Opinion ID: 2633470
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On February 5, 1997, the third circuit court filed a judgment convicting Althouse of the offense of second degree murder and sentencing him to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum term of fifteen years, pursuant to HRS § 706-660.1. On June 13, 1997, the Hawai'i Paroling Authority [hereinafter HPA] conducted a hearing at which the murder victim's parents provided testimony. At the hearing Althouse was not represented by counsel because his court-appointed attorney failed to attend. Accordingly, the witnesses were not subjected to cross-examination. Althouse protested by refusing to participate in the hearing without the aid of counsel. The HPA thereafter tacked an additional fifteen-year minimum term of incarceration onto the circuit court's fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence. On March 8, 1999, Althouse filed an HRPP Rule 40 petition, in forma pauperis, arguing that: (1) he was illegally being held in custody based on the HPA's lack of jurisdiction in light of the third circuit court's imposition of a fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence of incarceration, pursuant to HRS § 706-660.1; (2) the HPA had no jurisdiction to fix a minimum term of imprisonment while he was subject to the third circuit court's fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence based on Hawai'i Administrative Rules § 23-700-21; and (3) the HPA improperly and illegally allowed the taking of witness testimony on June 13, 1997, despite the fact that he had requested legal counsel to assist him at the hearing and that legal counsel did not attend the hearing. At a hearing held on July 7, 2000, the court indicated that it was concerned about the lack of a record with respect to what occurred before the Hawaii Paroling Authority[.] The court thereafter suggested a continuance in order to facilitate a more complete record. It was subsequently revealed that the lack of an adequate record regarding the HPA proceedings was caused by a defect in the audio tapes used to record those proceedings. Transcripts of the June 13, 1997 hearing were thus unavailable because the audiotape recording of the hearing did not contain any sound. On December 18, 2001, Althouse filed a motion requesting that the circuit court invalidate the HPA's minimum term of incarceration and order a new minimum term hearing. On April 12, 2002, the court partially granted Althouse's motion agreeing that he was entitled to representation at the June 13, 1997 hearing. The court thus invalidated the minimum term of incarceration imposed by the HPA and ordered the HPA to conduct a new minimum term hearing. However, the court denied Althouse's motion with respect to his assertion that HRS § 706-660.1 precluded the commencement of the new minimum term hearing prior to the expiration of the minimum sentence entered by the circuit court. The court concluded that HRS § 706-660.1 does not require that the mandatory minimum term expires first before the paroling authority proceeds to set a minimum term of imprisonment[.] On June 3, 2002, Althouse filed a motion requesting that the court order a stay on the new minimum term hearing pending appeal. He then filed a timely notice of appeal on June 17, 2002. On June 26, 2002, the circuit court filed an order denying Althouse's motion for stay.