Smitherman v. State
Smitherman v. State
Opinion
The appellant, Daniel Olin Smitherman, appeals the trial court's revocation of his probation in four cases. On February 1, 2002, Smitherman pleaded guilty to attempted possession or receipt of a controlled substance (CC-01-3351, "case 1"). The trial court sentenced him to five years' imprisonment; that sentence was split, and he was ordered to serve six months of the sentence in a jail-like facility and the balance was suspended, followed by five years' probation. The court also gave Smitherman credit for one year and 12 days he had spent in jail.
On August 30, 2002, Smitherman pleaded guilty to three additional offenses: second-degree theft of property (CC-02-1736, "case 2"), third-degree burglary (CC-02-1737, "case 3"), and second-degree theft of property (CC-02-1739, "case 4"). The trial court sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment for each conviction; these sentences were also split, and he was ordered to serve three years to be served in a jail-like facility. The court suspended the custodial portion of each sentence for five years, during which time Smitherman was to be on formal probation and after which, if he abided by the terms of probation, the custodial portion would be suspended for two additional years of probation and then suspended entirely. On March 31, 2005, the court reconsidered Smitherman's sentences in cases 2, 3, and 4. The court then amended the split portion of the sentences to "time served in jail" and extended Smitherman's probation three years from the date of the amendment.
On May 30, 2003, Smitherman's probation officer filed a delinquency report in all four cases. The basis of this report is not clear because a copy of the report is not included in the record on appeal. On June 20, 2003, Smitherman confessed that the State's proof of violation was sufficient, and the trial court revoked his probation. The court ordered that each of Smitherman's sentences was "split to serve 18 months" in confinement and that each case was "to run concurrent." The court credited Smitherman with two months and 24 days of jail time in case 1, with three months and 14 days of jail time in case 2, and with nine months and 10 days of jail credit in cases 3 and 4.
On November 30, 2005, Smitherman's probation officer filed a second delinquency report in all four cases, charging Smitherman with committing three new offenses, with failing to report, and with failing to pay court-ordered moneys and supervision fees. On January 23, 2006, *Page 807 Smitherman confessed that the State's evidence of violation was sufficient, and the court revoked his probation in all four cases. The court ordered that Smitherman's sentence in each case was "split to serve 3 years." The court also gave him credit in all four cases for 73 days he had spent in jail on the new offenses. The court ordered Smitherman's sentence in case 1 "to run consecutive" with the sentence in case 2 and his sentences in cases 3 and 4 "to run concurrent" with the sentence in case 2.
Section
Smitherman was sentenced under §
As we have previously noted, the total time Smitherman has served in confinement is unclear. However, the addition of three years of confinement to any time served exceeds the statutory maximum of three years. After the trial court has properly calculated the jail credit to which Smitherman is entitled, the court may impose additional periods of confinement for each case so long as the total term in each case does not exceed three years.
The decisions in Phillips and Moore, however, are inapplicable here. In both of those cases, the trial court changed a sentence that was originally ordered to run concurrently to a sentence that was to run consecutively. Rule 26.12(c), Ala. R.Crim. P., allows the trial court to "at any time by a nunc pro tunc order provide that previously imposed consecutive sentences run concurrently"; however, it does not authorize the court to amend a concurrent sentence to a consecutive sentence.
The trial court's original sentencing orders provided that Smitherman's sentences in cases 2, 3, and 4 were to run concurrently with each other, but they contained no provision with regard to how the sentences were to be served in conjunction with the sentence in case 1. Rule 26.12(a), Ala. R.Crim. P., provides that separate sentences imposed for two or more offenses shall run consecutively unless the judge directs otherwise at the time of sentencing. Because the trial court did not specify how Smitherman's sentences were to run, he was required to serve them consecutively.
Section
REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.*
COBB, BASCHAB, SHAW, and WISE, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Daniel Olin Smitherman v. State of Alabama.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published