Court Opinion

ID: 9930532
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-07 07:12:20.326327+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:21:29.432482
License: Public Domain

Modified and Affirmed and Opinion Filed February 5, 2024

                                      In The
                            Court of Appeals
                     Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                               No. 05-23-00352-CR

                    ZACHARY MICHAEL LEE, Appellant
                                  V.
                      THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                On Appeal from the County Court at Law No. 1
                            Collin County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. 001-86283-2022

                        MEMORANDUM OPINION
                Before Justices Carlyle, Goldstein, and Breedlove
                         Opinion by Justice Breedlove
      The trial court found appellant guilty of Failure to Identify Fugitive

Intentionally Giving False Information in violation of Texas Penal Code 38.02

(b)(2), (d)(2) and was sentenced to 15 days in county jail. Appellant appeals,

complaining that the judgment should be modified to correctly reflect the

information required by Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 42.01, § 1. Concluding that the

record supports this modification, we modify the trial court’s judgment and affirm.
                                I.     BACKGROUND

      On April 17, 2023, appellant appealed the trial court’s judgment that was

entered on March 30, 2023. In one issue, appellant complains that the judgment

should be modified to correctly reflect the information required by Tex. Code Crim.

Proc. art. 42.01, § 1, specifically: (a) the names of the attorneys for the State and

appellant; (b) the plea entered; and (c) the degree of the offense for which appellant

was convicted. In response, the State agrees.

                                 II.    DISCUSSION

      The judgment entered in this case fails to list the names of the attorneys for

the State and Defense. Further, it ambiguously states that appellant “pleaded Guilty

or Nolo Contendere,” rather than stating which of the two pleas was entered. Finally,

the judgment does not state the degree of the offense, only that it is a “misdemeanor.”

The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure states that a judgment “shall reflect,” among

other things, the names of the attorney for the State and the defendant, the plea to

the offense charged, and the degree of offense for which the defendant was

convicted. TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 42.01 § 1. The Article applies to

misdemeanors as well as felonies. TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 42.01 § 3.

      Appellate courts may modify a trial court's judgment and affirm it as modified.

See TEX. R. APP. P. 43.2(b); Bigley v. State, 865 S.W.2d 26, 27–28 (Tex. Crim. App.

1993). This Court “has the power to correct and reform the judgment of the court

below to make the record speak the truth when it has the necessary data and

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information to do so.” Asberry v. State, 813 S.W.2d 526, 529 (Tex. App.—Dallas

1991, writ ref’d). Appellate courts may reform trial court judgments where “the

evidence necessary to correct the judgment appears in the record.” Id. Here, the

record contains all the necessary information required to modify the judgment.

Therefore, we modify the judgment to reflect the following: (1) Hugh A. Fuller was

the attorney for the defendant and Assistant District Attorney Nicole DeVincenzi

was the attorney for the State; (2) appellant pleaded “guilty”; and (3) appellant was

convicted of a Class A misdemeanor.

                                III.   CONCLUSION

      We modify the trial court’s judgment and affirm as modified.

230352f.u05                                /Maricela Breedlove/
Do Not Publish                             MARICELA BREEDLOVE
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b)                    JUSTICE

                                        –3–
                           Court of Appeals
                    Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                 JUDGMENT

ZACHARY MICHAEL LEE,                         On Appeal from the County Court at
Appellant                                    Law No. 1, Collin County, Texas
                                             Trial Court Cause No. 001-86283-
No. 05-23-00352-CR          V.               2022.
                                             Opinion delivered by Justice
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee                 Breedlove. Justices Carlyle and
                                             Goldstein participating.

   Based on the Court’s opinion of this date, the judgment of the trial court is
MODIFIED as follows:

     Add “Hugh A. Fuller” as the attorney for the defendant; add “Nicole
DeVincenzi” as the attorney for the State; change “pleaded Guilty or Nolo
Contendere” to “Guilty”; and add “Class A” before “misdemeanor.”

As REFORMED, the judgment is AFFIRMED.

Judgment entered this 5th day of February, 2024.

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