People v. Sandusky , 2021 IL App (3d) 190290-U ( 2021 )

NOTICE: This order was filed under Supreme Court Rule 23 and is not precedent except
in the limited circumstances allowed under Rule 23(e)(1).
2021 IL App (3d) 190290-UOrder filed August 4, 2021
____________________________________________________________________________
IN THE
APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS
THIRD DISTRICT
2021
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ) Appeal from the Circuit Court
ILLINOIS, ) of the 14th Judicial Circuit,
) Henry County, Illinois,
Plaintiff-Appellee, )
) Appeal No. 3-19-0290
v. ) Circuit No. 18-CF-30
)
ERICA E. SANDUSKY, ) Honorable
) Terence M. Patton,
Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, Presiding.
____________________________________________________________________________
JUSTICE LYTTON delivered the judgment of the court.
Presiding Justice McDade and Justice Daugherity concurred in the judgment.
____________________________________________________________________________
ORDER
¶1 Held: Circuit court committed reversible error by informing defendant she would only be
allowed to elect a bench trial upon payment of a $1000 jury fee.
¶2 Defendant, Erica E. Sandusky, was convicted on three charges following a jury trial. On
appeal, she argues that her decision to proceed via jury trial was involuntary where the Henry
County circuit court informed her that proceeding via bench trial would be contingent upon her
paying a $1000 jury fee. We vacate defendant’s convictions and remand for further proceedings.
¶3 I. BACKGROUND
¶4 The State charged defendant via information with aggravated battery (720 ILCS 5/12-
3.05(d)(1) (West 2018)), criminal damage to property (id. § 21-1(a)(1)), criminal trespass to land
(id. § 21-3(a)(2)), and two counts of battery (id. § 12-3(a)(1), (a)(2)). The matter proceeded to a
jury trial on March 5, 2019.
¶5 Prior to jury selection, the State moved to dismiss the simple battery charges with
prejudice, and the court granted the motion. After the jury was selected, but before it was sworn
in, the parties reconvened in the court’s chambers. Defense counsel informed the court that
defendant had expressed a desire to hire private counsel. Defendant added: “I don’t recall having
the option to choose between a bench trial or a jury trial. I just knew that it was going to be a
backup trial, and I would like to hire private counsel so they can focus on my case more.” Counsel
responded that he discusses bench trials and jury trials at length with every client. The court denied
what it construed as a motion to continue. Defendant responded: “But I was never given the option
between a bench and a jury trial, because I would have chosen a bench *** trial. This is the
problem I’m having *** it’s not the kind of trial I want.” The following exchange ensued:
“THE COURT: You can always waive the jury trial, but then there will be
a discussion about whether the jury fee is going to be imposed for a jury being
called and then not needed, and I’ll give you two a couple minutes to talk about
that, if you wish.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: What is the normal jury fee, Your Honor?
THE COURT: I think it’s—I mean, it’s at least a thousand dollars, isn’t it,
*** the cost of a jury?
THE CLERK: I believe so, yeah.
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THE COURT: So I can’t give you that exact figure.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: OK.
THE COURT: But *** that’s something that would be addressed if she
decides to waive a jury, because there’s things that have to be taken into account.”
Seven minutes later, now in the courtroom, counsel informed the court that defendant wished to
proceed with the jury trial.
¶6 The jury found defendant guilty only of misdemeanor battery, a lesser-included offense of
the charge of aggravated battery. The court sentenced defendant to a term of 24 months’ probation
as well as 90 days in jail.
¶7 II. ANALYSIS
¶8 On appeal, defendant argues that her waiver of her right to a bench trial was not made
knowingly and voluntarily where it was induced by the circuit court’s inaccurate admonishments.
Specifically, defendant contends that there is no support in the law for the notion that she could be
charged a so-called jury fee. Defendant concedes that she failed to preserve the issue for appellate
review by raising it in a posttrial motion. Accordingly, she requests that this court analyze the
issue under the rubric of plain error. The first step in any plain error review is to determine whether
a clear or obvious error was committed. People v. Eppinger, 2013 IL 114121, ¶ 19.
