The appellant, Robert Howard, Jr., pleaded guilty to and was convicted of robbery in the second degree. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. On appeal, he argues that his robbery prosecution violated principles of double jeopardy and that it was barred by his prior guilty plea conviction for receiving stolen property in the first degree.
The pertinent facts are as follows: On or about September 21, 1992, the appellant allegedly robbed at gunpoint a salesperson for Norwood Hodges Motor Company of Anniston, taking, in the course of the robbery, an automobile owned by Norwood Hodges. Approximately five days later, the appellant was arrested in Birmingham, in possession of the same automobile. On February 5, 1993, the appellant was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury for the offense of receiving stolen property in the first degree, the property being the same automobile he had allegedly taken in the armed robbery in Calhoun County. Shortly thereafter, the appellant entered a guilty plea in the Jefferson Circuit Court and was convicted of receiving stolen property in the first degree. There is no indication in the record that prosecutors in Jefferson County were aware of the possibility that a robbery charge regarding the stolen automobile might subsequently be lodged against the appellant by Calhoun County authorities.
On June 17, 1994, a Calhoun County grand jury indicted the appellant for the offense of robbery in the first degree, the robbery being the taking by gunpoint of the automobile belonging to Norwood Hodges Motor Company. The appellant subsequently pleaded not guilty and moved to have the Calhoun Circuit Court dismiss the indictment on the ground that the protection against double jeopardy prevented his prosecution for robbery after his prior guilty plea conviction for the offense of receiving stolen property and involving the same automobile taken during the robbery. The trial court denied the appellant's motion. On August 10, 1995, pursuant to a plea agreement, the appellant pleaded guilty to the offense of robbery in the second degree; he reserved his right to appeal on the double jeopardy issue.
A trial court does not have authority to accept a guilty plea to an offense not encompassed by the indictment. Edwards v.State,
While the appellant appears to frame his double jeopardy claim mostly in terms of the protection against successive prosecutions for the same offense after a conviction, seeNorth Carolina v. Pearce,
We are not persuaded by the appellant's argument. The fact that the appellant's conviction for receiving stolen property was pursuant to a guilty plea places him in a very different posture than if the conviction were pursuant to a jury verdict. The guilty plea does not carry with it the implications of an "implied acquittal" of robbery that would result from a guilty verdict by a jury charged to consider whether the evidence showed that the appellant came to possess the stolen automobile through his act of robbing the victim or only after some other party had stolen the automobile from the victim. See Ohio v.Johnson,
Furthermore, the appellant has failed to demonstrate precisely what issues were litigated, and were thus foreclosed from further litigation, as a result of his guilty plea to receiving stolen property. See Morris, supra,
For the above-stated reasons, we hold that the protection against double jeopardy does not prevent the state from continuing its prosecution of the appellant on the charge of robbery.
For the reasons stated in Part I of this opinion, the judgment is reversed and the cause is remanded to the trial court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
All Judges concur.
"(a) A person commits the crime of robbery in the first degree if he violates Section
13A-8-43 and he:"(1) Is armed with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument; or
"(2) Causes serious physical injury to another.
"(b) Possession then and there of an article used or fashioned in a manner to lead any person who is present reasonably to believe it to be a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, or any verbal or other representation by the defendant that he is then and there armed, is prima facie evidence under subsection (a) of this section that he was so armed."
Section
"(a) A person commits the crime of robbery in the third degree if in the course of committing a theft he:
"(1) Uses force against the person of the owner or any person present with intent to overcome his physical resistance or physical power of resistance; or
"(2) Threatens the imminent use of force against the person of the owner or any person present with intent to compel acquiescence to the taking of or escaping with the property."
Section
"(a) A person commits the crime of robbery in the second degree if he violates Section
13A-8-43 and he is aided by another person actually present."
