Opinion ID: 2069082
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: avoid multiple court appearances

Text: If you intend to plead `not guilty' to this charge, or if, in addition, you intend to demand a trial by jury, so notify the clerk of the court at least 5 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays or holidays) before the day set for your appearance. A new appearance date will be set, and arrangements will be made to have the arresting officer present on that new date. Failure to notify the clerk of either your intention to plead `not guilty' or your intention to demand a jury trial may result in your having to return to court, if you plead `not guilty' on the date originally set for your court appearance. Upon timely receipt of notice that the accused intends to plead `not guilty,' the clerk shall set a new appearance date not less than 7 days nor more than 49 days after the original appearance date set by the arresting officer, and notify all parties of the new date and the time for appearance. If the accused demands a trial by jury, the trial shall be scheduled within 120 days of arrest. The proper prosecuting attorney shall be served with any separate written demand for speedy trial under section 103-5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, as amended (Ill.Rev.Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 103-5). If the accused fails to notify the clerk as provided above, the arresting officer's failure to appear on the date originally set for appearance may, in counties other than Cook, be considered good cause for a continuance. Any State agency or any unit of local government desiring to be exempt from the requirements of this Rule 505 may apply to the Conference of Chief Circuit Judges for an exemption. 113 Ill.2d R. 505. Rule 505 has since been amended and now provides that trial shall be scheduled within a reasonable period if the accused demands a jury trial. It further states that [i]n order to invoke the right to a speedy trial, the accused if not in custody must file an appropriate, separate demand, as provided in section 103-5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, as amended (Ill.Rev.Stat.1987, ch. 37, par. 103-5). 134 Ill.2d R. 505. The appellate court concluded that defendants' failure to timely notify the clerk prior to their first court appearance did not relieve the State of its obligation to try defendants within 120 days of arrest when defendants demanded a jury trial. The court relied upon People v. Mears (1980), 84 Ill.App.3d 265, 39 Ill.Dec. 690, 405 N.E.2d 443, wherein the defendant did not notify the clerk of his intent to plead not guilty, but entered his plea on his first appearance date. The Mears court held that the defendant's plea of not guilty on his appearance date was sufficient to invoke the 49-day speedy-trial term for bench trials as required under Rule 505. ( Mears, 84 Ill.App.3d at 270, 39 Ill.Dec. 690, 405 N.E.2d 443; contra People v. Honnold (1989), 191 Ill.App.3d 340, 138 Ill.Dec. 588, 547 N.E.2d 755.) The appellate court herein reasoned from Mears that the instant defendants did not waive their right to a speedy trial by failing to notify the clerk of their jury-trial demand prior to their appearance date. The court found the 120-day rule mandatory, citing the language in People v. Rideout (1990), 193 Ill.App.3d 884, 890, 140 Ill.Dec. 747, 550 N.E.2d 632. The State distinguishes Mears on the ground that the defendant there entered his plea on his appearance date, guaranteeing the State 49 days to bring the defendant to a bench trial. (113 Ill.2d R. 505.) In the cases at bar, no plea was entered nor was a jury demand made on the appearance date by any defendant. Rather, the public defender was appointed and arraignments were set, in some cases beyond 120 days from arrest. The State urges that this court follow People v. Ware (1976), 41 Ill.App.3d 902, 355 N.E.2d 142, wherein the appellate court found that a defendant's failure to make a timely demand for a jury trial, i.e., five days before the appearance date, resulted in a waiver of the speedy-trial provisions of Rule 505. See People v. Thompson (1989), 190 Ill.App.3d 678, 681, 138 Ill.Dec. 32, 546 N.E.2d 1087. Rule 505 has been amended several times over the years and thus case law interpreting its meaning has varied. The express policy of Rule 505, as well as Rule 504, is to provide a defendant with an early hearing on the merits of his traffic offense and to avoid multiple court appearances, which eliminates undue hardship on the accused, law enforcement agencies and the courts. People v. McCoy (1987), 155 Ill.App.3d 725, 728, 108 Ill.Dec. 428, 508 N.E.2d 739. Although Rule 505 may refer to section 103-5 of the Code, it is clear these two provisions relate to distinctly different situations. (See People v. Rideout (1990), 193 Ill.App.3d 884, 889, 140 Ill.Dec. 747, 550 N.E.2d 632.) A traffic defendant is not required to file a separate written demand for speedy trial under Rule 505. ( Rideout, 193 Ill.App.3d at 890, 140 Ill.Dec. 747, 550 N.E.2d 632.) The plain language of Rule 505 (113 Ill.2d R. 505) indicates that when a defendant makes a jury demand, trial