Title: Myers v. Frazier
Citation: 319 S.E.2d 782
Docket Number: 
State: west-virginia
Issuer: west-virginia Supreme Court
Date: June 27, 1984

Myers v. Frazier Annotate this Case 319 S.E.2d 782 (1984) Annetta MYERS v. The Hon. John R. FRAZIER, etc. Annetta MYERS v. Larry E. LOSCH, etc., et al. Nos. 16114, 16111. Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. June 27, 1984. *787 Dan L. Hardway, Charleston, for appellant. Jesser & Harrington, Keenan, Gallaher & Keenan, Fayetteville, Jack Thompson, Oak Hill, John W. Swisher, Chauncey H. Browning, Atty. Gen., and Greg W. Bailey, Deputy Atty. Gen., Charleston, for appellees. *783 *784 *785 *786 MILLER, Justice: Annetta Myers, as a concerned citizen and resident of Fayette County, West Virginia, seeks to have three Fayette County deputy sheriffs tried on charges of sexual assault, false swearing, and related offenses. She has filed separate petitions for writs of prohibition and mandamus before this Court,[1] which we have consolidated for purposes of argument and this opinion. The writ of prohibition sought by the petitioner is directed at Special Judge John Frazier[2] to prohibit him from entering a final order accepting separate agreements presented by Deputies Leland Dempsey and Dave Brown, which recommended a resolution of the charges filed against them. Further relief is sought to prohibit the entry of any order granting immunity to Deputy Rick Pennington. The petitioner seeks a writ of mandamus against Special Prosecutor Larry Losch[3] requiring him to withdraw his promise of immunity to Pennington and to have Pennington indicted and prosecuted on sexual assault and false swearing-related charges. On October 13, 1982, Pennington, Dempsey, and Brown allegedly forced a 24-year-old woman to perform oral sex on each of them in the bedroom of her trailer.[4] At the time of the alleged offense, the three deputies were on duty, in uniform, and armed with guns. At some time during the ensuing *788 investigation, Special Prosecutor Losch orally agreed to grant immunity to Pennington if he would cooperate in the prosecution of Dempsey and Brown. Pennington agreed to cooperate and was never indicted for any crime. No order approved by a court has been entered granting Pennington immunity. On March 3, 1983, Dempsey and Brown were indicted for first degree sexual assault, false swearing, and conspiracy to commit false swearing, but this indictment was later found to be defective and was dismissed upon Brown's motion. On September 14, 1983, Dempsey and Brown were again indicted for first degree sexual assault. Special Prosecutor Losch also filed a five-count information against Dempsey and Brown on October 12, 1983, charging each with conspiring to commit false swearing and additionally charging Brown with procuring false swearing and Dempsey with three counts of committing false swearing. These false swearing charges arose out of proceedings before the Fayette County Grand Jury in February, 1983, in which Pennington and Dempsey denied ever having sexual intercourse with the 24-year-old woman. Brown asserted his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Prior to trial, Dempsey and Brown were able, through their respective attorneys, to negotiate agreements with Special Prosecutor Losch. In the written plea agreement presented to Special Judge Frazier, Dempsey agreed to plead nolo contendere to one count of false swearing in return for the dismissal with prejudice of the remaining counts in the information and the sexual assault indictment. The agreement further stated that the prosecutor and Dempsey agreed that probation for a period of not more than five years would be appropriate, with the imposition of any possible fine left up to the court. Brown's agreement indicated that in return for the dismissal with prejudice of the sexual assault indictment and all relevant counts of the misdemeanor information, Brown agreed not to be a county or city police officer in Fayette County, West Virginia for a period of five years. Special Judge Frazier examined Dempsey, pursuant to Rule 11 of the West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure, and determined that the nolo contendere plea was voluntarily and intelligently made. He orally accepted both of the proposed agreements, sentenced Dempsey to five years probation and fined him $1,000. Ms. Myers filed her petitions with this Court prior to the entry of any final written judgment by Special Judge Frazier. I. THE PLEA PROCEDURE We have sanctioned plea bargain concepts in a number of cases and have stated in State ex rel. Gray v. McClure, W.Va., 242 S.E.2d 704 , 705 (1978), that "[p]lea bargaining has been a part of West Virginia law for at least forty-six years. State v. Ward, 112 W.Va. 552, 165 S.E. 803 (1932)." Until the adoption of Rule 11 of the West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure, effective October 1, 1981, the procedures surrounding the plea bargaining process were largely developed through case law. E.g., Blackburn v. State, W.Va., 290 S.E.2d 22 (1982); State ex rel. Morris v. Mohn, W.Va., 267 S.E.2d 443 (1980); State v. Olish, W.Va., 2 66 S.E.2d 1 34 (1980); State v. Wayne, W.Va., 245 S.E.2d 838 (1978); Brooks v. Narick, W.Va., 243 S.E.2d 841 (1978); Call v. McKenzie, 159 W.Va. 191, 220 S.E.2d 665 (1975); State ex rel. Clancy v. Coiner, 154 W.Va. 857, 179 S.E.2d 726 (1971). With the advent of Rule 11, which is modeled after Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a detailed set of standards and procedures now exists governing the plea bargaining process. For example, we have held that: "West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 11, gives a trial court discretion to refuse a plea bargain." Syllabus Point 5, W.Va., State v. Guthrie, 315 S.E.2d 397 (1984).[5] *789 We need not for the purposes of this opinion make a comprehensive analysis of Rule 11. It will be sufficient to examine those provisions of Rule 11 that have a bearing on Dempsey's plea agreement.[6] First, Rule 11(b) makes it clear that a defendant has no absolute right to enter a nolo contendere plea: "Nolo Contendere.A defendant may plead nolo contendere only with the consent of the court. Such a plea shall be accepted by the court only after due consideration of the views of the parties and the interest of the public in the effective administration of justice." Second, under Rule 11(e)(2), the power is vested in the circuit court to accept or reject a plea agreement or to defer acting on it[7] until the court obtains a presentence report under Rule 32(c).