State v. Brackney ( 1975 )

No. 12838
I N THE SUPREME C U T O T E STATE O MONTANA
OR F H F
1975
THE STATE O MONTANA,
F
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P l a i n t i f f andiippellant,
-VS -
EUYMOND LEE BRACKNEY,
I
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1
Defendant and Respondent.
Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of t h e Eighth J u d i c i a l District,
Honorable Paul G. H a t f i e l d , Judge p r e s i d i n g .
Counsel o f Record:
For Appellant :
Smith, Emmons 6 B a i l l i e , Great F a l l s , Montana
James R e Walsh argued, Great F a l l s , Montana
For Respondent :
Hon. Robert L. Woodahl, Attorney General, Helena,
Montana
Thomas A. Budewitz, A s s i s t a n t Attorney General,
argued, Helena, Montana
J. Fred Bourdeau, County Attorney, Great F a l l s , Montana
Submitted: May 8, 1975
Decided: MAY 2 0 1975
Filed : 't5Ay 2 1915
M r . J u s t i c e Wesley C a s t l e s d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court.
This i s an appeal by defendant from an o r d e r denying a
w r i t of habeas corpus. Defendant was a r r e s t e d i n Great F a l l s ,
Montana, a t t h e a i r p o r t , where he a r r i v e d upon being deported from
Canada. He was a r r e s t e d on a f u g i t i v e warrant from t h e s t a t e of
California. The s t a t e of C a l i f o r n i a s e n t an e x t r a d i t i o n r e q u e s t
t o t h e Governor of Montana, who, on A p r i l 9, 1974, signed a r e n d i t i o n
warrant f o r t h e r e t u r n o f defendant t o C a l i f o r n i a by an a g e n t of
t h e s t a t e of C a l i f o r n i a .
Defendant was convicted i n t h e Superior Court of T u l a r e
County, C a l i f o r n i a , of t h e crime of second degree b u r g l a r y , w i t h
three p r i o r convictions. O December 22, 1966, he was committed
n
t o t h e s t a t e prison. O March 24, 1967, h i s sentence was amended
n
t o 8 years. O May 25, 1970, he was r e l e a s e d on p a r o l e .
n O Septem-
n
b e r 9 , 1973, h i s p a r o l e was suspended,and he was ordered r e t u r n e d
t o prison.
Following d e f e n d a n t ' s a r r e s t i n Great F a l l s , and t h e
r e c e i p t of t h e e x t r a d i t i o n r e q u e s t , defendant p e t i t i o n e d t h e
d i s t r i c t c o u r t of Cascade County f o r a w r i t of habeas corpus. A
h e a r i n g was had b e f o r e t h e Honorable Paul G. H a t f i e l d on June 1 7 ,
1974. Judge H a t f i e l d denied t h e w r i t and t h i s appeal was taken.
Appellant s e t s f o r t h t h r e e i s s u e s f o r review which, i n
o u r view, can be s t a t e d -- whether t h e Montana Governor's warrant
was v a l i d ?
I n a h i g h l y t e c h n i c a l argument i n h i s b r i e f , a p p e l l a n t
would have u s scan t h e C a l i f o r n i a r e q u e s t f o r e x t r a d i t i o n t o s e e
t h a t each "iff d o t t e d and "tf'c r o s s e d .
was A t the hearing before
Judge H a t f i e l d t h e i d e n t i t y of a p p e l l a n t was e s t a b l i s h e d by photo-
graph and f i n g e r p r i n t s . The a p p l i c a t i o n f o r r e q u i s i t i o n , approved
a s t o form by t h e a t t o r n e y g e n e r a l of Montana, included p h o t o s t a t i c
c o p i e s of l e g a l commitment d a t a ; f i x i n g o f term; g r a n t i n g of p a r o l e ;
suspension of p a r o l e ; complaint; i n f o r m a t i o n ; r e p o r t , recommenda-
t i o n o f probation o f f i c e r and judgment; a c t i o n of t h e C a l i f o r n i a
Adult A u t h o r i t y f i x i n g t h e term and g r a n t i n g p a r o l e ; a c t i o n o f t h e
Adult A u t h o r i t y suspending p a r o l e ; photograph and photocopy of
f i n g e r p r i n t c a r d ; s e n t e n c e d a t a ; and, f i n a l l y , a photocopy of
c o n d i t i o n s o f p a r o l e signed by a p p e l l a n t .
Included i n t h e signed c o n d i t i o n o f p a r o l e i s a waiver
of e x t r a d i t i o n . Appellant having been i d e n t i f i e d , t h e genuineness
of t h e e x t r a d i t i o n r e q u e s t having been shown, t h e Governor of Montana's
warrant having been i s s u e d , t h e r e was n o t h i n g l e f t f o r d e c i s i o n
and t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t was c o r r e c t i n denying t h e a p p l i c a t i o n f o r
w r i t of habeas corpus.
Appellant makes much of what he c o n s i d e r s a b s o l u t e r e q u i -
s i t e s under s e c t i o n 94-501-3, R.C.M. 1947. I n S t a t e v. Booth, 134
Mont. 235, 243, 244, 328 P.2d 1104, t h e s e r e q u i s i t e s were s e t f o r t h .
The papers h e r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y comply.
I n P e t i t i o n of Dixson, 149 Mont. 412, 439 P.2d 642, t h i s
Court found t h a t a waiver of e x t r a d i t i o n b i n d s a p a r o l e e . We
recognize t h a t a p p e l l a n t i n s i s t s t h a t t h e waiver of e x t r a d i t i o n was
n o t argued i n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t . The d i s t r i c t c o u r t examined t h e
papers. I t d i d n o t g i v e any reason f o r denying t h e p e t i t i o n f o r
w r i t of habeas corpus, b u t i t i s s o p a t e n t l y apparent on t h e f a c e
of t h e a p p l i c a t i o n and s u p p o r t i n g documents t h a t no r e a s o n needed
t o be given. This Court s a i d i n Booth:
"It has been thoroughly e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t t h e
warrant of a r r e s t i s prima f a c i e evidence t h a t
t h e r e l a t o r i n habeas corpus proceedings i s
p r o p e r l y charged w i t h a crime, and t h e burden
of proof i s upon him t o overcome t h a t presumption. II
The same r u l e a s t o burden of proof a p p l i e s when t h e demanding s t a t e
has shown r e v o c a t i o n o r suspension of a p a r o l e w i t h a f u g i t i v e
warrant o u t s t a n d i n g .
Having reviewed t h e e n t i r e f i l e , we a f f i r m t h e o r d e r
of t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t . R e m i t t i t u r i s ordered t o be i s s u e d f o r t h w i t h
and the appellant taken into custody for delivery to California
authorities.
We Concur:
.....................................
Chief Justice