Juan Reyes Rivera v. State

NUMBER 13-10-00161-CR
COURT OF APPEALS
THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
CORPUS CHRISTI – EDINBURG
ESTHER MAE PLEASANT, Appellant,
v.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee.
On appeal from the 252nd District Court
of Jefferson County, Texas.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before Justices Garza, Vela, and Perkes
Memorandum Opinion by Justice Garza
Appellant, Esther Mae Pleasant, pleaded guilty on an “open plea” to injury to an
elderly individual, a third-degree felony. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.04(a)(3)(f)
(Vernon Supp. 2010). The trial court accepted her plea and sentenced her to five years’
imprisonment. See id. § 12.34 (Vernon Supp. 2010).
I. ANDERS BRIEF
Pleasant’s appellate counsel has filed a motion to withdraw and a brief in support
thereof in which he states that he has diligently reviewed the entire record and has
concluded that there is no reversible error. See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738
(1967); High v. State, 573 S.W.2d 807, 813 (Tex. Crim. App. [Panel Op.] 1978).
Counsel has informed this Court that he has (1) examined the record and has found no
arguable grounds to advance on appeal, (2) served copies of the brief and motion to
withdraw on Pleasant, and (3) informed Pleasant of her right to review the record and to
file a pro se response.1 See Anders, 386 U.S. at 744; Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d
503, 510 n.3 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). More than an adequate time has passed, and no
pro se response has been filed. See In re Schulman, 252 S.W.3d 403, 409 n.23 (Tex.
Crim. App. 2008).
II. INDEPENDENT REVIEW
Upon receiving an Anders brief, we must conduct a full examination of all the
proceedings to determine whether the appeal is wholly frivolous. Penson v. Ohio, 488
U.S. 75, 80 (1988). We have reviewed the entire record and counsel’s brief, and find
that the appeal is wholly frivolous and without merit. See Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d
824, 827-28 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005) (“Due to the nature of Anders briefs, by indicating in
the opinion it considered the issues raised in the brief and reviewed the record for
reversible error but found none, the court of appeals met the requirements of Texas
1
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has held that “the pro se response need not comply with
the rules of appellate procedure in order to be considered. Rather, the response should identify for the
court those issues which the indigent appellant believes the court should consider in deciding whether the
case presents any meritorious issues.” In re Schulman, 252 S.W.3d 403, 409 n.23 (Tex. Crim. App.
2008) (quoting Wilson v. State, 955 S.W.2d 693, 696-97 (Tex. App.–Waco 1997, no pet.)).
2
Rule of Appellate Procedure 47.1.”); Stafford, 813 S.W.2d at 509. Accordingly, we
affirm the judgment of the trial court.
III. MOTION TO WITHDRAW
In accordance with Anders, Pleasant’s counsel has filed a motion to withdraw as
her appellate counsel. See Anders, 386 U.S. at 744; see also In re Schulman, 252
S.W.3d at 408 n.17 (citing Jeffery v. State, 903 S.W.2d 776, 779-80 (Tex. App.–Dallas
1995, no pet.) (“If an attorney believes the appeal is frivolous, he must withdraw from
representing the appellant. To withdraw from representation, the appointed attorney
must file a motion to withdraw accompanied by a brief showing the appellate court that
the appeal is frivolous.”) (citations omitted)). We grant the motion to withdraw.
We order that counsel must, within five days of the date of this opinion, send a
copy of the opinion and judgment to Pleasant and advise her of her right to file a petition
for discretionary review.2 See TEX. R. APP. P. 48.4; see also In re Schulman, 252
S.W.3d at 412 n.35; Ex parte Owens, 206 S.W.3d 670, 673 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006).
DORI CONTRERAS GARZA
Justice
Do not publish.
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b)
Delivered and filed the
10th day of March, 2011.
2
No substitute counsel will be appointed. Should Pleasant wish to seek further review by the
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, she must either retain an attorney to file a petition for discretionary
review or file a pro se petition for discretionary review. Any petition for discretionary review must be filed
within thirty days from the date of either this opinion or the last timely motion for rehearing that was
overruled by this Court. See TEX. R. APP. P. 68.2. Any petition for discretionary review must be filed with
this Court, after which it will be forwarded to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. See TEX. R. APP. P.
68.3, 68.7. Any petition for discretionary review must comply with the requirements of Rule 68.4 of the
Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. See TEX. R. APP. P. 68.4.
3