Opinion ID: 1161008
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: time delays

Text: The defendant raises several issues in this appeal concerning a delay in bringing him to trial. The charges the defendant were convicted of arose out of an incident in 1993. The defendant was arrested in Oklahoma and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, tried, and sentenced to 2 years. Upon the expiration of his sentence, the defendant was returned to Kansas in 1995 for trial on the charges before the trial court. He first contends that the delay in bringing him to trial violated his due process rights. He argues that the failure to charge him and bring him to trial for 2 1/2 years was unreasonable. However, the defendant did not raise this issue before the trial court. Thus, he is considered to have waived his argument. See State v. Alderson, 260 Kan. 445, Syl. ¶7, 922 P.2d 435 (1996). Moreover, while the defendant claims he suffered prejudice by reason of the delay, there is no support for his claim in the record. The defendant argues in his brief that he suffered the loss of a necessary witness without detailing which witness he lost or how the delay contributed to the loss of such witnesses. The defendant also claims that he should be allowed an evidentiary hearing to present his reasons why he feels the delay prejudiced him. In support of this contention, he cites State v. Bryson, 500 P.2d 1171 (Hawaii 1972). In Bryson, the Hawaii Supreme Court found that where a defendant originally claimed a speedy trial violation and alleged prejudice from preindictment delay, an evidentiary hearing was needed to determine if the delay prejudiced the defendant under United States v. Marion, 404 U.S. 307, 30 L. Ed.2d 468, 92 S. Ct. 455 (1971). However, in Bryson, the reason the trial court failed to hold an evidentiary hearing on prejudice to the defendant under the Marion standard is that the defendant did not raise the issue. Even now, the defendant is unable to articulate with any particularity the prejudice he claims to have suffered. The defendant attempts to do so in his additional memorandum filed pro se before this court. However, his claim of prejudice appears to be simply that waiting to deal with the charges caused him emotional distress and wore him out. No prejudice to his fair trial was argued, and under the facts the defendant does not meet the standards set forth in this state in State v. Royal, 217 Kan. 197, 201-02, 535 P.2d 413 (1975), or the standard set out in United States v. Marion. Second, the defendant contends that his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial was violated by the preindictment delay. However, in Marion, the Supreme Court determined that the Sixth Amendment did not apply to delay which occurred prior to the arrest of the defendant. 404 U.S. at 313-20. Although the defendant argues that he had previously been arrested in Oklahoma, the arrest was for possession of a stolen car, a crime with which he was not charged in Kansas. He was not arrested in Kansas until after his release in Oklahoma. Under these circumstances, the right to a speedy trial under the Sixth Amendment does not apply. The defendant finally contends that the trial court erred in failing to dismiss the aggravated robbery charge and the aggravated kidnapping charge on the grounds that the statute of limitations had run. Prosecution in this case was commenced on December 18, 1995, well outside of the 2-year statute of limitations for these crimes provided in K.S.A. 21-3106. However, the trial court determined that the statute of limitations was tolled because the defendant was absent from the state; specifically, he was in Oklahoma from October 30, 1993, to December 18, 1995. K.S.A. 21-3106(5) provides for a 2-year statute of limitations for aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping. However, under the provisions of K.S.A. 21-3106(6)(a), the period specified shall not include any period in which the accused is absent from the state. The defendant argues that his absence from Kansas was not voluntary and, therefore, should not have tolled the running of the statute of limitations. However, most recently in State v. Lee, 263 Kan. 97, 105-08, 948 P.2d 641 (1997), we addressed the same question and resolved it adversely to the defendant's contention in this case. Lee contended that because he was incarcerated in the federal penal system, he was not absent voluntarily from the state and, therefore, the statute of limitations should not be tolled. 263 Kan. at 105-06. We stated: As we read 21-3106, it is unambiguous and only requires that `[t]he accused is absent from the state' in order to toll the statute of limitations, regardless of whether the absence is voluntary or involuntary. 263 Kan. at 107.