[8] Furthermore, Rule 11(e)(4) spells out the procedure to be used when a court rejects a plea bargain.[9] Obviously, one purpose for the presentence report is to enable the court to obtain information with regard to the defendant's background in order to make an informed decision as to whether to accept or reject the guilty or nolo contendere plea. Many jurisdictions have concluded generally that a court, in exercising its discretion to accept or reject a plea agreement, should consider whether the plea agreement is consistent with the public interest or, stated in a slightly different form, whether it promotes the ends or interests of justice. See, e.g., United States v. Bean, 564 F.2d 700, 704 (5th Cir.1977); United States v. Gallington, 488 F.2d 637, 640, 27 A.L.R.Fed. 582, 588 (8th Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 907, 94 S. Ct. 1613, 40 L. Ed. 2d 112 (1974); United States v. Miller, 722 F.2d 562, 563 (9th Cir.1983); United States v. Barker, 681 F.2d 589, 592 (9th Cir.1982); State v. Superior Court, 125 Ariz. 575, 577, 611 P.2d 928 , 930 (1980) (in banc); Blinken v. State, 291 Md. 297, 308, 435 A.2d 86, 91 (1981), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 973, 102 S. Ct. 2235, 72 L. Ed. 2d 846 (1982); State v. Thomas, 61 N.J. 314, 322, 294 A.2d 57 , 61 (1972); State v. Haner, 95 Wash. 2d 858 , 865, 631 P.2d 381 , 385 (1981) (en banc). *790 We conclude that a court's ultimate discretion in accepting or rejecting a plea agreement is whether it is consistent with the public interest in the fair administration of justice. This general standard is not markedly different from the language in Rule 11(b), which states that a court should not accept a nolo contendere plea[10] until "after due consideration of the views of the parties and the interest of the public in the effective administration of justice." Furthermore, as we discuss in more detail in Part II, courts have utilized a similar standard in connection with the dismissal of criminal charges under Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and related statutes. As to what is meant by a plea bargain being in the public interest in the fair administration of justice, there is the initial consideration that the plea bargain must be found to have been voluntarily and intelligently entered into by the defendant and that there is a factual basis for his guilty plea. Rule 11(d) and (f). In addition to these factors, which inure to the defendant's benefit, we believe that consideration must be given not only to the general public's perception that crimes should be prosecuted, but to the interests of the victim as well.[11] Similar thoughts were expressed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in State v. Kenyon, 85 Wis.2d 36, 47, 270 N.W.2d 160 , 165 (1978): "While the concerns expressed by the court for the defendant were legitimate and proper and go to the public interest to a limited degree, there must also be some concern with the public's right to have the crimes actually committed fairly prosecuted and to the protection of the rights of third persons. The court should consider the various elements as they appear and then exercise its discretion." A review of cases suggests some of the more obvious guidelines that a trial court should use in determining whether a plea agreement should be accepted or rejected. A primary test is in light of the entire criminal event and given the defendant's *791 prior criminal record, whether the plea bargain enables the court to dispose of the case in a manner commensurate with the seriousness of the criminal charges and the character and background of the defendant. One of the leading cases in this area is United States v. Bean, 564 F.2d 700 (5th Cir.1977), in which the defendant appealed the district court's refusal to accept his guilty plea to auto theft, pursuant to a plea bargain that would have required the dismissal of one count of burglary also charged in the indictment. The Fifth Circuit upheld the district court, noting that "since the counts dismissed pursuant to plea bargains often carry heavier penalties than the counts for which a guilty plea is entered, a plea bargain to dismiss charges is an indirect effort to limit the sentencing power of the judge." 564 F.2d at 704. The court also noted that the defendant had a prior burglary and theft conviction, for which he had served four years, and had also served time for unlawfully carrying a weapon. It affirmed the district judge's conclusion "that the plea bargain did not provide for imposition of a sentence commensurate with the offense and the dangerous character of the offender." 564 F.2d at 704. See also United States v. Escobar Noble, 653 F.2d 34 (1st Cir.1981); United States v. Adams, 634 F.2d 830, 56 A.L.R.Fed. 510 (5th Cir.1981); United States v. Ocanas, 628 F.2d 353 (5th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 984, 101 S. Ct. 2316, 68 L. Ed. 2d 840 (1981); United States v. Munroe, 493 F. Supp. 134 (E.D.Tenn.1980); State v. Todd, 654 S.W.2d 379 (Tenn.1983). It has also been recognized that a plea agreement may be both reasonable and necessary when it is designed to secure a legitimate and important prosecutorial interest. A typical illustration is where the prosecutor enters into a favorable plea bargain with the defendant in order to obtain critical testimony needed to convict an accomplice. E.g., United States v. Hamm, 659 F.2d 624 (5th Cir.1981). Some courts have also considered Standard 14-1.8(a) of the American Bar Association's Standards for Criminal Justice (2d ed.1982), which provides that "[i]t is proper for the court to grant charge and sentence concessions to defendants who enter a plea of guilty or nolo contendere when consistent with the protection of the public, the gravity of the offense, and the needs of the defendant." The following factors, if established by substantial evidence, are listed as being relevant to whether a plea bargain should be approved: (i) the genuine contriteness of the defendant and his willingness to assume responsibility for his conduct; (ii) the possibility that the plea bargain may make possible alternative correctional measures; and (iii) the avoidance of trial may spare the victims unseemly public scrutiny or embarrassment. To this list, we would also add that there may be cases where the public interest is best served by having the case tried so that public confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained.