Court Opinion

ID: 9793304
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:45:54.562252+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:04:24.021802
License: Public Domain

CORNISH, Judge,
specially concurring:
I agree that the record does not reflect that appellant elected to proceed pro se. To establish such choice, “the trial court should clearly ascertain that a defendant knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently elects to proceed pro se.” Stiner v. State, 539 P.2d 750, 753 (Okl.Cr.1975). In addition, “[t]his Court strongly encourages trial courts in this jurisdiction to appoint standby counsel in cases where the defendant elects to represent himself.” Johnson v. State, 556 P.2d 1285, 1297 (Okl.Cr.1976) (emphasis in the original.) Accordingly, trial without counsel was not justified by an election to proceed pro se.
The dissent makes the important point that the defendant should not be permitted to completely frustrate the judicial process by alleging on the day of trial that he is not prepared and needs additional time to retain counsel and subpoena witnesses. Beyond question,
[wjhere a defendant able to retain counsel has been advised by the court that he must retain counsel by a certain reasonable time, and where there is no showing *1147why .he has not retained counsel within that time, the court may treat his failure to provide for his own defense as a waiver of his right to counsel and require such defendant to proceed to trial without an attorney.
United States v. Gates, 557 F.2d 1086, 1088 (5th Cir.1977), cert. den., 434 U.S. 1017, 98 S.Ct. 737, 54 L.Ed.2d 763. See also United States v. Fowler, 605 F.2d 181 (5th Cir.1979); and United States v. Terry, 449 F.2d 727 (5th Cir.1971). However, I find the following to be persuasive in this regard:
While this Court will never countenance the strategy of a clever defendant to force a trial court to require him to proceed pro se as a means of furnishing him error on appeal, if that be the case the burden is on the state to present a record adequate to establish it.
State v. Lande, 180 Mont. 157, 589 P.2d 666, 670 (1979). In this case, the only evidence bearing on the issue is appellant’s statement that he was employed at $5.00 an hour; that he was unable to get an attorney “this quick”; and the judge’s and appellant’s reference to conversations not of record on appeal. I cannot find that appellant’s conduct, reflected in the record, constitutes a waiver of his right to counsel. Therefore, I specially concur.