Court Opinion

ID: 4093495
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-10-28 03:49:38.113828+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:13:44.751651
License: Public Domain

Order entered October 26, 2016

                                              In The
                                  Court of Appeals
                           Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                       No. 05-16-00756-CR
                                       No. 05-16-00757-CR

                         DANIEL ALBERTO MONTOYA, Appellant

                                                 V.

                              THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                      On Appeal from the 265th Judicial District Court
                                    Dallas County, Texas
                     Trial Court Cause Nos. F14-31191-R & F14-31192-R

                                             ORDER
       Appellant’s brief was due September 22, 2016. By postcard dated September 23, 2016,

we notified appellant his brief was due and directed him to file, within ten days, his brief and a

motion to extend time to file the same. To date, the brief and motion have not been filed, and the

Court has had no communication from appellant.

       Therefore, the Court ORDERS the trial court to conduct a hearing to determine why

appellant’s brief has not been filed. In this regard, the trial court shall make appropriate findings

and recommendations and determine whether appellant desires to prosecute the appeals, whether

appellant is indigent, or if not indigent, whether retained counsel has abandoned the appeals. See

TEX. R. APP. P. 38.8(b). If the trial court cannot obtain appellant’s presence at the hearing, the
trial court shall conduct the hearing in appellant’s absence. See Meza v. State, 742 S.W.2d 708

(Tex. App.–Corpus Christi 1987, no pet.) (per curiam). If appellant is indigent, the trial court is

ORDERED to take such measures as may be necessary to assure effective representation, which

may include appointment of new counsel.

         We ORDER the trial court to transmit a record of the proceedings, which shall include

written findings and recommendations, to this Court within THIRTY DAYS of the date of this

order.

         These appeals are ABATED to allow the trial court to comply with the above order. The

appeals shall be reinstated thirty days from the date of this order or when the findings are

received, whichever is earlier.

                                                     /s/    LANA MYERS
                                                            JUSTICE