Felix v. Mohler ( 1981 )

No. 81-340
I N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
1981
AARON F E L I X ,
Petitioner,
MEL MOHLER, DIRECTOR, SWAN
R I V E R YOUTH FOREST CAMP, FOR
THE STATE O F MONTANA,
Respondent.
O R I G I N A L PROCEEDING:
For P e t i t i o n e r :
Patterson, Marsillo, T o r n a b e n e & Schuyler,
Missoula, Montana
For R e s p o n d e n t :
Hon. M i k e G r e e l y , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , B e l e n a ,
Montana
E d w a r d L. M c L e a n , D e p u t y C o u n t y A t t o r n e y ,
Missoula, Montana
S u b m i t t e d on B r i e f s : October 22, 1981
Decided: November 12, 1 9 8 1
NOV 1 2 198f'
Filed:
Mr. J u s t i c e Frank B. Morrison, J r . , d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion o f
t h e Court.
P e t i t i o n e r , Aaron F e l i x , a p p l i e s f o r a w r i t o f h a b e a s
c o r p u s stemming from a n o r d e r of t h e F o u r t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t
C o u r t e n t e r e d on May 27, 1981. T h i s o r d e r revoked a t h r e e
y e a r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e g i v e n p e t i t i o n e r on May 22, 1978 and
imposed a t h r e e and one-half y e a r s e n t e n c e a t t h e Montana
S t a t e P r i s o n upon p e t i t i o n e r .
P e t i t i o n e r was c o n v i c t e d of t h e f t , a f e l o n y , i n t h e
D i s t r i c t C o u r t of t h e F o u r t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Missoula
County. On May 22, 1978, h e was g i v e n a t h r e e y e a r d e f e r r e d
i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e on t h e c o n d i t i o n t h a t r e s t i t u t i o n b e
made.
On August 20, 1979, t h i s d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e w a s c o n t i n u e d
and p e t i t i o n e r was o r d e r e d t o complete r e s t i t u t i o n by November
5, 1980. P e t i t i o n e r f a i l e d t o comply w i t h t h i s o r d e r by
November 5 , 1980, and a p e t i t i o n t o r e v o k e p e t i t i o n e r ' s
d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e was f i l e d on J a n u a r y 1 6 , 1981. A hearing
on t h i s p e t i t i o n was h e l d May 27, 1981, t h r e e y e a r s and f i v e
days a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l d e f e r r a l .
A t t h i s h e a r i n g , p e t i t i o n e r moved t o d i s m i s s t h e p r o c e e d i n g
on t h e grounds t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t w a s w i t h o u t j u r i s d i c t i o n .
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t o v e r r u l e d p e t i t i o n e r ' s o b j e c t i o n c o n c l u d i n g
t h a t t h e Court r e t a i n s " ... jurisdiction (when) t h e p e t i t i o n
i s f i l e d w i t h i n t h e ( d e f e r r a l ) time."
The D i s t r i c t C o u r t s e n t e n c e d p e t i t i o n e r t o t h r e e and
one-half y e a r s i n t h e Montana S t a t e P r i s o n . P e t i t i o n e r has
been i n c a r c e r a t e d s i n c e , e i t h e r a t t h e Montana S t a t e P r i s o n
o r t h e Swan R i v e r Youth F o r e s t Camp.
P e t i t i o n e r raises t h e f o l l o w i n g i s s u e :
1) Whether a D i s t r i c t C o u r t r e t a i n s j u r i s d i c t i o n t o
r e v o k e a d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e beyond t h e t i m e
p e r i o d of d e f e r r a l i f a p e t i t i o n t o r e v o k e i s t i m e l y f i l e d ?
I n S t a t e v . P o r t e r ( 1 9 6 4 ) , 143 Mont. 528, 540, 541,
391 P.2d 704, 711, t h i s C o u r t s t a t e d t h a t :
" [ t l h i s s t a t e i s committed t o t h e doc-
t r i n e t h a t once a v a l i d s e n t e n c e h a s been
pronounced, t h e c o u r t imposing t h e same
i s lacking i n jurisdiction t o vacate o r
modify t h e s e n t e n c e , e x c e p t as
otherwise
provided - s t a t u t e
by . . ." (Emphasis
added. )
S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, i s a s p e c i f i c procedural s t a t u t e
g r a n t i n g j u d g e s , m a g i s t r a t e s , o r j u s t i c e s of t h e p e a c e
a u t h o r i t y t o r e v o k e a suspended s e n t e n c e o r impose s e n t e n c e
f o l l o w i n g a d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e . S e c t i o n 46-18-
203, MCA, p r o v i d e s :
"Revocation of suspended o r d e f e r r e d
s e n t e n c e . A judge, m a g i s t r a t e , o r j u s t i c e
of t h e p e a c e who h a s suspended t h e execu-
t i o n of a s e n t e n c e o r d e f e r r e d t h e imposi-
t i o n of a s e n t e n c e of imprisonment under
46-18-201 o r h i s s u c c e s s o r i s a u t h o r i z e d ,
d u r i n g - p e r i o d of the suspended s e n t e n c e
the
o r d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e ,
- his
d i s c r e t i o n , to r e v o k e - s u s p e n s i o n -
the or
impose s e n t e n c e and o r d e r the p e r s o n E-
mitted. H e may a l s o , i n h i s d i s c r e t i o n ,
o r d e r t h e p r i s o n e r p l a c e d under t h e j u r i s -
d i c t i o n of t h e board of p a r d o n s as p r o v i d -
ed by law o r r e t a i n s u c h j u r i s d i c t i o n w i t h
h i s court. P r i o r t o t h e r e v o c a t i o n of a n
o r d e r suspending o r d e f e r r i n g t h e i m p o s i t i o n
of s e n t e n c e , t h e p e r s o n a f f e c t e d s h a l l be
given a hearing." (Emphasis added.)