[12] To ensure that the trial court properly exercises its discretion in accepting or rejecting plea agreements, it is incumbent upon the prosecutor to inform the court of his reasons for proposing the plea agreement. The Eighth Circuit in Gallington, 488 F.2d at 640, mandated that in addition to the procedures specified in Rule 11, "[j]udges are to require the agreement to *792 be disclosed in open court at the time the plea is offered and require that the reasons for reaching the agreement be set forth in detail." (Footnotes omitted) See also United States v. Mack, 655 F.2d 843, 847 (8th Cir.1981); American Bar Association's Standards for Criminal Justice, Standard 14-3.3(a) (2d ed.1982). Requiring a prosecutor to state his reasons for entering into a plea agreement with a defendant is as essential as requiring a statement of reasons supporting a motion for the dismissal of criminal charges, as discussed in Part II of this opinion. We, therefore, conclude that a prosecutor has a duty to inform the trial court of his specific reasons for entering into a plea agreement with a defendant. The trial court also has the right to be informed not only of the terms of the agreement, but also of the circumstances surrounding the criminal episode which is covered by the plea bargain. Additionally, the court is entitled to secure all relevant information surrounding the background, prior criminal record, and the degree of criminal involvement of the defendant to assist it in determining whether to accept or reject the tendered plea bargain. II. DISMISSAL OF CHARGES The two written agreements made between the defendants, Dempsey and Brown, and Special Prosecutor Losch recommend the dismissal or nolle prosequi of all the criminal charges, except for the count of false swearing to which Dempsey pled nolo contendere. We held in Syllabus Point 1 of Denham v. Robinson, 72 W.Va. 243, 77 S.E. 970 (1913), that a prosecutor cannot dismiss criminal charges without the prior approval of the court: "The entry of a nolle prosequi by the prosecuting attorney, though the attorney general joins therein, without the consent of the court, is ineffective to discontinue a prosecution upon an indictment by a grand jury." We also stated in Syllabus Point 2 of Denham that while at common law the prosecutor had complete discretion to enter a nolle prosequi, this was not the law in the Virginias: "Though the rule at common law is otherwise, the practice long followed in Virginia, before the separation, and since then in trial courts of this state has become crystalized into our law, and a nolle prosequi entered without the consent of the court will be unavailing to discharge the accused from prosecution."[13] See also State v. Ward, 112 W.Va. 552, 165 S.E. 803, 85 A.L.R. 1175 (1932).[14] As a corollary to this rule and in order to guide the court in determining whether to consent to a nolle prosequi, we said in State ex rel. Skinner v. Dostert, W.Va., 278 S.E.2d 624 , 632 (1981), that the prosecutor must give the court his reasons for recommending a nolle prosequi: "[T]he prosecutor has a duty to support his action with reviewable reasons and since the court entertaining the motion to dismiss is entitled to have all of the relevant facts of the case before it rules on the motion, the prosecutor must have a knowledge of all the circumstances surrounding the case before he can legitimately move for a nolle prosequi." The requirement that a dismissal of criminal charges requires the consent of the court is incorporated into Rule 48(a) of the West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure,[15]*793 which basically follows Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. There is ample federal and state authority for the proposition that under such rule, specific reasons must be given by the prosecutor for the dismissal so that the trial court judge can competently decide whether to consent to the dismissal. See, e.g., United States v. Ammidown, 497 F.2d 615, 620 (D.C.Cir.1973); United States v. Salinas, 693 F.2d 348, 352 (5th Cir.1982); United States v. Derr, 726 F.2d 617, 619 (10th Cir.1984); United States v. Doe, 101 F. Supp. 609 , 611 (D.Conn.1951); United States v. Shanahan, 168 F. Supp. 225 , 229 (S.D.Ind.1958); United States v. Becker, 221 F. Supp. 950 , 953 (W.D.Mo.1963); United States v. Greater Blouse, Skirt & Neckwear Contractors Ass'n, 228 F. Supp. 483 , 486 (S.D.N.Y.1964); United States v. Butler, 486 F. Supp. 1285 , 1294 (E.D.Tex.1980), rev'd sub nom., United States v. Hamm, 659 F.2d 624 (5th Cir.1981) (en banc); Turner v. District Court, 188 Colo. 146, 150, 533 P.2d 498 , 500 (1975) (en banc); State v. Lloyd, 185 Conn. 199, 202, 440 A.2d 867, 869 (1981); Manning v. Engelkes, 281 N.W.2d 7 , 9 (Iowa 1979); Genesee County Prosecutor v. Genesee Circuit Judge, 391 Mich. 115, 120, 215 N.W.2d 145 , 147 (1974); State v. Aubol, 309 Minn. 323, 325, 244 N.W.2d 636 , 638 (1976); 8B J. Moore, Moore's Federal Practice ¶ 48.02[2] (2d ed.1983); 3A C. Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure § 812 (2d ed.1982); Annot., 48 A.L.R.Fed. 635 (1980). Moreover, most of the foregoing courts also hold that as a general rule, a trial court should not grant a motion to dismiss criminal charges unless the dismissal is consonant with the public interest in the fair administration of justice. See also United States v. Perate, 719 F.2d 706, 710 (4th Cir.1983); United States v. Cowan, 524 F.2d 504, 512 (5th Cir.1975), cert. denied, 425 U.S. 971, 96 S. Ct. 2168, 48 L. Ed. 2d 795 (1976); United States v. Dupris, 664 F.2d 169, 174 (8th Cir.1981); United States v. Weber, 721 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir.1983); United States v. Del Vecchio, 707 F.2d 1214, 1216 (11th Cir.1983); United States v. Hastings, 447 F. Supp. 534 , 537 (E.D.Ark.1977); United States v. N.V. Nederlandsche Combinatie Voor Chemische Industrie, 428 F. Supp. 114 , 117 (S.D.N.Y.1977). This public interest standard is the same as the standard applied to the acceptance of plea agreements under Rule 11, discussed in Part I of this opinion. Absent some peculiar feature in the particular case, we believe the considerations that we have outlined in Part I for determining whether to accept or reject a plea bargain are equally applicable to the dismissal of criminal charges under Rule 48(a). In the majority of situations, most dismissals under Rule 48(a) arise in connection with a plea bargain.