, 1901 (1988)). However, “[w]hen we 

identify issues that counsel on appeal should have addressed but did not, we need

not be able to say with certainty that those issues have merit; we need only say that 

the issues warrant further development by counsel on appeal.” Wilson v. State, 40 

S.W.3d 192, 200 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2001, no pet.) (citing Wilson v. State, 

976 S.W.2d 254, 257 n.4 (Tex. App.—Waco 1998, no pet.)). 
Our role in this Anders appeal is limited to determining whether arguable 

grounds for appeal exist. See Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824, 827 (Tex. Crim. 

App. 2005). If we determine that arguable grounds for appeal exist, we must abate

the appeal and remand the case, and Milum is entitled to have new counsel address 

the merits of the issues raised. Id. “Only after the issues have been briefed by new 

counsel may [we] address the merits of the issues raised.” Id. 

In accordance with Anders, 386 U.S. at 744–45, 87 S. Ct. at 1400, and 

Bledsoe, 178 S.W.3d at 826–27, we have reviewed the record and appointed 

counsel’s Anders brief. The record on appeal suggests that there are arguable 

grounds for appeal with regards to the conditions of community supervision 

applied to Milum.

We abate this appeal and remand the cause for the trial court to appoint 

new appellate counsel to represent Milum within 30 days of the date of this 

order. The newly appointed counsel’s brief will be due 30 days from the date 

counsel is appointed, regardless of whether this Court has yet reinstated the 

appeal, and counsel is required to:

(1)fully investigate and make a conscientious examination of the record;

(2) address all arguable, non-frivolous grounds for appeal in a brief on the 

merits;
- 5 -

(3)specifically address the issue of whether any or all the 41 conditions of 

community supervision imposed by the trial court are invalid. See, e.g. 

U.S. v. Tang, 718 F.3d (5th Cir. 2003); Barton v. State, 21 S.W.3d 287, 

289 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); Mitchell v. State, 420 S.W.3d 448 (Tex. 

App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2014); TEX. CODE CRIM. P. art. 42.12 §11 

(a); cf. Doughty v. State, 2014 WL 5465697 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st 

Dist.] October 28, 2014, no pet.);

(4)whether failure to object to any of the conditions of community 

supervision constituted ineffective assistance of counsel; 

(5) address any other grounds counsel deems appropriate.

See Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824, 827 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005) (“The court’s 

duty is to determine whether there are any arguable grounds and if there are, to 

remand to the trial court so that new counsel may be appointed to brief the 

issues.”); Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991) (“If 

grounds are deemed arguable, the Court of Appeals then must abate the appeal and 

remand the case to the trial court with orders to appoint other counsel to present 

those and any other grounds that might support the appeal.”). 
- 6 -

We further order that a supplemental clerk’s record be filed with this court 

containing the name, address, and state bar number of the new counsel appointed 

within 30 days of the date of this order.

We grant counsel Melissa Martin’s motion to withdraw.

The appeal is abated, treated as a closed case, and removed from this 

Court’s active docket. The appeal will be reinstated on this Court’s active docket 

when Milum’s brief is filed in this Court.

It is so ordered.

Judge’s signature: _____/s/ Harvey Brown

X Acting individually 

Panel consists of Justices Massengale, Brown, and Huddle.

Date: November 20, 2014