Archive for the ‘Criminal Process’ Category

Expungement of victim protective orders

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-60.18. Expungement of victim protective orders.

A. Persons authorized to file a motion for expungement of victim protective orders (VPOs) issued pursuant to the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act in this state must be within one of the following categories:

1. An ex parte order was issued to the plaintiff but later terminated due to dismissal of the petition before the full hearing, or denial of the petition upon full hearing, or failure of the plaintiff to appear for full hearing, and at least ninety (90) days have passed since the date set for full hearing;

2. The plaintiff filed an application for a victim protective order and failed to appear for the full hearing and at least ninety (90) days have passed since the date last set by the court for the full hearing, including the last date set for any continuance, postponement or rescheduling of the hearing;

3. The plaintiff or defendant has had the order vacated and three (3) years have passed since the order to vacate was entered; or

4. The plaintiff or defendant is deceased.

B. For purposes of this section:

1. “Expungement” means the sealing of victim protective order (VPO) court records from public inspection, but not from law enforcement agencies, the court or the district attorney;

2. “Plaintiff” means the person or persons who sought the original victim protective order (VPO) for cause; and

3. “Defendant” means the person or persons to whom the victim protective order (VPO) was directed.

C. 1. Any person qualified under subsection A of this section may petition the district court of the district in which the protective order pertaining to the person is located for the expungement and sealing of the court records from public inspection. The face of the petition shall state whether the defendant in the protective order has been convicted of any violation of the protective order and whether any prosecution or complaint is pending in this state or any other state for a violation or alleged violation of the protective order that is sought to be expunged. The petition shall further state the authority pursuant to subsection A of this section for eligibility for requesting the expungement. The other party to the protective order shall be mailed a copy of the petition by certified mail within ten (10) days of filing the petition. A written answer or objection may be filed within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice and petition.

2. Upon the filing of a petition, the court shall set a date for a hearing and shall provide at least a thirty-day notice of the hearing to all parties to the protective order, the district attorney, and any other person or agency whom the court has reason to believe may have relevant information related to the sealing of the victim protective order (VPO) court record.

3. Without objection from the other party to the victim protective order (VPO) or upon a finding that the harm to the privacy of the person in interest or dangers of unwarranted adverse consequences outweigh the public and safety interests of the parties to the protective order in retaining the records, the court may order the court record, or any part thereof, to be sealed from public inspection. Any order entered pursuant to this section shall not limit or restrict any law enforcement agency, the district attorney or the court from accessing said records without the necessity of a court order. Any order entered pursuant to this subsection may be appealed by any party to the protective order or by the district attorney to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in accordance with the rules of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

4. Upon the entry of an order to expunge and seal from public inspection a victim protective order (VPO) court record, or any part thereof, the subject official actions shall be deemed never to have occurred, and the persons in interest and the public may properly reply, upon any inquiry in the matter, that no such action ever occurred and that no such record exists with respect to the persons.

5. Inspection of the protective order court records included in the expungement order issued pursuant to this section may thereafter be permitted only upon petition by the persons in interest who are the subjects of the records, or without petition by the district attorney or a law enforcement agency in the due course of investigation of a crime.

6. Employers, educational institutions, state and local government agencies, officials, and employees shall not require, in any application or interview or otherwise, an applicant to disclose any information contained in sealed protective order court records. An applicant need not, in answer to any question concerning the records, provide information that has been sealed, including any reference to or information concerning the sealed information and may state that no such action has ever occurred. The application may not be denied solely because of the refusal of the applicant to disclose protective order court records information that has been sealed.

7. The provisions of this section shall apply to all protective order court records existing in the district courts of this state on, before and after the effective date of this section.

8. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the physical destruction of any court records, except as otherwise provided by law for records no longer required to be maintained by the court.

9. For the purposes of this section, sealed materials which are recorded in the same document as unsealed material may be recorded in a separate document, and sealed, then obliterated in the original document.

