Opinion ID: 2145405
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: State's Alleged Breach of Promise

Text: Perkins' fifth and most novel ground for withdrawal of his guilty plea is that his plea is invalid because the state breached its promise in the plea petition by arguing on appeal for affirmance of the upward departure. He claims that because the state took the position at the time of his guilty plea that 115 months was an appropriate sentence, the state should not now be permitted to argue for an upward departure. Perkins did not raise this argument below and therefore it is not properly before this court. See Morton v. Board of Comm'rs, 301 Minn. 415, 427, 223 N.W.2d 764, 771 (1974). But even if we were to reach the merits of this argument, we would find it unconvincing. The state previously met its part of the bargain by recommending the presumptive sentence to the sentencing judge. At the sentencing hearing, the state offered the presumptive sentence as at least appropriate in this case, but did not claim that it was the only appropriate sentence under the circumstances. Arguing for affirmance of the upward departure on appeal is not inconsistent with the state's sentencing recommendation. Perkins cites no case in which an appellate court has allowed a defendant to withdraw a guilty plea because the state argued for affirmance of the sentencing court's departure from the state's recommendation on appeal. We conclude that Perkins' argument that the state breached its promise is meritless.