Court Opinion

ID: 9942600
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-21 16:10:04.006207+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:48:17.033718
License: Public Domain

/1j ORIGINAL                                            02/21/2024

            IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA                                Case Number: OP 24-0064

                                        OP 24-0064
                                                                                      FILED
 STEVEN TYRONE TIETZ,                                                                  FEB 2 0 2024
                                                                                   Bowen Greenwood
                                                                                 Clerk of Supreme
       Petitioner,                                                                                         Court
                                                                                    S-.7. .- Te cr Iviontar-a

       v.
                                                                     ORDER
 CAPT. RAY VAUGHN, Sheriff,
 Butte-Silver Bow County Detention Center,

       Respondent.

       Steven Tyrone Tietz has filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus along with a
Motion for Appointment of Counsel. Tietz contends his bail is excessive and that his
incarceration is illegal.
       Tietz provides a brief accounting of what has elapsed since his arrest in 2022. He
states his initial bail was set at $100,000 and he was unaware of his charges. Tietz notes
that a friend bailed him out in December, but that he "was arrested again" on October 24,
2023. He adds that the court revoked his bond without setting another bail amount. He
points out that he had a mental health evaluation at the State Hospital in November 2023
and that he returned to the jail on January 25, 2024. He states that he asked his counsel for
a bail reduction hearing several times.      Tietz further provides complaints about his
appointed counsel and the conditions of confinement, as well as how he can prove his
innocence.
       We secured copies of the register of actions from the Butte-Silver Bow County
District Court. Tietz has two pending criminal cases. The District Court arraigned him on
September 8, 2022, and set a $100,000 bond. The court initially denied his release on his
own recognizance in November 2022. His bond was posted in early 2023. The State
sought to revoke his release on October 25, 2023, most likely due to new charges filed in
his other pending matter. Tietz has bail set at $125,000 in his initial case and at $25,000
in the more recent matter. The court has set jury trials in both matters for March 2024 and
June 2024, respectively.
       Tietz has not demonstrated illegal incarceration. Section 46-22-101(1), MCA. The
cause of his restraint is due to his two pending criminal cases. The District Court released
him, and Tietz violated the conditions of his release. This Court has determined that a
district court has the discretion to grant or deny release and bail as well to set conditions.
Grafi? v. Mont. Fourth Judicial Dist. Ct., 2021 MT 201, ¶ 11, 405 Mont. 192, 492 P.3d
1213. Tietz has not demonstrated want of bail, pursuant to § 46-22-103, MCA.
       His other claims are not remedied by the writ of habeas corpus. This Court cannot
address the conditions of confinement or his claims about counsel. Any constitutional
claims are not remedied by a writ of habeas corpus. Gates v. Missoula County Comm 'rs,
235 Mont. 261, 262, 766 P.2d 884, 884-85 (1988). Tietz may seek an appeal upon
receiving a final decision from the District Court.
       Lastly, Tietz should refrain from filing pleadings in this Court on his own behalf
when he is represented by counsel. M. R. App. P. 10(1)(c). Accordingly,
       IT IS ORDERED that Tietz's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus is DENIED and
DISMISSED.
       IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Tietz's Motion for Appointment of Counsel is
DENIED as moot.
       The Clerk is directed to provide a copy of this Order to: the Honorable Kurt Krueger,
District Court Judge; Robert J. Whelan, District Court Judge; Beth Parks, Clerk of District
Court, under Cause Nos. DC 22-179 and DC 23-329, and for distribution to counsel of
record; Ray Vaughn, Butte-Silver Bow County Sheriff; counsel of record, and Steven
Tyrone Tietz personally
       DATED this Z.b       day of February, 2024.

                                                                 Chief Justice

                                              2
    m
    Justices

3