This opinion will be unpublished and
may not be cited except as provided by
Minn. Stat. § 480A.08, subd. 3 (2004).
STATE OF
IN COURT OF APPEALS
A04-1079
Appellant,
vs.
State
of
Respondent.
Filed May 3, 2005
Affirmed
Klaphake, Judge
Meeker
File No. K0-97-502
John D. Ellenbecker, 803 West St. Germain Street, P.O. Box 1127, St. Cloud, MN 56302-1127 (for appellant)
Mike Hatch, Attorney General, Maggie Skelton, Assistant Attorney General, 1800 NCL Tower, 445 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-2130; and
Considered and decided by Toussaint, Chief Judge, Kalitowski, Judge, and Klaphake, Judge.
KLAPHAKE, Judge
In July
1997, appellant
Because the district court’s failure to hold a competency hearing, although error, did not prejudice appellant and because appellant’s trial counsel provided adequate representation, we affirm.
D E C I S I O N
This
court reviews a postconviction order to determine if there is sufficient
evidence to support the court’s findings.
Sutherlin v. State, 574 N.W.2d 428, 432 (
“The
court shall allow a defendant to withdraw a plea of guilty upon a timely motion
and proof to the satisfaction of the court that withdrawal is necessary to
correct a manifest injustice.” Minn. R.
Crim. P. 15.05, subd. 1. A manifest
injustice occurs when a plea is not accurate, voluntary, and intelligent. Alanis v. State, 583 N.W.2d 573, 577 (
Competency Hearing
Minn. R. Crim. P. 20.01, subd. 5, states that when a defendant has been found to be incompetent to proceed to trial, the district court must receive periodic updates of the defendant’s mental condition. The rule goes on to state that
[w]hen the court on application of the prosecuting attorney, defense counsel, the defendant, or the person having supervision over the defendant, or on the court’s initiative, determines, after a hearing with notice to the parties, that the defendant is competent to proceed, the criminal proceedings against the defendant shall be resumed.
Because no party objected to the resumption of the criminal proceedings, we apply a plain-error analysis to determine whether the failure to hold a competency hearing was a denial of substantial rights. See State v. Griller, 583 N.W.2d 736, 740 (Minn. 1998) (explaining plain error as (1) error; (2) that is plain; and (3) results in prejudice to the defendant and affects the outcome of the case).
Upon receiving a report from the regional treatment center that appellant had regained competency after receiving appropriate medication, the district court resumed criminal proceedings against him. This report was issued by the same two mental health professionals who originally notified the district court that appellant was incompetent to proceed, and was based on staff observations made during appellant’s commitment. Based on more than eight hours of interviews with appellant and others, the state’s expert witness, a psychiatrist, stated that appellant had regained competency and could assist at trial. Furthermore, after reviewing the same materials, appellant’s expert witness concluded that appellant was competent to proceed to trial. All four professionals noted that they believed appellant may have been incompetent on the offense date and might have a valid mental illness defense, but all four concurred that he was competent to proceed to trial.
The first hearing after criminal proceedings resumed was the omnibus hearing; the issue raised was whether appellant was competent to have understood his Miranda rights. The question of appellant’s mental health was thus squarely before the court. During the plea hearing, the question of appellant’s competency was central to the inquiries made on the plea petition and by the district court. It is unlikely, given these circumstances, that appellant would not have been found competent during a rule 20.01 hearing.
Based on these facts, the postconviction court’s conclusion that the district court’s error did not prejudice appellant is supported by sufficient evidence. See State v. Thomas, 467 N.W.2d 324, 326-27 (Minn. App. 1991) (refusing to reverse conviction because of “technical” violation of rules of criminal procedure, where defendant failed to show that he was prejudiced by violation). Because the failure to hold a competency hearing did not prejudice appellant, he has not shown a manifest injustice that would permit him to withdraw his plea.
Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
To
prevail on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, a defendant must show
that (1) counsel’s performance was so deficient that it fell below an
objective standard of reasonableness, and (2) the defendant was prejudiced by
counsel’s incompetence. State v.
Ecker, 524 N.W.2d 712, 718 (
Appellant claims that he received ineffective assistance of counsel because he was not informed of a possible meritorious mental illness defense and because his counsel failed to adequately prepare. After hearing testimony from appellant and the two attorneys who advised him prior to pleading, the postconviction court concluded that appellant had been adequately informed of the mental illness defense and noted that appellant’s attorney had arranged for an expert witness and consulted a more experienced attorney. The postconviction court found appellant’s testimony, which was largely contradicted by the transcript of the plea hearing, to be less credible than that of his counsel.
Because there is sufficient evidence in the record to support the postconviction court’s decision to deny appellant’s petition to withdraw his plea, we affirm the postconviction order.
Affirmed.