WPC# U:V % 0w@r 4   0  0D 0J9 0T 0^ 0h5 0r 0| 0 0 1u 0dU *z BB)DC AM-zk.J8v~v D3l! 0@! AO!." 0D" D/8# Bg#,cAZ"Arial RegularX(`$TR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T7GXXdXXd7  WEXYDZ[E\]D^U_U`Ӏ ppB3|xk((3$ `!TR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T7/kXXdd7    `   0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23    ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(Arial d% Line 7 d 7Border 1dd-!C << G  !  #d#    ! \RA'\#d#      YYY FILEDX August22,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.AppellateCourtClerk  a !#d#     \RA'\#d#   \RA'\7/kXXdd7     Noproofwasintroducedatthetrialleveltosupporttheallegationsinthepetition,i.e.,thatthemisdemeanorchargeswere,infact,dismissed. @ !#d#     \RA'\#d#   \RA'\7/kXXdd7     TheState,initsbrief,onlyrespondstotheissueoftheexpunctionofrecordsheldbylawenforcementagencies. . !#d#     \RA'\#d#   \RA'\7/kXXdd7     July1,1973,wastheeffectiveenactmentdateofthischapter.Thissectionremainsunamended.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva 'dxd("$    -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   2  ' dxdP Pd ! .      \RA'\#Xd##Xd#   R"#!A1-j|` e `@R @ INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ ATNASHVILLE@ MAYSESSION,1997DELMERRAYHALL,  )     ) No.01C019608CR00353 Appellant   )     ) WILLIAMSONCOUNTYvs.     )     ) Hon.HENRYDENMARKBELL,JudgeSTATEOFTENNESSEE,  )     ) (ExpunctionofRecord) Appellee   ) FortheAppellant:    FortheAppellee: DELMERRAYHALL ,ProSe  CHARLESW.BURSON RiverbendMax.SecurityInst.  AttorneyGeneralandReporterUnit6A114 7475CockrillBendInd.Rd.  JANISL.TURNER Nashville,TN372091010  AssistantAttorneyGeneral       CriminalJusticeDivision      450JamesRobertsonParkway      Nashville,TN372430493                JOSEPHD.BAUGH       DistrictAttorneyGeneral      JOHNBARRINGER       AssistantAttorneyGeneral      PostOfficeBox937      Franklin,TN370650937      OPINIONFILED:򀀀 REVERSEDANDREMANDED DavidG.Hayes Judge@  OPINION  Thisisaproseappealinwhichtheappellant,DelmerRayHall,appealstheWilliamsonCountyCircuitCourt'sdismissalofhispetitiontoexpungepublicrecords.Thetrialcourtdismissedtheappellant'spetitionfindingthepetitionbarredbythetenyearstatuteoflimitations,Tenn.CodeAnn.283110(1980)(limitationsofactionsotherthanreal).InthisRule4(a)appeal,theappellantcontendsthatthelanguageofTenn.CodeAnn.4032101(1990),regardingtheexpunctionofdismissedmisdemeanorcharges,ismandatoryand,therefore,thetrialcourtimproperlydeniedhispetition. Afterreview,wereverseandremandthiscasetothetrialcourt.@  Theappellant'spetitionallegesthat,onNovember14,1980,hewasarrestedontwochargesofassaultandbatteryinWilliamsonCounty.HefurtheraversthatthesechargesweredismissedonDecember1,1980,bytheGeneralSessionsCourt.HewassubsequentlyconvictedforassaultwithintenttocommitfirstdegreemurderandiscurrentlyservingathirtythreeyearsentenceintheDepartmentofCorrection. OnJuly24,1995,theappellantfiledaprosepetitionintheWilliamsonCountyGeneralSessionsCourtforexpunctionofrecordsrelatingtothedismissaloftheassaultandbatterycharges,aswellasexpunctionofallrecordsrelatingtothesechargesinthepossessionofvariouslawenforcementagencies.Thepetitionwasdenied.TheappellanttimelyfiledanoticeofappealtotheCircuitCourt.AtthescheduledhearingonOctober23,1995,thecourtdismissedthepetition,adoptingtheState'sargumentthatthepetitionwasbarred,onitsface,bythestatuteoflimitations. $   ׀Theappellantnowappealsthetrialcourt'sruling. Initially,wenotethatneitherparty,intheirrespectivebriefstothiscourt,recognizesorrespondstotheCircuitCourt'sfindingthatTenn.CodeAnn.283110barstheappellant'spetition.Rather,theissuespresentedandarguedbytheappellantbeforethiscourtaddresstheexpunctionoftherecordsofthedismissedchargesandrecordsheldbylawenforcementagencies,neitherofwhichwereaddressedbythetrialcourt. %   ׀Inordertopreventadditionaldelayandfurtherneedlessandprotractedlitigationonthisrelativelyuncomplicatedissue,weelecttoproceedonthemerits.Tenn.R.App.P.2;Tenn.R.App.P.13(b). Therelevantstatute,Tenn.CodeAnn.4032101(a),provides,inpart:8 Allpublicrecordsofapersonwhohasbeenchargedwithamisdemeanororafelony,andwhichchargehasbeendismissed,oranotruebillreturnedbythegrandjury,oraverdictofnotguiltyreturnedbyajuryoraconvictionwhichhasbyappealbeenreversed,shall,uponpetitionbythatpersontothecourthavingjurisdictioninsuchpreviousaction,beremovedanddestroyedwithoutcosttosuchperson....(Emphasisadded).Bytheplainlanguageoftheprovision,thetrialcourtiswithoutthediscretiontodenythepetition.Statev.McCary,815S.W.2d220,222(Tenn.Crim.App.1991);seealsoStatev.Liddle,929S.W.2d415(Tenn.Crim.App.1996);Eslickv.State,924S.W.2d559(Tenn.Crim.App.1996). Thetenyearstatuteoflimitationforactionsotherthanreal,Tenn.CodeAnn.283110,hasnoapplicationtothecasebeforeus.Expunctionofrecordsdoesnotconstituteacauseofaction;itisaministerialdutyofthecourt.Moreover,Tenn.CodeAnn.4032103(1990)expresslyprovidesthat"[t]heprovisionsof[Chapter32,DestructionofRecordsUponDismissalorAcquittal,]shallapplytothosepersonschargedwithamisdemeanororafelonypriortoJuly1,1973...." &   ׀Theplainlanguageofthechapter,therefore,precludesanytollingofthetimeforthefilingofapetitionforexpunction.Accordingly,Tenn.CodeAnn.283110cannotoperateasabartoapetitionforexpunction. Becausenostatuteoflimitationsexiststobarapetitionforexpunction,thejudgmentofthetrialcourtmustbevacated.However,forinstructivepurposesuponremand,previousdecisionsofthiscourthaveheldthatrecordsinthepossessionoflawenforcementagenciesarenotexpungeable.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.4032101(b);seealsoStatev.Bridges,No.01C019508CC00271(Tenn.Crim.App.atNashville,July26,1996)(citingStatev.Norris,684S.W.2d650,653(Tenn.Crim.App.1984);Statev.Doe,No.155(Tenn.Crim.App.atKnoxville,Aug.6,1986)).We,therefore,reversethejudgmentofthetrialcourtindismissingthepetitionandremandthismattertothetrialcourtforexpunctionaccordingtothestatuteandconsistentwiththisopinion.     ____________________________________     DAVIDG.HAYES,JudgeCONCUR:__________________________________PAULG.SUMMERS,Judge__________________________________JERRYL.SMITH,Judge