Case Name: Oral ROBINSON v. STATE of Mississippi
Court: Mississippi Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 2002-12-12
Citations: 836 So. 2d 747
Docket Number: No. 2000-CT-02087-SCT
Parties: Oral ROBINSON v. STATE of Mississippi.
Judges: PITTMAN, C.J., WALLER, DIAZ, EASLEY AND GRAVES, JJ., CONCUR. COBB, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY. CARLSON, J., CONCURS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED IN PART BY COBB, J. McRAE, P.J., NOT PARTICIPATING.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 836
Pages: 747–756

Head Matter:
Oral ROBINSON v. STATE of Mississippi.
No. 2000-CT-02087-SCT.
Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Dec. 12, 2002.
Rehearing Denied Feb. 6, 2003.
Oral Robinson, Pro Se, attorney for appellant.
Office of the Attorney General By: Jean Smith Vaughan, attorneys for appellee.

Opinion:
ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI
SMITH, P.J.,
for the Court.
¶ 1. Oral Robinson appeals to this Court by writ of certiorari from the Court of Appeals which affirmed the trial court's twenty-year sentence imposed upon Robinson for violation of probation terms imposed upon Robinson during a 1996 plea of guilty to sexual battery.
¶ 2. At the time of the 1996 guilty plea Robinson had prior convictions, yet the trial court nonetheless suspended Robinson's sentence. According to the record, Robinson pled guilty to a reduced non-habitual charge of sexual battery. Robinson's release was later revoked, and Robinson was ordered to serve the 20-year sentence.
¶ 3. Robinson filed a motion for post-conviction relief in the trial court claiming that his sentence was illegally imposed because, as a two time prior offender, he was not eligible for a suspended sentence and probation. The trial court denied the motion, and the Court of Appeals affirmed finding that Robinson suffered no prejudice because his sentence was less than the maximum sentence that could have been imposed.
¶ 4. We agree that the Court of Appeals was correct to affirm the trial court, but we disagree with its reasoning in reaching that decision. After thorough analysis of the facts and circumstances peculiar to this particular case, careful examination of the record before us, and our interpretation of the applicable statutes, we hold that Robinson clearly pled guilty to a reduced charge as a non-habitual offender, was sentenced according to appropriate statutes, thus he was not given an illegal sentence by the trial court. Accordingly, we affirm the Court of Appeals decision, but for different reasons. Robinson's post conviction relief is denied.
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
¶ 5. The Court of Appeals opinion included the following factual background:
Oral Robinson, after being indicted on two counts of sexual battery in the Circuit Court of Monroe County, pled guilty to one count. As a part of the plea agreement, the remaining count was retired to the files. Robinson was sentenced to a term of twenty years; however, the entire sentence was suspended on condition that Robinson comply with certain terms enumerated in the judgment of sentence, one of them being a requirement that he avoid future criminal violations of the law. Robinson was subsequently arrested on three counts of uttering a forgery, and the State sought to revoke Robinson's probation and the trial court, following a hearing on the matter, did in fact revoke probation and order Robinson to serve the remaining portion of his twenty-year sentence.
Robinson later filed a motion for post-conviction relief alleging a substantial number of different claims which he contends entitle him to have his judgment of conviction set aside. The circuit court denied Robinson any relief on his motion without affording him the opportunity to have an evidentiary hearing to prove the allegations in his motion.
The 1994 indictment against Robinson recited that he had been previously convicted of burglary in 1989 and 1990, such that he was ineligible for probation at the time of the plea agreement and sentence. Nonetheless, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's denial of post-conviction relief on finding that Robinson suffered no prejudice as a result of being sentenced to less than the statutory maximum of 30 years.
DISCUSSION
¶ 6. It is true that Robinson was indicted in this case as an habitual offender under Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-81 (2000), which states:
Every person convicted in this state of a felony who shall have been convicted twice previously of any felony or federal crime upon charges separately brought and arising out of separate incidents at different times and who shall have been sentenced to separate terms of one (1) year or more in any state and/or federal penal institution, whether in this state or elsewhere, shall be sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed for such felony, and such sentence shall not be reduced or suspended nor shall such person be eligible for parole or probation.
