Court Opinion

ID: 4188575
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-07-24 10:15:33.116163+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:55:07.414993
License: Public Domain

Opinion filed July 20, 2017

                                     In The

        Eleventh Court of Appeals
                                  __________

                              No. 11-16-00333-CR
                                  __________

             RICHARD MORENO ORTEGA, JR., Appellant
                                        V.
                      THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                     On Appeal from the 104th District Court
                             Taylor County, Texas
                         Trial Court Cause No. 16973B

                      MEMORANDUM OPINION
       Richard Moreno Ortega, Jr. pleaded guilty to the first-degree felony offense
of possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver in a drug-free zone. See TEX.
HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN. §§ 481.112(d), 481.134(c) (West 2017). The trial
court convicted Appellant, assessed his punishment, and placed him on community
supervision.    The State subsequently filed a motion to revoke Appellant’s
community supervision. At the revocation hearing, Appellant pleaded true to three
of the State’s allegations in the motion to revoke. The trial court found two of the
State’s allegations to be true, revoked Appellant’s community supervision, and
imposed the original sentence of confinement for ten years and a fine of $1,000. We
dismiss the appeal.
        Appellant’s court-appointed counsel has filed a motion to withdraw. The
motion is supported by a brief in which counsel professionally and conscientiously
examines the record and applicable law and states that he has concluded that the
appeal is frivolous and without merit. Counsel has provided Appellant with a copy
of the brief, a copy of the motion to withdraw, an explanatory letter, and a copy of
the clerk’s record and reporter’s record. Counsel also advised Appellant of his right
to review the record and file a response to counsel’s brief. Appellant has not filed a
pro se response.1
        Court-appointed counsel has complied with the requirements of Anders v.
California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); Kelly v. State, 436 S.W.3d 313 (Tex. Crim. App.
2014); In re Schulman, 252 S.W.3d 403 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008); Stafford v. State,
813 S.W.2d 503 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991); High v. State, 573 S.W.2d 807 (Tex. Crim.
App. [Panel Op.] 1978); Currie v. State, 516 S.W.2d 684 (Tex. Crim. App. 1974);
Gainous v. State, 436 S.W.2d 137 (Tex. Crim. App. 1969); and Eaden v. State, 161
S.W.3d 173 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2005, no pet.). In addressing an Anders brief and
pro se response, a court of appeals may only determine (1) that the appeal is wholly
frivolous and issue an opinion explaining that it has reviewed the record and finds
no reversible error or (2) that arguable grounds for appeal exist and remand the cause
to the trial court so that new counsel may be appointed to brief the issues. Schulman,

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         By letter, this court granted Appellant thirty days in which to exercise his right to file a response
to counsel’s brief.

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252 S.W.3d at 409; Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824, 826–27 (Tex. Crim. App.
2005).    Following the procedures outlined in Anders and Schulman, we have
independently reviewed the record, and we agree that the appeal is without merit and
should be dismissed. See Schulman, 252 S.W.3d at 409.
      We note that counsel has the responsibility to advise Appellant that he may
file a petition for discretionary review with the clerk of the Texas Court of Criminal
Appeals seeking review by that court. TEX. R. APP. P. 48.4 (“In criminal cases, the
attorney representing the defendant on appeal shall, within five days after the
opinion is handed down, send his client a copy of the opinion and judgment, along
with notification of the defendant’s right to file a pro se petition for discretionary
review under Rule 68.”). Likewise, this court advises Appellant that he may file a
petition for discretionary review pursuant to TEX. R. APP. P. 68.
         The motion to withdraw is granted, and the appeal is dismissed.

                                                    PER CURIAM

July 20, 2017
Do not publish. See TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
Panel consists of: Wright, C.J.,
Willson, J., and Bailey, J.

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