ACCEPTED
04-15-00055-CR
FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
3/11/2015 12:41:58 PM
KEITH HOTTLE
CLERK
No. 04-15-00055-CR
IN THE FILED IN
4th COURT OF APPEALS
FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
AT SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 03/11/2015 12:41:58 PM
KEITH E. HOTTLE
KEVIN ODELL, Clerk
Appellant
v.
THE STATE OF TEXAS,
Appellee
RESPONSE TO THE ORDER PROPOSING TO DISMISS THIS APPEAL
PURSUANT RULE 25.2(d) OF THE TEXAS RULES OF APPELLATE
PROCEDURE
TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS:
Comes now KEVIN ODELL, Appellant, by and through undersigned
counsel, in reply to the ORDER of this Honorable Court dated February 11, 2015,
shows the Court the following:
I. Procedural history:
Appellant was charged by information in cause number 2014CR5506 with
Driving While Intoxicated-3rd offense or more, alleged to have been committed in
Bexar County, Texas, on or about May 30, 2014, and enhanced with the allegation
that Appellant was previously convicted of the felony of Burglary of a Habitation.
(CR at 12). Appellant was represented by retained attorney Robert M. Maurer II.
(CR at 15). On January 14, 2015, pursuant to a written plea agreement with the
State, Appellant pleaded “guilty” to the charged offense and “true” to the
enhancement paragraph. (CR at 59, 130). The parties agreed that the punishment
would be assessed at 4 years of imprisonment with no fine. (CR at 57). As part of
the plea agreement, Appellant agreed in writing to waive the right of appeal. (CR
at 57). By his signature, the trial court accepted Appellant’s guilty plea and
approved Appellant’s waiver and voluntary relinquishment of his known rights in
this case, including the right of appeal. (CR at 56).
On January 14, 2015, the trial court, the Honorable Jefferson Moore
presiding, followed the terms of the plea agreement and sentenced Appellant to 4
years of imprisonment with no fine. (CR at 130). The trial court also imposed court
costs of $484.00. (CR at 130). The trial court certified that this is a plea-bargain
case and Appellant has “NO right of appeal.” (CR at 132). By his signature,
Appellant acknowledged that he was informed that he has no right of appeal in this
case. (CR at 132). Nevertheless, Appellant timely filed a pro se notice of appeal
with the District Clerk on January 29, 2015. (CR at 133).
On February 2, 2015, the trial court appointed the Bexar County Public
Defender’s Office to represent Appellant in this attempted appeal. On February 6,
2015, this Court ordered the trial court clerk to prepare a limited clerk’s record
because the Trial Court’s Certification of Defendant’s Right of Appeal accurately
reflects that this is a plea-bargain case and that the trial court certified that
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Appellant “has NO right of appeal.” The clerk’s record was filed on February 10,
2015. On February 11, 2015, this Court ORDERED that this appeal will be
dismissed pursuant to Rule 25.2(d) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure
unless Appellant files a response establishing that the notice of appeal was timely
filed and causes an amended trial court certification (showing that Appellant has
the right of appeal) to be filed by March 13, 2015. Court-appointed counsel now
files this response to the Court’s ORDER.
II. No right of appeal:
In a plea-bargain case where the sentence does not exceed the agreed-upon
punishment, the defendant may appeal only matters raised by written motion and
ruled upon before trial, or after getting the trial court’s permission to appeal. See
TEX.R.APP.P. 25.2(a)(2). Rule 25.2(d) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure
provides, “The appeal must be dismissed if a certification that shows the defendant
has a right of appeal has not been made part of the record under these rules.”
TEX.R.APP.P. 25.2(d).
This was a plea-bargain case. As noted above, the clerk’s record shows that
Appellant pleaded “guilty” to the charged offense pursuant to the terms of a written
plea agreement with the State. (CR at 59, 130). The trial court followed that plea
agreement in sentencing Appellant to 4 years of imprisonment. (CR at 130). The
trial court accurately certified that this is a plea-bargain case and Appellant has
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“NO right of appeal.” (CR at 132). Appellant signed that notice. (CR at 132).
