Opinion ID: 1782661
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the trial judge abused his discretion in refusing to allow harris to withdraw his plea of guilty.

Text: ¶ 7. Harris argues that his plea of guilty was not voluntary because he received ineffective assistance of counsel. In so arguing, Harris asserts that his attorney erroneously informed him that he could enter a plea of guilty, continue to conduct an investigation into his case, then withdraw his plea of guilty any time before he was sentenced-which would probably be 60 to 90 days after the plea hearing. Harris's attorney, Mike Wall, admitted to giving Harris this advice under oath at the post-sentence investigation hearing. ¶ 8. The record discloses that the trial judge questioned Harris about his understanding of the effect of his guilty plea as follows: Court: Now, do you understand that if the court accepts your plea of guilty, it will have accepted it on the basis that you are, in fact, guilty and for no other reason? In other words, if the court accepts your plea of guilty, it will accept it and treat it and it will be treated by the other courts of this state just the same as if a jury had been duly and legally selected, empaneled, and sworn to try your case, heard the case, gone out under the proper instructions of the court, deliberated, come back in open court and announced that they had found you guilty? Now, do you understand that? Harris: Yes, your honor.    Court: Have you been made aware of and do you understand the minimum and the maximum sentence that you could receive for this crime? Harris: Yes, your Honor. Court: Now, has anybody made any promises to you, held out any offers of reward to you, done anything in any way to induce you or get you to plead guilty? Harris: No, your Honor. Court: Has anybody done anything in any way to force you or make you or coerce you into pleading guilty? Harris: No, your Honor. Court: Are you telling me then that you're offering your plea of guilty of your own free, voluntary will and accord; and that you're doing so knowingly because you are guilty and for no other reason? Harris: Yes, your Honor. (emphasis added). At the hearing on Harris's motion to withdraw his guilty plea, Harris testified as follows: Court: Okay, Mr. Harris, you remember when you pled last week here. Harris: Yes, sir. Court: In open court. Harris: Yes, sir. Court: You were under oath before Judge Coleman. Harris: Yes, sir. Court: And he informed you that if you were going to enter this plea of guilty, that there wouldn't be any appeal; that you were waiving that right. Didn't you hear him say that? Harris: To a certain extent. Court: As a matter of fact under oath you said that you understood that. Is that not correct? Harris: Yes, I did. Court: All right, and you heard the judge at that time tell you that sentencing would be today, right? Harris: Yes, sir. Court: And you didn't stop and say, Whoa Judge. My lawyer lied to me. He told me I would have 60 to 90 days before sentencing. You didn't do that, did you? Harris: I hesitated and thought about it, but I didn't know whether to interrupt the Court. Court: You didn't do it, did you? Harris: No, sir, I did not.