In the Matter of Hanson

No. 13206 I N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF M N A A OTN 1975 I N THE MATTER OF KEITH RODNEY HANSON ORIGINAL PROCEEDING: Counsel of Record : For Appellant : David J. P a t t e r s o n , M i s s o u l a , Montana Sandra Rose Muckelston a r g u e d , M i s s o u l a , Montana L a r r y E p s t e i n , Law S t u d e n t , a r g u e d , M i s s o u l a , Montana F o r Respondent : Hon. Robert L. Woodahl, A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , Helena, Montana Jock 0 . Anderson, A s s i s t a n t A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , a r g u e d , Helena, Montana Submitted : December 1, 1975 Decided : 1 3 1976 Filed: i : 3 4 1 ~ Clerk M r . J u s t i c e Gene B. Daly d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e C o u r t . K e i t h Rodney Hanson f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f and memorandum i n s u p p o r t t h e r e o f i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t , Missoula County, a s k i n g t h a t he be g i v e n c r e d i t f o r a l l t h e t i m e s e r v e d p r i o r t o t h e t i m e h i s suspended s e n t e n c e w a s revoked and h e was s e n t e n c e d t o t h e s t a t e p r i s o n . The d i s t r i c t c o u r t denied h i s p e t i t i o n . A p e t i t i o n f o r post-conviction r e l i e f was t h e r e a f t e r f i l e d with t h i s Court. T h i s C o u r t o r d e r e d b r i e f s f i l e d and h e a r d o r a l argument and t o o k t h e matter under advisement. On October 1 7 , 1974, K e i t h Rodney Hanson, d e f e n d a n t , p e t i t i o n e r herein, pled g u i l t y i n t h e d i s t r i c t court, f o u r t h j u d i c i a l d i s t r i c t , Missoula County, t o t h e f t , a f e l o n y , and t o deceptive p r a c t i c e s , a felony. H e was s e n t e n c e d by t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o f i v e y e a r s i n t h e s t a t e p r i s o n a t Deer Lodge. Four y e a r s w e r e suspended and d e f e n d a n t was t o s e r v e one y e a r i n t h e Missoula County j a i l . Under t h e judgment imposing s e n t e n c e , d e f e n d a n t was g i v e n c r e d i t f o r t i m e a l r e a d y s e r v e d i n t h e Missoula County j a i l , such c r e d i t amounting t o 147 d a y s . On F e b r u a r y 1 0 , 1975, d e f e n d a n t w a s g r a n t e d p e r m i s s i o n by t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a j a i l work r e l e a s e program from t h e Missoula County j a i l . Defendant v i o l a t e d t h e t e r m s o f t h e work r e l e a s e o r d e r and t h e Missoula County a t t o r n e y f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r r e v o c a t i o n o f p r o b a t i o n and i m p o s i t i o n o f s e n t e n c e . On March 11, 1975, h e a r i n g was h e l d i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t i n Missoula w i t h d e f e n d a n t b e i n g r e p r e s e n t e d by t h e M i s s o u l a p u b l i c defender. On t h a t same d a t e , t h e c o u r t e n t e r e d an o r d e r t h a t re- voked t h e e a r l i e r suspended s e n t e n c e and s e n t e n c e d d e f e n d a n t t o s e r v e t h e e n t i r e f i v e y e a r s e n t e n c e a t Montana s t a t e p r i s o n a t Deer Lodge. The c o u r t a l s o o r d e r e d t h a t d e f e n d a n t was e n t i t l e d t o r e c e i v e c r e d i t " f o r t i m e s e r v e d i n M i s s o u l a County j a i l s i n c e F e b r u a r y 1 3 , 1975, s a i d c r e d i t amounts t o 26 d a y s . " On August 20, 1975, d e f e n d a n t f i l e d a p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f w i t h t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t i n Missoula County s t a t i n g t h a t t h e 26 day c r e d i t r e c e i v e d under t h e March 11, 1975, order was incorrect. A t t a c h e d t o t h i s p e t i t i o n was a l e t t e r from S h e r i f f John C . Moe, Missoula County, Montana, s t a t i n g t h a t p r i o r t o March 1 9 , 1975, ( a p p a r e n t l y t h e d a t e d e f e n d a n t was t r a n s - f e r r e d from Missoula County j a i l t o Montana s t a t e p r i s o n , D e e r Lodge), d e f e n d a n t K e i t h Rodney Hanson had s e r v e d a t o t a l o f 275 d a y s i n t h e Missoula County j a i l f o r t h e c r i m i n a l c h a r g e s under consideration. A h e a r i n g was h e l d , arguments had and t h e p e t i - t i o n w a s denied. The law i s c l e a r i n t h i s a r e a , s e c t i o n 95-2206, R.C.M. 1947, p r o v i d e s i n p e r t i n e n t p a r t : "Whenever any p e r s o n h a s been found g u i l t y o f a c r i m e o r o f f e n s e upon a v e r d i c t o r a p l e a o f g u i l t y t h e c o u r t may: " ( 2 ) Suspend e x e c u t i o n o f s e n t e n c e up t o t h e max- imum s e n t e n c e a l l o w e d f o r t h e p a r t i c u l a r o f f e n s e . The s e n t e n c i n g judge may impose on t h e d e f e n d a n t any r e a s o n a b l e r e s t r i c t i o n s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d o f suspended s e n t e n c e * * *. " I f any r e s t r i c t i o n s o r c o n d i t i o n s a r e v i o l a t e d , any e l a p s e d t i m e , e x c e p t j a i l t i m e , s h a l l n o t be a c r e d i t against t h e sentence, unless the court s h a l l otherwise order." (Emphasis s u p p l i e d . ) S t a t i n g t h e e x c e p t i o n i n t h e above s e n t e n c e i n t h e p o s i t i v e , t h e law c l e a r l y p r o v i d e s t h a t t i m e s p e n t i n j a i l w h i l e a d e f e n d a n t i s under a suspended s e n t e n c e must be c r e d i t e d t o t h e d e f e n d a n t ' s sentence. There i s no d i s p u t e t h a t d e f e n d a n t s p e n t 147 d a y s i n j a i l p r i o r t o h i s p l e a o f g u i l t y , s u b s e q u e n t judgment, and sen- t e n c e ; t h a t t h e r e a f t e r he was i n j a i l 128 d a y s u n t i l t h e suspend- ed s e n t e n c e w a s revoked and d e f e n d a n t was t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e s t a t e p r i s o n f o r a t e r m of t h e o r i g i n a l f i v e y e a r s e n t e n c e . Therefore defendant i s e n t i t l e d t o c r e d i t f o r t i m e s e r v e d i n t h e t o t a l of 275 d a y s t o be a p p l i e d a g a i n s t t h e f i v e year sentence. The c o n f u s i o n seems t o a r i s e b e c a u s e o f t h e o r i g i n a l s u s p e n s i o n and o n e y e a r t o s e r v e i n t h e c o u n t y j a i l . T i m e s e r v e d w a s a l l o w e d a g a i n s t t h a t one y e a r t e r m . If the trial judge had s e n t e n c e d t o f o u r y e a r s upon r e v o c a t i o n h i s c a l c u l a t i o n would be c o r r e c t . However, r e v o c a t i o n and s e n t e n c e f o r t h e f u l l f i v e y e a r s e n t i t l e s d e f e n d a n t t o t h e f u l l 275 d a y s . The d i s t r i c t c o u r t i s d i r e c t e d t o e n t e r a n o r d e r amend- i n g i t s March 11, 1975 o r d e r and a l l o w t h e f u l l 275 d a y s f o r t i m e served. Justices t J