Opinion ID: 2166984
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sayko

Text: On July 30, 1987, Michael S. Sayko was sentenced to two, ten-year concurrent sentences for two cases of third-degree sexual offense. His sentences carried a maximum expiration date of February 13, 1997. Having earned 1203 diminution credits and having served all but 1203 days of his sentences, Sayko was conditionally released under mandatory supervision on October 29, 1993. Almost a year and a half later, on March 29, 1995, Sayko was convicted of indecent exposure by the Circuit Court for Allegany County and was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Because the indecent exposure conviction constituted a violation of Sayko's conditional release, the MPC revoked Sayko's mandatory supervision at a hearing on May 4, 1995. See Art. 41, §§ 4-612(c), 4-511(c). As part of its decision to revoke the release, the MPC also rescinded approximately half of Sayko's previously-earned diminution credits pursuant to Art. 41, § 4-612(e). The MPC further granted Sayko street-time credit pursuant to § 4-511(d) for some, but not all, of the 521 days between the date Sayko was released on mandatory supervision and the date his release was revoked. [7] As a result of the MPC's decision, the Division subtracted Sayko's street-time credits from Sayko's previously-earned diminution credits. From the remaining diminution credits, the Division deducted the diminution credits that the MPC had rescinded. According to the Division's calculations, Sayko was left with a total of 484 diminution credits. The Division also awarded Sayko additional good-conduct credits for the time Sayko spent in either a local jail or detention center and prospective good-conduct credits for the time between Sayko's return to the Division's custody and his new maximum expiration date. These good-conduct credits were awarded at a rate of five days per month. The award of these credits resulted in a mandatory release date of April 2, 1996. Sayko filed an amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Circuit Court for Allegany County, arguing that he was entitled to immediate release. Sayko alleged that the Division illegally deducted his street-time credits from his diminution credits rather than adding the street-time credits to the diminution credits as the MPC intended. The circuit court agreed that the Division was without authority to make this deduction and, on January 17, 1996, the court ordered the Division to restore the credits. Sayko was immediately released under mandatory supervision. [8] On appeal to the Court of Special Appeals, the Division raised two issues. First, the Division argued that Sayko should be barred from filing a habeas corpus petition because he had not exhausted his administrative remedies. Second, the Division argued that the circuit court erred in concluding that the Division erred in subtracting the street-time credits awarded Sayko by the MPC from his diminution credits. The intermediate appellate court, in an unreported opinion filed on December 17, 1996, affirmed the decision of the circuit court. This Court granted the Division's petition for writ of certiorari on April 11, 1997.