# 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 65 7 . W ALTER FRANK COLEMAN v . THE STATE.

W al t er Fran k Co l em an p l ed g ui l ty t o i n fl uen ci n g a wi t n es s. 1 He s u bs eq u en t l y

fi l e d a “ M o t i o n t o Vacat e an d Set As i d e Vo i d J u d g m en t ,” arg ui n g t h e t ri al co urt ’ s

fai l u re t o co n du ct a h e a r i n g p ri o r t o s en t en ci n g h i m as a reci d i v i s t ren d ered h i s

s en t en ce v o i d . Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n , an d Co l em an ap p eal s

.

As t h e Su p rem e Co u rt h as ex p la i n e d

, a p o st -co nv i ct i o n m o t i o n to vacat e an

al l eg ed l y v o i d co n v i ct i o n i s no t an ap p ro p ri at e rem ed y i n a cri m in al cas e. See Ro b er t s

v. S t a t e

, 2 8 6 Ga. 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d 1 5 0 ) (2 0 1 0 ); Ha rp er v. S ta t e

, 2 8 6 Ga. 2 1 6, 2 1 8 (1 )

(6 8 6 SE2 d 7 8 6 ) (2 0 0 9 ). A n y ap p eal fro m a n o r d e r d e n y i ng o r d i s m i s s i n g s u ch a

m o ti o n m u st b e d i s m i s s ed . See Ro b er t s , s u p ra; Ha r

p er , s u p ra.

A d i rect ap p eal m ay l i e fro m an o rd er d en y in g a m o t io n t o v acat e o r co rrect a

v o i d s en t en ce, b u t o n l y if t h e d efen d an t rai ses a co l o rab l e cl ai m th at t h e s en t en ce i s

,

i n fact

, vo i d. See Ha r

p er

, s up ra at 2 1 7 n .1 ; Bu rg 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 0 0 9 ). “ Mo t i o n s to v acat e a v o i d s en t en ce g en eral l y are l i m i t ed t o cl ai m s

t h a t

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

s en t en ce was im

p o s ed

– t he l aw d o es n ot au t h 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 6 9

, 5 72 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 46 ) (2 0 13 ). Th u s

,

wh en a s en t en ce i s wi th in t he s t at u t o ry ran g e o f p u ni s h m en t

, i t i s no t vo i d

. Jo n es v.

1 Co l em an fi l ed a m o t i o n t o wi t h d raw h i s g u i l t y pl ea, wh i ch t he tri al co u r t

d en ied

. Co l em an ap p eal ed t h e ru l i n g

, wh i ch t h i s C o u rt affi rm ed o n ap p eal

. See

Co l ema n v. S t a t e , 3 3 7 Ga. Ap p . 7 3 2 (7 8 8 SE2 d 8 2 6 ) (2 0 1 6 ). December 28, 2016S t a t e , 2 7 8 Ga. 6 69 , 6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ).

Here, Co l em an d o es n ot arg u e t h at h i s s en t en c e fal ls o u ts i d e t he p erm i s s i b l e

s t at u t o r y ran g e; rat h er, h e co n t en ds t h at t he t ri al co u rt d i d n o t fo ll o w t h e p ro p er

p ro ced ure i n i m

po s in g s en t en ce. 2 As th e Su p rem e Co u rt s t at ed i n Jo n es v. S ta t e

, 2 7 8

G a

. 6 69

, 6 7 1 (6 04 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ), p o s t -ap p eal “ [r] u l i ng s o n p l ead i n gs as s ert i n g

erro neo u s p ro ced ure o r u n fai r treat m en t are n o t s u bject t o d i rect ap p eal b ecau s e t h ey

are n o t ru l i n g s on wh et h er t h e s en t en ce i s v o i d

. ” See J o n e s v

. S t a t e

, 2 9 0 Ga. Ap p.

4 9 0

, 4 93 (1 ) (6 5 9 SE2 d 8 7 5 ) ( 2 0 0 8 )

. B ecau s e Co l em an h as n ot rai sed a co l o rab l e

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

.

2 Co l em an arg u es th at OCGA § 17 -1 0 -7 (a) m an dat es a h eari n g o n t h e i s s u e o f

reci di v i s t s en t en ci n g . Th i s s t at u t e co n t ai n s n o s u ch req u i rem en t

. 12/28/2016