Court Opinion

ID: 9741857
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 21:03:07.827221+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:26.834307
License: Public Domain

WUEST, Chief Justice
(dissenting).
The Court sentenced defendant to five years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary on December 5, 1984. On June 23, 1986, he entered the following order which provided, among other things, the following:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the penitentiary sentence previously imposed by this Court of five (5) years, be, and the same is hereby suspended upon the following terms and conditions.

1. That the Defendant be on probation for a period of three (3) years from this date;
2. That the Defendant serve one (1) year in the county jail and shall be permitted to serve that time in the Morrill County Jail, Bridgeport, Morrill County, Nebraska, with work release authorized consistent with the rules of that facility!!.]
Contrary to the assertion of the majority opinion, it is obvious the court suspended-the execution of the five-year sentence pursuant to SDCL 23A-27-18 rather than reduce the sentence under the provisions of SDCL 23A-31-1. There is a substantial difference. He had jurisdiction to reduce the sentence but not suspend execution. Under the provisions of SDCL 23A-27-19 the Court retains jurisdiction for the purpose of suspending sentence for a period of one year from the effective date of the judgment of conviction, notwithstanding the fact that the time from an appeal from such judgment is limited to a shorter period of time.
Since more than a year passed from the effective date of the judgment, the trial court had no jurisdiction to suspend execution of the sentence. State v. Huftile, 367 N.W.2d 193 (S.D.1985); State v. Means, 268 N.W.2d 802 (S.D.1978). Nor did the trial court have any authority to imprison the defendant in county jail for one year. He was limited to six months by the provisions of SDCL 23A-27-18.1. The entire order entered by Judge Tice on June 23, 1986, is null and void because he did not have jurisdiction to enter the order suspending execution of sentence. The sheriff is holding the defendant under a void order, and the defendant should be returned to the penitentiary to complete the balance of his sentence with credit for the time served under the void order which should be computed by Judge Tice.