10. For the purposes of this act, district court index reference of sealed material shall be destroyed, removed or obliterated.

11. Any record ordered to be sealed pursuant to this section may be obliterated or destroyed at the end of the ten-year period.

12. Nothing herein shall prohibit the introduction of evidence regarding actions sealed pursuant to the provisions of this section at any hearing or trial for purposes of impeaching the credibility of a witness or as evidence of character testimony pursuant to Section 2608 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Law Office of Matt Swain
115 South Peters Avenue NormanOK73069 USA 
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Law Offices of Matt Swain

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Consideration of certain victims’ safety prior to release of defendant on bond

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-60.17. Consideration of certain victims’ safety prior to release of defendant on bond – Emergency protective and restraining orders – GPS monitoring.

The court shall consider the safety of any and all alleged victims of domestic violence, stalking, harassment, sexual assault, or forcible sodomy where the defendant is alleged to have violated a protective order, committed domestic assault and battery, stalked, sexually assaulted, or forcibly sodomized the alleged victim or victims prior to the release of the alleged defendant from custody on bond. The court, after consideration and to ensure the safety of the alleged victim or victims, may issue an emergency protective order pursuant to the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act. The court may also issue to the alleged victim or victims, an order restraining the alleged defendant from any activity or action from which they may be restrained under the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act. The protective order shall remain in effect until either a plea has been accepted, sentencing has occurred in the case, the case has been dismissed, or until further order of the court dismissing the protective order. In conjunction with any protective order or restraining order authorized by this section, the court may order the defendant to use an active, real-time, twenty-four-hour Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring device for such term as the court deems appropriate. Upon application of the victim, the court may authorize the victim to monitor the location of the defendant. Such monitoring by the victim shall be limited to the ability of the victim to make computer or cellular inquiries to determine if the defendant is within a specified distance of locations, excluding the residence or workplace of the defendant, or to receive a computer- or a cellular-generated signal if the defendant comes within a specified distance of the victim. The court shall conduct an annual review of the monitoring order to determine if such order to monitor the location of the defendant is still necessary. Before the court orders the use of a GPS device, the court shall find that the defendant has a history that demonstrates an intent to commit violence against the victim, including, but not limited to, prior conviction for an offense under the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act or any other violent offense, or any other evidence that shows by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is likely to commit violence against the victim. The court may further order the defendant to pay costs and expenses related to the GPS device and monitoring.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

405-501-0827

Protective order

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-60.11. Protective order – Statement required – Validity.

In addition to any other provisions required by the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act, or otherwise required by law, each ex parte or final protective order issued pursuant to the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act shall have a statement printed in bold-faced type or in capital letters containing the following information:

1. The filing or nonfiling of criminal charges and the prosecution of the case shall not be determined by a person who is protected by the protective order, but shall be determined by the prosecutor;

2. No person, including a person who is protected by the order, may give permission to anyone to ignore or violate any provision of the order. During the time in which the order is valid, every provision of the order shall be in full force and effect unless a court changes the order;

3. The order will be in effect for three (3) years unless extended, modified, vacated or rescinded by the court;

4. A violation of the order is punishable by a fine of up to One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisonment for up to one (1) year in the county jail, or by both such fine and imprisonment. A violation of the order which causes injury is punishable by imprisonment for twenty (20) days to one (1) year in the county jail or a fine of up to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment; and

5. Possession of a firearm or ammunition by a defendant while an order is in effect may subject the defendant to prosecution for a violation of federal law even if the order does not specifically prohibit the defendant from possession of a firearm or ammunition.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

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Warrantless arrest

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-60.9. Warrantless arrest.

