Opinion ID: 1649558
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the trial court erred in proceeding with the trial in the absence of mallard?

Text: ¶ 6. The Court is confronted with the unexplained absence of the defendant and the lack of an objection to the trial in absentia when Mallard ultimately appeared at sentencing. The applicable statute with respect to trial in the absence of the accused only recognizes waiver by a prisoner at the discretion of the Court [if he be in custody and consenting thereto. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-17-9 (2000). ¶ 7. We have held that an accused felon present at the preliminary hearing and who was in the attorney's office in trial preparations the day before trial, but who did not appear at commencement or other stages of trial, did not waive his presence at trial by his failure to appear. Sandoval v. State, 631 So.2d 159, 164 (Miss.1994). ¶ 8. Mallard was present at the courthouse with her lawyer when the case was originally set for trial on Monday, March 20. She and her attorney were informed by the prosecutor that her case would begin the next day. On the designated trial date Mallard failed to appear for trial. Her attorney advised the court of her actual knowledge of the designated trial date. This by itself does not meet the high threshold for waiver set out in Sandoval. Unlike Sandoval, Mallard made no motion for a continuance or objection for proceeding to trial in her absence. Likewise, three days after the trial, when Mallard appeared in open court for sentencing, no objection was made to the trial in absentia nor was any explanation offered for her absence. From this we can only conclude Mallard's absence was knowing, intelligent and voluntary. In order to preserve an error for appellate review a contemporaneous objection must be made and if no objection is made appellant waives the error by not making the objection at the earliest opportunity. Smith v. State, 530 So.2d 155, 161-62 (Miss.1988). ¶ 9. Since Mallard failed to object to the trial in absentia, we find this assignment of error to be without merit.