Cheek v. State

Decision Date28 November 2001
Docket NumberNo. 10-00-396-CR.,10-00-396-CR.
PartiesCarl Weston CHEEK, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
CourtTexas Court of Appeals

Robert Ford, Fort Worth, for appellant.

Patrick C. Batchelor, Navarro County Crim. Dist. Atty., James E. Lagomarsino, Navarro County Asst. Crim. Dist. Atty., Corsicana, for appellee.

Before Chief Justice DAVIS, Justice VANCE, and Justice GRAY.

OPINION

REX D. DAVIS, Chief Justice.

A jury convicted Carl Weston Cheek of possession of methamphetamine in an amount less than one gram and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment. In his sole point of error, he asserts that the trial court erred by failing to charge the jury on the legality of the search.

Cheek contends that the jury charge should have included an instruction on the legality of the search under article 38.23 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. See Tex.Code Crim. Proc. ANN. art. 38.23(a) (Vernon Supp.2001). Cheek contends that he objected to this omission at trial, but the court denied his request to include an article 38.23 instruction. Cheek, however, fails to present this Court with the reporter's record to support his contention of error.

We understand the actual preparation and filing of the reporter's record is no longer the task of the appellant; that burden has shifted to the trial and appellate courts. See Tex.R.App. P. 35.3 (Vernon 2001); Utley v. Marathon Oil Co., 958 S.W.2d 960, 961 (Tex.App.-Waco 1998, no writ). However, this duty to prepare the record for appellate review does not arise until an appellant has properly requested and arranged for payment of the record. Id. Thus, we deduce that "the appellant has the burden to properly initiate the completion of a record sufficient to illustrate reversible error." Kent v. State, 982 S.W.2d 639, 641 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1998, pet. ref'd). If he does not, and his point of error involves matters omitted from the record due to his failure to request or pay for same, then his actions will prevent us from adequately addressing the dispute. See id. An appellant effectively waives his complaint by so inhibiting us. Id. (citing In re Marriage of Moore, 890 S.W.2d 821, 827 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1994, no pet.)).

Following proper notice of appeal, this Court notified all parties and the court reporter on February 27, 2001 that the reporter's record had not been filed. We permitted thirty days to file the record. The court reporter informed this Court in a March 2, 2001 letter that no financial arrangements had yet been made by Cheek to pay for the reporter's record. The reporter's record was not submitted by Cheek within the thirty days. Subsequently, on April 16, 2001, this court notified Cheek that the appeal would be submitted on the clerk's record alone. Cheek has never asserted he is indigent and cannot afford to pay for the reporter's record. See Tex.R.App. P. 20.2, 37.3(c)(2)(B).

Despite adequate notice that this court would render judgment on the clerk's record alone, Cheek submitted his case to this court with no record evidence supporting his objection to the jury charge. Without the reporter's record, we have no way of knowing what specific objection, if any, Cheek made to the jury charge. Nor do we have any way to determine whether a fact issue exists regarding the legality of the search, which would require submission of a charge under article...

To continue reading

Request your trial
12 cases
  • Perez v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • July 24, 2008
    ...to properly initiate the completion of a record sufficient to illustrate reversible error. See TEX.R.APP. P. 35.3; see also Cheek v. State, 65 S.W.3d 728, 730 (Tex.App.-Waco 2001, no pet.); Kent v. State, 982 S.W.2d 639, 641 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 1998, pet. ref'd, untimely filed). If the appel......
  • Aranda v. State, No. 2-08-119-CR (Tex. App. 2/5/2009)
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • February 5, 2009
    ... ... Appellant concedes that he was required to object to the exclusion of a record, and he also concedes that there is no indication he did so or that he exercised due diligence in requesting that a record be made. See Cheek v. State, 65 S.W.3d 728, 730 (Tex. App.-Waco 2001, no pet.) (explaining the requirement of due diligence in requesting a reporter's record). He claims, however, that Baker's failure to make such an objection or exercise such diligence amounted to per se ineffective assistance because it deprived ... ...
  • Beal v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • March 31, 2016
  • Bouknight v. Bouknight
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • October 2, 2014
    ...the dispute. Id. Under such circumstances, the appellant is typically deemed to have waived his complaint. Id.; see also Cheek v. State, 65 S.W.3d 728, 730 (Tex. App.—Waco 2001, no pet.). In this case, we find the record sufficient to address David's points of error related to the final acc......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT