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Case Summary: People v. Holt, Docket No. 16388 (Mich. Ct. App. June 24, 1974)

Factual and Procedural Background

Kenneth L. Holt was serving a four-year sentence imposed December 4, 1970, after pleading guilty to attempted rape. While incarcerated at the State Prison of Southern Michigan, he was convicted of escape from prison in violation of MCLA 750.193; MSA 28.390. Holt sought to have his guilty plea to the attempted rape vacated in the trial court; that motion was denied. He filed a complaint with the State Bar Grievance Board on June 21, 1970, alleging inadequate representation; the Board dismissed the complaint as groundless on September 8, 1971. Holt appealed the Grievance Board dismissal to the Michigan Supreme Court; that Court found the issues Holt sought to raise were substantial and that his plea had been improperly accepted (Holt v State Bar Grievance Board, 388 Mich. 50; 199 N.W.2d 195 (1972)). This Court issued an order reversing Holt's attempted rape conviction on October 30, 1972. Holt appeared for sentencing on the escape conviction on November 8, 1972. He appeals his escape conviction; the Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction but remanded for resentencing.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by permitting impeachment of the defendant's testimony by reference to prior unspecified misdemeanors.
  2. Whether the trial court's jury instructions were reversibly erroneous for failing to include the element that the defendant was legally imprisoned under a valid mittimus at the time of the alleged escape.
  3. Whether the trial court improperly considered a vacated (reversed) conviction in imposing sentence for the escape conviction, thereby requiring resentencing.

Arguments of the Parties

Defendant's Arguments

  • The trial court abused its discretion by allowing impeachment of the defendant's testimony through references to prior unspecified misdemeanors.
  • The jury instructions omitted an essential element of escape: that the defendant was legally imprisoned under a valid mittimus.
  • The sentencing court considered the attempted rape conviction (which had been reversed) in imposing sentence for escape, and this consideration was improper.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
People v Moore, 391 Mich. 426, 435; 216 N.W.2d 770 (1974) Failure to object to admission of evidence forfeits the opportunity to complain; a party who does not invoke the judge's discretion cannot fault the judge for failing to exercise it. Cited to support the conclusion that because defense counsel did not object to the impeachment testimony (only requested a limiting instruction), defendant cannot now claim the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the impeachment evidence.
People v Jones, 44 Mich. App. 633; 205 N.W.2d 611 (1973) Corollary authority on waiver/forfeiture by failure to object (used alongside Moore). Used as supporting authority for the same waiver principle regarding failure to object to impeachment evidence.
People v Jackson, 391 Mich. 323; 217 N.W.2d 22 (1974) Referenced as a comparative authority (noted as "Cf."). Placed in contrast to Moore/Jones discussion; cited for comparative purposes.
People v Mullreed, 15 Mich. App. 538, 539; 166 N.W.2d 820 (1969) Principle that a later reversal of the conviction underlying confinement does not justify escape; one cannot escape simply because the conviction may be faulty. Relied upon to reject defendant's argument that a reversed conviction vitiates the mittimus and thus negates the crime of escape.
People v Alexander, 39 Mich. App. 607; 197 N.W.2d 831 (1972) A case where escape conviction was reversed because defendant could reasonably believe imprisonment lacked color of law. Distinguished: the Court found Alexander inapplicable because Holt had a valid mittimus and could not reasonably believe he was imprisoned without color of law.
People v Hamaker, 92 Mich. 11; 52 N.W. 82 (1892) An older case where the mittimus was invalid on its face (based on a conviction without foundation), bearing on when mittimus is ineffective to support an escape conviction. Distinguished: Hamaker did not control because, in Holt's case, the mittimus was not facially invalid.
Holt v State Bar Grievance Board, 388 Mich. 50; 199 N.W.2d 195 (1972) Supreme Court determination that issues Holt sought to raise were substantial and that his guilty plea had been improperly accepted. Recited as part of the procedural history demonstrating that Holt's attempted rape plea was later found to have been improperly accepted by the Supreme Court.
People v Grimmett, 388 Mich. 590; 202 N.W.2d 278 (1972) Authority concerning resentencing when impermissible factors are considered at sentencing. Cited as supporting the remand for resentencing before a different judge because the sentencing court considered a reversed conviction.
People v Zachery Davis, 41 Mich. App. 683; 200 N.W.2d 779 (1972) Authority addressing resentencing when improper consideration affects sentence. Also cited to support remand for resentencing due to consideration of the vacated conviction at sentencing.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court analyzed each of defendant's contentions as follows:

