Title: Oliver v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 95, 2012
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: April 5, 2012

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DARRELL J. OLIVER, 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 95, 2012 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  Cr. ID 1007013246 
§  
§ 
 
Submitted: March 6, 2012 
  Decided: April 5, 2012 
 
Before HOLLAND, BERGER, and JACOBS, Justices. 
 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 5th day of April 2012, upon consideration of the appellant's 
opening brief, the State’s motion to affirm, and the record below, it appears 
to the Court that: 
(1) 
The defendant-appellant, Darrell Oliver, filed this appeal from 
the Superior Court’s denial of his motion for correction of sentence pursuant 
to Superior Court Criminal Rule 35(a).  The State has moved to affirm the 
judgment below on the ground that it is manifest on the face of Oliver’s 
opening brief that his appeal is without merit.  We agree and affirm. 
(2) 
The record reflects that Oliver pled guilty on December 7, 2010 
to one count of Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited 
 
 
-2-
(PDWPP),1 one count of Resisting Arrest,2 and one count of Noncompliance 
with Bond.3  The Superior Court immediately sentenced him as follows: (i) 
eight years at Level V incarceration, to be suspended after serving three 
years for six years at Level IV home confinement or halfway house, to be 
suspended in turn after serving 6 months at Level IV for 18 months at Level 
III probation for PDWPP; (ii) a fine of $1000 for Resisting Arrest; and (iii) a 
find of $1000 for Noncompliance with Bond. In August 2011, Oliver moved 
for a reduction of his sentence, which the Superior Court denied.  On 
December 30, 2011, Oliver filed a motion for correction of sentence.  The 
Superior Court denied that motion on February 6, 2012.  This appeal 
followed. 
(3) 
In his opening brief on appeal, Oliver contends that his sentence 
for PDWPP is illegal because the Superior Court sentenced him to eight 
years at Level V to be suspended after serving three years in prison for lesser 
degrees of supervision.  According to Oliver, the Superior Court’s sentence 
is illegal because Section 1448(e)(4) of Title 114 prohibits suspension of any 
                                                 
1 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1448(a)(3) (2007). 
2 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1257(b) (2007). 
3 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 2113(c)(1) (2007). 
4 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1448(e)(1) sets forth the minimum mandatory sentences for a conviction of 
PDWPP depending upon the defendant’s prior criminal record.  Section 1448(e)(4) provides, “Any 
sentence imposed for a violation of this subsection shall not be subject to suspension and no person 
convicted for a violation of this subsection shall be eligible for good time, parole or probation during the 
period of the sentence imposed.” 
 
 
-3-
portion of a sentence imposed for PDWPP.  Oliver appears to contend that, 
because the Superior Court was required to sentence him to a three year 
minimum mandatory term pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 1448(e)(1)(b), then a 
three-year year term of incarceration was the longest sentence that the 
Superior Court could impose. 
(4) 
We find no merit to Oliver’s argument.  As the Superior Court 
correctly pointed out, Section 1448(e)(4) prohibits the Superior Court from 
suspending any period of the minimum mandatory term required to be 
imposed under Section 1448(e)(1), which in Oliver’s case was a three-year 
minimum term.  Section 1448(c) provides that PDWPP is a class D felony if 
the deadly weapon is a firearm, as it was in Oliver’s case.  Section 
4205(b)(4) provides that the maximum sentence for a class D felony is eight 
years.5  Thus, given the particular circumstances of Oliver’s case, the 
Superior Court was required to impose a minimum sentence of three years 
but could have sentenced Oliver to a maximum sentence of eight years.  
Pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 4205(e), the Superior Court was permitted to 
suspend any portion of Oliver’s sentence in excess of the mandatory 
minimum sentence.  Accordingly, the Superior Court was legally permitted 
                                                 
5 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 4205(b)(4) (2007). 
 
 
-4-
to sentence Oliver to eight years in prison to be suspended after serving three 
years.6 
(5) 
Although the State moves to affirm the Superior Court’s 
judgment below, counsel for the State points out a possible clerical error in 
the Superior Court’s PDWPP sentence with regards to the six-year term 
imposed at Level IV.  The State suggests that the Superior Court likely 
intended to impose a five-year term at Level IV.  Because there is no 
transcript of the sentencing proceeding to establish the Superior Court’s 
intention, we do not address this issue at this time.  We note that if there is a 
clerical error in the sentence, the Superior Court may correct the clerical 
error at any time upon notice to the parties or upon motion filed by either 
party.7   
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the State's motion to 
affirm is GRANTED.  The judgment of the Superior Court denying Oliver’s 
motion for correction of illegal sentence is AFFIRMED. 
BY THE COURT: 
 
/s/ Carolyn Berger 
Justice 
                                                 
6 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 4205(e) (2007). 
7 See Del. Super. Ct. Crim. R. 36 (2012) (providing that clerical mistakes in order may be corrected by the 
Court at any time).