[16] *794 We have been provided the transcript of the hearing before the trial court on November 19, 1983. At this hearing, Special Prosecutor Losch argued in support of the Dempsey and Brown agreements.[17] In light of the foregoing law, we conclude that general statements by a prosecutor that a dismissal of criminal charges would effectuate the efficient and proper administration of justice are not specific enough to support the dismissal. Nor is it sufficient for a prosecutor to generally conclude that the case is difficult and might be lost, because uncertainty is inherent in any litigation. What is needed from a prosecutor is a statement of the salient facts and specific reasons that would provide a trial court with some basis for concluding that the dismissal of criminal charges is warranted, following the criteria which we have set out in Part I, infra. We again stress the primary test, as noted in Part I, is whether the plea bargain is too lenient when viewed in the light of the entire criminal event and the defendant's prior criminal record. It is possible that the special prosecutor had some valid reasons to support the agreements with Dempsey and Brown and, consequently, the proposed dismissal of charges under Rule 48(a) might possibly be warranted. These specific reasons, however, were not given to the special judge in any of the proceedings below. At this point, none of the criminal charges against either Dempsey or Brown have been dismissed. Rule 48(a) requires a prosecutor, following a court's approval of a dismissal, to "file a dismissal of an indictment, information, or complaint." We interpret *795 the requirement that a prosecutor "file a dismissal" to mean that a written order must be signed by a judge before prosecution terminates on the criminal charges dismissed in the written order. This interpretation is consistent with our view, discussed more fully in Part III, that the plea bargaining process necessitates that a court be given flexibility and the authority to change its earlier decisions as either new facts are discovered or previous oral rulings are reconsidered. The special judge in the present case has only orally approved of the dismissals proposed in the agreements, which does not in and of itself serve to formally dismiss the outstanding indictments and informations. Therefore, the dismissal of criminal charges is not completed until a written order approved by a judge has been entered of record dismissing criminal indictments or informations, pursuant to Rule 48(a) and the standards and procedures discussed herein. III. THE JEOPARDY BAR The defendant Dempsey urges that further reconsideration of his plea is foreclosed because jeopardy attached once the circuit court orally agreed to accept his nolo contendere plea, pursuant to the plea agreement, and orally pronounced sentence thereon. In his view, the lack of a written order accepting the plea and imposing a sentence is not material. We disagree. Although general language can be found to the effect that jeopardy attaches once a plea of guilty or nolo contendere is accepted by a trial court, see, e.g., United States v. Cambindo Valencia, 609 F.2d 603, 637 (2d Cir.1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 940, 100 S. Ct. 2163, 64 L. Ed. 2d 795 (1980); United States v. Jerry, 487 F.2d 600, 606 (3d Cir.1973); United States v. Bullock, 579 F.2d 1116, 1118 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 967, 99 S. Ct. 456, 58 L. Ed. 2d 425 (1978); Nardone v. Mullen, 113 R.I. 415, 418, 322 A.2d 27 , 29 (1974); but see United States v. Combs, 634 F.2d 1295, 1298 (10th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 913, 101 S. Ct. 1987, 68 L. Ed. 2d 304 (1981), this statement is usually made without any extended analysis of double jeopardy principles. We agree with the following remarks made in United States v. Cruz, 709 F.2d 111, 113-14 (1st Cir.1983), where the court reviewed a number of these cases which comment on the attachment of jeopardy in a plea bargaining situation: "None of these cases, however, analyze in depth the reasons for the application of the double jeopardy rule and all of them are factually distinguishable from the situation before us. For several reasons we do not think that jeopardy must attach automatically and irrevocably in all instances when a guilty plea is accepted. Acceptance of a guilty plea to a lesser offense carries no implied acquittal of the greater offense and for this reason is not the same as a verdict. See Klobuchir v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 639 F.2d 966 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1031, 102 S. Ct. 566, 70 L. Ed. 2d 474 (1981); Hawk v. Berkemer, 610 F.2d 445 (6th Cir.1979). Moreover, the `ordeal' of a Rule 11 proceeding is significantly different from the ordeal of trial: Rule 11 hearings are not trials, and the defendant here was never in jeopardy of conviction on any charge except the lesser offense to which his plea was offered." (Footnote omitted) We have generally followed the United States Supreme Court's holdings with regard to when jeopardy attaches, as summarized in United States v. Martin Linen Supply Co., 430 U.S. 564 , 569, 97 S. Ct. 1349, 1353, 51 L. Ed. 2d 642, 650 (1977): "The protections afforded by the [Double Jeopardy] Clause are implicated only when the accused has actually been placed in jeopardy.... This state of jeopardy attaches when a jury is empaneled and sworn, or, in a bench trial, when the judge begins to receive evidence." (Citations omitted) See Syllabus Point 1, Adkins v. Leverette, W.Va., 264 S.E.2d 154 (1980);[18]*796 Syllabus Point 4, Manning v. Inge, W.Va., 288 S.E.2d 178 (1982).