Opinion ID: 2623122
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Failure to Grant a Second Evidentiary Suppression Hearing

Text: Before the first trial, defense counsel filed a motion to suppress. Judge James Fleetwood held an evidentiary hearing and denied the motion. After the case was remanded from this court for a new trial, Holmes filed a pro se motion to suppress and pro se memorandum in support of the motion. Judge Clark V. Owens II overruled the second motion, finding that the court had previously heard and overruled the suppression issue. The trial court can reentertain an earlier motion to suppress which has been denied. State v. Jackson, 213 Kan. 219, Syl. ¶ 1, 515 P.2d 1108 (1973); State v. Olson, 11 Kan. App. 2d 485, 488, 726 P.2d 1347 (1986). The decision to rehear an earlier motion is a matter which lies within the sound discretion of the trial court. State v. Riedel, 242 Kan. 834, 837, 752 P.2d 115 (1988). Discretion is abused when no reasonable person would agree with the trial court. Sterba v. Jay, 249 Kan. 270, 279, 816 P.2d 379 (1991). Holmes argues that he was denied due process when the district court summarily overruled his pro se motion to suppress filed prior to the second trial without granting an evidentiary hearing. Holmes asserts that his second motion was not identical to the first motion because it raised new issues and additional evidence not previously presented. Specifically, he alleges that he did not freely and voluntarily give his consent to search the home and that the law enforcement officers gave inconsistent statements at the first suppression hearing and the first trial. For those reasons, he asks this court to reverse the trial court's decision and remand for an evidentiary hearing on the pro se motion to suppress. The State responds that this issue is not properly before this court for two reasons: (a) Holmes was not entitled to hybrid representation and (b) defense counsel only objected to issues outlined in the first motion to suppress and failed to object to the introduction of the evidence at trial. Even if the merits of the issue are addressed, the State argues an evidentiary hearing was not required because the second motion's allegations are without merit.