APPELLATE COURT OPINIONS

Pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, the defendant, Hugo Mendez, pled guilty in 2007, to vehicular homicide by intoxication, a Class B felony, and to leaving the scene of an accident causing death, a Class E felony. The agreement provided for sentences of eight years and one year for the respective convictions, to be served concurrently in the Department of Correction. Nonetheless, the record indicates that the defendant remained incarcerated in the Shelby County Jail. Approximately two years later, the defendant filed a pro se petition requesting that he be allowed to serve the balance of the sentence on probation. The trial court issued an order summarily denying the petition without conducting a hearing. On appeal, the defendant contends that the court abused its discretion in denying his request for probation and also challenges findings which he alleges were set forth in the order. Following review of the record before us, we affirm the denial of the petition.

The Petitioner, Jonathan Davis, appeals from the Bledsoe County Circuit Court's summary dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus relief. The habeas corpus court found that the petitioner failed to state a cognizable claim for relief. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the habeas corpus court.

The Defendant, Tony Lee Crowe, was convicted by a Putnam County Jury of two counts of rape of a child and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. As a result, he was sentenced to sixteen years incarceration, to be served at 100%. On appeal, he alleges that the trial court improperly denied his motion for new trial based on newly discovered impeachment evidence and recanted testimony. After a review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Defendant, Daniel Henderson Jones, appeals as of right from the Sullivan County Criminal Court's denial of his motions to withdraw guilty pleas and for reduction of sentences following his negotiated guilty pleas in case number S52,468 to one count of aggravated assault, a Class C felony; in case number S53,126 to one count of possession of .5 grams of cocaine for sale, a Class B felony; one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor; one count of maintaining a dwelling where drugs are sold or used, a Class D felony; and in case number S53,127 to possession of cocaine for sale, a Class C felony. He received a total effective sentence of twenty years as a Range I, standard offender. On appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying his motions and that his sentences were imposed absent the trial court making required findings relative to enhancement and mitigating factors. Following our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

The Defendant, Gary Dewayne Pitts, appeals from the order of the Davidson County Criminal Court revoking his probation. In January 2009, the defendant pleaded guilty to felony simple possession of cocaine and vandalism over $500 and received an effective three-year sentence as a Range II, multiple offender. His sentence was partially suspended, and he was placed on probation. Subsequently, a violation warrant was issued, wherein it was alleged that the defendant violated his probation by using illegal drugs. After a hearing, the trial court took the matter under advisement so that the defendant could be evaluated for a drug and mental health program. Based upon the results of the assessment evincing an unwillingness on the part of the defendant to abide by the terms of the program, the trial court concluded that the defendant violated the conditions of his probationary sentence and ordered that his original three-year sentence to the Department of Correction be reinstated. On appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion by revoking his probation and ordering that the remainder of his sentence be served in confinement. After a review of the record, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

Appellant, Matthew Steven Wright, was indicted by the Marion County Grand Jury for aggravated assault. Appellant pled guilty to the charge and received a sentence of four years. The trial court suspended the sentence to three years and ten months of probation after the service of thirty-five days in incarceration. After the issuance of a probation violation warrant and hearing, the trial court revoked appellant's probation and ordered him to serve his sentence. Appellant seeks a review of the denial of his probation. We determine that the trial court made adequate findings of fact with regard to the denial of probation. Therefore, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

A Madison County Circuit Court jury convicted the Defendant, Patricia Howell, of aggravated assault, a Class D felony. The trial court sentenced her to four years incarceration as a Range I, standard offender, suspended to probation after the service of five months. In this appeal as of right, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support her conviction because the victim's injury did not constitute serious bodily injury; thus, she should have been convicted of assault. Following our review, we agree with the Defendant and remand the case for entry of a modified judgment.

The pro se Petitioner, Kevin O. Hooks, appeals as of right from the Hardeman County Circuit Court's summary dismissal of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his conviction for first degree felony murder. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the habeas corpus court.

