Court Opinion

ID: 3109433
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-10-16 06:36:15.670792+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:28:35.545858
License: Public Domain

Opinion issued February 13, 2014

                                     In The

                              Court of Appeals
                                     For The

                          First District of Texas
                            ————————————
                              NO. 01-13-00324-CR
                           ———————————
                DARRELL ANTHONY BENFORD, Appellant
                                        V.
                      THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                   On Appeal from the 176th District Court
                           Harris County, Texas
                       Trial Court Case No. 1336333

                         MEMORANDUM OPINION

      Appellant, Darrell Anthony Benford, pleaded guilty to the felony offense of

assault1 and pleaded true to the allegations in a felony enhancement paragraph.2

1
      See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.01(a)(1), (b-1) (West Supp. 2013).
2
      See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 12.42(b) (West Supp. 2013).
The trial court found appellant guilty, found the enhancement true, and, in

accordance with the terms of appellant’s plea bargain agreement with the State,

sentenced appellant to confinement for ten years. Appellant filed a pro se notice of

appeal. We dismiss the appeal.

      In a plea bargain case, a defendant may only appeal those matters that were

raised by written motion filed and ruled on before trial or after getting the trial

court’s permission to appeal. TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 44.02 (West

2006); TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(a)(2). An appeal must be dismissed if a certification

showing that the defendant has the right of appeal has not been made part of the

record. TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(d).

      Here, the trial court’s certification is included in the record on appeal. See id.

The trial court’s certification states that this is a plea bargain case and that the

defendant has no right of appeal. See TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(a)(2). The record

supports the trial court’s certification. See Dears v. State, 154 S.W.3d 610, 615

(Tex. Crim. App. 2005). Because appellant has no right of appeal, we must

dismiss this appeal. See Chavez v. State, 183 S.W.3d 675, 680 (Tex. Crim. App.

2006) (“A court of appeals, while having jurisdiction to ascertain whether an

appellant who plea-bargained is permitted to appeal by Rule 25.2(a)(2), must

dismiss a prohibited appeal without further action, regardless of the basis for the

appeal.”).

                                          2
      Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction. We dismiss any

pending motions as moot.

                                 PER CURIAM
Panel consists of Chief Justice Radack and Justices Massengale and Huddle.

Do not publish. TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).

                                           3