Opinion ID: 2810144
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: Whether appellate jurisdiction exists is a question of law over which this court exercises unlimited review. State v. Looney, 299 Kan. 903, 906, 327 P.3d 425 (2014). Dull argues the district court abused its discretion by ordering the sentences in his two cases to run consecutively rather than concurrently. The State argued, and the Court of Appeals agreed, that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain a criminal defendant's direct appeal of a presumptive sentence. See K.S.A. 21-4721(c)(1); State v. Flores, 268 Kan. 657, 659-60, 999 P.2d 919 (2000) (imposition of consecutive sentences does not alter presumptive character of sentences imposed). On petition for review, Dull argues only the merits of the issue and simply suggests the Court of Appeals wrongly decided this issue. However, this court has a duty to consider jurisdictional issues sua sponte. Williams, 298 Kan. at 1080. Dull's sentence in 09CR3878 was presumptive, i.e., 24 months' imprisonment for the burglary offense concurrent to 12 months in county jail for the misdemeanor theft offense. However, his sentence in 10CR2224 for aggravated indecent liberties with a child was not presumptive. The district court granted a downward departure and imposed 45 months' imprisonment (low range was 89 months' imprisonment) and ordered it to run consecutive to 09CR3878, for a controlling term of 69 months' imprisonment. K.S.A. 21-4721 governed Dull's appeal filed on June 21, 2011. The statute provided in relevant part: 38 (a) A departure sentence is subject to appeal by the defendant or the state. The appeal shall be to the appellate courts in accordance with rules adopted by the supreme court. .... (c) On appeal from a judgment or conviction entered for a felony committed on or after July 1, 1993, the appellate court shall not review: (1) Any sentence that is within the presumptive sentence for the crime. Generally, consecutive sentences imposed under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines are presumptive sentences which are not subject to review by this court. State v. Frecks, 294 Kan. 738, 739, 280 P.3d 217 (2012). However, in State v. Ross, 295 Kan. 1126, Syl. ¶ 12, 289 P.3d 76 (2012), we held: A life sentence for an off-grid crime is not a 'presumptive sentence' as contemplated in K.S.A. 21-4703(q) because imposition of the life sentence was not arrived at by applying the applicable grid block of the sentencing guidelines. Accordingly, when a defendant is convicted of both an off-grid crime and an on-grid crime and the district court orders the presumptive sentence for the on-grid crime to run consecutive to the life sentence for the off-grid crime, the resulting controlling sentence is not entirely a 'presumptive sentence' as defined in K.S.A. 21-4703(q). Thus, K.S.A. 214721(c) does not prevent a defendant from challenging a district court's decision to impose consecutive sentences in a multiple conviction case involving both off-grid and on-grid crimes. As such, we disapprove of the contrary holdings found in State v. Flores, 268 Kan. 657, 99 P.2d 919 (2000), and State v. Ware, 262 Kan. 180, 938 P.2d 197 (1997). Recently in Looney, the defendant was granted a downward durational departure but his motion for dispositional departure was denied. The Court of Appeals summarily denied his appeal for lack of jurisdiction citing K.S.A. 21-4721(c) and State v. Huerta, 291 Kan. 831, 247 P.3d 1043 (2011). We reversed on appeal, reasoning in part that the appellate court has jurisdiction over all departure sentences under K.S.A. 21-4721(a) 39 unless jurisdiction is divested by a more specific provision. Additionally, as Looney did not receive a presumptive sentence, subsection (c)(1) did not bar the Court of Appeals' jurisdiction to hear his appeal. 299 Kan. at 909. Although neither of these cases address the precise scenario here, i.e., consecutive presumptive and departure sentences, their analysis is instructive. While the imposition of consecutive sentences is not considered a departure, Ross indicates that because part of Dull's sentence was a departure sentence, the resulting controlling sentence is not entirely a presumptive sentence. See Ross, 295 Kan. 1126, Syl. ¶ 12. Looney provides that an appellate court has jurisdiction to hear Dull's appeal of his departure sentence under K.S.A. 21-4721(a) unless some other provision is controlling. See Looney, 299 Kan. at 908. Applying the reasoning of Ross, K.S.A. 21-4721(c)(1) does not prevent a defendant from challenging the district court's decision to impose consecutive sentences in a multiple conviction case involving a presumptive and departure sentence. 295 Kan. 1126, Syl. ¶ 12. Accordingly, the panel's dismissal for lack of jurisdiction under K.S.A. 214721(c)(1) was erroneous. In the interest of judicial economy, we will address the merits of Dull's argument.