A. A peace officer, without a warrant, may arrest and take into custody a person if the peace officer has reasonable cause to believe that:

1. An emergency ex parte or final protective order has been issued and served upon the person, pursuant to the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act;

2. A true copy and proof of service of the order has been filed with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction of the area in which the plaintiff or any family or household member named in the order resides or a certified copy of the order and proof of service is presented to the peace officer as provided in subsection D of this section;

3. The person named in the order has received notice of the order and has had a reasonable time to comply with such order; and

4. The person named in the order has violated the order or is then acting in violation of the order.

B. A peace officer, without a warrant, shall arrest and take into custody a person if the following conditions have been met:

1. The peace officer has reasonable cause to believe that a foreign protective order has been issued, pursuant to the law of the state or tribal court where the foreign protective order was issued;

2. A certified copy of the foreign protective order has been presented to the peace officer that appears valid on its face; and

3. The peace officer has reasonable cause to believe the person named in the order has violated the order or is then acting in violation of the order.

C. A person arrested pursuant to this section shall be brought before the court within twenty-four (24) hours after arrest to answer to a charge for violation of the order pursuant to Section 60.8 of this title, at which time the court shall do each of the following:

1. Set a time certain for a hearing on the alleged violation of the order within seventy-two (72) hours after arrest, unless extended by the court on the motion of the arrested person;

2. Set a reasonable bond pending a hearing of the alleged violation of the order; and

3. Notify the party who has procured the order and direct the party to appear at the hearing and give evidence on the charge.

D. A copy of a protective order shall be prima facie evidence that such order is valid in this state when such documentation is presented to a law enforcement officer by the plaintiff, defendant, or another person on behalf of a person named in the order. Any law enforcement officer may rely on such evidence to make an arrest for a violation of such order, if there is reason to believe the defendant has violated or is then acting in violation of the order without justifiable excuse. When a law enforcement officer relies upon the evidence specified in this subsection, such officer and the employing agency shall be immune from liability for the arrest of the defendant if it is later proved that the evidence was false.

E. Any person who knowingly and willfully presents any false or materially altered protective order to any law enforcement officer to effect an arrest of any person shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a period not to exceed two (2) years, or by a fine not exceeding Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) and shall, in addition, be liable for any civil damages to the defendant.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

405-501-0827

Who may resist

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-31. Who may resist.

Lawful resistance to the commission of a public offense may be made:

1. By the party about to be injured.

2. By other parties.

R.L.1910, § 5556.

§22-32. Resistance by party to be injured.

Resistance sufficient to prevent the offense may be made by the party about to be injured:

1. To prevent an offense against his person or his family, or some member thereof.

2. To prevent an illegal attempt, by force, to take or injure property in his lawful possession.

R.L.1910, § 5557.

§22-33. Resistance by other person.

Any other person, in aid or defense of the person about to be injured, may make resistance sufficient to prevent the offense.

§22-34. Intervention by officers.

Public offenses may be prevented by the intervention of the officers of justice:

1. By requiring security to keep the peace.

2. By forming a police in cities and towns, and by requiring their attendance in exposed places.

3. By suppressing riots.

R.L.1910, § 5559.

§22-34.1. Peace officers using excessive force – Definition – Adoption of policies and guidelines.

A. Any peace officer, as defined in Section 648 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes, who uses excessive force in pursuance of such officer’s law enforcement duties shall be subject to the criminal laws of this state to the same degree as any other citizen.

B. As used in this act, “excessive force” means physical force which exceeds the degree of physical force permitted by law or the policies and guidelines of the law enforcement entity. The use of excessive force shall be presumed when a peace officer continues to apply physical force in excess of the force permitted by law or said policies and guidelines to a person who has been rendered incapable of resisting arrest.

C. Each law enforcement entity which employs any peace officer shall adopt policies or guidelines concerning the use of force by peace officers which shall be complied with by peace officers in carrying out the duties of such officers within the jurisdiction of the law enforcement entity.

Added by Laws 1992, c. 146, § 1, eff. July 1, 1992.

§22-34.2. Reporting incidents of excessive force – Contents of report – Failure to report or making materially false statements.

