Opinion ID: 1263834
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State v. Lewis

Text: Appellant James B. Lewis (Lewis) pled guilty to daytime burglary and second offense DUI in December 1994 and was subsequently placed on five years probation. On August 17, 1997, while still on probation, he was arrested and charged with domestic battery. Lewis pled no contest to the charge and was sentenced to ten days in jail. The State moved to revoke Lewis' probation and following a hearing, the circuit court revoked Lewis' probation. This Court granted Lewis' petition for appeal solely on the issue regarding Rule 410 of the West Virginia Rules of Evidence. Rule 410 states, in relevant part: Except as otherwise provided in this rule, evidence of the following is not, in any civil or criminal proceeding, admissible against the defendant who made the plea or was a participant in the plea discussions: ... (2) a plea of nolo contendere[.] Lewis argues that the trial court's sole basis for revoking his probationary status was the nolo plea. [1] Given the proscriptive language of Rule 410 regarding the evidentiary use of nolo pleas, Lewis contends that the trial court erred in relying on his domestic battery conviction to revoke his probation since that conviction was obtained through a nolo plea. As the State points out, Lewis' argument fails completely based on the language of Rule 1101(b)(3) of the West Virginia Rules of Evidence. That rule, which deals with the applicability of the rules of evidence in general states that, [u]nless otherwise provided by rules of the Supreme Court of Appeals, these rules other than those with respect to privileges do not apply in the following situations:... (3) Miscellaneous proceedings. Sentencing; granting or revoking probation .... W.Va.R.Evid. 1101(b)(3) (emphasis supplied). Rule 1101(b)(3) unmistakably exempts probation revocation proceedings from compliance with the West Virginia Rules of Evidence. The inapplicability of evidentiary rules at probation revocation proceedings is well-established. See United States v. McCallum, 677 F.2d 1024, 1026 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1010, 103 S.Ct. 365, 74 L.Ed.2d 400 (1982) (holding that federal rules of evidence concerning hearsay do not apply to probation revocation hearings); United States v. Smith, 571 F.2d 370, 373 (7th Cir.1978) (observing that rule 1101(d) indicates that federal rules of evidence do not apply to hearings involving probation revocation); accord United States v. Verbeke, 853 F.2d 537, 539 (7th Cir.1988); Howell v. State, No. CA CR 91-237, 1992 WL 146638 at  (Ark.Ct.App.1992) (finding no error in trial court's ruling that Arkansas Rules of Evidence do not apply to probation revocation hearings); State v. Ozmun, 221 Neb. 481, 378 N.W.2d 170, 172 (Neb.1985) (stating that Nebraska's corollary to West Virginia Rule of Evidence 1101(b)(3) provides that Nebraska Evidence Rules do not apply to proceedings for the granting or revoking of probation). We agree with the State's position that pursuant to the clear language of Rule 1101(b)(3), the provisions of this state's rules of evidence are not applicable during criminal proceedings that involve probation revocation. Thus, Rule 410, as well as the other evidentiary rules, do not apply to a probation revocation proceeding. Accordingly, we affirm the decision of the Circuit Court of Tucker County. [2]