THI RD DI VI SI ON
ELLI NGTON, P. J.

, DI LLA RD and M C FA DDEN, 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 ls .us /r ule s /

June 2, 2015



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 5 A0 69 7 . THE STATE v . SPAIN.

D I LLA R D , J u dg e.

In 2 0 1 1

, Ch el s ea Sp ai n was co n v i ct ed b y a ju ry o f en t eri n g an au t o m o bi l e wi th

i n t en t t o co m

m i t t h eft . Al t h o u gh s h e was el i g i b l e t o b e t reat ed as a “ fi rs t o ffen d er,”

Sp ai n d ecl i n ed t o req u e s t s u ch a s en t en ce fro m t h e tri al co urt

. Th en , ro u gh l y t wo

y ears l at er, Sp ai n m o v ed t h e t ri al co u rt t o m o d i fy h er s en t en ce an d g ran t h er fi rs t

o ffen d e r s t at u s

. Th e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed t h at m o t i o n, an d t h e St at e ap peal s , 1 arg u i n g

t h at t h e co u rt l ack ed ju ri sd i ct i o n t o ret ro act i vel y res en t en ce Sp ai n as a fi rs t o ffen d er.

1 Th e St at e’ s ap p eal was au t h o ri zed b y OCGA § 5 -7 -1 (a) (6 ), wh i ch p ro v i d es
t h at t h e St at e m ay ap peal fro m “ an o rd er, d eci si o n , o r j u d gm en t o f a co u rt wh ere t h e

co u rt d o es n o t hav e ju ri s d i ct i o n o r th e o rd er i s o t h erwi s e v o i d u n d er t h e Co n s t i t u t i o n

o r l aw o f t h i s s t at e.”W e ag ree, an d t herefo re, th e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er m o d i fy in g Sp ai n’ s o ri gi n al s en t en ce

i s rev ers ed an d h er fi rs t -o ffen der s en t en ce i s v acat ed

.

On Feb ru ary 1, 2 0 1 1, a ju ry co n v i ct ed Sp ai n of en t eri n g an au t o m o b i l e wi t h t h e

i n t en t t o co m

m i t t h eft

. Th e t ri al co u rt s en t en ced Sp ai n t o fo ur y ears o f p ro b at i o n , wi th

4 8 ho u rs t o s erv e in co n fi n em en t

. Becau s e t h i s was Sp ai n ’ s fi rs t fel o ny co n v i ct i o n,

s h e w as el i g i b l e to b e s en t en ced as a fi rs t o ffen d er. Bu t aft er co n su l t i n g w i t h h er

co u ns el

, Sp ai n u l t i m at el y d eci d ed ag ai n s t req u es t i ng t h at t he t ri al co urt s en t en ce h er

u n d er t h i s s t at u t ory s ch em e.

On No v em

b er 1 8

, 2 0 13

, aft er s erv i n g m o re t h an hal f o f h er t erm o f p ro b at i o n,

Sp ai n fi l ed an “ ex trao rd in ary m o t i o n t o m o d i fy s en t en ce,” s eek i ng t o b e res en t en ced

as a fi rs t o ffen d er. In h er m ot i o n , Sp ai n ack n o wl ed ged th at

, d u ri ng sen t en ci n g , s h e

was ad v i s ed o f h er el ig i b i l i t y t o b e s en t en ced as a fi rs t o ffen der, an d t h at s h e el ect ed

n o t t o s e e k a s en t en ce u n d er t h e Fi rs t Offen d er Act

. 2 N ev ert h el es s , Sp ai n i n d i cat ed

t h at

, s i n ce th at t im e, sh e real i zed t h e n eg at i v e effect s o f h av i n g a fel o ny co n v i ct i o n,

an d t h at s h e n o w d es i red fi rs t -o ffen d er s t at u s t o al l ow fo r g rea t e r e m p l o y m en t

o p p o rt u ni t i es

. Aft er a h eari ng , t h e t ri al co u rt g ran t ed her m o t i o n , fi n di n g t h at Sp ai n

was “ o v erco m e wi t h em o t io n ” d u ri n g h er in i t i al s en ten ci n g h eari ng , an d s h e “ m ay n ot

2 S ee OCGA § § 4 2-8 -6 0 t o 4 2 -8 -6 6

.

