Opinion ID: 1673698
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Delays Caused by Appellant's Pretrial Motions

Text: Periods of time attributable to delays from pretrial motions filed by the defendant may be excluded from the speedy-trial period under Ark.R.Crim.P. 28.3. See Gwin v. State, 340 Ark. 302, 9 S.W.3d 501 (2000). Rule 28.3(a) provides: The period of delay resulting from other proceedings concerning the defendant, including but not limited to an examination and hearing on the competency of the defendant and the period during which he is incompetent to stand trial, hearings on pretrial motions, interlocutory appeals, and trials of other charges against the defendant. No pretrial motion shall be held under advisement for more than thirty (30) days, and the period of time in excess of thirty (30) days during which any such motion is held under advisement shall not be considered an excluded period. [Emphasis added.] In Gwin , we addressed for the first time the meaning of the phrase hearings on pretrial motions. The State had argued that the period of time excluded by this phrase extends from the filing of the motion until the motion is heard by the court and no more than thirty days after the court takes the motion under advisement. We held: We agree with the State's interpretation that the excluded period contemplated by the rule begins at the time the pretrial motion is made and includes those periods of delay attributable to the defendant until the motion is heard by the court and not more than thirty days thereafter. This construction is consistent with our cases on defendant competency hearings also found in Rule 28.3. We note this is also consistent with the federal speedy-trial rule. Id. at 306, 9 S.W.3d at 503-04 (citation omitted) (footnote omitted). Here, the record reflects that numerous pretrial motions were filed by Appellant and heard by the trial court during different hearings. For example, on July 15, 1996, Appellant filed a motion to suppress the custodial statements made by Appellant to his fellow inmates. On August 5, 1996, a continuance was granted upon agreement of the parties to obtain additional information from the lead police investigator that was pertinent to his pretrial motions. The suppression hearing was held on November 4, 1996. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court took the motion under advisement and requested briefs from both sides. No ruling was made within thirty days after the hearing. The thirtieth day from the date of hearing was December 3, 1996. Thus, under our holding in Gwin , the period of time from July 15 to December 3, 141 days, should be excluded from the calculation of speedy trial as a period of delay attributable to hearings on a pretrial motion. Similarly, on December 4, 1996, Appellant filed a motion for a pretrial hearing to set bond. The motion was heard on February 3, 1997. Accordingly, the period of time from December 4, 1996, to February 3, 1997, 61 days, should be excluded. We thus conclude that these two periods of delay, totaling 202 days, should be excluded from the calculation of speedy trial pursuant to Rule 28.3(a), as they were the result of delays from pretrial motions filed by Appellant. Although the trial court did not rely on these specific periods of delay in denying the motion to dismiss, we are not constrained by the trial court's rationale and may go to the record for additional reasons to affirm. See Heagerty v. State, 335 Ark. 521, 983 S.W.2d 908 (1998); Haynes v. State, 314 Ark. 354, 862 S.W.2d 275 (1993).