Court Opinion

ID: 9670401
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:19:56.085613+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:04.199083
License: Public Domain

MILLER, Justice.
This is an appeal from a revocation of probation grounded on a conviction for a subsequent criminal offense. We affirm, holding that by virtue of a prima facie showing by State, defendant had the burden of establishing the claimed invalidity of the subsequent conviction.
FACTS
In November, 1986, defendant, represented by counsel, entered a guilty plea to third-degree burglary in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. He was represented by counsel at that time. The trial court (Judge Hertz) ordered a suspension of imposition of sentence and placed defendant on probation under various terms and conditions, including that he obey all laws and that he refrain from the use of alcohol.
Subsequently, and while on probation, he apparently was charged by information in Brule County, South Dakota (another judicial circuit) with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors (SDCL 26-9-1) and one count of having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle (SDCL 35-1-9.1). (The information, a copy of which is appended to State’s brief, alleged: Count I, that he furnished beer to three minor girls; Count II, that he transported the juvenile girls (two of which had been reported to the police as runaways) to another community; and Count III, that he *377had an open container of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle. The Brule County State’s Attorney later dismissed Counts II and III of the information.)
Defendant appeared before a circuit judge in Brule County and pleaded guilty to Count I of the information. At those proceedings he was not represented by counsel.
Upon becoming aware of this conviction, defendant’s probation officer (Mr. McCabe) submitted a “Probation Violation Report” to Judge Hertz advising of the conviction.1 The report further advised that on the night of the violation defendant had been drinking alcohol, as indicated by a portable breath test administered by the arresting officer.
The Charles Mix County State’s Attorney filed a petition for revocation of probation attaching the probation violation report and a copy of the Brule County judgment of conviction as the grounds for revocation. A hearing was held on that petition before Judge Hertz, at which time defendant was represented by counsel. At this hearing, the only substantive evidence submitted was a certified copy of the Brule County conviction. The probation officer was called as a witness, but since he had no personal knowledge of the facts surrounding the incident in Brule County, he gave no substantive testimony.2 The only resistance to the probation revocation presented by defendant was his argument that the Brule County conviction resulted from a proceeding where defendant was not represented by counsel and the record did not affirmatively establish that his right to counsel had been waived. He argued that the language in the judgment of conviction to the effect that the court had “advised the defendant of all constitutional and statutory rights pertaining to the charge that had been filed” was insufficient to establish a knowing waiver of his right to counsel.
Judge Hertz, in both his oral ruling and his written findings of fact and conclusions of law revoking probation, relied exclusively upon the Brule County conviction.3 Defendant was sentenced to two years in prison.
ISSUE
MAY PROBATION BE REVOKED ON THE GROUNDS OF A SUBSEQUENT CONVICTION ABSENT A SPECIFIC AFFIRMATIVE SHOWING OF WAIVER OF COUNSEL?
DECISION
We must start with the basic premise that a probation revocation proceeding is not a criminal prosecution. State v. Burkman, 281 N.W.2d 442 (S.D. 1979). Further, the standard of proof at a probation revocation hearing is the “reasonably satisfied” standard. State v. Martin, 368 N.W.2d 37 (S.D.1985); State v. Olson, 305 N.W.2d 852 (S.D.1981); Burkman, supra.
In Burkman, we reaffirmed our prior holdings that, in order to be sustained, an order of revocation of probation must be supported by a factual showing to justify that exercise of the court’s discretion. State v. Elder, 77 S.D. 540, 95 N.W.2d 592 (1959); Application of Jerrel, 77 S.D. 487, 93 N.W.2d 614 (1958). Quoting from Elder, we said:
‘[Pjroof sufficient to support a criminal conviction is not required to support a judge’s discretionary order revoking probation. A judge in such proceeding need not have evidence that would establish *378beyond a reasonable doubt guilt of criminal offenses. All that is required is that the evidence and facts be such as to reasonably satisfy the judge that the conduct of the probationer has not been as good as required by the conditions of probation.'
Burkman, 281 N.W.2d at 443 (citations omitted).
In this case, Judge Hertz had before him a certified copy of a judgment of conviction entered by another circuit judge reciting that he had advised defendant “of all constitutional and statutory rights pertaining to the charge.” In our view, that language was sufficient for Judge Hertz to have been “reasonably satisfied” that the Brule County conviction was valid. This was a prima facie showing so that the burden then shifted to defendant to establish that the Brule County conviction was invalid. Defendant had the obligation to go beyond making the technical, academic argument that the right to counsel had not been waived. Defendant and his counsel had as much right as the State to request a transcript of the Brule County proceedings to attempt to establish that counsel had not been waived. His failure to do so waives any claimed defect here. To hold otherwise would require the State in probation revocation proceedings to prove the negative — that is that there is no defect, obvious or hidden, in the subsequent conviction proceedings.
In making this ruling, we must give two caveats. First, and foremost, this holding is limited to probation revocation proceedings and does not in any manner limit or undermine our other prior holdings as they apply to criminal appeals, habitual criminal arraignments, or habeas corpus actions (i.e., see State v. Aspen, 412 N.W.2d 881 (S.D.1987) (Miller, J., dissenting); State v. Van Sickle, 411 N.W.2d 665 (S.D.1987); Alexander v. Solem, 383 N.W. 2d 486 (S.D.1986)). Secondly, we limit this holding to the utilization of subsequent convictions before circuit courts or law-trained magistrates where a verbatim record is available. Otherwise, the fact of waiver of counsel must be affirmatively recited in the judgment of conviction or otherwise be established to the satisfaction of the court at the probation revocation hearing.
Affirmed.
WUEST, C.J., and MORGAN and SABERS, JJ., concur.
HENDERSON, J., concurs in result.

. The report erroneously indicated that the conviction was before a law-trained magistrate rather than a circuit judge and that defendant had pleaded guilty to two counts rather than the one.

. In fact, upon ruling on a hearsay objection, Judge Hertz said: "I don’t think any further testimony is necessary on the part of Mr. McCabe in any event. We have a certified copy of the conviction and that is obviously perhaps the most serious violation of the order suspending imposition of sentence. I really can’t think of anything more serious."

.Further, the Official Statement signed by Judge Hertz, which was submitted to the warden of the penitentiary, advised that the Brule County conviction "was the basis for the revocation of his probation."