Reams, Christopher Daniel v. State ( 2002 )

Dismissed and Opinion filed December 12, 2002

Dismissed and Opinion filed December 12, 2002.

In The

Fourteenth Court of Appeals

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NO. 14-02-01186-CR

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CHRISTOPHER DANIEL REAMES, Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 228th District Court

Harris County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 927,046

M E M O R A N D U M   O P I N I O N

Appellant entered a guilty plea to aggravated assault.  In accordance with the terms of a plea bargain agreement with the State, on October 14, 2002, the trial court sentenced appellant to confinement for four years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Because we have no jurisdiction over this appeal, we dismiss. 

To invoke an appellate court=s jurisdiction over an appeal, an appellant must give timely and proper notice of appeal.  White v. State, 61 S.W.3d 424, 428 (Tex. Crim. App. 2001).  Appellant filed a timely general notice of appeal that did not comply with the requirements of Rule 25.2(b)(3) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.  See Tex. R. App. P. 25.2(b)(3).  Rule 25.2(b)(3) provides that when an appeal is from a judgment rendered on a defendant=s plea of guilty or nolo contendere and the punishment assessed does not exceed the punishment recommended by the State and agreed to by the defendant, the notice of appeal must:  (1) specify that the appeal is for a jurisdictional defect; (2) specify that the substance of the appeal was raised by written motion and ruled on before trial; or (3) state that the trial court granted permission to appeal.  Id.

Appellant=s notice of appeal stated that he wished to appeal due to ineffective assistance of counsel and that A[t]his appeal will be raised by written motion after a hearing by the court . . .@ (emphasis supplied).  The record contains no written pre-trial motions, and the trial court did not grant permission to appeal.  Because appellant=s notice of appeal did not comply with the requirements of Rule 25.2(b)(3), we are without jurisdiction to consider any of appellant=s issues, including the voluntariness of the plea. See Cooper v. State, 45 S.W.2d 77, 83 (Tex. Crim. App. 2001) (holding that appellant who files general notice of appeal may not appeal voluntariness of negotiated plea).  The time for filing a proper notice of appeal has expired; thus, appellant may not file an amended notice of appeal to correct jurisdictional defects.  State v. Riewe, 13 S.W.3d 408, 413-14 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). 

Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction. 

PER CURIAM

Judgment rendered and Opinion filed December 12, 2002.

Panel consists of Chief Justice Brister and Justices Hudson and Fowler.

Do Not Publish C Tex. R. App. P. 47.3(b).