FELIX v MOHLER
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No. 81-340 I N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1981 AARON F E L I X , Petitioner, MEL MOHLER, DIRECTOR, SWAN R I V E R YOUTH FOREST CAMP, FOR THE STATE O F MONTANA, Respondent. O R I G I N A L PROCEEDING: For P e t i t i o n e r : Patterson, Marsillo, Missoula, Montana T o r n a b e n e & Schuyler, For R e s p o n d e n t : Hon. M i k e G r e e l y , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , B e l e n a , Montana E d w a r d L. M c L e a n , D e p u t y C o u n t y A t t o r n e y , Missoula, Montana S u b m i t t e d on B r i e f s : October 22, 1981 Decided: November 12, 1 9 8 1 Filed: NOV 1 2 198f' Mr. J u s t i c e Frank B. Morrison, J r . , d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion o f t h e Court. P e t i t i o n e r , Aaron F e l i x , a p p l i e s f o r a w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r p u s stemming from a n o r d e r of t h e F o u r t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t C o u r t e n t e r e d on May 27, 1981. T h i s o r d e r revoked a t h r e e y e a r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e g i v e n p e t i t i o n e r on May 22, 1978 and imposed a t h r e e and one-half S t a t e P r i s o n upon p e t i t i o n e r y e a r s e n t e n c e a t t h e Montana . P e t i t i o n e r was c o n v i c t e d of t h e f t , a f e l o n y , i n t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t of t h e F o u r t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , Missoula County. On May 22, 1978, h e was g i v e n a t h r e e y e a r d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e on t h e c o n d i t i o n t h a t r e s t i t u t i o n b e made. On August 20, 1979, t h i s d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e w a s c o n t i n u e d and p e t i t i o n e r was o r d e r e d t o complete r e s t i t u t i o n by November 5, 1980. P e t i t i o n e r f a i l e d t o comply w i t h t h i s o r d e r by November 5 , 1980, and a p e t i t i o n t o r e v o k e p e t i t i o n e r ' s d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e was f i l e d on J a n u a r y 1 6 , 1981. A hearing on t h i s p e t i t i o n was h e l d May 27, 1981, t h r e e y e a r s and f i v e days a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l d e f e r r a l . A t t h i s h e a r i n g , p e t i t i o n e r moved t o d i s m i s s t h e p r o c e e d i n g on t h e grounds t h a t t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t w a s w i t h o u t j u r i s d i c t i o n . The D i s t r i c t C o u r t o v e r r u l e d p e t i t i o n e r ' s o b j e c t i o n c o n c l u d i n g t h a t t h e Court r e t a i n s " ... jurisdiction (when) t h e p e t i t i o n i s f i l e d w i t h i n t h e ( d e f e r r a l ) time." The D i s t r i c t C o u r t s e n t e n c e d p e t i t i o n e r t o t h r e e and one-half y e a r s i n t h e Montana S t a t e P r i s o n . P e t i t i o n e r has been i n c a r c e r a t e d s i n c e , e i t h e r a t t h e Montana S t a t e P r i s o n o r t h e Swan R i v e r Youth F o r e s t Camp. P e t i t i o n e r raises t h e f o l l o w i n g i s s u e : 1) Whether a D i s t r i c t C o u r t r e t a i n s j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v o k e a d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e beyond t h e t i m e p e r i o d of d e f e r r a l i f a p e t i t i o n t o r e v o k e i s t i m e l y f i l e d ? I n S t a t e v . P o r t e r ( 1 9 6 4 ) , 143 Mont. 528, 540, 541, 391 P.2d 704, 711, t h i s C o u r t s t a t e d t h a t : " [ t l h i s s t a t e i s committed t o t h e doct r i n e t h a t once a v a l i d s e n t e n c e h a s been pronounced, t h e c o u r t imposing t h e same i s lacking i n jurisdiction t o vacate o r modify t h e s e n t e n c e , e x c e p t otherwise provided - s t a t u t e by (Emphasis added. ) . . ." S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, as i s a s p e c i f i c procedural s t a t u t e g r a n t i n g j u d g e s , m a g i s t r a t e s , o r j u s t i c e s of t h e p e a c e a u t h o r i t y t o r e v o k e a suspended s e n t e n c e o r impose s e n t e n c e f o l l o w i n g a d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e . S e c t i o n 46-18- 203, MCA, p r o v i d e s : "Revocation of suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e . A judge, m a g i s t r a t e , o r j u s t i c e of t h e p e a c e who h a s suspended t h e execut i o n of a s e n t e n c e o r d e f e r r e d t h e imposit i o n of a s e n t e n c e of imprisonment under 46-18-201 o r h i s s u c c e s s o r i s a u t h o r i z e d , the d u r i n g - p e r i o d of the suspended s e n t e n c e his o r d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e , d i s c r e t i o n , to r e v o k e - s u s p e n s i o n the or impose s e n t e n c e and o r d e r the p e r s o n Emitted. H e may a l s o , i n h i s d i s c r e t i o n , o r d e r t h e p r i s o n e r p l