Opinion ID: 4563025
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On October 16, 2018, the State filed a five-count information against Liming in the district court for Richardson County. The State charged Liming with second degree assault, use of a deadly weapon other than a firearm to commit a felony, unlawful discharge of a firearm, use of a firearm to commit a felony, and criminal mischief. To the extent the procedural history of the case is relevant to Liming’s argument that the State violated his statutory right to a speedy trial, we recount it with reference to specific dates below. Plea in Abatement. On October 18, 2018, Liming filed a plea in abatement. In an order issued January 22, 2019, the district court overruled the plea in abatement as to several counts alleged in the information, but sustained it as to the count alleging that Liming was guilty of use of a deadly weapon other than a firearm to commit a felony. The district court dismissed that count without prejudice. In the same order, the district court scheduled arraignment for February 5. Arraignment. On January 30, 2019, the State filed an amended information, which amended the previously dismissed count to - 477 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 306 Nebraska Reports STATE v. LIMING Cite as 306 Neb. 475 use of a firearm to commit a felony. On February 1, Liming filed a motion to continue the arraignment. On February 4, the district court granted Liming’s motion to continue and rescheduled the arraignment for March 12. On March 5, the district court, on its own motion, continued the arraignment to March 19. On March 19, 2019, Liming was arraigned on the amended information. Liming stood mute during the arraignment, and the district court entered pleas of not guilty on each count. After Liming was arraigned, the district court scheduled the matter for a pretrial hearing on April 23. Pretrial Hearing. On April 22, 2019, Liming filed a motion to continue the pretrial hearing. The district court granted Liming’s motion that same day and rescheduled the pretrial hearing for May 14. The pretrial hearing was held on May 14. At the pretrial hearing, the district court ordered the parties to participate in a settlement conference on June 18, 2019. The district court stated that the settlement conference was to take place outside the presence of the court, but added, “If the parties come to an agreement, we can do an entry of plea on June 18th, and if not, then we can set the matter for a jury trial.” The district court also issued a journal entry referring to the settlement conference. It directed the parties to engage in a settlement conference for no less than 15 minutes on June 18, 2019. While the district court stated at the pretrial hearing that the settlement conference would take place outside the presence of the court, the journal entry indicated the parties were to appear before the court following the settlement conference. The journal entry indicated that a “Hearing - Settlement Conference” was the next court appearance in the case. It also indicated that if the parties reached a plea agreement, an entry of plea hearing would be held, but if the parties did not, the court would schedule the matter for trial. - 478 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 306 Nebraska Reports STATE v. LIMING Cite as 306 Neb. 475 Settlement Conference. On May 23, 2019, the State filed a motion to continue the settlement conference scheduled for June 18 because counsel for the State had a previously scheduled hearing in another court. The motion stated that counsel for the State had conferred with Liming’s counsel and that Liming did not object to the State’s request for a continuance. On May 24, the district court granted the State’s requested continuance and rescheduled the settlement conference for July 9. On July 9, 2019, counsel for the parties confirmed to the district court that they had participated in a settlement conference outside the presence of the court earlier that morning. When asked to report on the status of the case, Liming’s counsel stated that the parties were ready for trial. The district court ordered that a jury trial would commence on September 24. Motion for Absolute Discharge. On September 23, 2019, the day before the jury trial was to begin, Liming filed a motion for absolute discharge in which he asserted that his statutory right to a speedy trial was violated. The district court held a hearing on Liming’s motion the next day. At the hearing, the State offered and the district court received an email exchange between counsel for the State and counsel for Liming dated May 22, 2019. In the exchange, counsel for the State asked Liming’s counsel if he objected to moving the settlement conference and Liming’s counsel responded that he did not object to moving it. The district court overruled the motion for absolute discharge from the bench and also entered a written order setting forth its reasoning. The district court found that after excluding delay that arose because of Liming’s plea in abatement and the continuances of the arraignment, pretrial hearing, and settlement conference, time remained on the 6-month statutory speedy trial clock. Liming appealed. - 479 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 306 Nebraska Reports STATE v. LIMING Cite as 306 Neb. 475 ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR Liming assigns a single error on appeal. He argues that the district court erred when it overruled Liming’s motion for absolute discharge.