COURT OF APPEALS
SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS
FORT WORTH
NO. 02-16-00304-CR
ELIONAI VASQUEZ APPELLANT
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS STATE
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FROM CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT NO. 2 OF TARRANT COUNTY
TRIAL COURT NO. 1426592R
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MEMORANDUM OPINION1
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Appellant Elionai Vasquez attempts to appeal his September 1, 2015,
conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child. See Tex. Penal Code Ann.
§ 22.021(a)(1)(B), (a)(2)(B) (West Supp. 2016). Vasquez pleaded guilty to the
offense pursuant to a plea-bargain agreement, and in accordance with the plea
bargain, he was sentenced to fifteen years’ confinement. The trial court’s
1
See Tex. R. App. P. 47.4.
certification of his right to appeal states that this “is a plea-bargain case, and the
defendant has NO right of appeal” and that “the defendant has waived the right of
appeal.” See Tex. R. App. P. 25.2(a)(2).
On August 4, 2016, we sent Vasquez a letter stating that because no
motion for new trial had been filed, his notice of appeal appeared to be untimely
because it was due October 1, 2015, but was not filed until July 26, 2016. See
Tex. R. App. P. 26.2(a)(1). The letter additionally stated that we may lack
jurisdiction due to the trial court’s certification that this was a plea-bargain case
and because Vasquez had waived the right to appeal. See Tex. R. App. P.
25.2(a)(2). We notified Vasquez that his appeal could be dismissed based on
our lack of jurisdiction unless he or any party desiring to continue the appeal filed
a response showing grounds for continuing the appeal by August 15, 2016. See
Tex. R. App. P. 25.2(d), 44.3. Appellant timely filed his response on August 12,
2016, but did not provide us with any basis of jurisdiction over his appeal.
Because we do not have jurisdiction over this appeal, and in accordance
with the trial court’s certifications, we dismiss Appellant’s appeal. See Tex. R.
App. P. 25.2(d), 43.2(f); Slaton v. State, 981 S.W.2d 208, 210 (Tex. Crim. App.
1998) (holding that if an appeal is not timely perfected, a court of appeals does
not obtain jurisdiction to address the appeal's merits and may take no action
other than to dismiss the appeal).
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/s/ Bonnie Sudderth
BONNIE SUDDERTH
JUSTICE
PANEL: LIVINGSTON, C.J.; DAUPHINOT and SUDDERTH, JJ.
DO NOT PUBLISH
Tex. R. App. P. 47.2(b)
DELIVERED: August 26, 2016
3