The Petitioner, Antonio M. Miller, appeals the Hardeman County Circuit Court's summary dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that (1) the trial court did not have jurisdiction to try him as an adult; (2) the prosecutor breached the plea agreement; (3) he was not given a psychological evaluation or a pretrial suppression hearing to challenge his confession; (4) he was not allowed to develop alibi witnesses; and (5) his nineteen-year sentence at one hundred percent is incorrect. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The petitioner, James Mark Thornton, appeals from the denial of his petition for writ of habeas corpus wherein he challenged his judgments in Cocke County case numbers 6617, 6618, 6820, and 9827. In this appeal, the petitioner claims entitlement to habeas corpus relief on the basis that he received concurrent sentences when consecutive sentences were statutorily required. He also contends that he should be permitted to withdraw his guilty pleas in each of the four cases because the concurrent sentence alignment was a bargained for element of each plea. We agree that the judgment in case number 6820 is void, but because the petitioner has failed to establish that he is restrained of his liberty by virtue of the void judgment, we affirm the denial of habeas corpus relief.

The defendant, Curtis Glenn Hearon, appeals from the sentencing judgment of the Blount County Circuit Court. Upon review of the record and the parties' briefs, we affirm the judgment but remand the case for further findings and rulings on the issue of pretrial jail credit.

The Petitioner, Kenneth L. Storey, filed in the Knox County Criminal Court a pro se "Application for Post-Conviction or Habeas Corpus Relief," alleging that his sentence was void because the trial court did not follow the dictates of Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296 (2004). The post-conviction court dismissed the petition, finding that it was filed outside the statute of limitations. On appeal, the petitioner challenges the post-conviction court's ruling. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

A Davidson County jury convicted the Petitioner, Samuel L. Giddens, Jr., of reckless homicide, attempted especially aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary, and the trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of fourteen years. On direct appeal, this Court affirmed the petitioner's convictions and sentence. State v. Samuel L. Giddens, Jr., No M2005-00691-CCA-R3-CD, 2006 WL618312, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App., at Nashville, Mar. 13, 2006), Tenn. R. App. P. 11 application denied (Tenn. June 26, 2006). The petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, later amended by appointed counsel, alleging, in pertinent part, that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. After a hearing, the post-conviction court dismissed the petition. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Petitioner, Andrew Neal Davis, was convicted by a Davidson County Jury of first degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse. State v. Andrew Neal Davis, No. M2002-02375- CCA-R3-CD, 2004 WL 1562544 (Tenn. Crim. App., at Nashville, Jul. 9, 2004), perm. app. denied, (Tenn. Dec. 6, 2004). Petitioner's convictions were affirmed on direct appeal. Id. at *1. Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief primarily on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel. Petitioner also argued that the trial court committed various constitutional errors during trial. After a hearing on the petition, the post-conviction court denied the petition for relief. Petitioner appealed to this Court. After a review, we conclude that the post-conviction court properly dismissed the petition for post-conviction relief. Consequently, the judgment of the post-conviction court is affirmed.

The Defendant, Sarah Ellen Eatherly, pled guilty to vehicular assault and reckless aggravated assault. Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court denied the defendant's request for judicial diversion and sentenced her to an effective sentence of two years, with seven days to be served in confinement and the remainder to be served on probation. The defendant appeals, contending the trial court erred when it denied her request for judicial diversion. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the trial court's judgments.

A Warren County jury convicted the Petitioner, Michael Eugene Wilkerson, of three counts of the sale of more than .5 grams of cocaine and one count of the casual exchange of marijuana, and the trial court sentenced him as a Range II, multiple offender to an effective sentence of fifty-seven years. On direct appeal, the petitioner challenged the sufficiency of the evidence, and we affirmed the trial court's judgments. State v. Michael Wilkerson, No. M2005-02175-CCA-R3-CD, 2006 WL 2709240, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App., at Nashville, Sept. 22, 2006), no Tenn. R. App. P. 11 application filed. The petitioner then filed a petition for post-conviction relief in which he alleged that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel and that the State withheld exculpatory evidence. After a hearing, the postconviction court dismissed the petition. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

The Defendant, Daniel Patrick Blankenship, pled guilty to aggravated burglary, theft over $10,000, and theft over $1,000. The trial court sentenced him to an effective sentence of six years to be served on probation. Soon thereafter, a violation of probation affidavit was filed against the defendant. After a hearing, the trial court revoked the defendant's probation and ordered him to serve his sentence in confinement. The defendant appeals, contending the trial court erred in placing his original sentence into effect. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the trial court's judgment.

