Court Opinion

ID: 9381959
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-24 14:04:57.451139+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:35.880258
License: Public Domain

RENDERED: MARCH 17, 2023; 10:00 A.M.
                        NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

                Commonwealth of Kentucky
                           Court of Appeals

                              NO. 2021-CA-1486-MR

COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY                                              APPELLANT

                APPEAL FROM FAYETTE CIRCUIT COURT
v.             HONORABLE JULIE MUTH GOODMAN, JUDGE
                       ACTION NO. 19-CR-00903

HAYDEN MACDONALD                                                        APPELLEE

                           OPINION AND ORDER
                        VACATING AND REMANDING

                                   ** ** ** ** **

BEFORE: JONES, KAREM, AND LAMBERT, JUDGES.

KAREM, JUDGE: Hayden MacDonald committed a robbery when he was fifteen

(15) years old. After waiving a transfer hearing, the juvenile court transferred

MacDonald’s case to Fayette Circuit Court under the then-existing provisions of

Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 635.020(4). On July 9, 2019, the Fayette Circuit

Court Grand Jury indicted MacDonald on the charges of first-degree robbery and

possession of a handgun by a minor (first offense). MacDonald pleaded guilty to
second-degree robbery and possession of a handgun by a minor (first offense) on

April 8, 2021, and the circuit court set a sentencing hearing for June 3, 2021. The

sentencing hearing was continued four times by agreed order.

             On August 24, 2021, MacDonald filed a “Notice of Consent to the

Application of SB 32 & Amen[d]ed KRS 635.020 & 640.010 as Mitigating in this

Case,” asking for a new transfer hearing under the newly amended statutes. The

crux of his argument was that the 2021 amendments “mitigate[d] the transfer

decision,” and KRS 446.110 permitted him to opt into the new statutory scheme.

             The Commonwealth opposed MacDonald’s request, arguing that the

amendments affected the transfer hearing procedure and that the decision to send

the case to the circuit court had already been made.

             On December 13, 2021, the circuit court entered an order remanding

MacDonald’s case back to juvenile court for a new transfer hearing. The

Commonwealth filed a notice of appeal from the circuit court’s order on December

20, 2021. Additionally, on February 7, 2022, this Court granted the

Commonwealth’s motion for intermediate relief, staying the effectiveness of the

circuit court’s order pending the finality of this appeal.

             On October 21, 2022, MacDonald filed a notice of his intent not to

file an appellee brief, a motion to dismiss the Commonwealth’s appeal, and a

motion to remand the case to the Fayette Circuit Court for further proceedings. On

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November 3, 2022, the Commonwealth filed a response stating that it had no

objection to the case being remanded to Fayette Circuit Court – as that was the

relief it ultimately sought through its appeal.

             Thus, because the parties are essentially requesting the same relief in

this appeal, we vacate the circuit court’s December 13, 2021, order to send the case

to juvenile court and remand for the circuit court to hold a sentencing hearing.

Additionally, our disposition of the case renders moot MacDonald’s motion to

dismiss the appeal.

             ALL CONCUR.

 BRIEF FOR APPELLANT:                       NO BRIEF FOR APPELLEE.

 Daniel Cameron
 Attorney General of Kentucky

 Kristin L. Conder
 Assistant Attorney General
 Frankfort, Kentucky

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