a c e d under t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e board of p a r d o n s as p r o v i d ed by law o r r e t a i n s u c h j u r i s d i c t i o n w i t h h i s court. P r i o r t o t h e r e v o c a t i o n of a n o r d e r suspending o r d e f e r r i n g t h e i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e , t h e p e r s o n a f f e c t e d s h a l l be given a hearing." (Emphasis added.) T h i s a u t h o r i t y must be e x e r c i s e d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e p r e c i s e p r o v i s i o n s of t h i s s e c t i o n ; a c t i o n by a judge, m a g i s t r a t e , o r j u s t i c e of t h e p e a c e o u t s i d e t h e p r o v i s i o n s of S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, i s without jurisdiction. State y. P o r t e r , supra. The c o n t r o l l i n g l a n g u a g e i n S e c t i o n 46-18-203, ". . . d u r i n g MCA, is t h e p e r i o d of such suspended s e n t e n c e o r d e f e r r e d i m p o s i t i o n of s e n t e n c e . . ." Determining t h e meaning of t h i s p h r a s e d i s p o s e s of t h i s p e t i t i o n . I t i s well s e t t l e d t h a t i f a ". . . statute is plain, unambiguous, d i r e c t and c e r t a i n , t h e s t a t u t e s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f and t h e r e i s n o t h i n g l e f t f o r t h e c o u r t t o c o n s t r u e . " Shannon v . K e l l e r ( 1 9 8 0 ) , 3 7 S t . Rep. Mont. , 612 P.2d 1293, 1294, Such i s t h e c a s e b e f o r e t h i s C o u r t . 1079, 1081. The words " d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d " a r e e x t r e m e l y p l a i n and The c l e a r i m p o r t i s t h a t a c o u r t i s v e s t e d unambiguous. w i t h j u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v o k e a suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e o n l y d u r i n g t h e r u n n i n g of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e . Once such time h a s e x p i r e d a c o u r t i s w i t h o u t j u r i s d i c t i o n t o d e c i d e p e t i t i o n s f o r r e v o c a t i o n f i l e d by t h e S t a t e . The S t a t e r e q u e s t s t h i s C o u r t t o c o n s t r u e S e c t i o n 4618-203, MCA, t o mean t h a t a t i m e l y f i l e d p e t i t i o n f o r revocation v e s t s j u r i s d i c t i o n i n t h e Court, regardless whether t h e h e a r i n g on such p e t i t i o n i s h e l d a f t e r t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e h a s e x p i r e d . The S t a t e r e l i e s on d e c i s i o n s from Nevada and Oklahoma i n s u p p o r t of t h i s contention. (1978) Nev. S t a t e (1979), See Sherman v. Warden, Nevada S t a t e P r i s o n , 581 P.2d 1278; D e g r a f f e n r e i d v . 0k.Cr. , 599 P.2d 1107. These a u t h o r i t i e s a r e n o t i n p o i n t . Nevada and Oklahoma have s t a t u t o r y p r o v i s i o n s which v e s t j u r i s d i c t i o n i n t h e c o u r t s f o r p u r p o s e s of r e v o c a t i o n of suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s upon t h e f i l i n g of a p e t i t i o n f o r r e v o c a t i o n . T h e r e f o r e a t i m e l y f i l e d p e t i t i o n of r e v o c a t i o n i n t h e s e s t a t e s v e s t s j u r i s d i c t i o n i n c o u r t s when t h e t i m e of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e h a s r u n . Montana ' s s t a t u t e p e r t a i n i n g t o r e v o c a t i o n s of suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s , S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, c o n t a i n s no language s t a t i n g t h a t a timely f i l e d p e t i t i o n f o r revocation invokes a c o u r t ' s j u r i s d i c t i o n over t h e s e m a t t e r s . It is a x i o m a t i c t h a t t h i s C o u r t c a n n o t i n s e r t what t h e l e g i s l a t u r e has not s t a t u t o r i l y included. Section 1-2-101, MCA. I n c o n c l u s i o n , w e h o l d t h a t S e c t i o n 46-18-203, MCA, g r a n t s j u r i s d i c t i o n t o j u d g e s , m a g i s t r a t e s , o r j u s t i c e s of t h e p e a c e t o revoke suspended s e n t e n c e s o r impose s e n t e n c e s f o l l o w i n g d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s o n l y d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e s . This j u r i s d i c t i o n extends o n l y t h r o u g h t h e r u n n i n g of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d s e n t e n c e , r e g a r d l e s s of whether a p e t i t i o n f o r r e v o c a t i o n h a s been f i l e d p r i o r t o t h e t e r m i n a t i o n of t h e suspended o r d e f e r r e d sentence. T h e r e f o r e , p e t i t i o n e r ' s r e q u e s t f o r a W r i t of Habeas Corpus i s g r a n t e d . I t i s hereby o r d e r e d t h a t such w r i t i s s u e immediately and t h a t p e t i t i o n e r b e d i s c h a r g e d from t h e c u s t o d y of t h e Swan R i v e r Youth F o r e s t Camp. W concur: e Chief J u s t i c e
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