Waddle v. State
Waddle v. State
Opinion
Johnny Ray Waddle appeals from the circuit court's summary dismissal of his Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition for postconviction relief, in which he attacked his two 1998 guilty-plea convictions for robbery in the third degree, and his resulting concurrent sentences, imposed after application of the Habitual Felony Offender Act, of 20 years' imprisonment for each conviction. Waddle did not appeal his convictions.
On August 3, 1999, Waddle filed the Rule 32 petition that is the subject of this appeal. In his petition, Waddle alleges (1) that he was denied effective assistance of counsel; (2) that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to accept his guilty pleas; (3) that his guilty pleas were involuntary; and (4) that he failed to appeal his convictions within the prescribed time through no fault of his own.
On September 13, 1999, the State filed a motion to dismiss Waddle's petition on grounds that Waddle had failed to meet either the specificity requirements of Rule 32.6(b), Ala.R.Crim.P., or the pleading requirements of Rule 32.3, Ala.R.Crim.P. In the alternative, the State alleged that anIreland form1 executed by Waddle at the time of his guilty pleas, which the State attached to its motion, refuted Waddle's claim that his guilty pleas were involuntary. In its motion, the State did not specifically address the merits of Waddle's remaining claims.
On September 15, 1999, the circuit court summarily dismissed Waddle's petition, finding (1) that the petition failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted; (2) that Waddle had failed to satisfy the pleading requirements of Rule 32.3, Ala.R.Crim.P.; and (3) that no material issue of fact or law existed that would entitle Waddle to relief.
The whole of Waddle's ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim is that his counsel "failed to apprise him and present his case in a favorable and proper manner." (C. 48.) He does not allege any *Page 369
specific acts or omissions on the part of his counsel that he says constituted deficient performance. See Strickland v. Washington,
Furthermore, Waddle's contention that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to accept his guilty pleas because, he says, the trial court failed to establish a factual basis for the pleas, is not a jurisdictional claim. See Teasley v. State,
In his petition, Waddle contends that his guilty pleas were involuntary because, he says, the trial court failed to inform him of the nature and elements of the charges against him and failed to inform him of the minimum and maximum sentences he could receive, in violation of Boykinv. Alabama,
Because the record does not contain a transcript of Waddle's guilty plea proceedings and a transcript is not otherwise available for this court to review, we are unable to determine the merits of Waddle's claims. Although the record does contain an Ireland form — signed by Waddle, his counsel, and the trial court — in which Waddle acknowledged that he *Page 370
understood "the charge or charges against me" and "the punishment or punishments provided by law" and in which he was advised of his right to appeal, a signed Ireland form is, alone, insufficient to establish the voluntariness of a plea. In Twyman v. State,
Absent a transcript of the guilty-plea proceedings, there is nothing in the record showing that the trial court undertook a "personal colloquy" with Waddle to establish that Waddle understood the Ireland form and the rights contained therein. Although the record indicates that the circuit judge who dismissed Waddle's petition was the same judge who had accepted Waddle's pleas, the circuit court, in its order dismissing the petition, did not address the merits of Waddle's claims that his guilty pleas were involuntary and that he was not advised of his right to appeal. Rather, the circuit court found that Waddle's petition was insufficiently specific, that it failed to state a claim, and that it failed to raise any material issue of fact or law that would entitle him to relief. Contrary to the circuit court's finding, however, Waddle's claims that his guilty pleas were involuntary and that he failed to appeal through no fault of his own were sufficiently specific to entitle him to relief if the facts alleged were true.
Accordingly, we must remand this cause to the circuit court for that court to address the merits of those claims and to enter specific findings of fact. On remand, the circuit court may, at its discretion, conduct an evidentiary hearing or take such other action as it deems necessary. We do not foreclose the possibility that the State may be able to demonstrate through a copy of the guilty plea proceedings, or through some other evidentiary means, that Waddle was, in fact, advised of the nature and elements of the crime to which he was pleading guilty, of the minimum and maximum sentences he could receive, and of his right to appeal. Moreover, "`"[i]f the circuit judge has personal knowledge of the actual facts underlying the allegations in the petition, he may deny the petition without further proceedings so long as he states the reasons for the denial in a written order."'" Teasley, supra at 105, quotingRichmond v. State,
For the foregoing reasons, this cause is remanded to the circuit court to make a determination on the merits of Waddle's claims concerning the voluntariness of his guilty pleas and whether he was advised of his right to appeal, and to enter specific findings of facts regarding those claims. Due return shall be filed with this court no later than 42 days from the date of this opinion. *Page 371
REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.*
McMillan, Cobb, Baschab, and Fry, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Johnny Ray Waddle v. State.
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- Published