Eilert Bertrand v. State of Arkansas

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ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT  No.  CR 07­1256  Opinion Delivered  January 17, 2008  PRO SE MOTION FOR BELATED  APPEAL [CIRCUIT COURT OF  PULASKI COUNTY, CR 2004­3375,  HON. JOHN W. LANGSTON, JUDGE]  EILERT BERTRAND  Petitioner  v.  MOTION DENIED.  STATE OF ARKANSAS  Respondent  PER CURIAM  Petitioner  Eilert  Bertrand  was  found  guilty  of  capital  murder  and  sentenced  to  life  imprisonment without parole.  This court affirmed the judgment.  Bertrand v. State, 363 Ark. 422,  214 S.W.3d 822 (2005).  The mandate issued on November 3, 2005.  On January 19, 2006, petitioner filed in the trial court a pro se petition for postconviction  relief under Ark. R. Crim. P. 37.1, which was dismissed as untimely filed by order entered May 11,  2006.  Petitioner filed in the trial court a notice of appeal as to that order on August 9, 2006.  When  the record was tendered to this court, our clerk correctly declined to file it because the notice of  appeal was not timely filed with the circuit clerk.  Petitioner then filed the pro se motion for belated  appeal presently before us on December 4, 2007.  A petitioner has the right to appeal a ruling on a petition for postconviction relief.  See Scott  v. State, 281 Ark. 436, 664 S.W.2d 475 (1984) (per curiam).  However, along with that right goes  the responsibility to timely file a notice of appeal within thirty days of the date the order was entered in accordance with Ark. R. App. P.–Civ. 4(a).  If a petitioner fails to timely file a notice of appeal,  he may move this court to file a belated appeal in accordance with Ark. R. App. P.­­Crim. 2(e).  Under Rule 2(e), it is incumbent on a petitioner to file the motion for belated appeal in a timely  manner.  Bennett v. State, 362 Ark. 411, 208 S.W.3d 775 (2005) (per curiam) (citing Efurd v. State,  352 Ark. 476, 101 S.W.3d 800 (2003) (per curiam)).  Rule 2(e) provides that “no motion for belated  appeal shall be entertained by the Supreme Court unless application has been made to the Supreme  Court within eighteen (18) months of the date of entry of judgment or entry of the order denying  postconviction relief from which the appeal is taken.”  Here, the order denying the petition for postconviction relief was entered on May 11, 2006,  and the eighteen­month period in which to file a motion for belated appeal expired on November 11,  1  2007.  While petitioner tendered his motion within that period, the motion was not filed within it.  Petitioner failed to comply with the requirements of Rule 2(e).  Moreover, the partial record before us clearly shows that the trial court correctly determined  that it did not have jurisdiction to address petitioner’s Rule 37.1 petition.  The unverified petition was  file marked seventy­seven days after the mandate issued.  Arkansas Rule  of  Criminal Procedure  37.2(c) requires that a petition for postconviction relief following a direct appeal must be filed within  sixty  days  of  the  date  the  mandate  issued.  The  time  limitations  imposed  in  Rule  37.2(c)  are  jurisdictional in nature.  The circuit court may not grant relief on a petition for postconviction relief  which is not timely filed.  Benton v. State, 325 Ark. 246, 925 S.W.2d 401 (1996) (per curiam).  Motion denied. 1  Petitioner failed to submit either the filing fee or an affidavit of indigency with his motion  when it was tendered.  The motion was filed on the date an appropriate affidavit was received.  ­2­ 

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