[19] We are not aware of any United States Supreme Court opinion which discusses when jeopardy attaches in a plea bargaining situation. The rules regarding the attachment of jeopardy at a jury or a nonjury trial[20] cannot be directly transposed to the plea bargain process because of the inherent differences between the plea bargain procedure and the formal adjudicatory process arising from a criminal trial. A plea agreement is proposed after a process of informal and off-the-record negotiations between a prosecutor and a defense attorney, who cooperate with each other in seeking to resolve the case in a way that is acceptable to both parties. As one commentator observed, "[P]lea bargaining commonly occurs in private where no victim, member of the public, or other watchdog is likely to see it and howl." Alschuler, Implementing the Criminal Defendant's Right to Trial: Alternatives to the Plea Bargaining System, 50 U.Chi.L.Rev. 931, 962 (1983). Once the parties have arrived at a plea bargain, there is no adversarial relationship between a prosecutor and a defense attorney in the traditional sense because both parties seek to have a court ratify and implement the agreement.[21] Plea agreements frequently contain multiple conditions which, besides sentencing recommendations, may cover a host of matters, such as agreements to allow pleas to lesser included offenses, to dismiss indictment counts or other indictments, to forego additional charges, or to forego recidivist proceedings. In some instances, the obligation of a prosecutor to recommend a sentence or a dismissal of charges under a plea agreement is predicated on a defendant agreeing to testify truthfully in later trials. In these circumstances, the plea will be accepted pursuant to the plea bargain with the agreed sentence either imposed or deferred. If the defendant materially violates a condition of his plea agreement, courts have uniformly permitted the *797 plea bargain to be set aside by the prosecutor, who may then pursue the charges previously covered by the plea agreement.[22]E.g., United States v. Nathan, 476 F.2d 456 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 823, 94 S. Ct. 171, 38 L. Ed. 2d 56 (1973); United States v. Simmons, 537 F.2d 1260 (4th Cir.1976); United States v. Donahey, 529 F.2d 831 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 828, 97 S. Ct. 85, 50 L. Ed. 2d 91 (1976); United States v. Calabrese, 645 F.2d 1379 (10th Cir.); cert. denied, 451 U.S. 1018, 101 S. Ct. 3008, 69 L. Ed. 2d 390, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 831, 102 S. Ct. 127, 70 L. Ed. 2d 108 (1981); State v. Nall, 379 So. 2d 731 (La.1980); Sweetwine v. State, 42 Md.App. 1, 398 A.2d 1262 (1979), aff'd, 288 Md. 199, 421 A.2d 60, cert. denied, 449 U.S. 1017, 101 S. Ct. 579, 66 L. Ed. 2d 477 (1980); State v. Rivest, 106 Wis.2d 406, 316 N.W.2d 395 (1982); Annot., 16 A.L.R.4th 1089 (1982). Although these courts do not address the jeopardy consequences in this situation, these cases do suggest facets of the plea bargaining process that merit consideration in fashioning a double jeopardy rule. Plea bargaining is far removed from the traditional guilt-finding process attendant to a jury or nonjury trial. The primary purpose of a plea bargain arrangement is to avoid the factual guilt determination process, as well as to avoid the ordeal of multiple trials. The court's role is not to make a formal adjudication of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on the charge to which the defendant is willing to plead,[23] nor does the court determine whether the defendant is innocent of the charges which the prosecutor is willing to dismiss. The central role of the court in a plea bargain, insofar as the defendant is concerned, is to ascertain that the plea is voluntarily and intelligently made and that the defendant understands its consequences and the constitutional rights he is waiving. As we have previously noted, there are courts which have stated that jeopardy attaches once a plea is accepted by the judge and have required the judge to be bound by the plea agreement, including the stipulated sentence. However, to hold that a court is bound to a sentence at the time a plea is accepted and before sentence is actually pronounced and executed is contrary to those cases which hold that a court may increase a previously imposed sentence prior to the time the defendant commences serving under it.[24] In Neidinger v. United States, 647 F.2d 408, 410 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 859, 102 S. Ct. 311, 70 *798 L. Ed. 2d 155 (1981), the Fourth Circuit explained in reference to the authority of a court to modify a sentence, that "[c]onstitutional protection against double jeopardy does not attach prior to the commencement of a sentence. See, e.g., United States v. Bynoe, 562 F.2d 126 (1st Cir.1977); Acme Poultry Corp. v. United States, 146 F.2d 738 (4th Cir.1944), cert. denied, 324 U.S. 860, 65 S. Ct. 865, 89 L. Ed. 2d 1417 (1945)." See also United States v. Ford, 632 F.2d 1354, 1380 (9th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 934, 101 S. Ct. 1399, 67 L. Ed. 2d 369 (1981); United States v. Davidson, 597 F.2d 230, 233 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 861, 100 S. Ct. 127, 62 L. Ed. 2d 83 (1979); State v. Ryan, 86 N.J. 1, 8, 429 A.2d 332 , 336, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 880, 102 S. Ct. 363, 70 L. Ed. 2d 190 (1981).[25] We have adopted a similar rule, without, however, referring to jeopardy principles, in Syllabus Point 2 of State ex rel. Roberts v. Tucker, 143 W.Va. 114, 100 S.E.2d 550 (1957): "Where imprisonment has begun in satisfaction of a valid sentence, the trial court is without jurisdiction, even during the same term of court, to set aside such valid sentence and impose an additional or increased sentence." Roberts relied on State ex rel. Williams v. Riffe, 127 W.Va. 573, 578, 34 S.E.2d 21, 23 (1945), where we did refer to double jeopardy: "[I]n criminal cases where the judgment has been satisfied in whole or in part, [the rule] is limited to those cases in which the trial court reduces the penalty imposed. Cases in which the penalty is increased are treated as subjecting the accused to double jeopardy and therefore the second sentence is void, leaving in effect the original sentence."