Opinion ID: 4564881
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pahrump Justice Court & Nevada District Court

Text: On May 9, 2012, at a pre-trial hearing in justice court for both complaints, upon trial counsel’s advice Anderson pled no-contest or guilty to all of the misdemeanor charges, including the failure-to-yield charge. On June 8, 2012, the justice court transferred the remaining felony case to the Nevada district court. Pursuant to his plan, counsel then filed a motion to dismiss the felony complaint on double jeopardy grounds, reasoning that Anderson’s guilty plea to the failure-to-yield misdemeanor barred his prosecution for the felony DUI charge. The Nevada district court denied the motion to dismiss, explaining that “it is possible for a defendant to meet the legal duty element of the statute [DUI causing death] by violating any number of rules of the road.” But the court emphasized (literally) that “IF THE STATE IS UNABLE TO PROVE ANY VIOLATION OF LEGAL DUTY AT TRIAL OTHER THAN THE FAILURE TO STOP, THEN THIS CASE WILL BE DISMISSED.” 1 The misdemeanor and felony charges could not be tried together under Nevada law. Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 4.370(3) (“Justice courts have jurisdiction of all misdemeanors and no other criminal offenses except as otherwise provided by specific statute.”). But felonies may begin adjudication in a justice court as “justice courts have jurisdiction to conduct preliminary examinations in felony complaints.” Koller v. State, 130 P.3d 653, 656 (Nev. 2006). ANDERSON V. NEVEN 15 Taking the hint, trial counsel entered a conditional guilty plea agreement with the State on the felony DUI charge that preserved “the right to appeal this Court’s ruling on the jeopardy issue” and dismissed two other charges—a felony and a misdemeanor—“as a consequence of [the] negotiation.” The Nevada district court then entered judgment convicting Anderson of the felony DUI charge, and sentenced Anderson to a maximum term of 240 months. Trial counsel appealed the conviction on double jeopardy grounds to the Nevada Supreme Court.