STATE of Louisiana
v.
David J. CASSE.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.
*802 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Alison Wallis, Richard Pickens, II, Assistant District Attorneys, 24th Judicial District, Parish of Jefferson, Gretna, Louisiana, Attorneys for Plaintiff/Appellee.
Don C. Gardner, Harahan, Louisiana, Attorney for Defendant/Appellant.
Panel composed of Judges CHARLES GRISBAUM, Jr., SOL GOTHARD and CLARENCE E. McMANUS.
GOTHARD, Judge.
Defendant, David Casse, appeals his conviction and sentence as a third offender in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:98, driving while intoxicated. For reasons that follow, we affirm.
On January 25, 1999, the state filed a bill of information charging defendant with a third violation of LSA-R.S. 14:98. The bill alleged that the defendant had been convicted of driving while intoxicated on two prior occasions, February 1, 1994 and July 8, 1997. Defendant entered a plea of not guilty, and filed a motion seeking to suppress the evidence of the prior convictions.[1] After a hearing, the motion was denied. Defendant applied for supervisory writs to this court, to review the trial court's denial of his motion to suppress/quash. *803 That writ application was denied.
Subsequently, defendant withdrew his plea and entered a plea of guilty, reserving his right to appeal the ruling on the motion to suppress/quash pursuant to State v. Crosby,
In brief to this court defendant argues the entry of his guilty plea to the 1994 predicate offense was not knowing and voluntary, and cannot be used to upgrade the current offense to a third offense.
Defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying the motion to quash the indictment, because defendant did not knowingly and voluntarily waive his constitutional rights prior to the February 1, 1994 guilty plea. The state responds that, because defendant executed a valid Waiver of Rights form and admitted that his attorney had explained his rights to him, his prior guilty plea can be used to enhance the underlying offense.
In Boykin v. Alabama,
Whenever a misdemeanor guilty plea will be used as a basis for actual imprisonment, enhancement of actual imprisonment, or conversion of a subsequent misdemeanor into a felony, it is incumbent upon the trial judge to inform the defendant that by pleading guilty he waives: his privilege against compulsory self-incrimination, his right to trial and jury trial where it is applicable, and his right to confront his accusers. The trial judge must insure that the accused has a full understanding of what the plea connotes and of its consequence. State v. Jones,
In State v. Carlos, 98-1366 (La.7/7/99),
In this case, the hearing on the motion to quash was on June 28, 1999, prior to the Louisiana Supreme Court opinion in State v. Carlos, supra. In State v. Manning, 99-1046 (La.App. 5 Cir.2/29/00),
At the time that the present motion was heard, the state bore the burden of showing that the defendant knowingly and expressly waived his Boykin rights when entering a guilty plea if the state wished to use that plea in a subsequent DWI prosecution. State v. Santiago,
In the present case, at the hearing on the motion to quash, the trial court reviewed the transcript of the February 1, 1994 guilty plea proceedings heard in First Parish Court Case No. 93-5809. That transcript shows that defendant was represented by counsel and that counsel reviewed the waiver of rights form before getting defendant's signature. Further, the following colloquy took place:
THE COURT:
Okay. Mr. Casse, your attorney indicates you wish to enter these guilty pleas as he has outlined; it that correct?
THE DEFENDANT, DAVID CASSE:
Yes sir.
THE COURT:
Your attorney has explained your rights to you and those rights you waive when you enter a plea of guilty?
THE DEFENDANT, DAVID CASSE:
Yes sir.
THE COURT:
And you're satisfied with his representation of you?
THE DEFENDANT, DAVID CASSE:
Yes sir.
THE COURT:
And you've executed this waiver of rights form?
THE DEFENDANT, DAVID CASSE:
I did.
The record also contains the minute entry and the waiver of rights form, which is signed by the defendant, his attorney, and the trial judge.
In State v. Bailey, 97-302 (La.App. 5 Cir.1998)
Defendant testified at the hearing on the motion to quash that, although he signed the waiver of rights form, no one explained his rights to him during the 1994 guilty plea proceeding. However, the February 1, 1994 transcript shows that defendant was represented by counsel. Defendant also signed a waiver of rights form, which his attorney and the trial judge also signed. On this form, he stated that he understood his right to a trial, to confront his accusers, to call witnesses on his behalf, and not to incriminate himself. Furthermore, the February 1, 1994 transcript shows that defendant responded affirmatively when the judge asked him if his attorney explained his rights to him. We find this sufficient to show that the defendant entered a knowing and voluntary guilty plea to the 1994 DWI charge. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court's ruling which denied defendant's motion to quash, and defendant's conviction as a third offender.
AFFIRMED.
NOTES
Notes
[1] The motion is styled as a motion to suppress the evidence, but is in fact a motion to quash the indictment.
[2] The sentence is illegally lenient in several respects. However, since the state did not raise the issue, this court cannot correct the sentence. State v. Norman,
[3] The motion for appeal was filed beyond the five day time limit accorded by LSA-C.Cr.P. article 914. However, it will be considered timely because the plea was entered pursuant to State v. Crosby, supra. See; State v. Weiland,
[4] Boykin was adopted by the Louisiana Supreme Court in State ex rel Jackson v. Henderson,
