In The
Court of Appeals
Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
_________________
NO. 09-12-00227-CR
_________________
JOEL ALEJANDRO RUIZ, Appellant
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
________________________________________________________________________
On Appeal from the 252nd District Court
Jefferson County, Texas
Trial Cause No. 11-11967
________________________________________________________________________
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Joel Alejandro Ruiz1 appeals from the trial court’s revocation of his
community supervision. In one issue, Ruiz contends that his sentence is
disproportionate to the crime committed. We overrule Ruiz’s issue and affirm the
trial court’s judgment.
1
Joel Alejandro Ruiz is also known as Alex.
1
Ruiz was indicted for the offense of burglary of a habitation. In accordance
with a plea bargain agreement, Ruiz entered a plea of guilty to the offense. See
Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 30.02 (a)(1), (c)(2) (West 2011). The trial court found the
evidence sufficient to find Ruiz guilty, but deferred finding him guilty, and placed
him on community supervision for five years. The State subsequently filed a
motion to revoke Ruiz’s community supervision. Ruiz pled “true” to three
violations of the terms of his community supervision. Thereafter, the trial court
found that Ruiz violated the terms of the community supervision order, found Ruiz
guilty of burglary of a habitation, revoked Ruiz’s community supervision, and
imposed a sentence of 11 years of confinement.
Ruiz argues that he should have been charged with attempted theft and not
burglary of a habitation. A defendant placed on deferred adjudication community
supervision may raise issues relating to the original plea proceeding only in
appeals taken when deferred adjudication community supervision is first imposed
and may not wait to raise such issues in an appeal from revocation of deferred
adjudication community supervision. Manuel v. State, 994 S.W.2d 658, 661-62
(Tex. Crim. App. 1999) (citing Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 44.01(j) (West
Supp. 2012)). Because Ruiz’s complaint does not relate to the revocation of his
community supervision, we are without jurisdiction to consider this issue.
2
Ruiz contends that his sentence is disproportionate to the crime committed;
however, the record shows that during the hearing, Ruiz never objected to the
punishment the trial court pronounced and did not file a motion for new trial.
Because Ruiz failed to raise this complaint to the trial court, he has failed to
preserve this issue for review. See Tex. R. App. P. 33.1(a)(1); see also Rogers v.
State, 640 S.W.2d 248, 264 (Tex. Crim. App. 1982) (second op. on reh’g).
Even if Ruiz had properly preserved this issue for review, we find his
argument to be without merit. In reviewing a trial judge’s determination as to
punishment, we will not overturn a trial judge’s decision on punishment absent a
showing of an abuse of discretion. See Jackson v. State, 680 S.W.2d 809, 814 (Tex.
Crim. App. 1984). When a defendant is adjudicated guilty, he is subject to the
entire range of punishment for the offense. Ditto v. State, 988 S.W.2d 236, 239 n.7
(Tex. Crim. App. 1999). As a general rule, a sentence that is within the range of
punishment established by the Legislature will not be disturbed on appeal.
Jackson, 680 S.W.2d at 814. Further, the court does not generally consider a
punishment that is within the statutory range for the offense excessive,
unconstitutionally cruel, or unusual under either the Texas or the United States
Constitution. See Kirk v. State, 949 S.W.2d 769, 772 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1997,
3
pet. ref’d); see also Jackson v. State, 989 S.W.2d 842, 846 (Tex. App.—Texarkana
1999, no pet.).
Burglary of a habitation is a second degree felony, which carries a
punishment range of confinement from two to twenty years. See Tex. Penal Code
Ann. § 12.33 (West 2011). Ruiz’s sentence of 11 years is within the statutory
range the Legislature authorized for the crime of unauthorized use of a motor
vehicle. See id.
The court in Jackson recognized that a prohibition against grossly
disproportionate sentences survives apart from consideration of whether the
sentence assessed is within the statutory range. Jackson, 898 S.W.2d at 846. But
as the record contains no evidence of “sentences imposed for similar offenses on
criminals in Texas or other jurisdictions by which to make a comparison[,]” we
find that Ruiz failed to prove that his sentence was grossly disproportionate. See id.
Based on the record before us, we are unable to conclude that Ruiz’s
sentence constitutes a cruel and unusual punishment. We overrule Ruiz’s
constitutional challenges to the length of the sentence assessed by the trial court,
and affirm the judgment of the trial court.
AFFIRMED.
4
___________________________
CHARLES KREGER
Justice
Submitted on March 19, 2013
Opinion Delivered May 8, 2013
Do not publish
Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Horton, JJ.
5