# 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 6 A1 37 6 . OTHA DAVI D RUTLEDGE, J R. v . THE STATE

In 2 0 0 7

, Ot h a Dav i d Ru t led g e, J r. p l ed g u i l t y t o p o s s es s i o n o f co cai n e. He was

s en t en ce d as a reci d i v i s t t o 3 0 y ears i m p ri s o nm en t. 1 In Decem

b er 2 0 1 5

, Ru t l ed g e

fi led an “ Ex t rao rd i n ary M o t i o n fo r Red u ct i o n o r M o di fi cat i o n o f Sen t e nce,” wh i ch

t h e t ri al co u rt d en i ed

. Ru t led g e t h en fi l ed t h i s ap p eal

. W e, ho wev er, l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n.

U n d e r O C G A § 1 7

- 1 0

- 1 ( f ), a co u rt m ay m o d i fy

a s en t en ce d u r i n g t h e ye a r

aft er it s i m

p o s i t i o n o r wi t h i n 1 2 0 d ay s aft er rem i t t i t u r fo l l o w i n g a d i rec t a p p eal

, wh i ch ev er i s l at er. See F r a z i e r v

. S t a t e , 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p

. 3 4 6

, 3 4 8 (6 9 1 SE2 d 2 4 7 )
(2 0 1 0). On ce t h is s t at u t ory p e r i o d e x p i res , a t ri al co u rt m ay m od i fy o n l y a v o id

s e n t e n c e

. Id

. A d irect ap p eal d o es n o t l i e fro m th e d en i al o f a m ot i o n t o m o d i f y a

s en t en ce fi l ed o u t s i d e t h e s t at u t o ry t i m e p eri o d u n l es s t h e m ot i o n rai s es a co l o 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

. Id

. 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 s h m en t t hat t h e l aw d o es n o t al l o w. Vo n Th oma s v. S t at e , 29 3 Ga. 5 6 9

, 5 7 2 (2 )
(7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 ) (2 0 1 3 ).

In h i s m o t i o n , Ru t l ed g e as s ert s t h at t h e s t a t u t e h e was s en t en ced u n d er was

l at er am en d ed

, an d wo u l d red u ce hi s s en ten ce. Th u s , h e co n t en d s t h at h i s s en t en ce

s h o u ld b e red uced

. Ho wev er, w h e n a s en t en ce i s wi t h i n t h e st at u t o ry ran g e o f

p u n i s h m en t wh en i m

po s ed

, i t i s n o t v o i d

. Jo n es v. S t at e , 2 7 8 Ga. 6 69

, 6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d

4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 )

. Ru t l ed g e’ s s en t en ce as a reci d i v i s t

, to 3 0 y ears i m p ri s o n m en t fo r

p o s s es s i o n o f co cai n e was wi t h i n t h e s tat u t o ry ran g e. See OCGA § 1 6 -1 3 -3 0 (d );

1 Ru t l ed g e’ s s en t en ce was t o ru n co ncu rren t w i t h a p ri o r l i fe s en t en ce fo r
p o s s es s i o n wi t h i n t en t

. May 06, 2016F

l e m i n g v. S t a t e, 2 7 1 Ga. 5 8 7, 5 9 0 (5 2 3 SE2 d 3 1 5 ) (1 9 9 9) (“ i n g en eral

, a cri m e i s

t o b e co n s t ru ed an d p u n i sh ed acco rd i n g t o th e pro v i s i o n s o f t h e l aw ex is t in g a t t h e

t i m e o f i t s co m

m i ss i o n ”). Acco rd i n g l y , Ru t l ed g e’ s m o ti o n d i d n ot rai s e a co l o rab l e

v o i d

- s en t en ce arg u m en t

, t h e t ri al co u rt had n o p o wer t o g ran t t h e m ot i o n , a n d

Ru t led g e i s n o t en t i t l ed t o ap p el l at e rev i ew of t h e o rd er den y i n g i t

. See i d

. Th i s

ap p eal i s t h erefo re 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 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 t n 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

. 05/06/2016