Opinion ID: 2637756
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: hughes' criminal history score

Text: Having found a waiver form identical to that contained in Gilchrist is not required for an effective waiver of counsel, we now turn to Hughes' next issue: was there substantial competent evidence in the record to support the finding that the State met its burden to show by a preponderance of the evidence that Hughes had a criminal history score of A? What is apparent from Gilchrist is that the evidence in the record must answer two critical questions in order to establish an effective knowing and voluntary waiver of counsel; first, whether the defendant has been fully advised and properly informed of his or her right to counsel and, second, whether, upon having been fully advised and properly informed, the defendant made a clear determination not to have counsel represent him or her before the court. Based on its interpretation of Gilchrist, Strayer, and Turner, as well as its review of the contents of the form signed by Hughes, the Court of Appeals concluded that there was substantial competent evidence to establish both that Hughes had been fully advised of his right to counsel and that his subsequent written waiver was knowingly and intelligently given. Hughes, slip op. at 9. In his petition for review, Hughes suggests that proof that his waiver was knowing and intelligent can only occur when there is some record that the court made an inquiry into the defendant's desire to waive counsel and that because the certification is not included in the Dodge City form, that requirement has not been met. He relies on a portion of Gilchrist where the court, in reviewing the holding of State v. Andrews, 5 Kan.App.2d 678, 623 P.2d 534 (1981), stated: [ Andrews ] held that even if the trial court conducted an extensive inquiry into the defendant's desire to waive counsel, if that inquiry did not appear in the record, the State could not meet its burden of proving that defendant's waiver of counsel was knowingly and intelligently made and therefore, defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel was abridged. Gilchrist, 238 Kan. at 208-09, 708 P.2d 977. However, in Andrews the only record entry pertaining to the defendant's waiver was the judge's statement in the trial transcript that [t]he record may show that he is appearing personally, acting in his own defense, having waived his right to counsel. Andrews, 5 Kan.App.2d at 680, 623 P.2d 534. The defendant never signed a written waiver, nor was there any other express indication in the record that he had been advised of any rights at all, just the above reference that he had waived his right to counsel. All Andrews stands for in this context is to reinforce what Gilchrist already establishedthat there must be some record that the defendant was fully apprised of his or her rights to counsel and that despite that information he or she knowingly and intelligently waived that right. Importantly, it does not automatically follow that just because the Gilchrist certification language has not been included in the waiver form, Hughes did not make a knowing and intelligent waiver. As discussed above, Kansas courts have not interpreted Gilchrist as requiring that a waiver form be identical to the suggested sample. See, e.g., Flores-Picasso, slip op. at 4. Rather, the courts look for substantial competent evidence from the record related to the waiver supporting the district court's conclusion. See State v. Mattox, 280 Kan. 473, 484, 124 P.3d 6 (2005) (noting that the district court's findings related to waiver of Miranda rights were supported by substantial competent evidence); State v. Siesener, 35 Kan.App.2d 649, 650, 137 P.3d 498 (2005), rev. denied 281 Kan. 1381 (2006); State v. Presha, 27 Kan.App.2d 645, 648, 8 P.3d 14, rev. denied 269 Kan. 939 (2000). Substantial competent evidence has been described by this court as that which possesses both relevance and substance and which furnishes a substantial basis in fact from which the issues can reasonably be resolved. State v. Sharp, 289 Kan. 72, 88, 210 P.3d 590 (2009). Here, there is no question that Hughes believes he was apprised of his right to counsel and that he signed a form that expressly states he was so advised and knowingly and intelligently waived that right. That form is also signed by the municipal court judge underneath the following language: Subscribed and sworn to before me this 25 day of July 1995. Hughes does not challenge the truth of the waiver he signed, but rather contends that the waiver form itself does not meet the standard set forth in Gilchrist. Hughes maintains that the absence of the certification by the judge means that the requirement establishing that he was properly informed and fully advised of his right to counsel by the person charged with doing so was not met. Hughes makes a valid point. The waiver form utilized by the Dodge City Municipal Court is sufficient in establishing what Hughes may have believed his rights to be and a voluntary waiver of those perceived rights. Absent however, is any verification or validation of what he was told, a function that the Gilchrist certification satisfies. It is not up to the defendant to know what fully advised means. It is the judge who is burdened with assuring that Hughes' rights have been adequately protected. See State v. Carter, 284 Kan. 312, 321, 160 P.3d 457 (2007) (It is the task of the district court judge to insure that a defendant's right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution is honored.) Recently, we clarified that when a defendant exercises his or her statutory right to challenge the accuracy of the convictions contained in his or her criminal history worksheet, the State must carry the burden of producing further evidence proving the truth of the