[26] We conclude that the entry of a nolo contendere or a guilty plea pursuant to a plea bargain and the oral pronouncement of a sentence by a circuit court does not impose a double jeopardy bar where the defendant has not served any portion of the sentence. We reject the idea that jeopardy attaches when a plea is accepted as being inconsistent with the complex and contingent nature of plea bargaining and as impeding the authority of a court to decide ultimately whether the plea agreement serves the public interest in the fair administration of justice. We therefore conclude that in the present case, the oral acceptance of Dempsey's nolo contendere plea, pursuant to a plea agreement, and the oral imposition of sentence does not impose a jeopardy bar that can be claimed by Dempsey where he has not served any portion of the sentence. IV. RULE 11(e)(2) & (3) Some courts appear to avoid the jeopardy issue by interpreting Rule 11(e)(2) & (3) as requiring a court to be permanently bound *799 to its initial oral acceptance of a plea agreement. E.g., United States v. Blackwell, 694 F.2d 1325, 1338-39 (D.C.Cir.1982); Cruz, 709 F.2d at 115; United States v. Burruezo, 704 F.2d 33, 38 (2d Cir.1983); United States v. Holman, 728 F.2d 809, 812 (6th Cir.1984);[27]United States v. Runck, 601 F.2d 968, 970 (8th Cir.1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1015, 100 S. Ct. 665, 62 L. Ed. 2d 644 (1980); Banks v. State, 56 Md.App. 38, 47, 466 A.2d 69 , 73 (1983).[28] Conversely, several jurisdictions have held, without any extensive discussion of the procedural rule involved, that a court may initially accept a plea agreement and then later reject it, provided the defendant is permitted to withdraw his plea. See Dolchok v. State, 639 P.2d 277 (Alaska 1982); Reaves v. State, 417 So. 2d 1000 (Fla.App.1982); Barker v. State, 259 So. 2d 200 (Fla.App.1972); State v. Wenzel, 306 N.W.2d 769 (Iowa 1981); People v. Dulin, 122 Mich.App. 382, 332 N.W.2d 492 (1983). Rule 11(e)(2) authorizes a court to accept, reject, or defer its acceptance of a plea agreement until the presentence report is considered. Rule 11(e)(3) provides: "If the court accepts the plea agreement, the court shall inform the defendant that it will embody in the judgment and sentence the disposition provided for in the plea agreement." The rationale generally given by those courts that bind a trial court to its initial oral acceptance of a plea agreement rests upon the premise that Rule 11(e)(2) permits a trial court to defer acceptance until the presentence report is considered. Consequently, a trial court that has not deferred accepting the plea agreement is bound.[29] However, this position is unduly semantic because it looks to the language that a court uses rather than to its actions. From a standpoint of judicial economy, a court may wish to conditionally accept the guilty plea and hold the voluntariness and factual basis hearing as required by Rule 11(d) and (f). Until the court is satisfied on these points, there would be no necessity for ordering a presentence report. Furthermore, we fail to see how a defendant suffers any harm if Rule 11(e)(2) and (3) are interpreted as not binding the trial court to its initial acceptance of the plea agreement. It is clear from Rule 11(e)(4),[30] that if the trial court ultimately rejects the plea bargain, it must "afford the defendant the opportunity to then withdraw his plea." Thus, the defendant is *800 placed back in the position he was in before the bargain was made. It may be argued that a defendant loses the benefit of his previously accepted bargain when it is later rejected by a trial court. However, a plea bargain is conditional until a trial court has reviewed it and has ascertained its acceptability in light of the criminal act, the defendant's criminal record and the interest of the public. To hold otherwise is to deny the trial court its legitimate role in deciding whether to accept or reject a plea bargain, which it is clearly authorized to do under Rule 11(e). A strict interpretation of Rule 11(e)(2) & (3) also ignores not only the well recognized principle, discussed more fully in Part III, supra, that a court may increase a sentence before a defendant commences serving under it, but also ignores the authority of a trial court to reconsider and rescind previously announced oral or interlocutory orders. See, e.g., United States v. Green, 414 F.2d 1174, 1175 (D.C.Cir.1969); United States v. LoRusso, 695 F.2d 45, 52 (2d Cir.1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1070, 103 S. Ct. 1525, 75 L. Ed. 2d 948 (1983); Jerry, 487 F.2d at 604; United States v. Farrah, 715 F.2d 1097, 1099 (6th Cir.1983); United States v. Waite, 450 F. Supp. 1165, 1167 (W.D.Pa.1978). See also Syllabus Point 2, State ex rel. Kincaid v. Spillers, W.Va., 268 S.E.2d 137 (1980). We, therefore, conclude that under Rule 11, a trial court is not foreclosed from accepting a plea, which is made pursuant to a plea agreement, and conditioning its acceptance upon the receipt of a presentence report. After considering the presentence report, the trial court may reject the plea agreement, in which event it shall permit the defendant to withdraw his plea, pursuant to the procedure outlined in Rule 11(e)(4). In the present case, the special judge is not bound to his initial oral acceptance of the agreements presented by Dempsey and Brown. Should the special judge decide, upon further reflection or upon the receipt of additional information, that the agreements do not promote the public interest in the fair administration of justice, he has the authority to reject the agreements, provided Dempsey is given the opportunity to withdraw his nolo contendere plea. V. PROHIBITION The petitioner's status is that of a resident, taxpayer, and concerned citizen of Fayette County. The respondents challenge her standing to maintain a writ of prohibition. In reviewing our prohibition cases, we note that the general rule for standing is expressed in Syllabus Point 6 of State ex rel. Linger v. County Court of Upshur County, 150 W.Va. 207, 144 S.E.2d 689 (1965): "As a general rule any person who will be affected or injured by the proceeding which he seeks to prohibit is entitled to apply for a writ of prohibition; but a person who has no interest in such proceeding and whose rights will not be affected or injured by it can not do so." See also State ex rel. Glass Blowers Ass'n v. Silver, 151 W.Va. 749, 155 S.E.2d 564 (1967); State ex rel. Gordon Memorial Hospital, Inc. v. West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Registered Nurses, 136 W.Va. 88, 66 S.E.2d 1 (1951); Midland Investment Corp. v. Ballard, 101 W.Va. 591, 133 S.E. 316 (1926), overruled on other grounds, State ex rel. Blankenship v. McHugh, 158 W.Va. 986, 217 S.E.2d 