T h i s a u t h o r i t y must be e x e r c i s e d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e
p r e c i s e p r o v i s i o n s of t h i s s e c t i o n ; a c t i o n by a judge,
m a g i s t r a t e , o r j u s t i c e of t h e p e a c e o u t s i d e t h e p r o v i s i o n s
of S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, i s without jurisdiction. State
y. P o r t e r , supra.
The c o n t r o l l i n g l a n g u a g e i n S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, is
". . . d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of such suspended s e n t e n c e o r
d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e . . ." Determining t h e
meaning of t h i s p h r a s e d i s p o s e s of t h i s p e t i t i o n .
I t i s well s e t t l e d t h a t i f a ". . . statute is plain,
unambiguous, d i r e c t and c e r t a i n , t h e s t a t u t e s p e a k s f o r
i t s e l f and t h e r e i s n o t h i n g l e f t f o r t h e c o u r t t o c o n s t r u e . "
Shannon v . K e l l e r ( 1 9 8 0 ) , Mont. , 612 P.2d 1293, 1294,
3 7 S t . Rep. 1079, 1081. Such i s t h e c a s e b e f o r e t h i s C o u r t .
The words " d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d " a r e e x t r e m e l y p l a i n and
unambiguous. The c l e a r i m p o r t i s t h a t a c o u r t i s v e s t e d
w i t h j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v o k e a suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e
o n l y d u r i n g t h e r u n n i n g of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e .
Once such time h a s e x p i r e d a c o u r t i s w i t h o u t j u r i s d i c t i o n
t o d e c i d e p e t i t i o n s f o r r e v o c a t i o n f i l e d by t h e S t a t e .
The S t a t e r e q u e s t s t h i s C o u r t t o c o n s t r u e S e c t i o n 46-
18-203, MCA, t o mean t h a t a t i m e l y f i l e d p e t i t i o n f o r
revocation v e s t s j u r i s d i c t i o n i n t h e Court, regardless
whether t h e h e a r i n g on such p e t i t i o n i s h e l d a f t e r t h e
suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e h a s e x p i r e d . The S t a t e
r e l i e s on d e c i s i o n s from Nevada and Oklahoma i n s u p p o r t of
t h i s contention. See Sherman v. Warden, Nevada S t a t e P r i s o n
(1978) Nev. , 581 P.2d 1278; D e g r a f f e n r e i d v .
S t a t e (1979), 0k.Cr. , 599 P.2d 1107.
These a u t h o r i t i e s a r e n o t i n p o i n t . Nevada and Oklahoma
have s t a t u t o r y p r o v i s i o n s which v e s t j u r i s d i c t i o n i n t h e
c o u r t s f o r p u r p o s e s of r e v o c a t i o n of suspended o r d e f e r r e d
s e n t e n c e s upon t h e f i l i n g of a p e t i t i o n f o r r e v o c a t i o n .
T h e r e f o r e a t i m e l y f i l e d p e t i t i o n of r e v o c a t i o n i n t h e s e
s t a t e s v e s t s j u r i s d i c t i o n i n c o u r t s when t h e t i m e of t h e
suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e h a s r u n .
Montana ' s s t a t u t e p e r t a i n i n g t o r e v o c a t i o n s of suspended
o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s , S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, c o n t a i n s no
language s t a t i n g t h a t a timely f i l e d p e t i t i o n f o r revocation
invokes a c o u r t ' s j u r i s d i c t i o n over t h e s e m a t t e r s . It is
a x i o m a t i c t h a t t h i s C o u r t c a n n o t i n s e r t what t h e l e g i s l a t u r e
has not s t a t u t o r i l y included. Section 1-2-101, MCA.
I n c o n c l u s i o n , w e h o l d t h a t S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA,
g r a n t s j u r i s d i c t i o n t o j u d g e s , m a g i s t r a t e s , o r j u s t i c e s of
t h e p e a c e t o revoke suspended s e n t e n c e s o r impose s e n t e n c e s
f o l l o w i n g d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s o n l y d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of t h e
suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s . This j u r i s d i c t i o n extends
o n l y t h r o u g h t h e r u n n i n g of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e ,
r e g a r d l e s s of whether a p e t i t i o n f o r r e v o c a t i o n h a s been
f i l e d p r i o r t o t h e t e r m i n a t i o n of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d
sentence.
T h e r e f o r e , p e t i t i o n e r ' s r e q u e s t f o r a W r i t of Habeas
Corpus i s g r a n t e d . I t i s hereby o r d e r e d t h a t such w r i t
i s s u e immediately and t h a t p e t i t i o n e r b e d i s c h a r g e d from t h e
c u s t o d y of t h e Swan R i v e r Youth F o r e s t Camp.
W concur:
e
Chief J u s t i c e