convictions by a preponderance of the evidence. State v. Schow, 287 Kan. 529, 539-40, 197 P.3d 825 (2008). The State may not shift the burden onto the defendant to disprove the convictions. Such a process, we said, ignores the plain language of K.S.A. 21-4715(c) and suggests that we construe a criminal history worksheet in favor of the Statea result inconsistent with the well-established principle that criminal statutes are strictly construed in favor of the accused. Schow, 287 Kan. at 539-40, 197 P.3d 825. The burden to prove the truth of a defendant's criminal history score remains with the State. Once a defendant files a written objection to his or her criminal history, it is only after the State has met its burden to produce such evidence that the burden to produce evidence may shift to the defendant. K.S.A. 21-4715(c). The burden of proof, however, never shifts. Similarly, requiring Hughes to disprove that the waiver information recited to him by the court was adequate when it was the court's responsibility to do so is similar to the burden shifting we said was improper in Schow. Not only does it place the responsibility for full knowledge and understanding of the law with the wrong person, it also requires this court to construe the waiver form in favor of the State. Had the State called the municipal court judge to testify before the district court or provided other evidence that the waiver information Hughes received was in fact the requisite information, then the burden of production would have shifted to Hughes should he further contest the issue. See Gilchrist, 238 Kan. at 210, 708 P.2d 977 (Gilchrist's acknowledgement that the municipal judge's testimony was accurate cure[d] any defect resulting from the absence of a written waiver and eliminate[d] the problem of proof.). Because the State has failed to present any evidence to show that the waiver advice Hughes acknowledged receiving was in actuality the proper or fully informed advice, the waiver form utilized here, standing alone, does not satisfy the requirements set forth in Gilchrist. Previous decisions interpreting similar issues have consistently held that a simple acknowledgement that the defendant waived his or her rights is not enough to clearly show what rights the defendant has waived. See, e.g., Allen, 28 Kan.App.2d at 791, 20 P.3d 747; Reed, slip op. at 4-6. Without the certification language, all that can be readily determined is that a defendant acknowledged being informed of his or her rights, but we cannot ascertain whether the proper or full panoply of rights was ever communicated. Thus, the importance of the judge's certification in the waiver cannot be understated. As municipal courts are not courts of record, the certification provides a means for a reviewing court to be assured that the municipal court satisfied its own duty to protect the defendant's rights. A form similar to that which was set forth (and actually cited to) in Gilchrist was included in the Municipal Judges' Manual, a document prepared for and distributed to all municipal courts in the State. The fact that the sample form included therein also requires the judge's certification underscores the importance of recording this bifurcated duty. Not only must a defendant clearly acknowledge a knowing and voluntary waiver of right to counsel, but the record must also establish that the judge has satisfied the obligation to insure that the proper information has been communicated so that the defendant may intelligently make that choice. The State has failed to meet its burden to show that the waiver in Hughes' two prior misdemeanor convictions was knowingly and intelligently made. This matter is reversed and remanded to the district court for resentencing based on a recalculated criminal history consistent with this opinion. Hughes also suggests that because the waiver form did not include an express statement acknowledging that he was informed of his right to appointed counsel if he was indigent, the waiver was not knowingly and intelligently made. The Court of Appeals did not address this issue, noting that this argument was made for the first time on appeal. Consequently, the challenge on this question is not properly before the court and, further, we need not reach it due to our resolution of the previous issue. See State v. Bello, 289 Kan. 191, 193, 211 P.3d 139 (2009); State v. Shopteese, 283 Kan. 331, 339, 153 P.3d 1208 (2007) (issues not raised before trial court cannot be raised on appeal). Finally, Hughes asserts that use of his prior convictions as well as a prior juvenile adjudication to calculate his criminal history score violated his rights under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution where evidence of those convictions was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. He acknowledges that this court has already decided the issue; he includes it merely to preserve it for federal review. This court has previously concluded that the State does not have to prove criminal history to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Ivory, 273 Kan. 44, 46-48, 41 P.3d 781 (2002). Further, this court analyzed post- Apprendi decisions and reaffirmed the Ivory rule. See State v. Gonzalez, 282 Kan. 73, 118, 145 P.3d 18 (2006), and State v. Manbeck, 277 Kan. 224, 229, 83 P.3d 190 (2004). Finally, this court recently determined that the rule applies to prior juvenile adjudications as well. See State v. Fischer, 288 Kan. 470, 476, 203 P.3d 1269 (2009); State v. Hitt, 273 Kan. 224, 236, 42 P.3d 732, cert. denied 537 U.S. 1104, 123 S.Ct. 962, 154 L.Ed.2d 772 (2003). Hughes' arguments will not be revisited at this time. The Court of Appeals decision affirming the district court's ruling is affirmed in part and reversed in part. This matter is remanded to the district court for resentencing.