Webb v. State
Webb v. State
Opinion
This is an appeal from appellant's conviction of theft, first degree.
Appellant was indicted on first degree theft in January 1988, by the Jefferson County grand jury. He pleaded not guilty and trial began on July 25, 1988. Appellant was convicted in a jury trial of the *Page 1260 offense charged and was thereafter sentenced under the Habitual Felony Offender Act to a term of life imprisonment.
Appellant claims that he signed an intent to plead, wherein, he says, the district attorney agreed to a sentence of 10 years in return for his guilty plea. Appellant states that because he was ill with tuberculosis he was unable to attend the preliminary examination set for October 30, 1987. Appellant argues as a result of this illness, the record shows that the defendant waived preliminary examination, the trial court waived his case to the grand jury. Appellant insists that this action by the trial court was erroneous and that he is entitled to receive the 10-year sentence bargained for rather than life imprisonment.
The district attorney stated at a pretrial conference that at the time of the offer it was the State's belief that appellant had only one prior felony conviction. The State subsequently discovered four more prior felony convictions. The trial court agreed with the prosecutor that, based on the discovery of the additional prior felony convictions, the original offer of 10 years was invalid and illegal under the Habitual Felony Offender Act. Despite appellant's insistence, the trial court refused to reinstate the 10-year offer, and trial commenced.
The trial court was correct in refusing to impose the sentence of 10 years. Such a sentence would have been in violation of the Habitual Felony Offender Act, §
Appellant's final argument is that he was not allowed to enter a guilty plea under the terms of his agreement with the prosecutor because of his illness. The record does not support this allegation. The record reflects that appellant voluntarily waived preliminary examination and his case was submitted to the grand jury. This court is bound by the record and not by allegations or arguments in brief reciting matters not disclosed by the record. Harris v. State,
AFFIRMED.
All Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lawrence Webb v. State.
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published