Opinion ID: 2044974
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Refusal to Accept Plea

Text: Douglas claims that the trial court erred by denying the request he made during trial to change his plea from not guilty to guilty. He claims that the Indiana Code requires a hearing to determine whether he was competent to stand trial and does not afford the trial court any discretion. Section 35-35-1-4(a) (West 1986) states that a defendant may make an oral motion in open court to withdraw a plea of not guilty and need not state any reason. The predecessor statute required that this motion be made in writing, state facts showing why the plea should be withdrawn, and state in what respect the substantial rights of the defendant would be prejudiced by the denial of the motion. Ind. Code § 35-4.1-1-6 (Supp.1979). The predecessor statute specifically vested the trial court with the discretion to decide whether to allow a defendant to withdraw a plea of not guilty. Id. The language of the revised statute seems to allow a defendant to withdraw a plea at any time and thus, by implication, eliminate the trial court's discretion to deny the motion. The State argues that subsection 4(a) should be read with reference to subsection 4(b). Subsection 4(b) deals with the period after an entry of plea has been made, but before sentence has been issued, and permits a court to allow a defendant to withdraw a plea of not guilty. Subsection (b) also provides that the court's ruling on the motion is reviewable only for an abuse of discretion. Ind.Code § 35-35-1-4(b). The State argues that two statutes covering the same subject matter should be construed together. Because the abuse of discretion standard is available in subsection 4(b), it should apply to subsection 4(a) as well. State ex rel. Board of Tax Commissioners v. Daviess Circuit Ct., 249 Ind. 580, 230 N.E.2d 761 (1967). When both sections of the statute are read in harmony, the court has the discretion to deny Douglas' plea. We agree with this construction. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Douglas' request, though we think the reason stated for doing so was not the strongest one apparent. The trial court stated that it was denying Douglas' request because it might not be possible to establish a factual basis for the guilty plea given his bizarre behavior before trial. This seems a bit off the mark. At the time when the court denied Douglas' motion to plead, there was ample evidence in the record to establish a factual basis. On the other hand, the trial court could quite reasonably have been concerned that the request was just another ruse, one aimed at challenging the conviction later on grounds that the plea was made involuntarily or unknowingly. Finally, counsel does not suggest any way in which Douglas suffered any disadvantage from the court's denial of his request to plead guilty. Had he pled guilty to murder, Douglas would have ended up in the same place he now standsconvicted of murder. In short, we think it was not error to refuse the request to plead guilty.