Court Opinion

ID: 9915671
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-06 07:09:31.996132+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:17:56.870781
License: Public Domain

Opinion filed January 4, 2024

                                       In The

        Eleventh Court of Appeals
                                    ___________

                                No. 11-23-00286-CR
                                    ___________

                 CHARLES LEE LEVAN, JR., Appellant
                                          V.
                     THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                     On Appeal from the 29th District Court
                          Palo Pinto County, Texas
                         Trial Court Cause No. 11,625

                     MEMORANDUM OPINION
      Appellant, Charles Lee Levan, Jr., has filed an untimely notice of appeal in
this cause. Appellant attempts to appeal from a denial of his motion for forensic
DNA testing. We dismiss the appeal.
      The documents on file in this case indicate that, on March 27, 2023, Appellant
filed a motion for an independent examination of DNA evidence along with a letter
requesting that the district clerk file and process the motion so the trial court could
“make its ruling.” On Appellant’s filing, “Denied” or “Denial” and 3/27/23” is
handwritten with a signature below the ruling and date.
      Appellant filed a pro se notice of appeal on December 12, 2023. However,
Appellant’s notice of appeal was due to be filed within thirty days after the date that
the trial court entered its appealable order. See TEX. R. APP. P. 26.2(a)(1); see also
TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 64.05 (West 2018). The documents on file in this
court show that Appellant’s notice of appeal was filed 260 days after the trial court
entered its denial of his motion. The notice of appeal was, therefore, untimely.
Absent a timely filed notice of appeal or the granting of a timely motion for extension
of time, we do not have jurisdiction to entertain this appeal. See Swearingen v. State,
189 S.W.3d 779, 781 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006); see also Slaton v. State, 981 S.W.2d
208, 210 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998); Olivo v. State, 918 S.W.2d 519, 522–23 (Tex.
Crim. App. 1996); Rodarte v. State, 860 S.W.2d 108, 110 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993).
      When the appeal was filed in this court, we notified Appellant by letter that
his notice of appeal appeared to be untimely and that the appeal may be dismissed
for want of jurisdiction. We requested that Appellant respond to our letter and show
grounds to continue. In his response, Appellant stated that he filed his notice of
appeal and “all of the standard motions . . . [o]n or about APRIL 21st [sic] 2023,”
but that the “officials . . . stated they never received any DNA motion or appeal
motions or notice for appeal.” He further stated that he filed a docketing statement
with this court “on or about DECEMBER 12, 2023.” Appellant “suggest[s],” as a
result, that we “grant such untimely appeal. [sic] due to the error’s on the STATE
OFFICIALS [sic] part” and “in the interest of Justice and fairness.” The district
clerk has informed the clerk of this court that a notice of appeal was not filed in this
cause until December 12, 2023.
      Accordingly, Appellant’s notice of appeal is untimely, and Appellant has not
shown any grounds upon which this appeal may proceed. To the extent Appellant
                                           2
requests that we grant him an out-of-time appeal, we are not authorized to grant such
a request. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the only court with jurisdiction
to consider a motion for an out-of-time appeal. See Ater v. Eighth Ct. of Appeals,
802 S.W.2d 241, 243 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991) (orig. proceeding). Because we lack
jurisdiction over his appeal, we have no jurisdiction to consider “suggest[ion]” to
“grant [his] untimely appeal.” See Gowan v. State, No. 02-16-00140-CR, 2016 WL
2989952, at *1 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth May 19, 2016, no pet.) (mem. op., not
designated for publication).
      We dismiss this appeal for want of jurisdiction.

                                               JOHN M. BAILEY
                                               CHIEF JUSTICE

January 4, 2024

Do not publish. See TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
Panel consists of: Bailey, C.J.,
Trotter, J., and Williams, J.

                                         3