FI RST DI VI SI ON

BA RNES, P. J.

, M ERCI ER and BROWN, 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

Febr uar y 27, 2020



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 9 A2 03 7 . BROCK v . THE STATE.

M E R C I E R , J u dg e.

Th e q u es t io n p res en t ed i n t h i s ap p eal i s wh et h er t h e St at e is req u i red to en s u re

t h at a t ri al t ran s cri p t is creat ed an d p res erv ed fo l l o wi ng a fel o ny co n v i ct i o n o f a n o n

i n d i g en t d efen d an t

. Kri st o ph er Bro c k w as co nv i ct ed o f fel o n y o b s t ru ct i o n o f an

o ffi cer. 1 See OCGA § 16 -1 0 -2 4 (b ). Bro ck fi l ed a m o ti o n fo r n ew t ri al an d req u es t ed

t h at t h e St at e fi l e a t ran s cri p t o f t h e t ri al p ro ceed in g s s o t h at h e co u l d p u rch as e a co py

o f t h e tran s cri pt

. H e al s o f i l e d a “ M ot i o n t o Fo rce th e St at e t o Prep are an d Fi l e t h e

Tri al Tran s cri p t as Req u i red b y Geo rg i a L aw.” Bro ck ap p eal s th e t ri al co u rt ’ s d en i al

o f h i s m o t i o n s

. F o r th e fo l l o w i n g reas o n s, we rev ers e t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s d en i al o f

1 Th e ju ry fo u n d h i m n o t g u i l t y o f ag g rav at ed bat t ery an d s im pl e b at t ery (fam i l y

v i o l en ce).Bro ck ’ s m o t i o n t o c o m p e l t h e St at e t o p rep are a tran s cri p t

, vacat e t h e t ri al co urt ’ s

d en ial o f Bro ck ’ s m o t i o n fo r n ew t ri al an d rem an d t h e cas e fo r fu rt h er pro ceed i n g s

.

1

. W i t h o u t q ues t i on i n Geo rg i a “ an i n d i g en t

, o n ap p eal

, i s en t i t l ed as a m at t er

o f ri g h t t o a free co py o f t h e t ran s cri p t of t ri al co u rt p ro ceed i n g s i n wh i ch h e h as b een

a p art y .” Ro b er

s on v. S t a t e

, 3 0 0 Ga. 6 3 2

, 6 3 5 (II) (7 9 7 SE2 d 1 0 4 ) (2 0 17 ) (ci tat i o n an d

p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). Co n v ers el y

, a no n -i n d i g en t d efen d an t i s n o t en t i t l ed t o a free

t ran s cri p t o f t h e t ri al co u rt p ro ceed i n g s

. See Ca r t er v. S t a t e

, 2 3 1 Ga. Ap p

. 4 2, 4 5 (1 1 )

(4 9 7 SE2 d 8 1 2 ) (1 9 9 8 ) (d i s ap p ro v ed o f o n o t h er g ro un d s b y Ma l lo y v. S t a t e

, 2 9 3 Ga.

3 5 0

, 3 5 4 (2 ) (a) (n

. 7 ) (7 4 4 SE2 d 7 7 8 ) (2 0 1 3)). Here, Bro ck i s nei t h er cl ai m i n g t h at

h e i s i n d i g en t n o r t h at h e i s en t i t l ed t o a free co p y o f t h e t ran s cri pt of t h e t ri al co u rt

p ro ceed in g s

. In s t ead

, h e as s ert s t h at t h e St at e had an o b l i g at io n t o en s ure t h at t h e t ri al

t ran s cri p t was p rep ared s o t h at h e co u l d p urch as e a co p y

.

OCGA § 5

- 6

- 4 1 (a) p ro v i d es t h at “ [i ] n al l fel o n y cas es

, t h e t ran s cri p t o f

ev i d en ce an d p ro ceed i n g s s h al l be rep o rt ed an d p rep ared b y a co u rt rep o rt er as

p ro v id ed i n Co d e Sect i o n 1 7 -8 -5 o r as o t h erwi s e p ro v i d ed b y l aw.” In al l fel o n y t ri al s

t h at res u l t i n a g ui l t y v erd i ct

, t h e t es t i m o ny o f th e cas e “ s h al l b e en tered o n t h e

m i n u t es o f t h e co urt o r i n a b o o k t o b e kep t fo r t h at p u rp os e.” OCGA § 1 7 -8 -5 (a). As

n o t ed b y ou r Su p rem e Co u rt

, in t h e ev en t o f a g ui lt y v erd i ct “ i n fel o n y cas es t h e St at e

2i s res p o n s i bl e fo r en s u ri n g t h at a co rrect an d co m p let e t ran s cri p t is creat ed

