Court Opinion

ID: 4147199
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-22 13:13:30.634433+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:50:44.652915
License: Public Domain

In The

                                 Court of Appeals
                     Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
                               ________________
                                NO. 09-15-00407-CR
                               _________________

                   MICHAEL WAYNE STARNES, Appellant

                                          V.

                           STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
________________________________________________________________________

                    On Appeal from the 258th District Court
                             Polk County, Texas
                           Trial Cause No. 23,882
________________________________________________________________________

                           MEMORANDUM OPINION

      On February 27, 2015, Michael Wayne Starnes was indicted for theft of

property, a Class C misdemeanor which was enhanced to a state jail felony due to

previous theft convictions. See Tex. Penal Code § 31.03(e)(4)(D) (West Supp.

2016).1 Trial began in this case on October 5, 2015. The jury found the evidence

sufficient to find Starnes guilty of the state jail felony offense of theft of property.

      1
     We cite to the current version of section 31.03(e)(4)(D), because the
amendment does not affect the outcome of this appeal.
                                      1
After the punishment hearing, the jury rendered a verdict and sentenced Starnes to

two years confinement and a fine of $488.88. Starnes timely filed a notice of

appeal.

      Starnes’s appellate counsel filed a brief that presents counsel’s professional

evaluation of the record and concludes the appeal is frivolous. See Anders v.

California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); High v. State, 573 S.W.2d 807 (Tex. Crim. App.

[Panel Op.] 1978). We granted an extension of time for Starnes to file a pro se

brief, but we received no response from him.

      We have independently examined the entire appellate record in this matter,

and we agree that no arguable issues support an appeal. We have determined that

this appeal is wholly frivolous. Therefore, we find it unnecessary to order

appointment of new counsel to re-brief the appeal. Cf. Stafford v. State, 813
S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). We affirm the trial court’s judgment.2

      AFFIRMED.

                                               ______________________________
                                                      CHARLES KREGER
                                                            Justice

      2
        Starnes may challenge our decision in this case by filing a petition for
discretionary review. See Tex. R. App. P. 68.
                                        2
Submitted on November 30, 2016
Opinion Delivered February 15, 2017
Do not publish

Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Johnson, JJ.

                                       3