i i i i i i



### MEMORANDUM OPI NIO N No
. 04 -0 8- 00 36 2- CR No . 0 4- 08 -0 03 63 -C R Andre w VO LIS , Appellant
v . State of TEXAS , Appellee F ro m th e 21 6th

Judic ia l D ist

ri c t Co ur t, K e rr County , T e xas Trial Court Nos. A07-428 & A07-463 Honora ble Stephen B . Ables , J udg e Presiding Opinion by : Kar en Ang elini , J ustice Sitt ing: Catherine Stone , Chief J ustice

Kar en Ang elini , J ustice Rebec ca Simmons , J ustice Deliver ed and F iled: J une 24, 2009 AFF I RMED; REFORMED & AFF I RMED AS REFORMED B ACKG ROUND Appellant Andr ew Volis wa s char g ed by two separ ate indictments with d elivery of a controlled substance a

nd possession of a c ontrolled substance with intent to deliver in a drug -fr ee
zon e . B oth

ind ic tme nts c ha

rg e d of fe ns e s un de r Cha

pte r 48 1 of the Te xas C on tr oll e d Su bs tanc e s A c t. See T EX . H EA LTH & S AF ETY C ODE ANN . §§ 481.112(c) ,(d) ( Ver non 2003). On Mar ch 17, 2008,04
- 08
- 00 36 2- CR a n d 0 4- 08
- 00 36 3- CR

- 2- Volis entere d an “ope n” plea of g uilty t o t h es e offe nses and se ntencingwas sche duled for a later d at e. S en t en ci n g o nb o t h o ff en s es wa s h el d o n Ap ri l 2 3 , 2 0 0 8
. Af t er a c o n t es t edp u n i s h m en th ea ri n g, the trial cour

t sentence d Volis to 25 y ear s imprisonment for ea ch off ense, a nd order ed the sentence in t ri a l c ourt c a us e numbe r A0 7- 46 3, the dr ug -f re e zon e c a se , to “ be g in to ru n fr om and a ft e r t

he date the sentenc e in” tria l court ca use num b er A0 7 -428, the de livery case , “is completed.” Notices of appea l were filed in both cause s. Trial cour t cause number A07- 428 was doc keted in thi s court as
a pp e llate c a

us e numbe r 0 4- 08 -0 03 62 -C R. T ri a l c ourt c a us e numbe r A 07 -4 63 wa s d oc ke te d in thi s court a s appellate cause number 04-08- 00363-CR. The appe als wer e later consolidated. D I S CUS S I ON I n a sin g le iss ue , V oli s c omp la ins of the “ sta c kin g ” of

th e sente nc e in t

ri a l c ourt c a us e number A07- 463, the drug -fr ee zone c ase, o n the sentenc e in trial cour t cause number A07- 428. Vo lis argue s th e tr ia l c ourt wa s r e qu ir e d to or de r the se nte nc e s in the tw o c a se s to ru n c on c ur re ntl y be c a us e bo th o ff

e ns e s, wh ic h a

re se t out in

Cha pter 4 81 of th e Te xas C on tr oll e d Su bs tanc e s A c t,
we re pr os e c ute d to g e the r i n a sin g le c ri min a l a c ti on and th e co nv ic tio ns aro se ou t of the same criminal episode. We a g ree . Texas Health and Safety Code Section 481.132(d), whic h deals with multiple prosecutions under Chapte r 481, states that “ [i ]f the acc used is found g uilty of more tha

n one off ense a rising out of the same crimi n al episode prosecute d in a sing le cr iminal action, sentenc e for eac h offe nse for which the acc used has been found g uilty shall be pronounc ed, and those sentenc es run c oncurr ently .” T EX . H EA L TH & S AF ETY C ODE ANN . § 4 8 1
. 1 3 2 ( d ) ( V e r n o n 2 0 0 3 )
. B y c o n tr a s t, T e xa s H e alth and Safety Code Section 481.134(h), w hich dea ls with drug- fre e zones, stat es t h at “[p] unishment that04
- 08
- 00 36 2- CR a n d 0 4- 08
- 00 36 3- CR

- 3- is i nc re a se d f

or a c on vic tio n fo r an of

fe ns e lis te d un de r thi s se c tio n may no t r un c on c ur re ntl y wi th punishment for a c onviction under a ny other c riminal statute.” Id . § 481.134(h). As authority , Volis relies on W ill iam s v . S

tat e , a c a se in w hic h th e c ourt of c ri min a l a

pp e a ls
an a ly ze d Se c ti o n 4 8 1
. 1 3 2 ( d ) an d Se c ti o n 4 8 1
. 1 3 4 ( h ) , an d c o n c lu d e d Se c ti o n 4 8 1
. 1 3 2 ( d ) applied under c ircumstance s simil ar to those pr esented h er e. 253 S.W .3d 673, 677-78 (Te x . Crim. App. 2008). L ike Volis, the defe ndant in W illiams was convicted of multipl e offenses under Chapter 481 of the Te x as Controlled Substances Ac t, and the convic tions arose out of the same c riminal episode and we re pr osecute d in a sing le cr iminal action. Id
. I n the pre sent case , the State does not dispute that both offe nses violated Chapter 481 of the Texas Controlled Subs tance s Act, were pr osecute d toge ther in a sing le cr iminal action, and ar ose out of the same criminal episode. Section 481.132(a) de fines a “ criminal episode” as “the commission of two or more offe nses under this chapter” when “ (1) the of fense s are committed pursuant to the same tra nsaction or pur suant to two or more transac tions that are c onnecte d or constitute a c ommon scheme , plan, or continuing course of conduct; or (2) the off enses a re the repe ated c ommissi on of the same or

simil ar of

fense s.” T EX . H EA L TH & S AF ETY C ODE ANN .§ 481.132(a) (Ve rnon 2003). Additionally , the State does not attempt t o distinguish W illiams . I nstead, the State “ takes is s u e ” w it h th e r e a s o n in g an d an a ly s is p r e s ented in W illiams and ar g ues that Section 481.134(h) should control here
. Howeve r, as a n intermediate appellate court, we are bound to follow W illiams
. Under W i l l i ams , the controlling statute is Section 481.132(d), and Sec tion 481.132(d) re quires Volis’s sentence s to run concur rently . We hold the trial court er red in cumulating Volis’s sentence in trial court cause number A07-463. We also re cog nize that the W illiams op ini on

iss ue d a ft e r V oli s04
- 08
- 00 36 2- CR a n d 0 4- 08
- 00 36 3- CR

- 4- was sente nced, a

nd there fore , the trial court did not have the bene fit of W ill iam s when it sentenc ed Vo lis
. C ONCL US I ON We sustain Volis’s sole issue. We r efor m the judgme nt in trial court ca use number A 07-463 to d e le te the c umu la tio n o rd e r. As re fo rm e d, we a ff ir m the tr ia l c ourt ’s jud g me nt in tr ia l c ourt c a us e number A07- 463. We affir m the trial court’ s judgme nt in trial court ca use number A 07-428.

Kar en Ang elini , J ustice Do No t Pu

bli sh