, pres erv ed

,

an d pro v i d ed t o t h e d efen d an t up o n h i s req u es t

. ” Jo h n s o n v. S t a t e

, 3 0 2 G a. 1 8 8

, 1 9 2

(3 ) (a) (8 0 5 SE2 d 8 9 0 ) (2 0 1 7); s ee al s o Ga ds o n v. S t a t e

, 3 0 3 G a

. 8 7 1

, 8 7 8 (3 ) (a)

(8 1 5 SE2 d 8 2 8 ) (2 0 1 8). “ Su ch i s th e l aw i n t h i s s t at e, an d i n t h i s l e g a l e r a o f

n u m ero u s ap p eal s an d n u m ero us po s t -co n v i ct i o n rev i ews i t i s a wi se an d reas o n ab l e

req u i rem en t .” Jo h n s o n

, s u pra (ci t at i o n an d p u n ct u at i on o m i t ted ). A c c o r d i n g l y

, t h e

t ri al co u rt erred b y d e n yi n g Bro ck ’ s req u es t s t o h av e t h e St at e en s u re t h at a t ri al

t r a n s c r i p t was creat ed an d p res erv ed

. 2 See g en eral l y i d

. Fu rt h erm o re, as t h e St at e

fai l ed t o en s u re t h at th e t ri al t ran s cri p t was p rep ared

, des p i t e Bro ck ’ s req ues t s

, we

v acat e t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s den i al o f h i s m o t i o n fo r n ew tri al an d rem an d th e cas e t o al l o w

Bro ck t o fi le an am en ded m o t i on fo r n ew t ri al wi t h t h e ai d o f a t ri al t ran s cri p t

.

Hav i n g det erm i n ed t h at Bro ck was d en i ed h i s ri g ht t o h av e t h e St at e en s u re t h at

a t ran s cri p t o f t h e t ri al p ro ceed in g was creat ed an d p res erv ed

, we h ereb y rem o v e h i s

ap p eal fro m t h is Co u rt ’ s d o ck et an d rem an d t h e cas e t o t h e t ri al co u rt fo r p rep arat i o n

2 Th is cas e d i ffers fro m t h o s e ci t ed b y th e St at e, s u ch as S t a t e v. Ha r t

, 2 4 6 Ga.

2 1 2 (2 7 1 SE2 d 13 3 ) (1 9 8 0 )

, b ecau s e h ere t h e tri al co urt d i d n o t m ak e an ex p res s

fi nd i ng t h at Bro ck h ad cau s ed an u n reas o n ab l e d el ay i n req u es t i ng t h e tri al t ran s cri p t

. See i d

. at 2 14 (2 ). In s t ead

, i n i t s o rd er d en y i n g Bro ck ’ s m o ti o n t o co m p el t h e St at e to

p rep are a t ran s cri p t

, t h e t ri al co u rt fo u n d t h at “ [t ] h e St at e b ears n o res p o n s i b i l i t y to

p ro v id e a t ran s cri p t at t h e St at e’ s ex p en s e t o a n o n -i n d ig en t d efen d an t .”

3o f t h e tran s cri p t

. Bro ck s h al l h av e 3 0 d ay s fro m t he d at e t h e t ran s cri p t i s co m p l et ed

t o p u rch as e a co py o f t h e tran s cri p t an d t o fi l e an am en d ed m o t io n fo r n ew t ri al

.

Fo l l o wi ng t h e o rd er o n h i s am en d ed m ot i o n fo r n ew t ri al

, ei t h er p art y m ay fi l e a

n o t i ce o f ap p eal

, an d u po n t h e fi l i n g o f su ch n ot i ce o f a p p e a l

, t h e cas e (wi t h t h e

co m p l et e reco rd an d t ran s cri p t ) m ay b e t ran s m i t t ed t o t hi s Co urt fo r red o ck et i n g

. See

g en eral l y Mi t ch el l

v. S t a t e

, 28 0 Ga. 8 0 2 (2 ) (6 3 3 SE2 d 5 3 9 ) (2 0 06 ).

2 . In l ig h t o f Di v i s i on 1

, we n eed n o t ad d res s Bro ck ’ s rem ai n i n g en u m erat ed

er r o rs (t h at h i s co n v ict i o n was t h e res u l t of a co m p ro m i s e v erd i ct

, t h at t h ere was

i n s u ffi ci en t ev i d en ce t o s u p po rt h i s co n vi ct i o n an d t h at t h e t ri al c o u r t a b u s ed i t s

d i s cret i o n i n d en y i n g h i s m ot i o n fo r n ew t ri al ) at t h i s t i m e.

Ju d g men t r ever

s ed i n pa r t

, va ca ted i n p a r t a n d ca s e r ema nd ed

. Ba r nes

, P. J.,

a n d Br o wn , J., co n cu r

.

4