FI FTH DI VI SI ON

PHI PPS, P. J.

, DI LLA RD and PETERSON, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be

ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n

da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

A u gust 8, 2016



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 6 A1 40 9 . HANH v . THE STATE.

P H I P P S , Pres i d i n g J u dg e.

J am i e P. Han h 1 ap p eal s fro m t h e am en d ed s en t en ce en t ered aft er t h e t ri al co u rt

g ran t ed h i s m o t i o n t o v acat e v o i d s en t en ce. Han h co nt en d s t h at t he t ri al co u rt erred

i n refu s in g t o co n s id er h i s m o t i o n t o wi t h draw h i s g u i l t y p l ea aft er fi n d i ng hi s o ri g i n al

s en t en ce t o b e v o id

. Becau s e Han h h ad a s t at u t o ry ri g h t t o w i th d raw h is g u i l t y p l ea,

we rev ers e.

Han h p l e d gu i l t y t o ch i l d m o l es t at i o n an d was s en ten ced t o 2 0 y ears ’

i m p ri s o n m en t

. Han h s u b s eq u en t l y fi l ed a “ M ot i o n t o Vacat e Vo i d Sen t en ce,” arg u i n g

t h at OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -6 .2 req u i red t h e t ri al co u rt t o im p o s e a sp l i t s en t en ce t h at

1 Al t h o u g h t h e p l ead i n g s an d ap p el l at e b ri ef i nd i cat e th at Ap p el l an t ’ s n am e i s

s p el l ed “ Hah n

, ” h is n am e i s s p el l ed “ Han h ” o n t h e am en d ed s e n t en ce. Th e reco rd s

i n h i s t wo pri o r ap p eal s (A1 5 A2 3 3 9 a n d A 1 5A2 3 4 0

, d i s m i s sed fo r fai l ure t o fi l e a

t i m el y bri ef) are al s o i n co n si s t en t i n t hi s reg ard

.i n c l u d ed at l eas t o n e y ear o f p ro b at i on

. Han h fu rt h er co n t en ded t h at h e wa s d e n i e d

effect i v e as s i s t anc e of c oun sel an d al l eg ed p ro s ecu t o ri al an d j u d ici al m i sco n d u ct wi th

reg ard t o t h e v o id s en t en ce. Han h co n cl u d ed wi th a req u es t t o wi th d raw h i s g u i l t y

p l ea.

At a h eari n g o n Han h ’ s m o t i o n

, t h e co u rt d ecl ared t hat t h e s en t en ce w as v o id

an d an no u n ced a s en t en ce o f 2 0 y ears

, o f wh i ch Han h wo u l d s erv e 1 9 y ears i n p ri so n

an d t h e b al an ce on p ro b at io n

. Han h t h e n r e m i nd ed t h e t ri al co u rt t h at h e “ h a[d ]

an o th er m at t er,” b u t t he tri al co urt cu t h im o ff, co n cl u d ed t h e h eari n g

, an d en t ered t h e

am en d ed s en ten ce.

Han h ap p eal s

, co m

pl ai n i n g t h at t he t ri al co u rt d i d n o t al l o w h i m t o p u rs u e at

t h e h eari n g h i s cl ai m

t h at h e was en t i t l ed t o wi t h draw h i s g u il t y p l ea.

As n o t ed ab o v e, H an h ’ s “ M o t i o n t o Vacat e Vo i d Sen t en ce” i n cl u d ed a req u es t

t o wi t h draw h i s g u i l ty p l e a

. 2 Th i s i s s u e i s co n t ro l l ed b y o u r d eci s i o n i n Ka i s er v.

S t a t e

, 3 i n wh i ch we ap p ro v ed a l i n e o f cas es 4 h ol d i n g t hat “ [w] here a vo i d s en t en ce

h as b een e n t e r e d

, i t i s as i f no s en t en ce h as b een en tered at al l, an d t h e d efen d an t

2 See Th o mp s o n v. S t at e , 2 7 4 Ga. 8 1 8 (5 5 9 SE2 d 7 30 ) (2 0 0 2).

3 2 8 5 Ga. Ap p . 6 3 (6 46 SE2 d 8 4 ) (2 0 0 7 ).

