Ronnie Joe Williams v. State ( 2020 )

Order entered January 24, 2020 In The Court of Appeals Fifth District of Texas at Dallas No. 05-19-01325-CR RONNIE JOE WILLIAMS, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee On Appeal from the 439th Judicial District Court Rockwall County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. 2-18-0309 ORDER Before the Court is retained counsel Lara Bracamonte Davila’s January 21, 2020 motion to appoint counsel. In the motion, Ms. Davila states that although appellant initially retained her to represent him at trial, he has been unable to pay his trial fees in full and is not able to afford retained counsel for his appeal. Ms. Davila asks for a finding of indigency and that she be appointed counsel for appellant’s appeal. We GRANT the motion to the extent we ORDER the trial court to conduct a hearing to determine whether appellant is indigent and entitled to court-appointed counsel in this appeal. If the trial court finds that appellant is entitled to court-appointed counsel, we ORDER the trial court to appoint an attorney to represent appellant in the appeal. If the trial court finds that appellant is not entitled to court-appointed counsel, the trial court shall determine whether appellant will retain other counsel to represent him in the appeal and, if so, the name, State Bar number, and contact information for retained counsel. We ORDER the trial court to transmit a record of the hearing, including findings of fact, any orders, and any supporting documentation, to this Court within THIRTY DAYS of the date of this order. We DIRECT the Clerk to send copies of this order to the Honorable David Rakow, Presiding Judge, 439th Judicial District Court; Lara Bracamonte Davila, and the Rockwall County District Attorney’s Office. We ABATE the appeal to allow the trial court to comply with the order. The appeal will be reinstated thirty days from the date of this order or when the findings are received, whichever is earlier. /s/ ROBERT D. BURNS, III CHIEF JUSTICE