2h av e h ad a cl ear u nd ers t an d i n g o f h er d eci s i o n i n reject i n g t h e o p p o rt u n i t y affo rd ed

t o h er b y t h e St at e an d t h e Co u rt t o b e s en t en ced u n der t h e Fi rs t O ffen d er St at u t e.”

Th i s ap p eal b y t h e St at e fo l l o ws

.

In i t s s o l e en u m e r a t i o n o f erro r, th e St at e arg u es t h at t h e t ri al co u rt l ack ed

ju ri s d i ct i o n t o res en t en ce Sp ai n as a fi rs t o ffen d er. 3 W e ag ree.

Th e Fi rs t Offen d er Act p ro v i des , i n rel ev an t p art , t h at

[u ] p o n a v erd i ct o r p l ea o f g ui l ty o r a p l ea o f no l o co n t en d ere, b u t b ef o r e

a n a d j u d i c a t i on o

f g u i l t

, i n t h e cas e o f a d efen d an t w h o h as n o t b een

p rev io us l y co nv i ct ed of a f e l o n y , t h e co u rt m ay , wi t h o u t en t eri n g a ju d g m en t o f g u i l t an d wi t h t h e co n s en t o f t h e d efen dan t : (1 ) D efer

fu rt h er p ro ceed in g an d p l ace t h e d efen d an t o n p ro bat i on as p ro v i d ed b y

l aw; o r (2 ) Sen t en ce th e d efen dan t to a t erm of co n fi n em en t as p ro v i d ed

b y l aw. 4

In i n t erp ret i n g t h i s st at u to ry p ro v i s i o n , we h av e reco g n ized t hat b y th e “ pl ai n t erm s

o f t h e s tat u te,” a t ri al co u rt i s on l y au t h o ri zed t o gran t fi rs t -o ffen d er t reat m en t “ b ef o r e

a d efen d an t h as b een ad

ju d i cat ed g u i l t y an d s en t en ced .” 5 Th u s , wh i l e t h e d eci s i o n o f

3 Sp ai n d i d n o t fi l e an ap p el l at e b ri ef ch al l en gi n g t he St at e’ s arg um en t

.

4 OCGA § 4 2 -8 -6 0 (a) (1 )-(2 ) (em p h as i s s u p p l i ed ).

5 S t a t e v. St ul b

, 2 9 6 Ga. Ap p

. 5 1 0

, 5 1 1 -1 2 (6 7 5 SE2 d 2 53 ) (2 00 9 ) (p u n ct u at i o n

o m it t ed ) (em

p h as i s i n o ri g i n al ); a cco r d St a te v. Nea l

, 3 0 6 Ga. A p p

. 4 0

, 4 0-4 1 (7 0 1
SE2 d 4 8 7 ) (2 0 10 ); Bu r ch et te v. S t a t e , 2 74 Ga. A p p

. 8 73

, 8 7 4 (6 1 9 SE2 d 32 3 ) (2 0 0 5 );

