Court Opinion

ID: 9719376
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:50:10.554163+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:06.622150
License: Public Domain

*880MYSE, P.J.
(concurring). In this case, I agree with the majority that the enhancer set forth in the information was void and that the State could not rely on the enhancer allegation contained in the criminal complaint. I fear, however, that the majority has painted with too broad a brush. The question is whether John Thoms received adequate notice. I conclude that in this instance, Thoms did not receive adequate notice that he was charged with the penalty enhancer originally charged in the criminal complaint, but omitted from the information. See, e.g., State v. Gerard, 189 Wis. 2d 505, 512, 525 N.W.2d 718, 720 (1995); State v. Campbell, 201 Wis. 2d 783, 791, 549 N.W.2d 501, 504 (Ct. App. 1996).
There are cases, however, when the facts may be sufficient to conclude that the defendant received adequate notice that the State was relying on a specific prior conviction for penalty enhancement. Let us consider this hypothetical case. Suppose, that a criminal complaint alleged an enhancer based on felony A. Suppose further, that the criminal information contains an enhancer based upon a properly alleged felony A, but a defectively alleged second felony. The circumstances of this hypothetical case may be sufficient to conclude that the defendant had adequate notice that the State was enhancing his penalty based on his prior felony A conviction. I therefore conclude that whether an improperly alleged enhancer in the information supersedes a properly alleged enhancer in the criminal complaint must be determined by the facts of the individual case. If, in a specific case, there is adequate notice that the State intends to use a prior conviction *881for enhancement purposes, the prior offense may enhance the permissible punishment.