Court Opinion

ID: 9519870
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 01:26:23.896912+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:45:10.222904
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE GEORGE J. MORAN, dissenting: Defendant pled guilty with the understanding that he would receive a sentence from the parole board and that the trial court would make his sentence concurrent with “any action taken by the parole board.” At the presentence hearing the defense counsel informed the court that the parole board would withdraw its warrant if any time was given to the defendant. The defendant immediately said that when he entered the plea, it was his understanding that he would get no more time “than he would have to go on parole.” Defendant then demanded a preliminary hearing, indictment and arraignment. Clearly, the defendant pled guilty on the assumption that he would receive a sentence to be served concurrently with a sentence to be meted out by the parole board. When it became clear to the trial court that the conditions on which defendant’s plea was entered could not be fulfilled, the trial court should have offered the defendant a chance to withdraw his plea. When defendant made his motion demanding a preliminary hearing, indictment and arraignment, he was expressing his desire to withdraw his plea although he did not label his motion as such. It is not surprising that defendant who had only an eighth-grade education would misunderstand what was meant by concurrent sentence. “Concurrent” has a fixed meaning to a judge or lawyer but could have an entirely different meaning to a layman. Synonyms for the word “concurrent” are: Co-extensive, alongside, co-existent, even, etc. (See Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale.) Since defendant misunderstood the length of the sentence he was to receive when he pled guilty, his plea was not made voluntarily and intelligently as required by Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 23 L.Ed.2d 274, 89 S.Ct. 1709. I would remand this case and allow the defendant to plead anew.