49 (1975). We have also recognized that citizens and taxpayers may have standing in prohibition to challenge the constitutionality of a statute which affects not only the administration of justice, but also requires the payment of public funds. Syllabus Point 1, State ex rel. Goodwin v. Cook, W.Va., 248 S.E.2d 602 (1978); see also Howard v. Ferguson, 116 W.Va. 362, 180 S.E. 529 (1935). The prayer of the petition is that the special circuit judge should be prohibited from entering any orders carrying into effect the Dempsey and Brown agreements. As we have earlier noted, a circuit judge has the right to review a plea bargain agreement and a motion to dismiss or nolle *801 prosequi a criminal charge and to reject the same if it is contrary to the public interest or if the prosecutor has failed to give justifiable reasons for his actions in recommending the plea bargain or the motion to dismiss criminal charges. Ultimately, however, this action on the part of the circuit judge is discretionary and ordinarily prohibition does not lie for an abuse of discretion as we stated in Syllabus Point 2 of State ex rel. Peacher v. Sencindiver, 160 W.Va. 314, 233 S.E.2d 425 (1977): "A writ of prohibition will not issue to prevent a simple abuse of discretion by a trial court. It will only issue where the trial court has no jurisdiction or having such jurisdiction exceeds its legitimate powers. W.Va.Code, 53-1-1." See also Conley v. Spillers, W.Va., 301 S.E.2d 216 , 224 (1983).[31] The special circuit judge should review the adequacy of the reasons advanced by the special prosecutor for his agreements with Brown and Dempsey and consider whether the agreements should be finally accepted under the guidelines set out herein. Because this review and decision is within his sound discretion, we decline to issue a writ of prohibition against the special circuit judge.[32] VI. MANDAMUS The petitioner seeks to have a writ of mandamus issued from this Court to compel the special prosecutor to do the following: (1) to withdraw his promise of immunity from prosecution to Pennington; (2) to seek an indictment against Pennington on sexual assault and false-swearing related charges; and (3) to nullify the agreements made with Dempsey and Brown and to proceed to prosecute them on the underlying charges. Although Special Prosecutor Losch asserts that he did not offer immunity to Pennington, the minutes of the March 3, *802 1983 grand jury do not bear this out.[33] The essence of their unwritten agreement is that in return for Pennington's cooperation in the prosecution of Dempsey and Brown, Special Prosecutor Losch agreed not to seek any criminal charges against Pennington, provided Pennington remained truthful. We begin by noting that our general immunity statute, W.Va.Code, 57-5-2,[34] authorizes only a court to grant immunity to a person when "the ends of justice may be promoted by compelling such testimony or evidence." In State v. Cox, W.Va., 253 S.E.2d 517 (1979), we held that law enforcement officers have no authority to give or promise immunity against prosecution[35] and also indicated that prosecutors possessed no such authority.[36] Most courts have held that in the absence of some express constitutional or statutory provision, a prosecutor has no inherent authority to grant immunity against prosecution. See Gipson v. State, 375 So. 2d 504 (Ala.Crim.App.1978), aff'd, 375 So. 2d 514 (Ala.1979); Hammers v. State, 261 Ark. 585, 550 S.W.2d 432 (1977) (in banc); Governmental Ethics Comm'n v. Cahill, 225 Kan. 772, 594 P.2d 1103 (1979); Commonwealth v. Brown, 619 S.W.2d 699 (Ky.1981), overruled on other grounds, Murphy v. Commonwealth, 652 S.W.2d 69 (Ky.1983); State v. McEachern, 431 A.2d 39 (Me.1981); In re Special Investigation No. 231, 295 Md. 366, 455 A.2d 442 (1983); Bowie v. State, 14 Md.App. 567, 287 A.2d 782 (1972); Grand Jurors for Middlesex County v. Wallace, 369 Mass. 876, 343 N.E.2d 844 (1976); Commonwealth v. Strickler, 481 Pa. 579, 393 A.2d 313 (1978); Annot., 4 A.L.R.4th 1221 (1981); contra Surina v. Buckalew, 629 P.2d 969 (Alaska 1981). In Bowie, 14 Md. App. at 575, 287 A.2d at 787, the court analyzed an asserted grant of immunity by a prosecutor and concluded: "There is no inherent, common law power in the State's Attorney or in the Grand Jury or in the judge or in anyone else to confer immunity from prosecution. Immunity is exclusively a creation of statute and can only exist where a statute has brought it into being.... It is universally recognized that, absent a statutory grant of power, the prosecuting attorney is not entitled, solely by virtue of his office, to confer immunity upon a witness." (Citations omitted) *803 Independent of any statutory grant of immunity, courts have considered whether a prosecutor's attempted grant of immunity from prosecution is enforceable in three general situations. First, the agreement not to prosecute is made in connection with a court-approved plea agreement. In this situation, most courts will enforce the agreement since it was court approved and the prosecutor was deemed to have pledged the public faith. Cf., Ward, 112 W.Va. at 554-55, 165 S.E. at 804-05, 85 A.L.R. at 1177; see generally Annot., 43 A.L.R.3d 281 (1972). Second, a witness refuses to testify in some proceeding, claiming the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. The prosecutor, although lacking any statutory authority, informs the witness that he will grant immunity from prosecution. E.g., Commonwealth v. Brown, supra; Grand Jurors of Middlesex County v. Wallace, supra; Commonwealth v. Strickler, supra. Third, the prosecutor without court approval initially agrees not to prosecute if the suspect will cooperate in the prosecution of other suspects. E.g., Gipson v. State, supra; Butler v. State, 55 Md.App. 409, 462 A.2d 1230 (1983); State v. Ward, 571 P.2d 1343 (Utah 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 1005, 98 S. Ct. 1874, 56 L. Ed. 2d 386 (1978); see generally Comment, Judicial Supervision of Non-Statutory Immunity, 65 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 334 (1974). In these latter two situations, courts have generally followed the basic rule that absent some constitutional or statutory grant, a prosecutor possesses no inherent authority to grant immunity from prosecution.