Court Opinion

ID: 9928250
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-31 14:02:38.985432+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:51:55.894923
License: Public Domain

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

                                        ATLANTA,____________________
                                                 January 31, 2024

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A24D0213. CHARLES EDWARD HARRIS v. THE STATE.

      In August 2023, Charles Edward Harris pled guilty to one count of criminal
damage to property in the second degree, a violation of the terms of his probation, and
the trial court sentenced him to an additional probated sentence. On November 30,
2023, the court denied Harris’s pro se motion to withdraw plea/motion to correct
void sentence and motion to modify sentence.1 Harris thereafter filed this application
for discretionary appeal. We lack jurisdiction.
      An application for discretionary appeal must be filed within 30 days of entry of
the judgment or trial court order sought to be appealed. OCGA § 5-6-35 (d). “The
requirements of OCGA § 5-6-35 are jurisdictional and this [C]ourt cannot accept an
appeal not made in compliance therewith.” Boyle v. State, 190 Ga. App. 734, 734 (380
SE2d 57) (1989). See also Gable v. State, 290 Ga. 81, 82 (2) (a) (720 SE2d 170) (2011)
(noting that this Court “has held that the failure to meet the statutory deadline for
filing a discretionary appeal is a jurisdictional defect”). Here, the 30th day after
November 30, 2023, fell on a Saturday, December 30, 2023, meaning that this
discretionary application had to be filed by the next business day, Tuesday, January
2, 2024, in order to be timely. See Court of Appeals Rule 3. Harris’s certificate of
service is dated January 6, 2024, and the application has a postmark date of

      1
       Harris has failed to include a copy of his pro se motion with his application
materials, in violation of Court of Appeals Rule 31 (e).
January 10, 2024. Even giving Harris the benefit of the filing date of January 6, 2024,2
the application is not timely because it was not filed within 30 days of the trial court’s
order.
         Because this application is untimely, it is hereby DISMISSED for lack of
jurisdiction.

                                         Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
                                           Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
                                                                       01/31/2024
                                                    I certify that the above is a true extract from
                                         the minutes of the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
                                                   Witness my signature and the seal of said court
                                         hereto affixed the day and year last above written.

                                                                                           , Clerk.

         2
        Under Court of Appeals Rule 4 (c), “[i]n the absence of an official United
States Postal Service postmark showing a date on or before the filing deadline, a
document submitted by a prisoner who is not represented by an attorney shall be
deemed filed on the date the prisoner delivers the document to prison officials for
forwarding to the Clerk of the Court of Appeals. This delivery shall be shown by the
date on the certificate of service . . .”