WPC) # VUNa % 0(bw@4% 9 0lH 0D  0J 0TJ 0^ 0h 0rd 0| 0R 0 1uh 0d U>AU * BB)DC D32 AMe 0@_mv~3v AO 0D D/ B HP LaserJet 4HPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLl(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($- - E !D"#D$E%D&Ӏڃ"A"|x1((3$ !      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`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Arial d% Line 7 d((((7Border 1dd'''''dxd-)C << G  !  #d#%  &&   YYY FILED&X September10,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.&AppellateCourtClerk ("$     U !#d#%   $       &&SeeStatev.WilliamHowell,aliasWilliamLewisHowell,C.C.A.No.1113,KnoxCounty(Tenn.0 Crim.App.,Knoxville,June30,1987).  !#d#%   $       &&Theoriginalpetitionforpostconvictionreliefisnotfoundintherecordonappeal.Boththe0 amendedpetition,whichisintherecord,andthetrialjudgesorderofdismissal,recitethattheoriginalpetitionwasfiledNovember30,1988.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . %  `       \RA'\%&\RA'\7<XXdd7      R+,)A1-j|`  `@Rߛ INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEATKNOXVILLEJULYSESSION,1997  WILLIAMLEWISHOWELL ) C.C.A.NO.03C019703CR00095     )  Appellant,   )     )     ) KNOXCOUNTYVS.     )      ) HON.RAYL.JENKINS STATEOFTENNESSEE,  ) JUDGE      )  Appellee.   ) (PostConviction)   ONAPPEALFROMTHEJUDGMENTOFTHECRIMINALCOURTOFKNOXCOUNTY   FORTHEAPPELLANT:   FORTHEAPPELLEE:LESLIEM.JEFFRESS   JOHNKNOXWALKUP1776RiverviewTower   AttorneyGeneralandReporter900S.GayStreetKnoxville,TN37902   MARVINE.CLEMENTS,JR.      AssistantAttorneyGeneral      CordellHullBuilding,2ndFloor      425FifthAvenueNorth      Nashville,TN372430493      RANDALLE.NICHOLS      DistrictAttorneyGeneral            CHARMEJOHNSON      AssistantDistrictAttorneyGeneral      CityCountyBuilding      Knoxville,TN37902OPINIONFILED________________________REVERSEDANDREMANDEDDAVIDH.WELLES,JUDGE   &OPINION &   TheDefendantappealsasofrightfromthetrialcourtsdismissalofhispetitionforpostconvictionreliefwithoutconductinganevidentiaryhearingandwithoutconsideringthemeritsofthepetition.Wereversethejudgmentofthetrialcourtandremandthiscaseforfurtherproceedings. TheDefendantwasoriginallyconvictedonajuryverdictofaggravatedsexualbatteryandwassentencedtoservethirtyyearsasanespeciallyaggravatedoffender.Thiscourtaffirmedhisconvictionondirectappealin1987. .   ׀TheDefendantapparentlyfiledatimelypetitionforpostconvictionreliefallegingthathereceivedineffectiveassistanceoftrialcounsel. /   ׀Thetrialcourthasneverconductedanevidentiaryhearingonthemeritsofthepetitionforpostconvictionrelief. Thisisthesecondtimethatthetrialcourthasdismissedthepetitionforpostconvictionrelief.Thetrialjudgefirstdismissedthepetitionfor failuretoprosecuteinanorderdatedNovember16,1995.AftertheDefendantappealedthatdismissal,theStateacknowledgedthatthedismissalwasnotsupportedbytherecordandaskedthatthecaseberemandedtothetrialcourtforfurtherconsideration.ThisCourtgrantedtheStatesmotion,pointingoutthatthetrialcourthadnotsetforthinitsorderorawrittenmemorandumallgroundspresentedinthepetitionwithfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawregardingϜeachgroundasrequiredbylaw.Tenn.CodeAnn.4030118(b)(repealed1995).IfthetrialcourtagaindeterminedthatthepetitionshouldbedismissedϜwithoutanevidentiaryhearing,thecourtwasdirectedto