Johnson v. State, 11-98-00129-CR

Decision Date29 October 1998
Docket NumberNo. 11-98-00129-CR,11-98-00129-CR
Citation978 S.W.2d 744
PartiesEric Bernard JOHNSON, Appellant, v. STATE of Texas, Appellee.
CourtTexas Court of Appeals

Ronald Vanzura, Denton, for appellant.

Bruce Isaacks, Denton County Dist. Atty., Denton, for appellee.

Before ARNOT, C.J., and DICKENSON and WRIGHT, JJ.

OPINION

ARNOT, Chief Justice.

On December 1, 1994, Eric Bernard Johnson entered a plea of guilty to the offense of aggravated robbery. Pursuant to a plea bargain agreement, the trial court deferred the adjudication of guilt, placed appellant on community supervision for 8 years, and assessed a $500 fine. On April 2, 1998, after a hearing on the State's motion to adjudicate, the trial court found that appellant violated the terms and conditions of his community supervision by failing to report as ordered and by committing the offense of mail theft on three separate occasions. The trial court then revoked his community supervision, adjudicated his guilt, and sentenced him to confinement for 25 years. We affirm.

Appellant perfected his appeal under TEX.R.APP.P. 25.2(b)(3) which provides that:

[I]f the appeal is from a judgment rendered on the defendant's plea of guilty or nolo contendere under Code of Criminal Procedure article 1.15, and the punishment assessed did not exceed the punishment recommended by the prosecutor and agreed to by the defendant, the notice must:

(A) specify that the appeal is for a jurisdictional defect;

(B) specify that the substance of the appeal was raised by written motion and ruled on before trial; or

(C) state that the trial court granted permission to appeal.

Appellant filed a general notice of appeal on May 1, 1998. We note that appellant has not amended his notice of appeal to meet the requirements of Rule 25.2(b)(3). TEX.R.APP.P. 25.2(d).

In his first point of error, appellant challenges the voluntariness of his plea as well as his ability to raise his claim because of an incomplete record. In Flowers v. State, 935 S.W.2d 131 (Tex.Cr.App.1996), the Court of Criminal Appeals held that former TEX.R.APP.P. 40(b)(1) 1 did not preclude a defendant from challenging the voluntariness of his plea and stated that voluntariness of a plea could always be challenged on appeal. In Villanueva v. State, 977 S.W.2d 693 (Tex.App.--Fort Worth, 1998, no pet'n), the Fort Worth Court of Appeals found that, in promulgating the new rules, the Court of Criminal Appeals intended to partially overrule Flowers. The Fort Worth Court stated that, because voluntariness is neither jurisdictional nor a pretrial matter, an appellant may only challenge the voluntariness of his plea when he first obtains permission from the trial court. We disagree with the Fort Worth Court's analysis that Rule 25.2(b)(3) partially overruled the Court of Criminal Appeals' holding in Flowers that voluntariness could be raised after the filing of a "general" notice of appeal, and we will address appellant's complaint on appeal. Rigsby v. State, 976 S.W.2d 368 (Tex.App.--Beaumont, 1998)(not yet reported).

Appellant signed the trial court's written admonishments indicating that he understood the consequences of his plea. The trial court's order deferring adjudication of guilt and placing appellant on community supervision stated that the trial court admonished appellant of the consequences of his...

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14 cases
  • Cooper v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • April 4, 2001
    ...989 S.W.2d 435 (Tex. App. - El Paso 1999, pet. ref'd); Vidaurri v. State, 981 S.W.2d 478 (Tex. App. - Amarillo, pet. granted); Johnson v. State, 978 S.W.2d 744 (Tex. App. - Eastland, no pet.); Session v. State, 978 S.W.2d 289 (Tex. App. - Texarkana 1998, no pet.). Holding that Flowers shoul......
  • George v State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • March 30, 2000
    ...[14th Dist.] 1999, no pet.). See also Session v. State, 978 S.W.2d 289, 291 (Tex. App.-Texarkana 1998, no pet.); Johnson v. State, 978 S.W.2d 744, 745-46 (Tex. App.-Eastland 1998, no 5. An "Allen" charge, sometimes known as a "dynamite charge," is one instructing a deadlocked jury to contin......
  • Marshall v. State, 13-99-00153-CR
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • August 10, 2000
    ...479 (Tex. App.--Amarillo 1998, pet. granted); Session v. State, 978 S.W.2d 289, 291-92 (Tex. App.--Texarkana 1998, no pet.); Johnson v. State, 978 S.W.2d 744, 745-46 (Tex. App.--Eastland 1998, no By contrast, the Fort Worth and Waco courts of appeal have held that rule 25.2(b)(3) overrules ......
  • Williams v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • March 8, 2001
    ...820 (Tex. App.--Austin 1999, pet. ref'd); Vidaurri v. State, 981 S.W.2d 478, 479 (Tex. App.--Amarillo 1998, pet. granted); Johnson v. State, 978 S.W.2d 744, 746 (Tex. App.--Eastland 1998, no pet.); Session v. State, 978 S.W.2d 289, 291-92 (Tex. App.--Texarkana 1998, no pet.); Rigsby v. Stat......
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