¶9 A. Jury Fee
¶ 10 There is a threshold dispute between the parties concerning the accuracy of the circuit
court’s comments in chambers. Defendant contends that the court had no authority to impose or
threaten to impose such a fee and, indeed, that no such fee exists. The State argues that authority
to assess a jury fee is found both in the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Code) and in the
local rules of the 14th Judicial Circuit.
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¶ 11 Section 124A-5 of the Code holds: “When a person is convicted of an offense under a
statute, *** the court shall enter judgment that the offender pay the costs of the prosecution.” 725
ILCS 5/124A-5 (West 2018). Multiple Illinois cases support the proposition that this section does
not authorize a court to assess upon a criminal defendant any costs associated with invoking his or
her right to trial by jury. People v. Kluck, 70 Ill. App. 3d 582, 584 (1979); People v. Hanei, 81 Ill.
App. 3d 690, 706-07 (1980). The State has failed to identify any case in which criminal jury costs
have been imposed under this statute.
¶ 12 Even if section 124A-5 can be construed to generally allow for the assessment of jury costs
in criminal cases, it would not allow the court in this case to impose costs in the manner conveyed
to defendant. First, the statute clearly holds that such fees may only be assessed upon conviction.
The court did not explain this to defendant; in fact, the court implied that the jury fee would be
assessed simply for selecting a bench trial. Second, if the “costs of the prosecution” includes the
cost of the jury, then defendant would already be obligated to pay that fee, as a venire had been
assembled and a jury selected. The court, however, stated that defendant would only have to pay
that fee if she changed her mind and chose a bench trial, a comment which finds no support in the
plain language of the statute.
¶ 13 It seems more likely that the court’s reference to a “jury fee” was in contemplation of Local
Rule 13.5 of the 14th Judicial Circuit, which states:
“If for any reason attributable to counsel or parties, including a settlement,
change of plea, or waiver of jury, the Court is unable to commence a jury trial as
scheduled, and a panel of prospective jurors has reported to the courthouse for
voir dire, the Court may assess against counsel or parties responsible for all or part
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of the cost of the panel.”
https://www.rockislandcounty.org/CourtAdmin/Downloads/
¶ 14 Defendant does not dispute that the plain language of this local rule would appear to
authorize the assessment referenced by the circuit court in chambers. Unlike section 124A-5,
Local Rule 13.5 applies only to venires that are not ultimately utilized. Also, unlike the statute, it
is not contingent upon the result of the proceedings. Defendant argues, however, that the local
rule should be considered invalid.
¶ 15 Illinois Supreme Court Rule 21(a) (eff. Jan. 1, 2021) authorizes circuit courts to adopt local
rules governing criminal and civil cases within that jurisdiction. Any such local rules must be
consistent with existing statutes and supreme court rules. Id. It is well-settled that a local rule
may not impose additional substantive burdens on litigants. Vision Point of Sale, Inc. v. Haas, 226
Ill. 2d 334, 357 (2007).
¶ 16 A criminal defendant’s constitutional right to proceed via bench trial is absolute up to the
point at which the jury is sworn in. People v. Jordan, 2019 IL App (1st) 161848, ¶¶ 16, 25. Any
attempt by a defendant to waive the right to a jury trial after that point is left to the sound discretion
of the court. Id. ¶ 16. Thus, defendant here retained an absolute right to proceed via bench trial,
even where a jury had already been selected, but not sworn in.
¶ 17 Local Rule 13.5, as invoked in this case, is both inconsistent with statute and imposed an
additional burden upon defendant. Section 124A-5, as discussed, clearly only allows for costs to
be assessed upon conviction, whereas as Local Rule 13.5 can be applied regardless of whether
there is a conviction. Further, the additional burden the local rule would impose on defendant is
clear: she would be forced to pay $1000 to exercise her absolute right to a bench trial.
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¶ 18 In sum, neither statute nor valid local rule supports the proposition that defendant could
have been charged $1000 for proceeding via bench trial after a jury was selected. The circuit
court’s comments on that point were inaccurate and erroneous.
¶ 19 B. Right to Bench Trial
¶ 20 Criminal defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial. U.S. Const., amends. VI,
XIV; Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, §§ 8, 13. Concomitantly, criminal defendants have a constitutional
right to waive that right and proceed instead via bench trial. People ex rel. Daley v. Joyce, 126 Ill.