enteranappropriateordersettingforthitsfindingsanditsconclusionsoflawastoeachoftheclaimsraisedinthepetition.ThisorderwasenteredbythisCourtonApril15,1996. OnOctober9,1996,thetrialcourt,apparentlyactingsuasponte,enteredaneworderdismissingthepetition.ThiswasdonewithoutahearingandapparentlywithoutanynoticetotheDefendantorhisappointedcounsel.Afewdaysaftertheentryofthetrialcourtsorderdismissingthepetitionasecondtime,Defendantsappointedcounselfiledamotionrequestingthetrialcourttoreconsideritsdismissal.Afterhearingargumentonthemotionthetrialcourtdeniedtherequest,stating Well,atthisjunctureIvedecidedthatitoughttobedismissed,andiftheCourtofCriminalAppealsinitsinfinitewisdomdecidesthatitneedstobesentback,thenIllhearit;otherwiseno. ItisreadilyapparentthatthetrialcourtdidnotadheretoorcomplywiththeorderofthisCourtremandingthiscaseonApril15,1996.Forthisreason,wemustagainreversetheorderofthetrialcourtdismissingthepetitionandagainremandthiscaseforfurtherconsideration. IntheorderdismissingthiscaseafterthisCourthadremandedittothetrialcourt,thetrialjudgestatedasreasonsfordismissingthepetitionthefollowing:8  Fromtheinitialfilingofthispetition,thedefendant/petitionerhashad26hearingdatesassignedandthreeattorneysappointedtorepresenthimathisrequest.Onthelasthearingdate,November16,1995,thedefendant/petitioneragainrequestedanewattorneyandtheCourtdismissedthepetition.AsaresulttheCourtfindsthatthedefendanthasbeenfurnishedadequatetimeandsufficientlegalassistancetoprosecutethispetition,thathehasrefusedandfailedtopresentanyproofsustaininghisallegationsthatwouldsupportpostconvictionrelief,thathehasfailedtocarryhisburdenofproofeitherbypreponderanceoftheevidenceorclearandconvincingproofandhasindeedabandonedhisclaim.8  Asaresultthedefendant/petitionersPetitioniswithoutmeritineachandeveryinstanceandthesameisagainDISMISSED. Aswehavenoted,thispostconvictionpetitionwasfiledonNovember30,1988,andthetrialcourthasneverconductedanevidentiaryhearingonoraddressedthemeritsoftheallegationsorgroundsforreliefraisedinthepetition.Duringtheentiretimethispetitionhasbeenpendinginthetrialcourt,theDefendanthasremainedincarceratedintheTennesseeDepartmentofCorrection.Therecordonappealdoesnotreflectwhyahearingwasnotconductedonanyofthe twentysixhearingdatesreferredtobythetrialjudge.Obviously,theDefendantcannotpresentanyproofinsupportofhisallegationsunlessanduntilanevidentiaryhearingisconducted,withtheDefendantpresentandaffordedtheopportunitytopresenttestimonyorotherevidence.ThereisnothinginthisrecordtosupportthetrialcourtsfindingthattheDefendanthasabandonedhisclaim.WhiletheDefendantspetitionforpostconvictionreliefmaywellbetotallywithoutmerit,thereissimplynothinginthisrecordthatsupportsthisfindingbythetrialjudge. Forthereasonsstatedinthisopinion,weconcludethatthiscasemustϜbeagainremandedtothetrialcourtforfurtherconsideration.Wealsoconcludethattheinterestsoffairness,justiceandjudicialeconomywouldbebetterservedifajudgeotherthanthetrialjudgewhohastwicedismissedthispetitionconductssuchfurtherproceedings. Thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisreversedandthiscaseisremandedforfurtherproceedings.Uponremand,theHonorableRayL.Jenkinsshallberecusedfromfurtherconsiderationofthismatter.          ___________________________________     DAVIDH.WELLES,JUDGECONCUR:___________________________________THOMAST.WOODALL,JUDGE___________________________________JOHNK.BYERS,SENIORJUDGE