nobo contendere to a charge of second-offense misdemeanor domestic
battery. The district court denied the motion, and this original writ
petition followed.
Petitioner argues that the justice court should have accepted
his nob o contendere plea because there was a factual basis for the plea and
he was aware of the consequences of his plea and "weighed the benefits
and burdens of a not guilty plea, a guilty plea, and a nob o contendere plea."
Therefore, according to petitioner, because the justice court abused its
discretion by not allowing him to plead nob o contendere, the district court
erred by denying his motion to remand.
Whether a plea of guilty is accepted falls within the sound
discretion of the trial court. See Sturrock v. State, 95 Nev. 938, 940, 604
P.2d 341, 343 (1979), receded from on other grounds by Lisle v. State, 114
Nev. 221, 954 P.2d 744 (1998); see also North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S.
25, 38 n.11 (1970) (observing that defendant has no constitutional right to
have guilty plea accepted). NRS 174.035 provides that if a plea of guilty or
nob o contendere is made orally, the court shall not accept the plea "without
first addressing the defendant personally and determining that the plea is
made voluntarily with understanding of the nature of the charge and the
consequences of the plea." See Love v. State, 99 Nev. 147, 147, 659 P.2d
876, 877 (1983) ("In order to be constitutionally valid, a plea of guilty or
nob o contendere must have been knowingly and voluntarily entered.").
When a guilty plea is accepted, the record should affirmatively show: (1)
"[am n understanding waiver of constitutional rights and privileges"; (2) the
"[a]bsence of coercion by threat or promise of leniency"; (3) an
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"[u]nderstanding of consequences of thefl plea, the range of punishments";
and (4) "[a]n understanding of the charge, the elements of the offense."
Hanley v. State, 97 Nev. 130, 133, 624 P.2d 1387, 1389 (1981), abrogated
on other grounds by Woods v. State, 114 Nev. 468, 958 P.2d 91 (1998); see
Tiger v. State, 98 Nev. 555, 654 P.2d 1031 (1982) (applying Hanley factors
to plea entered pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25 (1970)).
Primarily at issue here is petitioner's apparent lack of
understanding concerning the consequences of pleading guilty or nobo
contendere, particularly as to the punishment range for the offense.
Despite being advised that the punishment for a second-offense domestic
battery included a maximum term of six-months in jail, 52 weeks of
counseling and probation to ensure that counseling was completed,
petitioner appeared convinced that he would receive only a 10-day jail
term—the minimum term provided by NRS 200.485(1)(b)—if he pleaded
guilty. The district court determined that the justice court properly
exercised its discretion, specifically concluding that petitioner's repeated
denial of guilt along with "his numerous statements to the [justice court]
that he wanted to plead guilty only because he wished to be released from
jail in 10 days shows that [he] did not have a full understanding of the
second offense domestic battery charge and the direct consequences of a
guilty plea." The arraignment transcript supports the district court's
findings and conclusions, and it clearly understood the applicable law in
ruling on petitioner's motion. We therefore conclude that petitioner has
not shown that the district court manifestly abused its discretion or
exercised its discretion in an arbitrary or capricious manner by denying
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his motion to remand his case to the justice court. See State v. Eighth
Judicial Din. Court (Armstrong), 127 Nev. , , 267 P.3d 777, 780
(2011) (defining manifest abuse of discretion and arbitrary or capricious
exercise of discretion in context of mandamus). Accordingly, we
ORDER the petition DENIED.
J.
Parraguirre
J.
Douglas
cc: Hon. Michael Montero, District Judge
Humboldt County Public Defender
Attorney General/Carson City
Humboldt County District Attorney
Humboldt County Clerk
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