Court Opinion

ID: 9717283
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:01:06.877049+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:52.268225
License: Public Domain

D. F. Walsh, P.J.
(concurring). I concur in reversal of the trial court’s order granting defendant Benny Gambrell’s motion to dismiss.
The trial court in this case ruled that the 180-day statutory period, MCL 780.131; MSA 28.969(1), began to run on October 17, 1981, the day defendant was brought back to Michigan after waiving extradition in Arkansas. After careful review of the record, I am persuaded that the trial court was correct in so ruling.
The record indicates that defendant was an escapee on June 28, 1981, the day of the charged offense, and that he was not in custody when the manslaughter warrant was issued.1 Under the test enunciated by the Supreme Court in People v Hill, 402 Mich 272, 280-281; 262 NW2d 641 (1978), the statutory period did not begin to run upon issuance of the warrant, since defendant was not incarcerated in a state prison or under detention in a local facility awaiting such incarceration at that time. 402 Mich 280-281 (condition 1). Rather, the statutory period began to run when, while the warrant was pending, defendant was returned to Michigan for incarceration. 402 Mich 281 (condition 2).
I agree fully with my colleagues’ conclusion that, during the 180-day period following defendant’s return to Michigan, the prosecution took *175good faith action to bring defendant to trial. People v Hendershot, 357 Mich 300, 304; 98 NW2d 568 (1959). The trial court, therefore, did not lose jurisdiction.

 According to a Department of Corrections employee, "We were advised on June 30, 1981, that he, effective June 28, 1981, Mr. Gambrell was a fugitive from our department, was an escapee.” And, according to the officer in charge, defendant was not in custody when the warrant was issued. Upon issuance of the warrant, he had:
"Contacted the correction officer where he was, man in charge of correction, halfway house where he was stationed as to any information they had on him. Contacted, talked with a girlfriend of his and placed him in the lien [sic], put a stop on him in our identification system.”