State v. Bartels ( 2015 )


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  •                      NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION.
    UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL
    AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE.
    IN THE
    ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS
    DIVISION ONE
    STATE OF ARIZONA, Respondent,
    v.
    DOUGLAS JAMES BARTELS, Petitioner.
    No. 1 CA-CR 13-0834 PRPC
    FILED 4-21-2015
    Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County
    No. CR2008-168021-001
    The Honorable Maria del Mar Verdin, Retired Judge
    REVIEW GRANTED; RELIEF DENIED
    COUNSEL
    Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Phoenix
    By Diane Meloche
    Counsel for Respondent
    Douglas James Bartels, Florence
    Petitioner
    STATE v. BARTELS
    Decision of the Court
    MEMORANDUM DECISION
    Presiding Judge Randall M. Howe delivered the decision of the Court, in
    which Judges Andrew W. Gould and Peter B. Swann joined.
    H O W E, Presiding Judge:
    ¶1           Petitioner Douglas James Bartels petitions this Court for
    review from the dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. We have
    considered the petition for review and, for the reasons stated, grant review
    and deny relief.
    ¶2             Bartels pled guilty to kidnapping, sexual conduct with a
    minor, and two counts of attempted sexual conduct with a minor, all
    dangerous crimes against children. The trial court sentenced him to an
    aggregate term of thirty years’ imprisonment for kidnapping and sexual
    conduct with a minor and placed him on lifetime probation for the
    remaining counts. Bartels now seeks review of the summary dismissal of
    his third petition for post-conviction relief. We have jurisdiction pursuant
    to Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.9(c).
    ¶3             Bartels argues that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing
    to adequately investigate the case and in pressuring him to accept the plea
    offers. He claims his “of-right” post-conviction relief counsel was also
    ineffective, but for reasons Bartels does not identify. Bartels further
    contends that the trial court erred in imposing lifetime probation and in
    making other unidentified errors; that the grand jury proceedings had
    deficiencies; and that the prosecutor engaged in unidentified misconduct.
    ¶4            We deny relief. Bartels could have raised all of these issues in
    a prior post-conviction relief proceeding. Any claim a defendant could have
    raised in an earlier post-conviction relief proceeding is precluded. Ariz. R.
    Crim. P. 32.2(a). None of the exceptions under Rule 32.2(b) apply. Bartels
    also waived any claims regarding the grand jury proceedings and the
    prosecutor’s pre-plea conduct when he pled guilty. A plea agreement
    waives all non-jurisdictional defenses, errors, and defects that occurred
    before the plea. State v. Moreno, 
    134 Ariz. 199
    , 200, 
    655 P.2d 23
    , 24 (App.
    1982), disapproved of on other grounds by State ex rel. Dean v. Dony, 
    161 Ariz. 297
    , 
    778 P.2d 1193
     (1989). While Bartels claims that all of these issues are
    timely because they are based on newly discovered evidence, the “newly
    2
    STATE v. BARTELS
    Decision of the Court
    discovered evidence” consists of Bartels becoming aware of these issues
    after he had a “prison legal assistant” review his file in 2013. This is not
    sufficient to present a colorable claim of newly discovered evidence
    pursuant to Rule 32.1(e). See State v. Bilke, 
    162 Ariz. 51
    , 52–53, 
    781 P.2d 28
    ,
    29–30 (1989) (providing the requirements to obtain post-conviction relief
    based on newly discovered evidence).
    ¶5             Bartels also argues the recent United States Supreme Court
    decision in Martinez v. Ryan, -- U.S. --, 
    132 S. Ct. 1309
     (2012), constitutes a
    significant change in the law that allows him to raise the claims of
    ineffective assistance of counsel in a successive petition for post-conviction
    relief. Martinez held that “[w]here, under state law, claims of ineffective
    assistance of trial counsel must be raised in an initial-review collateral
    proceeding, a procedural default will not bar a federal habeas court from
    hearing a substantial claim of ineffective assistance at trial if, in the initial-
    review collateral proceeding, there was no counsel or counsel in that
    proceeding was ineffective.” 
    132 S. Ct. at 1320
    . This simply means Bartels
    can seek habeas corpus relief in federal court based on ineffective assistance
    of trial counsel if he can first show either he had no counsel in his first post-
    conviction relief proceeding or counsel in his first post-conviction relief
    proceeding was ineffective. Martinez does not require a state court to
    consider all untimely claims of ineffective assistance of counsel raised in
    post-conviction proceedings.
    ¶6            While Bartels’ petition for review references other issues he
    presented to the trial court, he provides no supporting argument for those
    issues. “Merely mentioning an argument is not enough[.]” State v. Moody,
    
    208 Ariz. 424
    , 452 ¶ 101 n.9, 
    94 P.3d 1119
    , 1147 n.9 (2004). Further, if Bartels
    meant to incorporate by reference the issues and arguments he presented
    in the petition he filed in the trial court, he may not do so. A petition for
    review may not incorporate by reference any issue or argument. The
    petition must set forth specific claims, present sufficient argument
    supported by legal authority, and include citation to the record. Ariz. R.
    Crim. P. 32.5, 32.9(c); State v. Bortz, 
    169 Ariz. 575
    , 577, 
    821 P.2d 236
    , 238
    (App. 1991). “[C]ompliance with Rule 32 is not a mere formality.” Canion v.
    Cole, 
    210 Ariz. 598
    , 600 ¶ 11, 
    115 P.3d 1261
    , 1263 (2005). A petitioner must
    “strictly comply” with Rule 32 in order to be entitled to relief. 
    Id.
    ¶7              Finally, while the petition for review arguably presents
    additional issues, Bartels did not raise those issues in the petition for post-
    conviction relief he filed in the trial court. A petition for review may not
    present issues not first presented to the trial court. Ariz. R. Crim. P.
    32.9(c)(1)(ii); State v. Ramirez, 
    126 Ariz. 464
    , 466, 
    616 P.2d 924
    , 926 (App.
    3
    STATE v. BARTELS
    Decision of the Court
    1980); State v. Wagstaff, 
    161 Ariz. 66
    , 71, 
    775 P.2d 1130
    , 1135 (App. 1988);
    State v. Bortz, 
    169 Ariz. 575
    , 577, 
    821 P.2d 236
    , 238 (App. 1991).
    ¶8           We grant review and deny relief.
    :ama
    4