Cit e as 2014 Ark. App. 36



## ARKANS AS COURT OF APPEALS

DIVISION I

No. CR-13-473

LELAND M. FLEMING

APPELLANT

V.

STATE OF ARKANSAS

APPELLEE Opinion Delivered January 15, 2014

APPEAL FROM TH E SEB ASTIAN COU NTY CIRCU IT COU RT, FORT SMITH DISTRICT [NO. CR-12-794]

H ONORAB LE JAMES O. COX, JU DGE

REB RIEFING ORDERED; MOTION TO WITH D RAW DENIED

PHI LLI P T. WHI TEAKER, Judge

Le lan d M

. F le m in g ap p eals f ro m a Se b ast i an Co un t y Circ u it Co urt c o n vic t io n f o r

f ailu re t o c o m p l y w it h se x-o f f e n d e r re gist rat io n an d re p ort in g re q u i r e m e n t s in vio lat io n o f

A rk an sas Co d e A n n o t at e d Se c t io n 12-12-904 (Su p p

. 2013). Pu rsu an t t o A nd e r s v. Califor nia
,

386 U.S. 738 (1967), an d A rk an sas Su p re m e Co u rt Ru le 4-3(k ), ap p e llan t’s c ou n se l h as f ile d

a mo t io n t o b e re l i e ve d as c o u n se l, st at in g t h at th ere are n o n o nf rivo lo u s issu e s t o p re se n t o n

ap p e al. T h e m o t io n is ac c o m p an ie d b y an ab st rac t an d ad d e n d u m o f t he p ro c e e d i ngs b e lo w ,

in c lu d i ng all o b

je c tio n s an d m ot io n s d e cid e d a d v e rse ly t o ap p e llan t , an d a b rie f in w h ic h

c o u n se l at t e mp t s to e xp lain w h y t h e re is n o t h in g in t h e re c o rd t h at w ou ld su p p o rt an ap p e al.

W e c o n c lu d e , h o w e ve r , t hat c o u n se l’s n o -m e rit b rie f i s no t i n c o m p lian c e w it h A nd e r s an d

Ru le 4-3(k ); t he re f

o r e , w e o rd e r re b rie f

in g.Cit e as 2014 Ark. App. 36

Co u n se l argu e s t hat th e o n ly i ssu e o n ap p e al i s w h et h e r F l e m i ng h ad t he in t e nt t o

c o m m it t h e c rim e of f

ailu re t o c o m p ly w it h th e re gist rat io n an d re p o r t in g re q u ire m e n ts f o r

se x o f f e n d e rs. H e c l aim s th at , b e c au se t h e c rim e is a st ric t -liab ilit y o f f en s e , n o s c i e n t e r is

re q u ire d . T h u s, c o u n se l c o nt en d s, an y ap p eal o n t h is b asis w o u ld b e w it h ou t m erit

.

W e n o t e , h o w e ve r, t hat t h e m o t io n f o r d ire c t e d ve rd ic t , an d t h e o n e re n e w e d at t h e

c lo se o f t h e e vid e nc e , d id n o t n e c essarily lim it i t s sc o p e t o an alle ge d lac k o f in t e n t

— t h e on ly

p o t e n t ial i ssu e raise d b y c o u n se l o n ap p e al. Co u n se l h as f aile d t o ad d re ss t h e su ff

ic ie n cy o f

t he e vid e n c e as t o t h e o t h e r e l e m e n t s o f t h e o f f e n se (e .g., th e sp e c if

ic re q u ire m e n t s o f

re gist rat i on an d h o w F le m in g f aile d t o m e e t t h o se re q u i r e m e n t s) or w h y s u c h argu m e nt

w o u l d b e u nn e c e ssary (e .g., n o t su f f ic ie n t ly p re se rve d f

o r ap p e al). T h is is n o t su f f ic ie n t

.

T h e b r ie fin g d e f

ic ie n cie s se t f

o rt h in t h is o p in io n are no t t o b e t ak e n as an e xh au st ive

list
, a n d c o u n se l sh o u ld t h o ro u gh ly f am iliarize h im se lf w it h t h e r e q u ire m e n t s o f Ru le
4-3(k )(1) an d w it h no -m e rit c ase l aw b e f o re re f i lin g h is b rie f t o en su re n o f u rt h e r d e f ic ie n c ie s

are p re se n t

. Co u n se l’s su b st it u t e d b rie f
, ab st rac t , an d ad d e n d u m are d u e w it h in f if t e e n d ays

f ro m t h e d at e o f ou r d e c isio n

. A rk

. Su p

. Ct

. R. 4-2(b )(3) (2013). B y t h is ru l in g, w e are n ot

e xp re ssin g an y o p in io n as t o w h e t h e r t h e n e w b r ie f sh o uld b e f ile d p u rsu an t t o Ru le
4-3(k )(1) o r sh o uld b e file d asse rt in g m erit o rio us gro u n d s fo r re ve rsal. If a n o -m e rit b rie f is

f ile d
, c o u n se l’s mo t io n an d b rie f w ill b e f o rw ard e d b y ou r c l e r k t o ap p e l lan t so t h at , w it h in

t hirt y d ays, h e again w ill h ave th e o p p o rt u n it y to raise an y p o in t s h e so c h oo se s in ac c o rd an c e

w it h A r k

. S u p

. Ct

. R. 4-3(k )(2). In e it he r in st an c e , th e St at e sh all b e af f ord e d t h e

o p p o rt un it y t o f

ile a re sp o n sive b r ie f

.

2Cit e as 2014 Ark. App. 36

Re b r ie f in g o rd e re d ; m o tio n t o w it h d raw d e n ie d

.

G L A D W I N , C.J., an d P I T T M A N , J., agre e

.

D avid L

. D unag i n , f

o r ap p e llan t

.

N o re sp o n se

.

3