[37] Annot., 4 A.L.R. 4th 1221 (1981). We, therefore, conclude that there is no need to consider whether the petitioner is entitled to relief by way of mandamus on this point because the special prosecutor had no inherent authority to grant immunity to Pennington against prosecution nor did he have authority absent the trial court's consent to grant immunity under W.Va. Code, 57-5-2. The question of the petitioner's standing to compel, by way of mandamus, the special prosecutor to initiate criminal charges against Pennington is more complex. We have discussed the duties of the prosecuting attorney at some length in State ex rel. Skinner v. Dostert, 278 S.E.2d 624 , 631 (W.Va.1981), and recognized that he has some discretion in determining whether to prosecute: "The duty to prosecute is qualified, however, in that the prosecuting attorney is vested with discretion in the control of criminal causes, which is committed to him for the public good and for the vindication of the public interest. See State v. Doyle, 64 W.Va. 366, 62 S.E. 453 (1908); Ganger v. Peyton, 379 F.2d 709 (4th Cir. 1967); Macon v. Com., 187 Va. 363, 46 S.E.2d 396 (1948). Thus, the prosecutor in his discretion may decide which of several possible charges he will bring against an accused. State v. Doyle, supra; Hensley v. City of Norfolk, 216 Va. 369, 218 S.E.2d 735 (1975). The prosecuting attorney, in his sound discretion, may refrain from prosecuting a cause or, having commenced a prosecution, may move the dismissal of a cause, when in good faith and without corrupt *804 motivation or influence, he thinks that the guilt of the accused is doubtful or not capable of adequate proof. See generally, Annot., 155 A.L.R. 10; 63 Am.Jur.2d, Prosecuting Attorneys § 26 (1972). The responsibility of a prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict. State v. Britton, [157 W.Va. 711, 203 S.E.2d 462 (1974)]." More recently in State ex rel. Hamstead v. Dostert, W.Va., 313 S.E.2d 409 (1984), we refined the critical distinction between prosecutorial discretion and duty in Syllabus Point 1: "With respect to the determination of whether to seek an indictment and what indictment will be sought in a particular case, the probable cause standard represents the line of demarcation between prosecutorial discretion and prosecutorial duty." We also indicated in Hamstead that if a citizen believes or knows that probable cause exists to charge an individual with the commission of a crime and the prosecutor has not acted, such citizen may seek a writ of mandamus to compel the prosecutor to act.[38] In Hamstead, we cited State ex rel. Miller v. Smith, W.Va., 285 S.E.2d 500 (1981), but did not discuss it in any detail. In Miller, we granted the right to the victim of a malicious assault to apply to a circuit court to present his complaint to a grand jury, after he had been refused access to the grand jury by the prosecuting attorney.[39] Hamstead and Miller exemplify our view that a prosecuting attorney does not have absolute and uncontrollable discretion in determining when criminal charges will be brought. It seems to us that if courts have the power to reject a plea bargain and the dismissal of charges as proposed by a prosecutor, it is an anomaly to find that courts are powerless to provide any control in his decision to initiate criminal proceedings.[40] *805 While we addressed the standing issue in Hamstead, we did so in broad terms utilizing cases[41] that followed Syllabus Point 3 of State ex rel. Greenbrier County Airport Authority v. Hanna, 151 W. Va. 479, 153 S.E.2d 284 (1967): "Mandamus lies to require the discharge by a public officer of a nondiscretionary duty." This principle, however, involved situations where it was found initially that the public official had a nondiscretionary duty. Here, we have a situation where the prosecutor initially has discretion and it is only when probable cause is shown that he has a duty to act. The question of probable cause is essentially one of fact. Cf. Syllabus Point 2, State v. Meadows, W.Va., 292 S.E.2d 50 (1982) (probable cause for warrantless arrest based on facts and circumstances within knowledge of arresting officers); see also Syllabus Point 7, State v. Craft, W.Va., 272 S.E.2d 46 (1980); State v. Duvernoy, 156 W.Va. 578, 195 S.E.2d 631 (1973); State v. Plantz, 155 W.Va. 24, 180 S.E.2d 614 (1971). This suggests two important conditions on the right of a person to maintain such an action: (1) A person who seeks a mandamus to compel prosecution must possess the necessary facts to establish probable cause or stand in some special position such as being the victim of the crime or a close relative of the victim if the victim is deceased or otherwise incapacitated from assisting in the prosecution of the crime,[42] and (2) the action must be filed in a circuit court, which can make the necessary findings of fact more efficiently than we can in this Court. Cf. Hinkle v. Black, W.Va., 262 S.E.2d 744 , 749 (1979) ("This Court is not engineered to be as efficient a finder of fact as a trial court because of the cumbersome procedures for taking depositions."); State ex rel. Booth v. Board of Ballot Comm'rs, 156 W.Va. 657, 196 S.E.2d 299 (1973) (election mandamus action where we held that the factual issues had to be decided by circuit court before we could rule on mandamus). The petitioner does not allege any facts that bring her into a special standing posture such that a right to require prosecution of Dempsey and Brown can be shown. Moreover, even if such a special standing could be shown, the decision as to further prosecution of Dempsey and Brown would first have to be determined by the special circuit judge's action on the agreements tendered to him by the special prosecutor. We decline to intervene by way of a mandamus from this Court on a matter entrusted to the sound discretion of the trial court under the guidelines set forth in Parts I and II. With regard to Pennington, where no charges are pending, even if the petitioner could demonstrate she has standing, the mandamus should not be brought originally in this Court as the existence of probable cause is a factual issue which is best presented and developed at the circuit court level. For the foregoing reasons, we decline to issue the writs of prohibition and mandamus. *806 We do not foreclose further review and action in and by the circuit court that is consonant with the principles expressed herein. Writs denied.