Opinion ID: 2222266
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Habitual Offender Arraignment

Text: The defendant next contends that the trial court erred by refusing to hold an arraignment or initial hearing on the habitual offender charge. The State concedes that an arraignment and an initial hearing are proper procedural steps for a habitual offender count, but argues that its absence here does not constitute reversible error because the habitual offender count was filed four months prior to trial and because of the absence of resulting prejudice. It was not until after the trial and resulting verdict on the robbery count that the defendant first asserted his claim that the habitual offender count should be dismissed because of the lack of an arraignment or initial hearing. The failure to arraign a defendant charged as a habitual offender does not present grounds for reversal in the absence of prejudice. Shelton v. State (1986), Ind., 490 N.E.2d 738; Edwards v. State (1985), Ind., 479 N.E.2d 541. In the present case, we find no prejudice nor resulting error.