Title: State v. Barnes
Citation: 100 Ariz. 334, 414 P.2d 149
Docket Number: 1629
State: Arizona
Issuer: Arizona Supreme Court
Date: May 11, 1966

100 Ariz. 334 (1966) 414 P.2d 149 STATE of Arizona, Appellee, v. Gerald Dean BARNES, Appellant. No. 1629. Supreme Court of Arizona. In Banc. May 11, 1966. *335 Darrell F. Smith, Atty. Gen., and Gary K. Nelson, Asst. Atty. Gen., David S. Ellsworth, Yuma County Atty., for appellee. Richards &amp; Heilman, Yuma, for appellant. BERNSTEIN, Vice Chief Justice. Appellant, hereinafter called defendant, appeals from the denial of a motion to withdraw his plea of guilty entered by the Superior Court of Yuma County. Defendant was charged with the crime of rape in violation of A.R.S. § 13-611 to which he entered a plea of guilty on May 19, 1965. He was sentenced on May 28th and began serving his term on May 31st. Defendant was represented by counsel when the plea of guilty was entered and at the time of sentencing. On July 28, 1965, almost two months after the imposition of sentence and while he was imprisoned, defendant filed motions to withdraw his plea of guilty and for the appointment of counsel which motions were denied. The trial court then appointed counsel to perfect this appeal. Counsel advises us in his brief that he is unable to find error. A.R.S. § 13-1715 compels us to search the record for fundamental error. State v. Burrell, 96 Ariz. 233, 393 P.2d 921; State v. Hanshaw, 97 Ariz. 109, 397 P.2d 220. There are two reasons why the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to withdraw his plea. Rule 188, Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S., provides that the trial court may permit a plea of guilty to be withdrawn "at any time before sentence." In the case of State v. Telavera, 76 Ariz. 183, 261 P.2d 997 this court had occasion to construe the statute which preceded and contained the same language as Rule 188. Telavera had served less than one month of his sentence when he moved to withdraw his plea of guilty. We said: In other words, the trial court cannot entertain a motion to withdraw a plea of guilty after pronouncing sentence whether *336 or not defendant has started to serve his term. The court in Telavera said: In the McKelvey case we said: We have examined the entire record and find no fundamental error. Affirmed. STRUCKMEYER, C.J., and UDALL, LOCKWOOD and McFARLAND, JJ., concurring.