Opinion ID: 1652510
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: December 7, 2006, to April 16, 2007

Text: Davis next asserts that the circuit court erred in excluding the 130-day period of December 7, 2006, to April 16, 2007. The order resetting the trial to April 16, 2007, states that the trial was continued to accommodate a request for three trial days. The previous December 7, 2006 trial date was for a one-day trial. The continuance to April 16, 2007, was ordered when Davis sent a letter to the circuit court case coordinator stating that because of the nature of the offense and the number of witnesses, the defense requests that the trial in this matter be scheduled for a minimum of three days. The circuit court interpreted this as a request for a continuance to the first date the circuit court's docket was free for three days. Trial was then reset for April 16-18, 2007. Davis states that the court misinterpreted the letter, and he asserts that he never asked for a continuance. The letter is unclear. The letter does not request that the December 7, 2006 trial date be retained and additional days granted, but it does request a three-day trial. We cannot say that the circuit court abused its discretion in concluding that Davis sought to continue his case to the next three open trial days on the court's docket. See, e.g., White v. State, 330 Ark. 813, 958 S.W.2d 519 (1997) (no abuse of discretion on the part of the trial court in excluding the time attributed to the unavailability of a witness). Finally, Davis argues that the circuit court erred in excluding this time based on court congestion. Because we conclude there was no error in finding a request for a continuance, we need not address this argument. Subtracting 130 days from 490 days leaves 360 days between the date of arrest and the date of trial. Thus, trial occurred within the twelve-month period allowed. The circuit court did not deny Davis his right to a speedy trial. Additional periods of time were excluded by the circuit court. We need not analyze whether these periods were excludable because we have concluded that trial occurred within 360 days of arrest; however, we note for the benefit of the bench and bar that the additional periods of exclusion suffer the same problems with the docket and record as noted above. Congestion of the court docket was noted and relied on without explanation in a court order. Motions were filed and orders were entered on the same day without any hearing in court. In one instance, the certificate of service indicated that the motion was mailed to Davis's counsel on the day the motion was filed and the order was entered. The circuit court in its order denying the Motion to Dismiss on speedy trial grounds noted that there was no objection to the delay. It would be hard for the defendant to object to a delay before his counsel even received notice the motion that would cause the delay was being filed.