While Robinson was indicted as a habitual offender, what occurred in the trial court on November 21, 1996, was a common occurrence repeating itself numerous times every day in our trial courts — a defendant who was indicted as an habitual offender was allowed, through the plea-bargaining process, to plead as a "non-habitual offender." We have acknowledged this common occurrence in our trial courts in the past. See Rush v. State, 749 So.2d 1024 (Miss.1999); Turner v. State, 590 So.2d 871 (Miss.1991); Wrenn v. State, 802 So.2d 177 (Miss.Ct.App.2001). A careful review of the record before us is indeed revealing. According to the Reference Docket Sheet of Monroe County, which has been certified as a true and correct copy by the circuit court clerk, Count I of Robinson's charge was reduced to a non-habitual status; therefore, when Robinson pled guilty to sexual battery, he did not plead guilty as an habitual offender. Consequently, once the State, through the plea bargaining process, agreed to drop the habitual offender portion of the indictment, the trial judge was powerless to sentence Robinson pursuant to Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-81. We have held that prior to the trial judge's invoking the provisions of Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-81, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is an habitual offender, and under this statute such proof is usually offered by way of properly certified/authenticated documents regarding the prior indictments and sentencing orders. See Moore v. State, 631 So.2d 805, 806 (Miss.1994); Buckley v. State, 511 So.2d 1354, 1360 (Miss.1987); Seely v. State, 451 So.2d 213, 215 (Miss.1984). The State, in exercising its duly authorized prosecutorial discretion, chose not to proceed with any attempt to prove Robinson to be a statutory habitual offender; therefore, absent this proof, Judge Gardner was without authority to sentence Robinson pursuant to the mandatory provisions of Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-81. But for the inclusion of the Reference Docket Sheet of Monroe County which absolutely indicates the reduced non-habitual status of this plea of guilt and sentence, this Court could not affirm the Court of Appeals and trial court.
¶ 7. Uniform Rule of Circuit and County Court Practice 8.04 allows defendants to enter guilty pleas upon plea negotiations with prosecutors which may reduce their offense to a lesser charge. Rule 8.04 states in pertinent part:
A. Entry of Guilty Pleas.
2. Entry of Guilty Plea. A person who is charged with commission of a criminal offense in county or circuit court, and is represented by an attorney may, at his/ her own election, appear before the court at any time the judge may fix, and be arraigned and enter a plea of guilty to the offense charged, and may be sentenced by the court at that time or some future time appointed by the court.
B. Plea Bargaining.
2. The prosecuting attorney, defendant's attorney, or the defendant acting pro se, may reach an agreement that upon an entry of a plea of guilty to the offense charged or to a lesser or related offense, the attorney for the state may do any of the following:
a. Move for a dismissal of other charges; or
b. Make a recommendation to the trial court for a particular sentence, with the understanding that such recommendation or request will not be binding upon the court.
¶ 8. Numerous Mississippi cases present facts similar to the case sub judice where the defendant was indicted as an habitual offender, but was able to plead guilty to a lesser offense which did not include the habitual status or where the prosecutor chose not to indict the defendant as an habitual offender if he plead guilty to the indicted crime. See, e.g., Rush, 749 So.2d at 1025; Turner, 590 So.2d at 872-73; Wrenn, 802 So.2d at 179.
¶ 9. In the present case, a guilty plea hearing was conducted on November 21, 1996, after the trial had commenced. Although the trial judge was aware of Robinson's prior felony convictions, the trial judge acknowledged Robinson and his attorney had been engaged in plea bargain discussions with the prosecutor. He read the new charge which was listed only as felony sexual battery with no mention of an habitual status, and Robinson plead guilty to the charge. The State recommended a 20-year suspended sentence pending his future good behavior, which recommendation was accepted by the trial court and Robinson was sentenced pursuant to the recommendation. According to the sentencing order, Robinson plead guilty to a charge of sexual battery. Again, there was no mention of habitual status.
¶ 10. According to the docket sheet an agreed motion to reduce the charge, an order reducing the charge in Count I to non-habitual, an order accepting a plea to the reduced charge, a motion to retire the cause to the files as to Count II, an order retiring the cause to the files as to Count II, and a sentencing order in Count I were all filed on November 21, 1996. The court papers from the Circuit Court of Monroe County only contain the sentencing order. However, it is clear from the docket sheet and from the sentencing order that Robinson did not plead as an habitual offender. Because he did not plead guilty as an habitual offender, the trial court was under no obligation to sentence Robinson to the maximum statu tory penalty of thirty years. Despite Robinson's contention that he was somehow lured into pleading guilty, the record indicates that his plea was free and voluntary without threat or coersion. In fact, it is clear that Robinson avoided sentence as an habitual offender by a reduced non-habitual plea bargain. The trial judge is the ultimate decision maker as to whether or not to accept a plea of guilt and is also solely responsible for determining the appropriate sentence. The trial judge does not have to accept any sentence recommendation made during plea negotiations. Here, the trial court did accept the recommendation of the state and so sentenced Robinson accordingly. We hold that Robinson was not given an illegal sentence, but rather, he was appropriately sentenced according the governing statutes. We need not address § 47-7-33 as we find Robinson was not illegally sentenced for the reasons stated above.
CONCLUSION
¶ 11. The judgments of the Court of Appeals and the trial court are affirmed but for different reasons as previously discussed above. The sentence imposed by the trial court was not illegal but was proper in accordance with our statutes.
¶ 12. AFFIRMED.
PITTMAN, C.J., WALLER, DIAZ, EASLEY AND GRAVES, JJ., CONCUR. COBB, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY. CARLSON, J., CONCURS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED IN PART BY COBB, J. McRAE, P.J., NOT PARTICIPATING.
. On April 25, 1995, Robinson was indicted on one count of felony sexual battery and was charged under § 99-19-81 as a habitual offender. According to the indictment in cause number CR95-056, Robinson had previously been convicted for three house burglaries, one in Pontotoc County, and two in Union County-