2d 209, 221-22 (1988). “[W]aivers [of constitutional rights] must not only be voluntary, but must
be ‘ ”knowing, intelligent acts done with sufficient awareness of the relevant circumstances and
likely consequences.” ’ ” People v. McClanahan, 191 Ill. 2d 127, 137 (2000) (quoting People v.
Johnson, 75 Ill. 2d 180, 187 (1979), quoting Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742, 748 (1970)).
¶ 21 The waiver of a bench trial rarely comes up in case law, likely because “a jury trial is the
norm for a felony case and a bench trial is the exception.” People v. Powell, 281 Ill. App. 3d 68,
73 (1996). In Powell, the Fourth District rejected the defendant’s claim that defense counsel had
ignored his requests to proceed via bench trial. Id. The court stated that “a defendant who wishes
a bench trial instead of a jury trial must make his position known to the trial court if his trial
attorney fails to do so.” Id. The court concluded that it would not consider the defendant’s “after-
the-fact claim that he really wanted a bench trial all along.” Id. Years later, the Second District
shared the view that “a post hoc claim that a defendant actually wanted a bench trial would be ***
problematic.” People v. Brown, 2013 IL App (2d) 110327, ¶ 23. The court concluded that “there
is no need to obtain an on-the-record waiver of” the right to a bench trial. Id.¶ 22 The State, relying primarily on Powell and Brown, asserts:
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“Clearly, no duty ensued upon the trial court either to advise of the right to
a bench trial or to obtain from defendant a waiver of her right to a bench trial; thus,
the trial court had no obligation whatsoever to provide defendant with any warnings
regarding her right to a bench trial once she made her alleged preference for a bench
trial known.”
¶ 23 First, this case does not present the same scenario as contemplated in Powell and Brown.
Defendant’s express wish for a bench trial was not made after-the-fact or post hoc. The request
was made before her trial commenced. Furthermore, while we agree that the circuit court has no
affirmative duty to ensure a knowing waiver of the right to a bench trial, the error here was not the
mere failure of the court to provide correct admonishments. The court’s error was in giving
defendant affirmative misadvice regarding her right to a bench trial.
¶ 24 Powell and Brown stand broadly for the proposition that the waiver of the right to a bench
trial is presumptively valid even in the face of a silent record. However, it should be axiomatic
that any waiver made following affirmative misadvice regarding the right being waived is, by
definition, not done knowingly. We therefore find that the circuit court committed a clear and
obvious error.
¶ 25 C. Prejudice
¶ 26 After a defendant asserting plain error has established that a clear or obvious error was
committed, she must next establish that she suffered prejudice as a result. See People v. Hillier,
237 Ill. 2d 539, 545 (2010). In the plain error context, prejudice may be demonstrated in one of
two ways: first, a defendant may demonstrate that the trial evidence was so closely balanced that
the error threatened to impact the result of the trial. People v. Sebby, 2017 IL 119445, ¶ 51.
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Second, a defendant may show that an error is so serious that prejudice is presumed, regardless of
the closeness of the evidence. Id. ¶ 50. Defendant argues that the second prong is applicable here.
¶ 27 The second prong of the plain error test has been equated with the concept of structural
error. People v. Thompson, 238 Ill. 2d 598, 608 (2010). A structural error is a systemic error that
serves to erode the integrity of the judicial process and undermine the fairness of a defendant’s
trial. People v. Stoecker, 2020 IL 124807, ¶ 23. In Jordan, the court held that “denial of the right
to waive a jury trial affects the fairness of proceedings and is plain error.” Jordan, 2019 IL App
(1st) 161848, ¶ 25.
¶ 28 In the present case, the circuit court, without authority, essentially, made defendant’s
constitutional right to proceed via bench trial contingent upon payment of $1000. That threat had
the expected effect, in that defendant elected to instead proceed via jury trial, contrary to her stated
wishes. This procedure severely erodes the integrity of the judicial process, and that defendant
was essentially forced to proceed in a manner not of her own choosing undermines the fairness of
those proceedings. Accordingly, we find that defendant has demonstrated second-prong plain
error. We therefore vacate her convictions and remand for further proceedings.
¶ 29 III. CONCLUSION
¶ 30 The judgment of the circuit court of Henry County is vacated and the matter is remanded
for further proceedings.
¶ 31 Judgment vacated; matter remanded.
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