Ime Okon Ekwere v. State ( 2015 )

Opinion issued April 14, 2015
In The
Court of Appeals
For The
First District of Texas
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NO. 01-15-00131-CR
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IME OKON EKWERE, Appellant
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
On Appeal from the 232nd District Court
Harris County, Texas
Trial Court Case No. 1446601
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Appellant, Ime Okon Ekwere, pleaded guilty to the felony offense of theft.1
The trial court found appellant guilty and, in accordance with the terms of
1
See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 31.03(a), (e)(5) (West Supp. 2014).
appellant’s plea bargain agreement with the State, sentenced appellant to ten years’
confinement. Appellant filed a pro se notice of appeal. We dismiss the appeal.
In a plea bargain case, a defendant may only appeal those matters that were
raised by written motion filed and ruled on before trial or after getting the trial
court’s permission to appeal. TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 44.02 (West
2006); TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(a)(2). An appeal must be dismissed if a certification
showing that the defendant has the right of appeal has not been made part of the
record. TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(d).
Here, the trial court’s certification is included in the record on appeal. See id.
The trial court’s certification states that this is a plea bargain case and that the
defendant has no right of appeal. See TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(a)(2). The record
supports the trial court’s certification. See Dears v. State, 154 S.W.3d 610, 615
(Tex. Crim. App. 2005). Because appellant has no right of appeal, we must
dismiss this appeal. See Chavez v. State, 183 S.W.3d 675, 680 (Tex. Crim. App.
2006) (“A court of appeals, while having jurisdiction to ascertain whether an
appellant who plea-bargained is permitted to appeal by Rule 25.2(a)(2), must
dismiss a prohibited appeal without further action, regardless of the basis for the
appeal.”).
Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction. We dismiss any
pending motions as moot.
2
PER CURIAM
Panel consists of Chief Justice Radack and Justices Brown and Lloyd.
Do not publish. TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
3