# 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 0 I 0 2 00

. TAQUAW N POLLARD v . THE STATE.

On J an u ary 1 2

, 2 0 1 8, Taq u awn Po l l ard en tered a n eg o t i at ed p l ea t o nu m ero u s

o ffen s es , an d t h e t ri al co urt s en t en ced h i m t o a t o t al o f fi ft een y ears , wi t h t h e fi rs t t en

t o b e s erv ed in co n f

i n em en t

. In No v em

b er 2 01 9

, Po ll ard fi led a m o t i o n t o m o d i fy

s en t en ce. 1 Po l l ard arg u es t h at

, aft er en t e r i n g h i s p l ea, h e wi l l i n g ly t es t i fi ed i n an

u n rel at ed m

u rd e r c a s e. Acco rd i n g t o Po l l ard

, h i s co op erat i o n i n t h at cas e s h o u ld

res u l t i n a red u ced sen ten ce. T h e t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i on t o m o d i fy an d i s s u ed

a cert i fi cat e o f i m

m ed i at e rev i ew. Po l l ard t h en fi l ed t h i s ap p l icat i o n fo r i n t erl o cu t o ry

ap p eal . W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

. As a t h res h o l d m at t er, we n o t e t h at an o rd er d en y i n g a m ot io n t o m o d i fy a

s e n t en ce u n d er O CGA § 17 -1 0 -1 (f) i s fi n al an d t h u s d o es n ot req ui re co m p l i an ce

wi t h t h e in t erl o cu t ory ap p eal p ro ced u re. Ord i n ari l y , i f a p art y fi l es an i n t erl o cu t o ry

ap p li cat io n fro m an o rd er th at m ay be ap p eal ed d i rect l y , w e g ran t t h e ap p l i cat i o n

. See

S p i v e y v. Hemb r ee , 2 68 Ga. Ap p

. 4 8 5

, 4 8 6 n

. 1 (6 0 2 SE2 d 2 4 6 ) (2 0 0 4 ). Here,

h o wev er, Po l l ard h as n o ri g h t t o a d i rect ap p eal

. Un d er OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -1 (f), a co u rt m ay m o d ify a s en t en ce d uri n g t h e y ear

aft er it s i m

p o s i t i o n o r wi t h i n 1 2 0 d ay s aft er rem it t i t u r fo l lo wi n g a di rect ap p eal

, wh i ch ev er i s l at er. See Fr a zi er v. St a te

, 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p. 3 4 6

, 3 4 8 (6 91 SE2 d 2 4 7 )

1 Po l l ard al s o fi l ed a pro s e m ot i o n t o m o di fy i n M arch 2 0 19

, b u t t h is o rd er i s

n o t i n cl u d ed wi t h t h e ap p l i cat i o n m at eri al s

. Po l l ard arg u es th at he at t em p t ed t o fi l e

a m o t i o n t o m o d ify wi t h i n a y ear o f s en t en ci n g , b ut th at t h e m o ti o n was n o t fi l ed u n t i l

M arch 2 0 1 9 “ d u e t o t h e i n effi ci en t h an d l in g o f i n m at e m ai l .” April 02, 2020(2 0 1 0). On ce t h i s s t at u t o ry p eri o d ex p i res , an ap p eal m ay l ie fro m an o rd er d en y i n g

a m o t i on t o v acat e o r co rrect a v o i d sen t en ce o n l y i f th e d efen d an t rai s es a co l o rab l e

cl ai m t h at th e s en t en ce i s , i n fact

, v o id . See Ha r p er v. S t a t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 2 16

, 2 1 7 n

. 1

(1 ) (6 8 6 SE2 d 7 86 ) (2 00 9 ); Bu r g v. S t a t e , 2 9 7 Ga. A p p

. 1 1 8

, 1 1 9 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 )

(2 0 0 9). “ M o t i o n s t o v acat e a vo i d s en ten ce g en eral l y are li m i ted t o cl ai m s th at

– ev en

as s u m in g t h e ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f t h e c o n v i ct i o n fo r wh i ch t he s en t en ce was

i m p o s ed

– th e l aw d o es n o t au t h o ri ze t h at s en t en ce, m o s t t y p i cal l y b ecau s e it ex ceed s

t h e m o st s ev ere p u n i sh m en t fo r wh i ch t he ap p l i cab l e p en al s tat u t e p ro v id es .” vo n

Th o ma s v. S t a te

, 2 9 3 G a. 5 69

, 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 48 SE2 d 4 4 6) (2 01 3 ). W hen a s en t en ce i s

wi t h i n th e s t at ut ory ran g e o f p u n i s h m en t

, i t i s n o t v o i d

. Jo n es v. S t a t e , 2 7 8 Ga. 6 6 9,

6 7 0 (6 04 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ).

H e r e , P o l l ard d oes n o t arg u e t h at h i s s en t en ce fal l s o ut s i d e t h e p erm i s s i b l e

s t a t u t o ry ran ge. Acco rd i n gl y , h e i s n o t en t i t l ed t o ap p eal t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s o rd er

d en y i n g h i s m o t i o n t o m o d i fy

. See Fr a z i er v. S ta t e , 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p

. at 34 8 (“ [A] d i rect

ap p eal d oes n ot l i e fro m

t he d en i al o f s u ch m o t i o n u n l es s it rai s es a co l o rab l e cl ai m

t h at t h e s en t en ce i s , i n fact

, v o i d.”). Fo r t h i s reas o n, t h i s ap p l i cat i o n fo r i n t erl o cu t o ry

ap p eal i s h ereb y

DISM ISSED. 2

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 t i f y th 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 t h 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

.

2 Po l l ard s u gg es t s in h is ap p l i cat io n b ri ef t h at h e i s en t i t l ed t o an o u t -o f-t i m e

ap p eal

. Bu t n o th i n g i n h is m o t i o n fi l ed b el o w co u l d b e co n s tru ed as s eek i n g an o u t

o f

- t i m e ap p eal

, an d we d ecl i ne t o t reat i t as s u ch

. See Da vi s v. St a t e , 33 0 Ga. Ap p

. 7 1 1

, 7 1 4 (b ) (7 6 9 SE2 d 13 3) (2 0 1 5 ) ( t o o b t ai n an o u t -o f-t i m e ap p eal

, a d efen d an t

m u st s eek rel i ef i n t h e t ri al co u rt ). 04/02/2020