S eeT EX . R. A PP . P. 47. 4. 1 

## COURT OF APPEALS

SECOND DISTRICTOFTEXAS FORT WORTH
NO . 2- 07- 117- CR
NI CH OL AS M I CH AE LL AND I S AP P E L L ANT V . TH E STA TE O F TEXA S STA TE

----- ----- -- FR O M CO UN TY CRI M I NA LCO URT NO . 3 OF DENTO N CO UN TY

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### M E M ORANDU M OP I NI ON 1

----- ----- -- A ppe l l antN i cho l asM i cha el La ndi s, pr o s e, ap pea l s f r om hi s con vi ct i on f or m i s d e m e a n o r a s s a u l t. T h e a p p e a l w a s s u b m i tte d w i th o u t a re p o rte r’sre c o rd
o rb r i e f s . We a f f i r m. Appe l l a nt ’ s a pp oi nt e d t r i a l c ou ns e l f i l e d a n ot i c e o fa pp e a l o n Apr i l 5, 2 0 0 7 . A p p e lla n t f ile d a n a p p lic a t io n f o ra c o u rt -a p p o in t e d a t t o r n e yf o ra p p e a l,2

but on M ay 2, 20 07 , t he t r i al courtf oun d t hatA ppel l anthad suf f i ci entf i nanci al
r es our ce s t o e m pl oy c ouns el a nd di sm i ss ed app oi nt ed t r i al co uns el f r om t he
c a s e . O n M ay 3, 2007 , t he t r i al c o u rtcl er k n ot i f i ed t hi s cou rtt hatA ppe l l ant h a d n o tma d e a r r a n g e me n t s t o p a yf o rt h e c l e r k ’ s r e c or d. O n Ma y7 , we no tified A ppel l antt hatt he appeal w oul d be di sm i ssed i fhe di d not m ake
ar r ang em ent s t o pa y f or t he cl er k’ s r ec or d byM ay 22. Appel l antpa i d f ort he
c l e r k ’ s r e c or d on M a y 15. O n M ay 21, t he cou rt r epo rt er adv i se d t hi s cou rt t hat A ppe l l ant had not pai d f ort he r eport er ’ s r ecor d. Th at sam e day, w e noti f i ed A ppel l ant t hatunl ess he m ade ar r angem ent s t o pay f ort he r eport er ’ s r ecor d by Ju ne 5 , t he appeal
w oul d be subm i t t ed f orconsi der at i on of t hose i ssues t hatdi d n o t re q ui r e a r epo rt er ’ s r ec or d f orde ci si on. O n Ju ne 14, t he cou rtr ec ei v e d a l e tte rf r om A p p e l l a n t e s s e n ti a l l ya s k i n g fo r a n e x te n s i o n o f ti m e to p a yfo r th e re p o rte r’s
r e c or d be c a us e h e w a s u na w a r e o fh i s r e s po ns i bi l i t y t o pa y f or i t . O n Ju ne20,
w e s e n t A p p e l l a n t a l e tte r s ta ti n g h o w a n d w h e re to p a yfo r th e re p o rte r’s
re c o rd a n d s e t t i n g a d e a d l i n e o f J u l y3 fo r s o d o i n g . O n J u l y1 1 , th e c o u rt
r epo rt ernot i f i ed us t hat A ppe l l ant st i l l had notco nt ac t ed t he r epo rt erorm ade
a rra n g e m e n t s t o p a yfo r th e re p o rte r’sre c o rd . A c c o rd i n g l y , o n J u l y1 2 , w e3

o rd e re d th a t w e w o u l d o n l yc o n s i d e r a n d d e c i d e th o s e p o i n ts th a t d o n o t re q u i re a r e po rt e r ’ s r e c or d f orr e vi e w a nd o r de r e d Appe l l a nt ’ s b r i e fd ueo n Augu s t13. S eeT EX . R. A PP . P. 37. 3( c ) ( 2) , 38. 6. O n A ugu st 21 , w e noti f i ed A ppel l antt hatw e had not r ecei ved hi s br i ef and st at ed t hatw e w oul d abat e t he appeal and r em and t h e case t o t he t r i al
co u rt fo ra hea r i ng un l es s A ppe l l antf i l ed, on o rbe f or e Augus t31, a m ot i on e x p l a i n i n g h i s fa i l u re to fi l e a b ri e f a n d th e n e e d fo r a n e x te n s i o n . S ee T EX . R. A PP . P . 1 0 . 5( b) , 38. 8( b) ( 2) . Appel l antdi d notf i l e s uch m ot i on, s o on S e p te m b e r 2 1 , w e a b a te d th e a p p e a l a n d re m a n d e d th e c a s e to th e tri a l c o u rt fo r a h e a ri n g to d e term i n e , a m o n g o th e r t h i n g s, w h e th e r A p p e l l a n t de sir e d to conti nue t he appeal , w hy he had n o t f i l ed a br i ef , and w het heran at t or ney s h o u l d b e a p p o i n t e d t o r e p r e s e n th i m. The t r i al co urtf ound t hatA ppe l l anti s noti ndi gen t , an d i tap pea r ed f r om th e rec o rd o f t h e ab a tem e n t h e a ri n g tha t A p p e l l a n t ha d m a d e n o arran g e m e n ts f orf i l i ng a br i ef . Ther ef or e, on O ct ober 2 6 , 2 00 7, w e or der ed t he appeal
s u b m i tte d w i th o u t b ri e fs . S eeT EX . R. A PP . P . 3 8 .8 (b )(4 ). B e c a u s e A p p e l l a n tf a ile d t o f ile a b r ie f , n o is s u e s o rp o in t s a r e p r o p e r ly b e fo re th i s c o u rt. S eeT EX . R. A PP . P . 3 8 .1 (e ). W e h a v e re v i e w e d th e re c o rd i n th e i n te re s t o f j u s ti c e . S eeT EX . R. A PP . P. 38 . 8( b) ( 4) . O urexam i nat i on do es4

n o t re v e a l u n a s s i g n e d fu n d a m e n ta l e rro r. S e eLo tt v. S tate , 874 S. W . 2d 687, 6 8 8 ( T e x . C ri m . A p p . 1 9 9 4 ). A c c o rding l y , w e affi rm the tr i a l co u rt ’s j u d g m e n t.

P E R CU R I AM
PA N EL F: G A RD N ER, W A LKER, an d M C C O Y, JJ. DO NO T P UBLI SH T EX . R. A PP . P. 47. 2( b) DEL I VERE D: M a r c h 13, 2008