# 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 :

A2 2 A0 15 0 . CHRI STOPHER SI MS v . THE STATE.

In No v em ber 2 0 1 7, Ch ri s t o p h er Si m s en t ered a n eg o tia te d g uilty ple a i n W i l k es

Co u n t y Su p eri o r Co u rt t o t h ree co u n t s o f v i o l at i on o f t h e St reet Gan g Terro ri s m an d

Prev en ti o n Act

, t wo co u nt s o f ag g rav at ed as s au l t

, p o s s es s i o n o f a fi rearm d u ri n g t h e

co m m i s s io n o f a fel o ny , co n s p i racy t o co m m i t m u rd er, an d p o s s es s i o n o f m ari ju an a

wi t h i n t e n t t o d i s t ri b u t e. In A p ri l 2 0 2 1

, Si m s fi l ed a “ p ro s e o u t o f t i m e m o t i o n to

wi t h d raw g u i lt y p l ea.” Co ns t ru i n g t h e m o t i on as s eek i ng t o fi l e an o u t-o f-t i m e ap p eal

an d t o wi t h d raw Si m s ’ s p l e a, t h e t ri al co u rt d en ied t h e m o t i o n

. Si m s t h en fi l ed t h i s

ap p eal

, i n wh i ch h e ch al l en g es t h e t ri al co urt ’ s d e n i al o f th is m o t i o n an d v ari ou s

req u es t s an ci l l ary

t o t h e m o t i o n, s u ch as fo r t h e ap p o i n t m en t o f co u n s el

. In a recen t cas e, t h e Su prem e Co u rt d et erm in ed th at a t ri al co u rt l ack s au t h o ri t y

t o gran t an o u t -o f-t im e ap p eal

. Co o k v. S t a t e ,

_ _ _ Ga.

_ _ _ ,

_ _ _ (5 ) (Cas e No

. S2 1 A1 27 0

, d eci d ed M ar. 15

, 2 0 2 2 ). Th i s h o l d i n g i s t o b e ap p l ied to “ al l cas es t h at are

cu r r e n t ly o n d i rect rev i ew or o t h erwi s e n o t y et fi n al .” Id

. Si m s , t h erefo re, “ h ad n o

ri gh t t o fi l e a m o t i o n fo r an o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal i n t h e t ri al co u rt ; h i s rem ed y , i f an y , l i es i n h ab eas co rp u s .” Ru t l ed g e v. S t a t e ,

_

_ _ Ga.

__ _ ,

_ _ _ (Cas e No

. S2 1 A1 0 3 6,

d eci d ed M ar. 1 5

, 20 2 2 ). Si m i l arl y , Si m s h ad n o ri g h t t o fi l e an o u t -o f-t im e m o t i o n to

wi t h d raw h i s g u il t y pl ea. See S ch o i cket v. S ta t e , 3 1 2 Ga. 8 2 5

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

(2 0 2 1) (“ [w] h en a d efen dan t s eek s t o wi t h d raw [h i s ] gu i l t y p lea aft er t h e ex p i rat i o n

o f [t h e] t erm o f co u rt [i n wh i ch h i s p l ea was en t ered ]

, [h e] m u s t p u r s u e su ch rel ei f

t h ro u g h h ab eas co rp u s p ro ceed i n g s ”). Th u s , rat h er t h an d en y i ng Si m s ’ s m o t i o n , t h e

t r i a l co u rt s h o u l d h av e d i s m i ss ed it

. See R ut l ed g e ,

_ _ _ Ga. at

_ _ _ ; Br o o ks v. S t a t e , 3 0 1 Ga. 7 4 8

, 7 5 2 (2 ) (8 0 4 SE2 d 1 ) (2 0 1 7 ) (wh ere d efen d an t fi l es an u n t i m el y m o t i o n April 29, 2022t o wi t h d raw h is p lea, i t m u st b e d i s m i s s ed , rat h er t h an d en i ed ).

Acco rd i ng l y , t h e tri al co u rt ’ s o rd er d en y i n g Si m s ’ s “ p ro se ou t o f t i m e m o t i o n

t o wi t h d ra w g ui l t y p l ea” i s h ereb y VACATED, an d t h i s ap p eal i s h ereb y

REM ANDED fo r t h e en t ry o f an o rd er d is m i s s i n g Si m s ’ s m o t i o n

. 1 Si m s is ad v i s ed

t h at an y s u bs eq u en t at t em p t t o ap p eal t h e tri al co urt ’ s o rd er en t eri ng t he ju dg m en t o f

co n vi ct i o n an d d en y i ng h is m o t i o n fo r o ut -o f-t i m e ap p eal wi l l li kel y be d i s m i s s ed as

u n t i m el y

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 8 (a). Fu rt h erm ore, t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s en t ry o f an o rd er o n

rem an d d i s m i s s i n g Si m s ’ s m o t i o n wi l l b e u n li k el y t o pres en t an y co g n i zab l e b as i s fo r

an a p p e a l

. S ee Hen d

er s o n v. St a t e , 3 03 Ga. 2 4 1

, 24 4 (2 ) (8 1 1 SE2 d 3 8 8) (2 0 1 8 );

Br o oks

, 3 0 1 Ga. at 7 52 (2 ). If Si m s b el i ev es t h at he was u n co n s t it u t i o n al l y d ep ri v ed

o f h i s ri g ht t o ap p eal

, h e m ay b e ab l e t o p u rs u e rel i ef fo r t h at cl ai m t h ro ug h a p et i t i o n

fo r h ab eas co rp u s , al o n g wi th cl ai m s al l eg i n g d ep ri v at io n o f h i s co n s ti t u t i on al ri g h t s

i n t h e p ro ceed i n g s th at l ed t o h is g u i l t y p lea an d co n v i ct i on

. See OCGA § 9-1 4 -4 1 et

s eq

. Si m s s h o u l d b e aware o f t h e p o s si b l e ap p l icat io n o f t h e res t ri ct io n s t h at ap p l y to

s u ch h ab eas co rp u s fi l in gs , s u ch as t h e t i m e d ead l in es p ro vi d ed b y OCGA § 9 -1 4 -4 2

(c) an d t h e l i m i t at i o n o n s u cces s i v e p et i ti o n s p ro v i d ed b y OCGA § 9 -1 4 -5 1.

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 tn 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

.

1 Becau se t h ere i s n o l e g al au t h o ri t y fo r th e p ri m ary rel i ef Si m s s eek s , h i s ch al l en g es t o t h e d en i al o f h i s an ci l l ary req u es ts are m o o t

. See Mo b u a r y v. S t a t e ,

_

_ _ Ga. Ap p

.

_

_ _,

_ _ _ (2 ) (Cas e No

. A2 2 A1 9 2 2

, d eci d ed Ap r. 1 4

, 2 02 2 ) (h o l d i n g t h at
cl ai m t h at t ri al co u rt erred i n d en y i n g m o t i o n f o r ap p o i n tm en t o f co u ns el t o as s i s t
wi t h o ut -o f-t i m e ap p eal was m o o t ). 04/29/2022