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State v. Anthony3/15/2002
Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; GREGORY L. WALLER, judge.
Reversed and remanded with directions.
Michael J. Anthony pled guilty to a third offense of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), in violation of what is now K.S.A. 8-1567 (defendant was charged under K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 8-1567; substantive amendments by the legislature in 2001 to the DUI statutes are not relevant to the issues in this appeal). The district court imposed the maximum imprisonment sentence of 12 months. After serving the mandatory minimum of 90 days in jail, Anthony filed a motion to modify his sentence by granting him probation. Following a hearing, the district court found it lacked jurisdiction to modify Anthony's sentence and denied his motion. We reverse and remand for a determination upon the merits of Anthony's motion.
The sole issue on appeal is whether a district court had jurisdiction to modify a sentence imposed under K.S.A. 8-1567(f). The district court, apparently relying on State v. Smith, 26 Kan. App. 2d 272, 981 P.2d 1182, rev. denied 268 Kan. 854 (1999), determined it had no jurisdiction to consider Anthony's motion. The issue before the court is purely legal in nature. We are not bound by the decision of the district court on questions of law. State v. Donlay, 253 Kan. 132, 133-34, 853 P.2d 680 (1993).
Anthony contends the plain language of the statute necessarily allows the district court to modify his sentence. Anthony was sentenced under K.S.A. 8-1567(f), which provided in relevant part:
"On the third conviction of a violation of this section, a person shall be guilty of a nonperson felony and sentenced to not less than 90 days nor more than one year's imprisonment . . . . The person convicted shall not be eligible for release on probation, suspension or reduction of sentence or parole until the person has served at least 90 days' imprisonment." (Emphasis added.)
Prior to July 1, 1993, the district court had considerable discretion in sentencing a convicted felon. Within the parameters set for each class of felony, the sentencing judge selected the minimum and maximum terms of an indeterminate sentence and decided, inter alia, whether to imprison the felon or release him or her on probation. K.S.A. 1992 Supp. 21-4603(2). Further, the district court retained jurisdiction for 120 days following sentencing to impose a less severe sentence. K.S.A. 1992 Supp. 21-4603(4). With the passage of the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act (KSGA), K.S.A. 21-4701 et seq., the district court's discretion as to the duration and disposition of a sentence is severely restricted by the legislative designation of a presumptive sentence. After imposing a guidelines sentence, the district court's power to modify it is restricted to correcting arithmetic or clerical errors. K.S.A. 21-4721(i). If the presumptive sentence is imprisonment, the felon is transferred to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections, K.S.A. 21-4621, and good time credits are earned or forfeited pursuant to rules promulgated by the Secretary. K.S.A. 2001 Supp. 21-4722(c).
The State argues that Smith is controlling. In that case, the defendants were convicted of criminal deprivation of property in violation of K.S.A. 21-3705. At the time of their offenses, criminal deprivation of a motor vehicle was a nongrid felony that carried a prison term of no less than 30 days for a first offense to a maximum of 1 year. The statute was quite similar to 8-1567 in that it required the person convicted to serve the mandatory minimum sentence before he or she would be eligible for release on probation or suspension or reduction of sentence or parole. K.S.A. 21-3705(b). The defendants filed
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