must be had within 120 days of the date of arrest ( Rideout, 193 Ill.App.3d at 890, 140 Ill.Dec. 747, 550 N.E.2d 632), unlike section 103-5 of the Code where the time is counted from the date of demand. The 120-day rule is mandatory. Thus, a traffic defendant's demand for a jury trial is, ipso facto, a demand for speedy trial. See People v. Lorah (1986), 142 Ill.App.3d 163, 164, 96 Ill.Dec. 514, 491 N.E.2d 793. While the State does not dispute these conclusions, it claims that there is, in effect, a precondition to a right to a speedy trial in traffic cases, the precondition being that a defendant make demand for a jury trial to the clerk five days before his first court appearance. Failure by a defendant to follow this procedure, according to the State, results in waiver of the 120-day rule and the defendant must file a separate written demand under section 103-5 of the Code in order to invoke speedy-trial rights. We disagree. Although the rule requires the clerk to set a new appearance date in all cases where a defendant notifies the clerk of an intent to plead `not guilty,' the defendant, complying with the appearance date notice `before the judge,' does not thereby lose all benefits of the rule. (See People v. Harlin (1990), 201 Ill.App.3d 147, 150, 147 Ill.Dec. 296, 559 N.E.2d 296.) The rights a defendant waives by failing to notify the clerk are limited by the plain language of Rule 505. The rule specifically states that [i]f the accused fails to notify the clerk as provided above, the arresting officer's failure to appear on the date originally set for appearance may, in counties other than Cook, be considered good cause for a continuance. (113 Ill.2d R. 505.) If this court had intended that a defendant waived any other rights, including speedy-trial rights, by failing to notify the clerk, the rule would have so stated. In fact, the subsequent amendment to Rule 505, effective August 1, 1989, evidences a realization that that version of Rule 505 applicable to the cases at bar required nothing more of a defendant than to make a jury demand to invoke the 120-day rule. 134 Ill.2d R. 505. The State argues that construction of Rule 505 in such a way renders the phrase [u]pon timely receipt of notice meaningless, produces absurd results and threatens administrative chaos. The phrase [u]pon timely receipt of notice is not rendered meaningless by our decision. The rule sets out the effect upon a defendant should he fail to notify the clerk. Any absurd results which may have occurred in the instant cases could have been avoided had the State objected to the trial court's decision to set defendants' arraignment dates several weeks in the future, in some cases beyond 120 days from arrest, thus not permitting defendants to enter their plea or make their jury-trial demand on their first appearance date. And, in view of the amendment to Rule 505, any administrative chaos which may have resulted from the State's failure to object to the court's procedure has been eliminated. Nor do we find any merit to the State's complaint that the jury demands, except one, were oral and made to the court and not the clerk or State's Attorney. Rule 505 does not require a written demand for a jury/speedy trial. The State does not specifically argue that it was not present when defendants made their jury demand in open court at arraignment, but claims that since the State's Attorney may not be present at arraignment or may not hear a defendant's jury demand, a defendant must give a written speedy-trial demand to the State's Attorney to be effective. This argument by the State rests on the State's premise that a defendant may invoke the speedy-trial rule only by the procedures of section 103-5 of the Code once a defendant fails to inform the clerk, a premise we have rejected. A defendant is not required to file a separate written demand (see Rideout, 193 Ill.App.3d at 890, 140 Ill.Dec. 747, 550 N.E.2d 632), but has options under Rule 505 in pleading not guilty (see Harlin, 201 Ill.App.3d at 149). 147 Ill. Dec. 296, 559 N.E.2d 296). Absent a complaint or proof to the contrary, we can only presume that the State was aware of defendants' jury demands which were noted in the docket minutes. Therefore, we conclude that, with the exception of Charles Watson in No. 88-TR-6206 and No. 88-TR-6207, the trial court properly dismissed all other defendants based upon speedy-trial violations. While defendant Watson makes an argument to the contrary, the record fails to show that Watson made a jury-trial demand in No. 88-TR-6206 and No. 88-TR-6207, or made a speedy-trial demand under section 103-5, at any time. Watson did not invoke the speedy-trial provisions of Rule 505. Case numbers No. 88-TR-6206 and No. 88-TR-6207 were improperly dismissed and must be reinstated upon remand to the trial court. Based upon the foregoing, we affirm in part and reverse in part the judgments of the appellate and circuit courts. We remand Nos. 88-TR-6206 and 88-TR-6207 to the circuit court of Williamson County for the purpose of reinstating prosecution. Appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part; circuit court affirmed in part and reversed in part; causes remanded.