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R MichaelA.Anderson,Chattanooga,Tennessee,fortheappellant,DavidAnthonyLee. 2 PaulG.Summers,AttorneyGeneralandReporter;PatriciaC._Kussmann_,AssistantAttorney  General;WilliamH.CoxIII,DistrictAttorneyGeneral;andThomasE.Kimball,AssistantDistrict   AttorneyGeneral,fortheappellee,StateofTennessee. !  w@@OO& OPINION #<XX#XX< r$# #<XX #XX<XXXX    Introduction  R&!% u  XThedefendant,DavidAnthonyLee,appealshissixyearsentenceafterpleadingguiltyin *(z#' HamiltonCountyCriminalCourttoviolationofTenn.CodeAnn.5510601,theMotorVehicle )f$( HabitualOffendersAct.Forthisoffense,thedefendantwassentencedasaRangeIII career *R%) offender.Onappeal,thedefendantasksthisCourttoholdthathisRangeIII careeroffender *>&* classificationwasinerrorandthathissentencewas cruelandunusualpunishment.Aftercareful +*'+ review,weholdthatthedefendantwasproperlyclassifiedasa careeroffenderandhissixyear ,(, sentenceisnot cruelandunusualpunishment. -)- _ԇXXXX    &    X   Facts q  3Ԍ  ЌXXXXXXXX  'KW Xc  OnOctober14,1997,afterseveraltrafficoffenses,thedefendantwasdeclaredamotor  vehiclehabitualoffenderbytheHamiltonCountyCriminalCourtandprohibitedfromdrivinga t motorvehicle.OnMarch12,1998,thedefendantwasstoppedataroadblockconductedbythe ` TennesseeHighwayPatrol.Thedefendantwasfoundtobeoperatingamotorvehicleafterhaving L  beendeclaredamotorvehicle#XXXXG ##<XX% # <XX Ԁhabitualoffender.HewasindictedonNovember4,1998. 8   $ t ThestatethenfiledanoticetoseekenhancedpunishmentonFebruary18,1999,settingforth  ` sevenpriorfelonyconvictions.ThedefendantpledguiltyonSeptember30,1999,toviolationof  L  theMotorVehicleHabitualOffendersAct,aclassEfelony.Asentencinghearingwasconducted  8  onNovember15,1999.Atthishearingthestateintroducedcertifiedcopiesofjudgmentsreflecting $  sevenpriorfelonyconvictions#XXXX#XXXX# XX#XX .#XXXXU#XXXX# XX#XX ԀThedefendantdidnotintroduceanyevidenceatthesentencing   hearing.Thesentencingcourtthenclassifiedthedefendantasa careeroffenderandsentencedhim   tosixyearsintheDepartmentofCorrection,thesentencerequiredbylaw.Thedefendantnow   appealshissentence.   Ѐ&   p  \"X  Analysis  \ 'p X\" H ThedefendantfirstarguesthathewasimproperlyclassifiedasaRangeIII careeroffender. 4 Specifically,hearguesthathedidnotpossesssufficientpriorfelonyconvictionstobea career  p offender,asseveralofhispriorconvictionsshouldhavebeenconsidered,forsentencingpurposes,  \ asoneconvictionunderthetwentyfourhourmergerrule. H  4 # XX##< #XX<XXXXAtsentencing,thecourtfirstdeterminestheappropriateoffenderstatusbasedupona   defendantspriorfelonyrecord.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.4035104.Thecourtthendeterminesthe   appropriaterangetoestablishtheminimumandmaximumsentenceavailable.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.  4035104to108.A multipleoffenderissentencedwithinRangeII,a persistentoffender  withinRangeIII,anda careeroffenderreceivesthemaximumsentencewithinRangeIII.See  Tenn.CodeAnn.4035106,107,108.#XXXX#XXXX# XX}# l  X  XX Commonlyknownasthe twentyfourhourmergerrule, feloniescommittedaspartofa j! singlecourseofconductwithintwentyfour(24)hoursconstituteoneconvictionforsentencing V"  purposes.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035108(b)(4).Adefendantwhohasatleastsixpriorfelony B#! convictionsisclassifiedasa careeroffenderandshallreceivethemaximumsentencewithinthe .$~" applicableRangeIII.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.4035108(c).Submissionofcertifiedcopiesofthe %j # defendantspriorconvictionsisprimafacieevidenceofthedefendantspriorfelonyrecord.See &V!$ Tenn.CodeAnn.4035202(a).# XX#XX #XXXXy#XXXX &B"% Ѐ '.#& Inthiscase,thestatesoughttoclassifythedefendantasa careeroffender.#XXXXl"#XXXXԀT# XX*"#XX hestate ($' introducedcertifiedcopiesofjudgmentsreflectingthatthedefendanthadbeenconvictedofthe )%( followingfelonyoffenses:# XXu###< 0## < *%)  X X XXX ?+ ` hp x X?! ,X !0 4  (1)SaleofCocaine,Case#169264,HamiltonCounty,Offensedate22887;+&*4 4  (2)SaleofCocaine,Case#169266,HamiltonCounty,Offensedate3787;  (3)SaleofCocaine,Case#169263,HamiltonCounty,Offensedate3887;  (4)SaleofCocaine,Case#169265,HamiltonCounty,Offensedate31387;  (5)Forgery,Case#175627,HamiltonCounty,Offensedate12488; t (6)GrandLarceny,Case#175762,HamiltonCounty,Offensedate1489;and ` 0 4  (7)044 4 Forgery(2counts),Case#97CR00179,CathouseCounty,Georgia,Offensedate, L  October17,1995.