Cooper v. the State ( 2015 )

THIRD DIVISION
ELLINGTON, P. J.,
DILLARD and MCFADDEN, JJ.
NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be
physically received in our clerk’s office within ten
days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed.
http://www.gaappeals.us/rules
September 25, 2015
In the Court of Appeals of Georgia
A15A1348. COOPER v. THE STATE.
MCFADDEN, Judge.
After a bench trial, DeMarco Cooper was convicted of four counts of selling
cocaine, five counts of distributing cocaine within 1,000 feet of a public housing
project, three counts of using a communication facility to commit or facilitate the
commission of a felony (sale of cocaine), one count of possessing cocaine with intent
to distribute, and one count of possessing a counterfeit controlled substance. Cooper
appealed, and this court vacated the judgments of conviction and remanded the case
to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing on the issue of whether Cooper knowingly
and voluntarily waived his right to a jury trial. See Cooper v. State, 324 Ga. App. 451,
452-453 (1) (751 SE2d 102) (2013). In that prior appeal, this court also went on to
review the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the vacated judgments of
conviction, reasoning that the trial court, after the remand hearing on the issue of
waiver of the right to a jury trial, would not be authorized to reinstate any conviction
that the state had failed to prove. Id. at 453 (2). This court then determined that there
was insufficient evidence to establish that Cooper had possessed a counterfeit drug
or that he had sold drugs within 1,000 feet of a public housing project so those
convictions could not be reinstated. Id. at 455-456 (2) (b & c).
On remand, after holding an evidentiary hearing, the trial court found that
Cooper had knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to a jury trial. The trial court
reinstated the convictions that were not barred by this court’s prior opinion, dismissed
the other charges, and denied Cooper’s request for re-sentencing him as a first
offender. Cooper appeals.
1. Waiver of right to jury trial.
Cooper contends that the trial court erred in finding that he knowingly and
voluntarily waived his right to a jury trial. We disagree.
A criminal defendant must personally and intelligently participate
in the waiver of the constitutional right to a trial by jury. When the
purported waiver of this right is questioned, the [s]tate bears the burden
of showing that the waiver was made both intelligently and knowingly,
either (1) by showing on the record that the defendant was cognizant of
the right being waived; or (2) by filling a silent or incomplete record
through the use of extrinsic evidence which affirmatively shows that the
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waiver was knowingly and voluntarily made. The waiver, however, need
not follow any particular form. The only real issue is whether the
defendant intelligently agreed to a trial without jury. On appeal, we will
affirm a trial court’s determination that a defendant validly waived the
right to a jury trial unless that determination is clearly erroneous.
Green v. State, 331 Ga. App. 801, 808 (3) (771 SE2d 518) (2015) (citations and
punctuation omitted).
At the evidentiary hearing in this case, the state introduced a written waiver of
the right to a jury trial signed by Cooper and his attorney. On the written waiver,
Cooper acknowledged that he understood the offenses charged, the maximum
possible sentence for those charges, his right to a jury trial and the various rights
associated with a jury trial. On the document, Cooper expressly waived his right to
a jury trial and requested that his case instead be set for trial before the court, stating
that he understood that in such a trial the court would “decide[] the issues in the case
without a jury present.”
The state also presented the testimony of Cooper’s attorney, who testified that
it was his signature and handwriting on the waiver form and that he had executed the
document with Cooper. Although he did not specifically recall discussing the matter
with Cooper, counsel testified that he would have gone over the form in detail with
Cooper and would have explained to him that it gave up his right to a jury trial in
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favor of a bench trial before only the judge. See Jones v. State, 294 Ga. App. 169, 170
(1) (670 SE2d 104) (2008) (extrinsic evidence showing waiver of jury trial may
include testimony by defense counsel about his routine or standard practices).
Based on our review of the record, we conclude that the trial court did not err
in determining “that the [s]tate fulfilled its burden of demonstrating that [Cooper]
personally, voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently waived his right to a jury trial.
[Cits.]” Green, supra at 809 (3).
2. First offender status.
At the sentencing hearing after the bench trial, the trial court informed Cooper
that he was eligible for first offender status and the court indicated that it would grant
such status if Cooper requested it. But after the trial court further explained the
benefits and risks of first offender sentencing, Cooper declined it and the court did
not sentence him as a first offender. Upon remand of the case, Cooper requested that
the court re-visit the issue and re-sentence him as a first offender. The trial court
heard arguments from both Cooper and the state, after which it denied the request.
Refusal to consider first offender treatment as part of a sentencing
formula or policy of automatic denial constitutes an abuse of discretion
and constitutes reversible error. However, there must be a clear
statement in the record that constitutes either a general refusal to
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consider such treatment or an erroneous expression of belief that the law
does not permit the exercise of such discretion.
McCullough v. State, 317 Ga. App. 853 (733 SE2d 36) (2012) (citation omitted).
Here, the record does not contain any such clear statement by the trial court indicating
a general refusal to consider first offender treatment or an erroneous belief that the
law does not permit the exercise of such discretion. On the contrary, it is clear from
the record that the trial court understood that it could sentence Cooper as a first
offender, but properly exercised its discretion in deciding not to do so. Accordingly,
“we discern no basis for reconsideration of [Cooper’s] sentence.” Id. at 856.
Judgment affirmed. Ellington, P. J., and Dillard, J., concur.
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