Hernandez v. State
Hernandez v. State
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
This is an appeal from a conviction for delivery of heroin. The jury assessed punishment at thirty years’ imprisonment. We affirm.
Appellant’s sole point of error asserts denial of constitutional and statutory
Finally, as a matter of public policy, it is clear that questions directed to the very power of the court to resolve criminal controversies must be raised before trial proceedings actually begin; at risk is judicial economy in general and the trial judge’s control of his court in particular.
(Noel, slip opinion at 3). While we would not go as far as the Dallas Court of Appeals in Noel, we suggest that given the above policy considerations, the design of our state trial process, and the significance of the attachment of jeopardy, the latter point (seating the petit jury) is the most acceptable cutoff for presentation of a speedy trial motion. Surely, when jeopardy attaches, the trial has commenced. Accordingly, we hold that the speedy trial issue was waived and we overrule Point of Error No. One.
Admittedly by way of dictum, we note for the benefit of the parties that had the issue been preserved, we would not be disposed to sustain the point of error. Appellant was paroled to El Paso County on May 19, 1982, from a ten-year prison sentence for prior delivery of heroin. His parole was conditioned upon his residence at a halfway house. The instant offense occurred on July 7. No arrest was made. Appellant absconded from parole on August 1, 1982, and fled to California. By his own testimony, he was seeking to avoid apprehension, albeit for parole violation. The indictment in this case was returned on December 10, 1982. The State has relied upon Tex.Code Crim.Pro.Ann. art. 32A.02, sec. 4(4)(A), tolling that period during which the defendant’s location is unknown and he is avoiding apprehension. Appellant suggests that the tolling predicate necessitates that his avoidance of apprehension must relate to the instant offense. We do not agree with such a narrow interpretation. The State’s excusable difficulty in locating the fugitive defendant stems from the flight and avoidance, regardless of which criminal proceeding is the stimulus. Appellant remained in California for one year. He returned to El Paso at the end of August, 1983, but was arrested in New Mexico on October 18, 1983, for a burglary committed in that state. Upon initial arrest there, he utilized a false name — Javier Ramirez. He did ultimately confess his true name and was convicted under that name, receiving a sentence of four and one-half years. The testimony revealed that the El Paso District Attorney’s Office learned of his whereabouts
The judgment is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.