IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT NASHVILLE FILED JANUARY SESSION, 1998 February 23, 1998 Cecil W. Crowson Appellate Court Clerk STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) C.C.A. NO. 01C01-9705-CR-00179 ) Appellee, ) ) SMITH COUNTY V. ) ) ) HON. J.O. BOND, JUDGE LANDY G. KASH, ) ) Appe llant. ) (DUI TH IRD OF FENS E)

FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE: JACKY O. BELLAR JOHN KNOX WALKUP BELLAR & BELLAR Attorney General & Reporter M ain Stree t P.O. Box 332 CLINT ON J. M ORG AN Carthage, TN 37030 Assistant Attorney General 2nd Floor, Cordell Hull Building Fifth Avenue North Nashville, TN 37243 TOM P. THO MPS ON, JR .

District Attorn ey Ge neral H. DOUGLAS HALL Assistant District Attorney General C herry Stre et Lebanon, TN 37087-3609

OPINION FILED ________________________ APPEAL DISMISSED THOMAS T. WOODALL, JUDGE OPINION After being convicted of DUI, third offense, and driving on a revoked license following a jury trial, the Defendant, Landy G. Kash, filed a Motion for New Trial on December 12, 1996. There is no order in the record either granting or denying that motion. There is a handwritten notation on the motion that it was overruled, but the judge ’s signature does n ot appe ar in the no tation. Ho wever, for a n order to be valid, it must b e in writing a nd it mus t be enter ed in the c ourt’s m inutes. See Evans v. Perkey, 647 S.W .2d 636 , 641 (T enn. Ap p. 1982 ); We lch v. State , 553 S.W.2d 917, 919-20 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1977). The time for appeal runs from the entry of a proper order de nying a n ew trial. Te nn. R. A pp. P. 4(c ).

In Hutchison v. ARO Corp., 653 S.W .2d 738, 740 (Tenn. Ap p. 1983), the co urt held that in the absence of a ruling on the motion for new trial, there has been no final disposition in the lowe r court, and that accordingly, there is no appeal as of right and the notice of appeal is of no effect. This Court’s appellate jurisdiction is limited to review of th e final judg ments of trial courts, and therefore, we ca nnot e ntertain this appeal as we are without jurisdiction to do so. Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-5-108(a). The appeal is therefore dismissed.

____________________________________ THOMAS T. W OODALL, Judge

CONCUR:

___________________________________ DAVID H. WELLES , Judge ___________________________________ JERRY L. SMITH, Judge -2- -3-