Court Opinion

ID: 2979930
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-22 19:01:39.641944+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:44:19.564558
License: Public Domain

Abatement Order filed April 23, 2015.

                                      In The

                    Fourteenth Court of Appeals
                                    ____________

                              NO. 14-14-00358-CR
                                ____________

                 RON CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON, Appellant

                                        V.

                      THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                   On Appeal from the 240th District Court
                           Fort Bend County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. 13-DCR-062222

                          ABATEMENT ORDER

      Appellant is represented by appointed counsel, Heather Lytle. Counsel
requested and was granted three extensions of time to file appellant’s brief. On
April 1, 2015, time to file appellant’s brief expired without a brief and no motion
for extension of time was filed. See Tex. R. App. P. 38.6(a). Counsel and the trial
court were notified on April 8, 2015, that no brief had been received. No response
from appellant has been received.
      Pursuant to Tex. R. App. P. 38.8(b) (a copy of which is attached) the judge
of the 240th District Court shall (1) immediately conduct a hearing, at which
appellant, appellant’s counsel, and state’s counsel shall participate, either in person
or by video teleconference, to determine (a) whether appellant desires to prosecute
his appeal; (b) whether appellant is indigent; (c) if not indigent, whether appellant
has abandoned the appeal or whether appellant has failed to make necessary
arrangements for filing a brief; (d) the reason for the failure to file a brief; (e) if
appellant desires to continue the appeal, a date certain when appellant’s brief will
be filed; and (2) prepare a record, in the form of a reporter’s record, of the hearing.
If appellant is indigent, the judge shall take such measures as may be necessary to
assure effective representation of counsel, which may include the appointment of
new counsel. The judge shall see that a record of the hearing is made, shall make
findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall order the trial clerk to forward a
transcribed record of the hearing, a videotape or compact disc, if any, containing a
recording of the video teleconference, and a supplemental clerk’s record containing
the findings and conclusions. Those records shall be filed with the clerk of this
court on or before May 22, 2015.

      The appeal is abated, treated as a closed case, and removed from this court’s
active docket. The appeal will be reinstated on this court’s active docket when the
trial court’s findings and recommendations are filed in this court. The court also
will consider an appropriate motion to reinstate the appeal filed by either party, or
the court may reinstate the appeal on its own motion.

                                   PER CURIAM
                       RULE 38. REQUISITES OF BRIEFS

Tex. R. App. P. 38.8. Failure of Appellant to File Brief.

      (b) Criminal Cases.

             (1) Effect.    An appellant=s failure to timely file a brief does not
authorize either dismissal of the appeal or, except as provided in (4), consideration
of the appeal without briefs.

             (2) Notice. If the appellant=s brief is not timely filed, the appellate
clerk must notify counsel for the parties and the trial court of that fact. If the
appellate court does not receive a satisfactory response within ten days, the court
must order the trial court to immediately conduct a hearing to determine whether
the appellant desires to prosecute his appeal, whether the appellant is indigent, or,
if not indigent, whether retained counsel has abandoned the appeal, and to make
appropriate findings and recommendations.

             (3) Hearing. In accordance with (2), the trial court must conduct any
necessary hearings, make appropriate findings and recommendations, and have a
record of the proceedings prepared, which recordCincluding any order and
findingsCmust be sent to the appellate court.

             (4) Appellate Court Action. Based on the trial court=s record, the
appellate court may act appropriately to ensure that the appellant=s rights are
protected, including initiating contempt proceedings against appellant=s counsel. If
the trial court has found that the appellant no longer desires to prosecute the
appeal, or that the appellant is not indigent but has not made the necessary
arrangements for filing a brief, the appellate court may consider the appeal without
briefs, as justice may require.