Court Opinion

ID: 4465654
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2019-12-19 11:12:25.370878+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:53:44.407012
License: Public Domain

Order entered December 18, 2019

                                             In The
                                 Court of Appeals
                          Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                      No. 05-19-01088-CR

                         POLYCARP OIGO ONCHOKE, Appellant

                                               V.

                              THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                      On Appeal from the Criminal District Court No. 6
                                   Dallas County, Texas
                           Trial Court Cause No. F19-00423-X

                                           ORDER
       Appellant’s brief was due November 15, 2019. When it was not filed, we notified

appellant by letter dated November 21, 2019 and directed him to file a brief and a motion to

extend time to file the brief by December 2, 2019. To date, no brief or motion has been filed, nor

have we had any communication from appellant counsel.

       Therefore, we ORDER 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 this appeal, whether

appellant has abandoned the appeal, or whether appointed counsel has abandoned the appeal.

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.

         We DIRECT the Clerk to send copies of this order to the Honorable Jeanine Howard,

Presiding Judge, Criminal District Court No. 6; to J. Daniel Oliphant; and to the Dallas County

District Attorney’s Office, Appellate Division.

         This appeal is ABATED to allow the trial court to comply with the above order. The

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

received, whichever is earlier.

                                                   /s/    LANA MYERS
                                                          JUSTICE