Opinion ID: 2210642
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Inspection of Presentence Report: Waiver.

Text: A waiver is the voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known right, privilege, or claim, and may be expressed by word or inferred from, or demonstrated by, a person's conduct. State v. Kennedy, 224 Neb. 164, 396 N.W.2d 722 (1986). A voluntary waiver, knowingly and intelligently made, must affirmatively appear from the record, before a court may conclude that a defendant has waived a right constitutionally guaranteed or granted by statute. State v. Kennedy, supra at 170, 396 N.W.2d at 726. See, also, State v. Blue, 223 Neb. 379, 391 N.W.2d 102 (1986); State v. Miles, 202 Neb. 126, 274 N.W.2d 153 (1979). From the testimony of Clear's lawyer concerning his conference with Clear before the sentence hearing, the district court, in resolving a factual question, undoubtedly concluded that Clear and his lawyer thoroughly discussed the contents of Ginn's letter contained in the presentence report. Such conclusion by the district court is not only logical, but inescapable. At the sentence hearing, Clear's lawyer addressed the contents of Ginn's letter and explicitly denied that Clear had previously robbed a Ginn Oil store. Immediately after that denial through Clear's lawyer, the court very specifically and directly asked Clear whether he wished to say anything, an obvious inquiry whether Clear had any comment or question concerning information which had been presented at the sentence hearing, including the Ginn letter. Notwithstanding the court's inquiry, Clear never mentioned that he had not seen the Ginn letter and made no comment about the existence or contents of the letter, which was immediately and physically available to Clear. In reference to the Ginn letter and whatever transpired before the sentence hearing, the fact remains that the letter was available for Clear's inspection at the sentence hearing. Clear's failure to raise any question about the Ginn letter or his lawyer's statements concerning the letter demonstrated that Clear acknowledged the contents of Ginn's letter as related by Clear's lawyer and accepted his lawyer's statements as an accurate and sufficient response to the assertions in Ginn's letter. As affirmatively shown by the record, Clear's conduct regarding the Ginn letter was a waiver of any later complaint that Clear had not personally inspected the letter before sentence was imposed. Hence, the Clear waiver renders the assignment of error without merit.