3wh et h er o r n o t to s en ten ce a d efe n d a n t a s a fi rs t o ffen der l i es en t i rel y wi t h i n t h e

d i s cret i o n of t h e t ri al co u rt

, 6 t h at d i s cret i on d i s ap p ears en ti rel y o n ce a defen d an t h as

b een ad ju d i cat ed g ui lt y an d s en t en ced

. 7 An d h ere, t h e t ri al co u rt res en t en ced Sp ai n

as a fi rs t o ffen d er l o n g aft er en t eri n g i t s fi n al j u d gm en t o n h er fel o ny co n vi ct i o n an d

s en t en ci n g h er acco rd i ng l y . As a res u l t

, th e t ri al co u rt was n o t at li b ert y to “ u n wi n d

t h e cl o ck an d m o d i fy t h e fi n al ju d g m en t o f co nv i ct i o n an d s en ten ce i n o rd er t o g ran t

fi rs t o ffen d er t reat m en t ,” 8 an d i t s “ at t em p t t o d o s o . . . was a m ere n u l l it y .” 9

s ee al s o Lewi s v. S t a te

, 2 1 7 Ga. Ap p

. 75 8

, 7 5 9 (4 58 SE2 d 8 6 1 ) (1 9 95 ) (h o l d i n g t h at

a d efen d an t m ay no t b e g ran t ed fi rs t -o ffen d er s t at u s af t e r h e h a s b een s en t en ced ),

s u p e r c e d e d by s t a t u te o n o t h er g r o un d s a s s t a t ed i n Ha r r i s v. S t a t e , 3 2 5 Ga. Ap p

. 5 6 8 , 5 7 1 n . 1 4 & 1 5 (7 5 4 SE2 d 1 4 8) (2 01 4 ).

6 S ee Mo t o n v. S t a t e ,

_

__ Ga. Ap p

.

_

_ _ (2 ), 2 0 1 5 WL 2 0 27 9 7 5 * 2 (M ay 5,
2 0 1 5 ) (p h y s i cal p reced en t o n l y ); Fr eema n v. S ta t e , 32 8 Ga. Ap p . 7 5 6

, 7 6 2 (5 ) (7 6 0
SE2 d 7 0 8) (2 0 1 4); Tew v. S t a t e , 3 2 0 Ga. Ap p . 1 2 7 , 1 2 7 (7 3 9 SE2 d 4 2 3 ) (2 0 1 3 ).

7 S ee s u p r a n .5

.

8 S t u l b , 2 9 6 Ga. Ap p. at 5 1 2

.

9 Id

. ; s ee a l

so Bu s h v. S t a t e , 27 3 Ga. 8 6 1, 8 62 (5 4 8 SE2 d 3 0 2 ) (2 0 0 1 ) (“ W h en
a t ri al co u rt en t ers a ju dg m en t wh ere i t d o es n ot h av e ju ri s d ict i o n , s u ch ju dg m en t i s

a m ere n u l l i t y

. . . [an d ] t he v o i d ju d g m en t wi l l b e rev ers ed .” (p u n ct u at io n o m i t t ed ));
S t a t e v. Ja mes , 2 1 1 Ga. Ap p. 1 4 9 , 1 5 0 -5 1 (2 ) (4 3 8 SE2 d 3 9 9 ) (1 9 93 ) (h o l di n g t h at

, wh en t h e t ri al co u rt l ack ed ju ri s d i ct i o n t o g ran t a m o t i o n to reco n s i d e r d efen d an t ’ s
g u i l t y p l ea, i t s ju d g m en t d o i n g s o was a n ul l i t y ).

4Fo r al l o f t h e fo reg o i ng reas o n s , t h e t ri al co u rt l ack ed ju ri s d ict i on t o res en t en ce

Sp ai n u n d er t h e Fi rs t Offen der Act

. W e, t h erefo re, rev ers e t h e tri al co u rt ’ s ju d g m en t

g r a n t i n g Sp ai n ’ s m o t i o n t o m o d ify h er s en t en ce, an d v acat e her fi rs t -o ffen d er

s en t en ce, wi t h t h e res u l t b ei n g t h at h er ori g i n al s en ten ce i s ren d ered i n fu l l fo rce an d

effect

.

Ju d g men t r ever

s ed a n d s en t en ce va ca t ed

. El l in g t o n
, P

. J., a n d McFa d d en
, J.,

co n cu r

.

5