#XXXX$#8 4 4  % X ,B%% X XThedefendantdidnotobject,challenge,orrebuttheseconvictions. $ t    ` #<XX$#XX<  Thedefendantassertsthatthetrialcourterredandthatseveralofthepriorconvictionsshould  T  becountedasonebecausetheyconstitutedasinglecourseofconductandwereadjudicatedonthe  D  sameday.Applicationofthetwentyfourhourmergerrulerequiresthattheoffensesbecommitted 4  inthesametwentyfourhourperiod.SeeXXXXTenn.CodeAnn.4035108(b)(4).#XXXX0+#ԀThedateof $  adjudicationortheentryofjudgmentisirrelevantwhenapplyingthetwentyfourhourmergerrule. $  Therefore,thetrialcourtcorrectlyclassifiedthedefendantasaRangeIII careeroffender.      `    Thedefendantalsoassertsthatthetrialcourterredinnotapplyingthetwentyfourhour  mergerrulespecificallytothefeloniesoccurringonMarch7,1987,andMarch8,1987.As  previouslysetforth,sixpriorfelonyconvictionsareallthatisnecessarytoclassifythedefendant  asa careeroffender.Ifweweretoacceptthedefendantsargument,itwouldmerelyreducethe t totalnumberofpriorfelonyconvictionsappropriateforconsiderationfromseventosix.Sucha d reduction,however,wouldnotchangethedefendantsclassificationasa careeroffender. T Therefore,thisissuegrantsnorelieftothedefendant. D Ѐ  Finally,thedefendantarguesthathissentence,sixyearsincarceration,was crueland $t unusualpunishment.Tobeclear,hedoesnotarguethatthetrialcourterredinweighingany d particularmitigatingorenhancingfactors.Instead,thedefendantassertsthatsixyearsincarceration T constitutes cruelandunusualpunishmentunderArticleI,16oftheTennesseeConstitutionand D EighthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitutionasitisgrosslydisproportionatetothe 4 convictedoffense,violationoftheMotorVehicleHabitualOffendersAct#<XXp)#XX<,aclassEfelony.#<XX2#XX<ԀInfact, $ oncethetrialcourtclassifiedthedefendantasa careeroffender,weighingenhancingand   mitigatingfactorsbecameirrelevantbecausethetrialcourtwasrequiredtosentencethedefendant ! tothemaximumsentencewithinRangeIIIfortheconvictedoffense.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.4035 "  108(c).#<XX3#XX<Ԁ#<XX4#XX<Ԁ #!   TheTennesseeSupremeCourtsetoutthefactorstoconsiderinwhetheraparticularsentence t% # iscruelandunusualinStatev.Black,815S.W.2d166,189(Tenn.1991).Areviewingcourtmust d&!$ address(1)whetherthepunishmentimposedcomportswithcontemporarydecencystandards;(2) T'"% whetherthepunishmentisgrosslydisproportionatetotheconvictedoffense;and(3)whetherthe D(#& punishmentgoesbeyondwhatisnecessarytomeetanypenologicalobjective.Black,815S.W.2d 4)$' at18990. $*t%(   +d&)   Infact,theTennesseeSupremeCourtpreviouslyaddressedwhetherthepunishmentprovided   bytheTennesseeMotorVehicleHabitualOffendersAct(Act)constitutescruelandunusual  punishmentinStatev.Orr,694S.W.2d297,29899(Tenn.1985).InOrr,theCourtheldthata  sentenceofthreeyearsimprisonmentwasnotcruelandunusualgiventhedefendantslengthyprior  recordofseriousdrivinginfractions.Orr,694S.W.2dat299.TheOrrcourtnotedtheLegislatures p policyreasonsforenactingthepossiblerangeofpunishmentforviolationoftheAct,whichatthe `  timewasonetotenyearsimprisonment.Id.Werecognizethatourcaseimposesasentenceofsix P  years,whichisgreaterthanthethreeinOrr;however,webelievethattheSupremeCourtinOrr @  wouldhavebeenwillingtoupholdevenatenyearsentence,themaximumsentenceatthattime. 0    Wealsonote,contrarytothedefendantsargument,thatpunishmentforviolationofthisAct `  isnotmerelypunishmentfordrivingonarevokedlicense.AviolationofthisActisaviolationof P  acourtorderprohibitinganindividualfromdrivingasaresultofrepeateddrivinginfractions. @  Furthermore,thedefendantnotonlyviolatedacourtorder,butthedefendantfeloniouslydisregarded 0  thelawonsevenprioroccasions,resultingina careeroffenderclassification.Therefore,after   carefulreview,wedisagreewiththedefendantandholdthathissentencewaslawfullyimposedand  wasnotgrosslydisproportionatetoviolationoftheAct,clearlycomportingwithcontemporary  decencystandardsandArticleI,16oftheTennesseeConstitutionandtheEighthAmendmentto  theUnitedStatesConstitution.  XXXX    &    r@   Conclusion r@@  @Ԍ p ЌXXXXXXXX  'p@@  Forthesereasons,weaffirmthejudgementandsentencefromthetrialcourtinallrespects. P    `     h   _____________________________________ 0      `     h     JOHNEVERETTWILLIAMS,JUDGE#<XX65#