The Defendant, Michael Orlando Freeman, pled guilty to robbery, a Class C felony, in the Criminal Court of Hamilton County with sentencing to be determined by the trial court. The trial court sentenced the defendant as a Range I, standard offender to five years' incarceration. In this appeal as of right, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in its application of enhancement factors to his sentence and in its denial of alternative sentencing. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

A Davidson County grand jury indicted the Defendant, Anthony L. Davis, and his codefendant, Michael Ray Crockett, for the felony murder, premeditated murder, and especially aggravated robbery of victim Edgar Moreno-Gutierrez and for the especially aggravated robbery and two counts of felony murder of victim Michael Adams. The trial court severed the defendant's trials, and in his first trial a Davidson County jury convicted him of the felony murder, premeditated murder, and especially aggravated robbery of victim Moreno- Gutierrez. The trial court merged the premeditated murder conviction with the felony murder conviction and sentenced the defendant to life plus twenty-three years. In his second trial, a Davidson County jury convicted the defendant of the especially aggravated robbery andd two counts of the felony murder of victim Adams. The trial court merged the two felonyd murder convictions and sentenced the defendant to life plus eighteen years, to be served consecutively to his sentence from his first trial. The two cases were consolidated on appeal. On appeal, the defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions and that the trial court improperly imposed consecutive sentencing in his first trial. After a thorough review of the record and relevant authorities, we affirm the trial court's judgments.

The Defendant, Jerry Wayne Watson, Jr., pled guilty to sale of cocaine in an amount more than .5 grams in case number 36,430 and to sale of cocaine in an amount more than .5 grams in case number 36,431. Following a sentencing hearing for both cases, the defendant was sentenced to concurrent sentences of eight years, with 120 days in confinement followed by seven years and eight months on community corrections. In this appeal as of right, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying full probation. Following our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Following a jury trial, Defendant, Hollena Arlene West, was found guilty of driving under the influence ("DUI"). The trial court sentenced Defendant to eleven months, twenty-nine days, with the sentence suspended and Defendant placed on probation after serving ten days in confinement. On appeal, Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support her conviction and the trial court erred in allowing expert testimony concerning the effect of taking multiple prescription medications. After a thorough review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

A jury convicted the petitioner, Ayatollah William Wallace, of three counts of aggravated kidnapping. The trial court sentenced him to an effective sixteen-year sentence in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On direct appeal, this court upheld the convictions and sentences. The petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief alleging the ineffective assistance of counsel at trial and on direct appeal. The Criminal Court for Bradley County denied post-conviction relief, and the petitioner now appeals. Following a review of the parties' briefs, the record, and applicable law, we affirm the denial of post-conviction relief.

The Defendant-Appellant, Manfred Steinhagen, appeals pro se from the Circuit Court of Cheatham County. He was initially found guilty by the General Sessions Court of Cheatham County of speeding and violating the Financial Responsibility Act, both Class C misdemeanors. Steinhagen was fined ten dollars for each conviction. He appealed to the Circuit Court, which upheld the judgments of the General Sessions Court. In this appeal, Steinhagen challenges the sufficiency of the evidence and raises several procedural claims. Upon review, we affirm the judgments of the Circuit Court.

The Defendant, Daniel Ross McClellan, was convicted of rape of a child, a Class A felony, and incest, a Class C felony. He was sentenced as a Range II, multiple offender to serve forty years as a child rapist for the rape conviction and ten years for the incest conviction, with the sentences to be served concurrently. On appeal, he argues that the trial court erred in sentencing him as a multiple offender. We hold that the trial court properly sentenced the Defendant as a Range II offender for the incest conviction but erred in sentencing him as a Range II offender for the rape of a child conviction. We remand the case to the trial court for resentencing in accordance with this opinion.

The defendant, Adrian Todd, stands convicted of second degree murder, a Class A felony. The trial court sentenced him as a Range I violent offender to twenty-three years at 100% in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.