Court Opinion

ID: 9783906
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 20:21:03.805857+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:35:41.039536
License: Public Domain

VENTERS, J.,
dissenting:
This case presents what appears to be, and what we must hope to be, truly remarkable and extraordinary circumstances. Despite being prosecuted and convicted on three separate occasions for violating the Sex Offender Registration Act, it now appears that Appellee was innocent because he was never required to register as a sex offender in the first place. What seems to be readily apparent to us now escaped the attention of his lawyers, the prosecutors, and the judges three times. If true, that must serve as a sobering reminder to all segments of the criminal justice system, including this Court, how easy it is to overlook the obvious, and *269how quickly one can fall through the cracks in the system. Nevertheless, I dissent.
The apparent facts upon which the Majority acts are enough to shake the faith of the most ardent believers in our system. But they come before us on a limited record, and arise in a most unorthodox means. I would, therefore, temper the haste to correct this apparent injustice by respecting our established process for ascertaining the facts — an evidentiary hearing in the circuit court under RCr 11.42 or CR 60.02. Because I believe the Court of Appeals misapplied the ex-post facto doctrine when it reversed Appellee’s conviction, I would reverse the Court of Appeals, and reinstate the original judgment. Ap-pellee could then proceed to file his post-conviction relief motions so that the facts could arise in the conventional, orderly fashion. In so stating, I presume the Commonwealth’s candor and good faith would continue to provide a tailwind to expedite consideration in the circuit court. If we presume in this case that our own procedures for correcting such errors cannot act in time to serve the needs of justice, then we have conceded to our fiercest critics that the process is flawed and in need of repair.
MINTON, C.J., joins.