Court Opinion

ID: 9571447
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:31:51.516183+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:30:26.935120
License: Public Domain

McMurray, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent as the trial court did not expressly approve defendant’s request to enter the conditional guilty pleas as is required by Mims v. State, 201 Ga. App. 277, 278 (1) (410 SE2d 824).
“[Defendants have no right to condition guilty pleas upon reserving the appeal of any issues, and defendants may only reserve the appeal of such issues when the trial court, in the exercise of its discretion, allows a defendant to do so as part of a negotiated plea. Therefore, unless the trial court expressly approves the reservation of the issue and accepts the guilty plea with that condition, the issue is not preserved; and an unconditional guilty plea will waive any defenses *634and objections (Massey v. State, 137 Ga. App. 484, 485 (224 SE2d 117)) except an appellate issue of whether such plea was voluntarily made by appellant and accepted following proper inquiry by the trial court.” Mims v. State, 201 Ga. App. 277, 278 (1), 279, supra.
At arraignment, defendant made a request to preserve for appeal the issue of the denial of his motion to suppress and the State announced that such a reservation of a right to appeal was part of the plea negotiations. Defense counsel then stated that defendant “understands that if he’s unsuccessful in his appeal that the sentence today is his sentence.” The trial court did not respond to defendant’s request to enter the conditional guilty pleas, but made general inquiry as to the knowing and voluntary nature of defendant’s guilty pleas. The trial court then accepted the guilty pleas and sentenced defendant. These circumstances do not reveal that the trial court expressly, or even tacitly, approved defendant’s request to enter the conditional guilty pleas.
“[I]t is the responsibility of the trial court to decide whether to exercise its discretion and accept a guilty plea on condition that appellate issues are preserved.” Mims v. State, 201 Ga. App. 277, 278 (1), 279, supra. In the case sub judice, the majority holds that the trial court’s silence in response to defendant’s request to enter the conditional pleas was an exercise of discretion and an approval of the guilty pleas. I do not. Further, it is my view that the majority’s reliance on Springsteen v. State, 206 Ga. App. 150 (424 SE2d 832) (1992), is misplaced.
In Springsteen v. State, 206 Ga. App. 150, supra, the trial court satisfied its duty to expressly approve conditional guilty pleas by discussing the request with counsel and by stating to defense counsel, “ ‘If you’re satisfied [that such a reservation of a right to appeal is appropriate], I’m satisfied.’ ” However, the holding in Springsteen was expressly limited to the circumstances of that case. Specifically, this Court stated that its holding is based on “the obvious fact that the plea was conditioned on the right to appeal the court’s search and seizure ruling and that the court agreed to such procedure appears on the record.” Id. In fact, this Court expressly recognized Mims and stated that “courts should precisely express on the record an approval of the reservation of appellate issues when exercising the discretion to accept the plea.” Id.
It is my view, that the trial court’s silence in response to defendant’s request to enter the conditional guilty pleas did not meet the express approval requirement of Mims v. State, 201 Ga. App. 277, supra, i.e., silence does not amount to an exercise of discretion nor does it amount to an approval (either express or implied) of a conditional plea agreement. Consequently, I would affirm the judgment of the trial court since defendant’s admission of guilt constitutes a *635waiver of all known and unknown defenses and since defendant does not challenge the knowing and voluntary nature of his guilty pleas. See Mims v. State, 201 Ga. App. 277, 278 (1), supra.
Decided December 4, 1992.
Whitmer & Law, George H. Law III, for appellant.
Lydia S. Jackson, Solicitor, for appellee.
I am authorized to state that Judge Andrews joins in this dissent.