Court Opinion

ID: 9625240
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:32:52.647575+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:18:23.928032
License: Public Domain

McMurray, Judge,
dissenting.
This case involves the denial of a motion to withdraw the plea of guilty made after the sentence was pronounced. In such cases the withdrawal of a plea of guilty is always within the sound legal discretion of the court. In the case sub judice the defendant was *97represented by counsel and in electing to plead guilty was required to enter a sworn transcript of the proceedings which were a series of questions asked of him and his sworn answers thereto. This transcript of the proceedings was signed by both the defendant and his counsel. The majority contend that there is no transcript of the plea proceedings although admitting that the required transcript of proceedings form composed of the series of questions asked together with his answers which were sworn to by the defendant is in the record. At the hearing of this motion the majority contend that the testimony was contradictory and holds that there was no record of the defendant’s pleading guilty in open court and that there was no canvassing of the matter with the accused to make sure he had a full understanding of what the plea connotes and its' consequences. The record shows otherwise. The majority then contend that the state failed to carry the burden and that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow the withdrawal of the guilty plea.
To this I cannot agree. The record discloses that the defendant was well aware of the sentence and that he was specifically given 90 days to get his business arranged in' order to begin serving the sentence. The final order of the court here on the motion to withdraw specifically states further that the defendant was represented by counsel, well qualified through formal training and experience; that prior to accepting the defendant’s plea the defendant presented the court with a transcript of his plea which was duly sworn to in open court and the court specifically asked the defendant if the answers appearing in the transcript were true and correct and that the defendant answered they were; that at the time defendant entered his plea of guilty he had had sufficient time to confer with his attorney, subpoena witnesses if he had desired, that he was ready for trial and fully understood the charges and punishment and did authorize his attorney to enter his said plea, and at that time was well satisfied with counsel and the services of his attorney. The court then found that the plea of guilty was duly authorized by the defendant and that said plea was freely, understandingly and voluntarily made, without undue influence, compulsion *98or duress, and the sentence of the court was as recommended by the district attorney’s office, as a result of plea bargaining between the district attorney’s office and defendant and his counsel, which the defendant fully authorized and approved. Even then, after plea of guilty had been entered and sentence imposed, the court specifically asked the defendant in open court if he had decided to withdraw his plea of guilty and the defendant answered no. I simply cannot agree that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow the withdrawal of the guilty plea.
The main contention of the defendant in his motion is that he entered the plea upon undue and subtle pressures exerted upon him by his then attorney. However, a reading of the last transcript, made at the hearing of this motion, fails to disclose any evidence of such subtle and undue influence by counsel for the defendant.
As I would affirm the judgment, I respectfully dissent.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Been and Judge Banke join in this dissent.