Court Opinion

ID: 4024116
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-08-15 09:06:52.362991+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:30:13.055373
License: Public Domain

Opinion issued August 11, 2016

                                     In The

                              Court of Appeals
                                    For The

                          First District of Texas
                            ————————————
                              NO. 01-15-00553-CR
                           ———————————
                      DEMARQUIS ROGERS, Appellant
                                       V.
                      THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                   On Appeal from the 268th District Court
                          Fort Bend County, Texas
                   Trial Court Case No. 14-DCR-065079A

                         MEMORANDUM OPINION

      Demarquis Rogers pleaded guilty to the felony offense of burglary of a

habitation after the jury was empaneled. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 30.02(a)

(West 2011). The jury found Rogers guilty and sentenced him to 45 years’

incarceration in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.
See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 12.42(c)(1) (West Supp. 2015). Rogers filed a timely

notice of appeal.

      Rogers’s appointed counsel on appeal has filed a motion to withdraw, along

with a brief stating that the record presents no reversible error and the appeal is

without merit and is frivolous. See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S. Ct.
1396 (1967).

      Counsel’s brief meets the Anders requirements by presenting a professional

evaluation of the record and supplying us with references to the record and legal

authority. 386 U.S. at 744, 87 S. Ct. at 1400; see also High v. State, 573 S.W.2d
807, 812 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978). Counsel indicates that she has thoroughly

reviewed the record and is unable to advance any grounds of error that warrant

reversal. See Anders, 386 U.S. at 744, 87 S. Ct. at 1400; Mitchell v. State, 193
S.W.3d 153, 155 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2006, no pet.).

      Rogers was provided a copy of the record by counsel. On June 13, 2016,

Rogers filed a response to the Anders brief.

      We have independently reviewed the entire record in this appeal, and we

conclude that no reversible error exists in the record, there are no arguable grounds

for review, and the appeal is frivolous. See Anders, 386 U.S. at 744, 87 S. Ct. at

1400 (emphasizing that reviewing court—and not counsel—determines, after full

examination of proceedings, whether appeal is wholly frivolous); Garner v. State,

                                         2
300 S.W.3d 763, 767 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009) (reviewing court must determine

whether arguable grounds for review exist); Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824, 826–

27 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005) (same); Mitchell, 193 S.W.3d at 155 (reviewing court

determines whether arguable grounds exist by reviewing entire record). We note

that an appellant may challenge a holding that there are no arguable grounds for

appeal by filing a petition for discretionary review in the Texas Court of Criminal

Appeals. See Bledsoe, 178 S.W.3d at 827 & n.6.

      We affirm the judgment of the trial court and grant counsel’s motion to

withdraw.1 Attorney Patti Sedita must immediately send appellant the required

notice and file a copy of the notice with the Clerk of this Court. See TEX. R. APP. P.

6.5(c). We dismiss any pending motions as moot.

                                   PER CURIAM

Panel consists of Justices Keyes, Brown, and Huddle.
Do not publish. TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).

1
      Appointed counsel still has a duty to inform appellant of the result of this appeal
      and that he may, on his own, pursue discretionary review in the Texas Court of
      Criminal Appeals. See Ex parte Wilson, 956 S.W.2d 25, 27 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).
                                           3