Case Name: HOLLAND v. THE STATE
Court: Court of Appeals of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 1993-07-16
Citations: 209 Ga. App. 821
Docket Number: A93A0339
Parties: HOLLAND v. THE STATE.
Judges: Pope, C. J., McMurray, P. J., Birdsong, P. J., Andrews, Blackburn and Smith, JJ., fully and specially concur. Beasley, P. J., dissents. Johnson, J., not participating.
Reporter: Georgia Appeals Reports
Volume: 209
Pages: 821–826

Head Matter:
A93A0339.
HOLLAND v. THE STATE.
(434 SE2d 808)

Opinion:
Cooper, Judge.
Appellant entered guilty pleas to three counts of child molestation and one count of aggravated sodomy based on a series of episodes involving his eight-year-old stepdaughter. Prior to the acceptance of the pleas and the imposition of a sentence, appellant was fully advised of his rights pursuant to Uniform Superior Court Rule (USCR) 33.8, and appellant indicated that he read and signed the special presentment by which he was charged and understood the charges contained therein. The State detailed the factual basis for each of the offenses, including with respect to the aggravated sodomy charge, the victim's statement that appellant got on top of her while in his underwear but she did not know whether he made a "liquid" and appellant's admission to "doing it with her doggie-style" but with his clothes on. Later in the hearing, the trial court needed a clarification of the various charges and asked specifically for the factual basis as to the aggravated sodomy charge, to which defense counsel replied: "There was a touching, yes, sir. One time she had her back to him and she said she felt something. He said he had his pants on. She thought he had his underwear on or was — did not have anything on. I believe that's what both of them had said. And whether or not there was actual contact or not Mr. Holland has been in a position where he's wanted to plead guilty to the charges. ."
Following the hearing, the court sentenced appellant to fifteen years on each of the four counts to run concurrently, with six years to serve on the child molestation counts and nine years to serve for aggravated sodomy. Shortly thereafter, appellant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea to aggravated sodomy on the grounds that he did not commit the offense of aggravated sodomy; that there was no evidence presented to the court that he committed an act of sodomy; that he would not be found guilty of aggravated sodomy at trial; that appellant's desire to avoid any conflict with the State in the presentation of his case resulted in his admission of guilt; that the guilty plea "creates a manifest injustice" unless the court permits its withdrawal; and that the plea was not intelligently and voluntarily entered. During the hearing on the motion to withdraw, responding to the court's inquiry, appellant admitted reading and signing the indictment but claimed that he only pled guilty because he was embarrassed because his family was present in court during the plea hearing and he "would have said anything to get out of this." The trial court denied the motion, and this appeal followed. Appellant asserts as his sole enumeration of error that the guilty plea to aggravated sodomy had no factual basis and creates a manifest injustice.
USCR 33.9 provides: "[notwithstanding the acceptance of a plea of guilty, the judge should not enter a judgment upon such plea without making such inquiry on the record as may satisfy him that there is a factual basis for the plea." The record of the plea hearing contains the State's summary of the evidence which would have been presented at trial on all the offenses charged in the special presentment, and remarkably, this evidence was corroborated by defense counsel. Moreover, the transcript reveals that the court specifically asked defense counsel whether there was a legal and factual basis for his client's plea, and counsel replied affirmatively. " '([I]t is not) necessary that a trial court affirmatively state on the record that it is satisfied that a factual basis for a defendant's guilty plea exists when there is evidence that the trial court is aware of the factual basis.' [Cit.]" Clark v. State, 186 Ga. App. 106, 107 (2) (366 SE2d 361) (1988).
The dissent acknowledges that there was contact between defendant's penis and the victim's anus, albeit through clothing, but contends the factual basis presented did not establish sodomy because there was no skin-to-skin contact. However, there is no authority for that proposition.
In his appellate brief, appellant also argues that he did not fully understand the charge of aggravated sodomy at the time the plea was tendered and that his guilty plea to aggravated sodomy was not knowingly and voluntarily entered. Not only do these contentions improperly enlarge appellant's enumeration of error (Chezem v. State, 199 Ga. App. 869 (2) (406 SE2d 522) (1991)), but our review of the record indicates they are unfounded. Therefore, the trial court did not err in denying appellant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea.
Judgment affirmed.
Pope, C. J., McMurray, P. J., Birdsong, P. J., Andrews, Blackburn and Smith, JJ., fully and specially concur. Beasley, P. J., dissents. Johnson, J., not participating.