  • Impeachment by prior misdemeanors: The transcript showed defense counsel requested a limiting instruction regarding impeachment but did not object to its admission. Because defendant failed to object, he did not invoke the trial judge's discretion and therefore could not fault the judge for allowing impeachment on the basis of prior convictions. The court relied on People v Moore and People v Jones for the waiver principle (with People v Jackson cited by comparison).
  • Jury instructions regarding mittimus: The court emphasized that a later reversal of the conviction underlying confinement does not justify escape, citing People v Mullreed. The court noted that the trial court had instructed the jury they must find beyond a reasonable doubt that Holt was committed under the terms of a mittimus. Because the mittimus remained valid for purposes of the escape charge and there was no timely objection to the instructions, the court found no reversible error. The court distinguished People v Alexander (where defendant could reasonably believe his imprisonment lacked color of law) and People v Hamaker (where the mittimus was facially invalid).
  • Consideration of vacated conviction at sentencing: The sentencing transcript contained remarks indicating the trial court considered the attempted rape conviction, which had been reversed by this Court. The defendant also denied involvement in the attempted rape during sentencing. Given those circumstances and precedent (People v Grimmett and People v Zachery Davis), the Court concluded resentencing was required before a different judge because an impermissible factor (a vacated conviction) influenced sentencing.

Holding and Implications

HOLDING: The Court affirmed the defendant's conviction for escape and remanded the case to the trial court for resentencing before a different judge.

Implications:

  • Direct effect on the parties: The escape conviction stands; however, the sentence previously imposed must be vacated for the limited purpose of resentencing because the sentencing judge considered a conviction that had been reversed.
  • No broader precedent was declared beyond application of existing authority: the opinion applied established rules regarding waiver of objection to evidence, the effect of a mittimus despite later reversal of the underlying conviction, and the necessity of resentencing when an impermissible factor influenced punishment.

PEOPLE v. HOLT

McGREGOR, P.J.

At the time of the instant offense of escape from prison, contrary to MCLA 750.193; MSA 28.390, defendant was incarcerated in the State Prison of Southern Michigan as a result of his plea to the offense of attempted rape. Defendant was sentenced on December 4, 1970, to serve a 4 year term for this offense. Defendant's motion to have his guilty plea vacated in the trial court was denied. See Holt v State Bar Grievance Board, 388 Mich. 50; 199 N.W.2d 195 (1972). Defendant's appeal to this Court was filed on April 20, 1972.

On June 21, 1970, defendant filed a complaint with the State Bar Grievance Board against his appointed counsel, alleging inadequate representation and professional misconduct. The Grievance Board dismissed the complaint as groundless on September 8, 1971. Subsequent to the decision of the Grievance Board, this Court, based upon a brief submitted by defendant's appointed counsel, found that defendant's case was wholly frivolous and dismissed defendant's appeal. Leave to appeal to the Supreme Court was denied.

Defendant appealed the Grievance Board's dismissal to the Supreme Court. (Holt v State Bar Grievance Board, supra.) That Court found that the issues which defendant sought to raise through his appointed counsel with respect to his guilty plea were substantial and, further, that defendant's plea had been improperly accepted. After the decision in Holt, supra, the defendant filed a "motion for peremptory reversal" of the attempted rape conviction in the trial court. Upon denial there, he filed a similar motion in this Court, which was granted October 30, 1972 (People v Holt, No. 14849).