4 See, e.g

., Mu l l i n s v. S t at e , 1 3 4 Ga. Ap p . 2 43 (2 ) (2 1 4 SE2 d 1 ) (1 9 75 ).

2s t an d s i n t h e s am e p o s i t i o n as i f h e h ad p l ed g u i l t y an d n o t y et b een s en t en ced

. An d

p u rs u an t t o O C GA § 1 7 -7 -9 3 (b ), t he d efen d an t m ay wi t h d raw h i s p l ea as o f ri g ht

p ri o r t o s en t en ci n g ,” 5 ev en i f t h e m ot i o n was fi l ed o u t s i d e t h e t erm o f co u rt i n wh i ch

t h e o ri g i n al sen t en ce was im p o s ed

. 6 Becau s e t h e o ri g i n al s en t en ce was a n u l l i t y 7 an d

Han h fi l ed a m o t i o n s eek i n g t o w i t h d raw hi s g u i l t y pl ea p ri o r t o res en t en ci n g

, t h e t ri al

co u rt erred b y n ot al l o wi n g H an h t o wi t h d raw hi s p lea o f gu i l t y p ri o r t o res en ten ci n g

. 8

Ju d g men t r ever sed . Di l l a r d

a n d Pet er

s o n , JJ., co n cu r

.

5 Ka is er

, s u p ra at 6 6 (1 ). See al s o S t a t e v. Lewi s

, 2 9 8 Ga. 1 2 6

, 1 3 0 n

. 6 (7 7 9

SE2 d 6 4 3 ) (2 0 1 5 ) (“ Th e defen d an t i s s t at u t o ri l y en t i t l ed t o wi th d raw h i s o r h er g ui l t y

p l e a ‘ at an y t i m e b efo re s en ten ce i s p ro n ou n ced .’ ”) (ci t in g O CGA 1 7-7 -9 3 ( b ) ;

p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). Bu t s ee S i mmo n s v. S t a t e

, 3 1 5 Ga. Ap p

. 8 2

, 8 4 -8 5 (7 2 6 SE2 d

5 7 3 ) (2 0 1 2 ) (h o l d i ng t h at Ka i s er d i d n o t ap p l y wh ere t h e d efen d a n t h a d av ai l ed

h i m s el f o f t h e Fi rs t Offen d er Act

, OCGA § 4 2 -8 -6 0 an d t h ereb y h ad n o t ret ai n ed t h e

ri gh t t o wi t h d raw hi s g ui l t y p lea); b u t s ee al s o OCGA § § 1 7 -1 0-6 .2 (b ) (fi rs t o ffen d er

s en t en ci n g n o t av ai l ab l e as p u n i s h m en t fo r ch i l d m o l es t at i on u n l es s OCGA § 1 6 -6 -4

(b ) (2 ) ap p l i es an d t h e v i ct i m i s at l eas t 1 4 b ut l es s t h an 1 6 y ears o f ag e an d t h e

d efen d an t i s 18 y ears of ag e o r y o un g er an d n o m o r e t h a n fo u r y ears o l der t h an t h e

v i ct i m ). Th e reco rd in t h is cas e i n d i cat es t h at Han h was n ot s en t en ced u n d er t h e Fi rs t

Offen d er Act

.

6 Ka i s er

, s u p ra at 6 8 -6 9 (1 ).

7 See S p ar g o v. S t at e

, 3 3 2 Ga. Ap p

. 4 1 0 (7 73 SE2 d 3 5 ) (2 0 1 5 ) (v acat i n g a v o id

s en t en ce wh ere t h e t ri al co urt fai l ed t o en t er a s p li t s en t en ce fo r ch i ld m o l es t at i o n ).

8 Ka i s e r

, s u p r a

. See al s o Fr a n ks v. S t a te

, 3 2 3 Ga. Ap p

. 8 1 3

, 8 1 4 (7 4 8 SE2 d

2 9 1 ) (2 0 1 3 ) (rev ers in g t h e t ri al co urt ’ s d en i al o f a d efen d an t ’ s m o t i o n t o w i t h d raw a

g u i l t y p l ea wh ere t he o ri g i n al s en t en ce was v o i d an d th e m o t i on was m ad e p ri o r to

res en t en ci n g ).

3