Ex Parte William Marbie JONES

In The
Court of Appeals
Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana
______________________________
No. 06-12-00043-CR
______________________________
EX PARTE:
WILLIAM MARBIE JONES
Original Habeas Corpus Proceeding
Before Morriss, C.J., Carter and Moseley, JJ.
Opinion by Chief Justice Morriss
OPINION
William Marbie Jones’ application for writ of habeas corpus was summarily denied by the
trial court in a written order that made no recitation either that Jones was ―manifestly entitled to no
relief‖ or that the application was ―frivolous.‖ See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 11.072,
§ 7(a) (West 2005). Because we cannot determine whether the denial was on such basis, we
reverse, without reaching the merits of Jones’ application and remand for further proceedings in
accordance with this opinion. See Ex parte Enriquez, 227 S.W.3d 779 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2005,
pet. ref’d).
Jones had earlier pled guilty to driving while intoxicated. On April 12, 1996, Jones’
sixty-day jail sentence was suspended, and he was placed on community supervision for sixty days
and ordered to pay a $281.00 fine. Jones filed an application for writ of habeas corpus December
1, 2011. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 11.072 (West 2005). The trial court denied the
writ, leading to this appeal.
Article 11.072 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure ―establishes the procedures for an
application for a writ of habeas corpus in a felony or misdemeanor case in which the applicant
seeks relief from an order or a judgment of conviction ordering community supervision.‖ TEX.
CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 11.072, § 1. ―[T]he trial court shall enter a written order granting or
denying the relief sought in the application.‖ TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 11.072, § 6(a).
Under the statutory scheme, one option open to the trial court faced with such an application is
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determining from the face of the application or its attachments that ―the applicant is manifestly
entitled to no relief.‖
If the court determines from the face of the application or documents attached to the
application that the applicant is manifestly entitled to no relief, the court shall enter
a written order denying the application as frivolous. In any other case, the court
shall enter a written order including findings of fact and conclusions of law. The
court may require the prevailing party to submit a proposed order.
TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 11.072, § 7(a).
In this case, the trial court did not find that appellant is ―manifestly entitled to no relief‖ and
did not deny his application as ―frivolous.‖ The trial court also entered into the record no findings
of fact and conclusions of law, a requirement in cases where the court has not summarily denied an
application as frivolous. Because the record does not reveal either that the trial court’s order
indicates Jones’ application was denied as frivolous or, alternatively, that findings of fact and
conclusions of law were entered, we must reverse the denial and remand this matter for further
proceedings consistent with this opinion. See Enriquez, 227 S.W.3d at 784–85.
Josh R. Morriss, III
Chief Justice
Date Submitted: May 21, 2012
Date Decided: May 23, 2012
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