Additionally, no written pretrial motions were filed and ruled upon before the plea-
entry hearing. (CR at 2-3). For these reasons, the trial court’s certification of the
defendant’s right of appeal accurately reflects that this is a plea-bargain case, the
terms of the plea bargain were followed, and Appellant has no right of appeal.
Further, a defendant may waive the right of appeal, as long as the waiver is made
“voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently.” See TEX.CODE CRIM. PROC. art. 1.14
(“The defendant in a criminal prosecution for any offense may waive any rights
secured him by law.”); Ex parte Broadway, 301 S.W.3d 694, 697 (Tex. Crim. App.
2009).
In short, the record shows that Appellant waived the right of appeal in
writing as part of the plea agreement, and the trial court approved that waiver. (CR
at 56-57). Undersigned counsel can identify nothing in the clerk’s record to show
that the trial court failed to follow the terms of the plea bargain, and nothing shows
that Appellant’s written waiver of the right of appeal was involuntary.
III. No jurisdiction:
Because Appellant has validly waived the right of appeal, this Court has not
acquired jurisdiction over this case. Marsh v. State, 444 S.W.3d 654, 660 (Tex.
Crim. App. 2014)(“…because Appellant had validly waived his right to appeal, the
court of appeals never acquired jurisdiction.”).
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IV. No amended trial court certification will be sought by counsel:
The undersigned attorney has reviewed the clerk’s record of this case and
can find no right of appeal for Appellant. No pretrial motions were filed and ruled
upon by the trial court before Appellant entered his negotiated plea. Nothing in the
record suggests that the trial court gave Appellant permission to appeal. In fact, as
noted above, Appellant by his signature explicitly waived the right of appeal in
writing as part of the plea agreement. (CR at 57). In short, undersigned counsel can
find no reason to seek an amended certification from the trial court that would give
Appellant the right of appeal. Therefore, the undersigned cannot prevent this Court
from dismissing this attempted appeal. Undersigned counsel also cannot raise legal
claims—such as an argument that plea counsel rendered ineffective assistance —
on Appellant’s behalf in this attempted direct appeal. See Chavez v. State, 183
S.W.3d 675, 680 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006)(where defendant has no right to appeal
after his plea bargain, dismissal of the appeal is required, with no inquiry by the
appellate court into even possibly meritorious claims).
V. Relief available to Appellant:
Although the Court of Appeals will dismiss this this appeal, Appellant may
still challenge his conviction after the mandate issues by filing an application for a
writ of habeas corpus pursuant to article 11.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal
Procedure. Appellant may also seek relief by filing an original petition for a writ of
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certiorari with the Court of Criminal Appeals. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN.
art. 4.04 (West 2005), and TEX. CONST. art. V, § 5. However, undersigned counsel
is appointed to represent Appellant on this attempted direct appeal only. He will
not represent or assist Appellant with any post-conviction or original-proceeding
challenges to his conviction and sentence in this cause. Appellant will have to
pursue those remedies pro se, or with retained counsel.
WHEREFORE, Appellant, by and through undersigned counsel, is
compelled to concede that Appellant has no right of appeal from the underlying
criminal case, and must also concede that the Honorable Court of Appeals may
dismiss this appeal for that reason.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Richard B. Dulany, Jr.
_________________________________
RICHARD B. DULANY, JR.
State Bar No. 06196400
Bexar County Public Defender
Paul Elizondo Tower
101 W. Nueva St., Suite 310
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 335-0701
FAX (210) 335-0707
richard.dulany@bexar.org
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE AND COMPLIANCE
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the above and
foregoing response has been delivered electronically to the Bexar County District
Attorney’s Office, Appellate Division, Paul Elizondo Tower, 101 W. Nueva St.,
Suite 710, San Antonio, Texas 78205, on March 11, 2015. The total word count is
1,375, not including the appendix.
/s/ Richard B. Dulany, Jr.
_________________________________
RICHARD B. DULANY, JR.
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Appendix A: Trial Court’s Certification of Defendant’s Right of Appeal
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132