Among other errors, defendant contends that the trial court abused its discretion in permitting the impeachment of defendant's testimony by reference to prior unspecified misdemeanors.

An examination of the transcript indicates that, although defense counsel requested a limiting instruction with respect to the permissible use of the impeachment testimony, he did not object to its admission. Since defendant did not object to the admission of the testimony, "he did not invoke the judge's discretion [and] cannot fault the judge for failing to exercise it when he allowed impeachment on the basis of prior convictions". People v Moore, 391 Mich. 426, 435; 216 N.W.2d 770 (1974); People v Jones, 44 Mich. App. 633; 205 N.W.2d 611 (1973). Cf. People v Jackson, 391 Mich. 323; 217 N.W.2d 22 (1974).

Defendant next argues that the trial court's instructions to the jury were reversibly erroneous in that they failed to include an integral element of the crime of prison escape, to wit: that the defendant was legally imprisoned under a valid mittimus at the time of his escape.

The fact that the conviction for which defendant was serving time in prison was later reversed does not justify his escape. As noted in People v Mullreed, 15 Mich. App. 538, 539; 166 N.W.2d 820 (1969):

"Under the modern view, a defendant may not successfully contend that an escape from lawful confinement is not a crime because the conviction leading to his imprisonment was allegedly faulty. (Citations omitted.) One does not challenge the law by violating its mandates. (Citations omitted.) There are procedural means available to attack a conviction arguably tainted by reversible error. But those means do not include the freedom to defy lawful imprisonment with impunity. An individual is not justified in escaping from prison if he was validly sentenced and confined under color of law." (Emphasis in original.)

In this case, the trial court did instruct the jury that, in order to convict the defendant, they would have to find beyond a reasonable doubt that he was committed under the terms of a mittimus. Since the fact that defendant's conviction for attempted rape was later reversed does not affect the validity of the mittimus, the trial court's instructions were not reversibly erroneous in the absence of an objection. Thus, this case is distinguishable from People v Alexander, 39 Mich. App. 607; 197 N.W.2d 831 (1972), where the defendant's conviction for prison escape was reversed in light of the fact that he could reasonably believe that his imprisonment was without color of law. Similarly, People v Hamaker, 92 Mich. 11; 52 N.W. 82 (1892), is not controlling, because the mittimus in that case was invalid on its face, since based on a conviction without foundation in either common or statutory law.

Finally, defendant urges that the trial court erroneously considered a vacated conviction in imposing sentence on defendant.

It will be recalled that, on October 30, 1972, this Court issued an order reversing defendant's conviction for attempted rape. On November 8, 1972, defendant appeared before the trial court for the purpose of sentencing on his conviction for escape. At that time, the following colloquy took place:

"The Court: * * * That is the information as you have given to them.

"A. Right. Well, I am not guilty of no rape charge or attempted rape.

"The Court: This girl was a deaf mute, isn't that right?

"A. No, she wasn't.

"The Court: Oh. The report here also in the presentence from before Judge Gallagher that it was a forcible rape and that she is a deaf mute and the judge stated in his statement to the — looks like a judge's statement to the prison — I assume you have seen the judge's statement, haven't you?

"A. No, I haven't."

This and similar portions of the sentencing transcript clearly support defendant's contention that the trial court, in sentencing defendant, took into consideration the conviction for attempted rape which had been reversed by this Court. Further, it is clear that the defendant denied any involvement in the attempted rape. In these circumstances, we think it necessary to remand the case for resentencing before a different judge. People v Grimmett, 388 Mich. 590; 202 N.W.2d 278 (1972), and People v Zachery Davis, 41 Mich. App. 683; 200 N.W.2d 779 (1972).

Conviction affirmed. Case remanded to the trial court for resentencing.

All concurred.

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PEOPLE v. HOLT
(Jun 24, 1974)