Court Opinion

ID: 9942452
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-21 01:08:09.443561+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:48:06.925722
License: Public Domain

j ORIGINAL                                       02/20/2024

            IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA                              Case Number: OP 24-0051

                                         OP 24-0051
                                                                                  FT           D
 JOHN XAVIER BILLEDEAUX,
                                                                                  FEB 2 0 2024
                                                                                Bowen Greenwood
              Petitioner,                                                     Clerk of Supreme Court
                                                                                 State of Montana

       v.
                                                                          ORDER
 DON BELL, SHERIFF,
 LAKE COUNTY DETENTION CENTER,

              Respondent.

       John Xavier Billedeaux has filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, indicating
that his sentence is longer than the law allows and that it is illegal.
       From his Petition, it is apparent that Billedeaux has not yet been sentenced.
Billedeaux has a pending criminal case in Lake County District Court. He includes a
one-page attachment of his acknowledgment of rights as a defendant reflecting that the
State of Montana has charged him with attempted deliberate homicide and criminal
endangerment.
       Billedeaux raises several claims, including excessive bail. He states that he was
arrested on February 11, 2023, on the charges listed above. He contends that his right to a
speedy trial has been violated and that he has never seen or signed a waiver. He asserts
that he had a fitness to proceed evaluation at the Montana State Hospital, which has also
delayed his proceeding. He requests that this Court "clarify as to why Petitioner has been
incarcerated for more than 11 months and [why] Petitioner was placed at the Montana State
Hospital at the request of the State."
       We have obtained a copy of the register of actions from the Lake County District
Court. The court set a jury trial in March 2023 after Billedeaux was arraigned. Since then,
a different Judge has assumed jurisdiction, and various pleadings have been sealed. On
May 10, 2023, the State moved unopposed to find Billedeaux unfit to proceed, and the
court issued an Order for Evaluation and Regarding Transport to the State Hospital. The
court has held several hearings on the status of the case, and the court entered an Omnibus
Hearing Memorandum and Order on January 23, 2024, following the return of Billedeaux
to the Lake County Detention Center.
       "[E]very person imprisoned or otherwise restrained of liberty within this state may
prosecute a writ of habeas corpus to inquire into the cause of imprisonment or restraint and,
if illegal, to be delivered from the imprisonment or restraint." Section 46-22-101(1), MCA.
Billedeaux has not demonstrated illegal incarceration.         The cause of Billedeaux's
incarceration is due to his pending criminal matter in the District Court. Gates v. Missoula
County Comm 'rs, 235 Mont. 261, 262, 766 P.2d 884, 884-85 (1988). This Court declines
to venture into Billedeaux's request for assistance. A writ of habeas corpus is not the
vehicle for a fact-finding endeavor. It is also not the remedy for Billedeaux's claims, which
are more appropriate for an appeal. Section 46-22-101(2), MCA.
       Billedeaux should discuss his concerns with his counsel. He should also refrain
from filing petitions on his own behalf in this Court while he is represented by counsel.
M. R. App. P. 10(1)(c). Accordingly,
       IT IS ORDERED that Billedeaux's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus is DENIED
and DISMISSED.
       IT IS ORDERED that this matter is CLOSED as of this Order's date.
      The Clerk is directed to provide a copy to: the Honorable John Larson, District Court
Judge; Lyn Fricker, Clerk of District Court, Lake County, under Cause No. DC-23-64;
Brendan McQuillan, Lake County Attorney's Office; Westen Young, Defense Counsel;
counsel of record, and John Xavier Billedeaux.
      DATED this CA-) day of February, 2024.

                                                   -4/4(7,/,    Chief Justice
                                             2
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