A. Any peace officer, except a newly employed officer during such officer’s probationary period, who, in pursuance of such officer’s law enforcement duties, witnesses another peace officer, in pursuance of such other peace officer’s law enforcement duties in carrying out an arrest of any person, placing any person under detention, taking any person into custody, booking any person, or in the process of crowd control or riot control, use physical force which exceeds the degree of physical force permitted by law or by the policies and guidelines of the law enforcement entity, shall report such use of excessive force to such officer’s immediate supervisor.

B. At a minimum, the report required by this section shall include:

1. The date, time, and place of the occurrence;

2. The identity, if known, and description of the participants;

3. A description of the events and the force used.

C. A copy of an arrest report or other similar report required as a part of a peace officer’s duties can be substituted for the report required by this section, as long as it includes the information specified in subsection B of this section. The report shall be made in writing within ten (10) days of the occurrence of the use of such force.

D. Any peace officer who fails to report such use of excessive force in the manner prescribed in this section, or who knowingly makes a materially false statement which the officer does not believe to be true in any report made pursuant to this section, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

405-501-0827

Sealing and unsealing of records

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-19.  Sealing and unsealing of records – Procedure.
A.  Any person qualified under Section 18 of this title may petition the district court of the district in which the arrest information pertaining to the person is located for the sealing of all or any part of the record, except basic identification information.
B.  Upon the filing of a petition or entering of a court order, the court shall set a date for a hearing and shall provide thirty (30) days of notice of the hearing to the district attorney, the arresting agency, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and any other person or agency whom the court has reason to believe may have relevant information related to the sealing of such record.
C.  Upon a finding that the harm to privacy of the person in interest or dangers of unwarranted adverse consequences outweigh the public interest in retaining the records, the court may order such records, or any part thereof except basic identification information, to be sealed.  If the court finds that neither sealing of the records nor maintaining of the records unsealed by the agency would serve the ends of justice, the court may enter an appropriate order limiting access to such records.
Any order entered under this subsection shall specify those agencies to which such order shall apply.  Any order entered pursuant to this subsection may be appealed by the petitioner, the district attorney, the arresting agency, or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in accordance with the rules of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.  In all such appeals, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is a necessary party and must be given notice of the appellate proceedings.
D.  Upon the entry of an order to seal the records, or any part thereof, the subject official actions shall be deemed never to have occurred, and the person in interest and all criminal justice agencies may properly reply, upon any inquiry in the matter, that no such action ever occurred and that no such record exists with respect to such person.
E.  Inspection of the records included in the order may thereafter be permitted by the court only upon petition by the person in interest who is the subject of such records, the Attorney General, or by the district attorney and only to those persons and for such purposes named in such petition.
F.  Employers, educational institutions, state and local government agencies, officials, and employees shall not, in any application or interview or otherwise, require an applicant to disclose any information contained in sealed records.  An applicant need not, in answer to any question concerning arrest and criminal records provide information that has been sealed, including any reference to or information concerning such sealed information and may state that no such action has ever occurred.  Such an application may not be denied solely because of the applicant’s refusal to disclose arrest and criminal records information that has been sealed.
G.  All arrest and criminal records information existing prior to the effective date of this section, except basic identification information, is also subject to sealing in accordance with subsection C of this section.
H.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the physical destruction of any criminal justice records.
I.  For the purposes of this section, sealed materials which are recorded in the same document as unsealed material may be recorded in a separate document, and sealed, then obliterated in the original document.
J.  For the purposes of this act, district court index reference of sealed material shall be destroyed, removed or obliterated.
K.  Any record ordered to be sealed pursuant to Section 1 et seq. of this title, if not unsealed within ten (10) years of the expungement order, may be obliterated or destroyed at the end of the ten‑year period.
L.  Subsequent to records being sealed as provided herein, the district attorney, the arresting agency, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or other interested person or agency may petition the court for an order unsealing said records.  Upon filing of a petition the court shall set a date for hearing, which hearing may be closed at the court’s discretion, and shall provide thirty (30) days’ notice to all interested parties.  If, upon hearing, the court determines there has been a change of conditions or that there is a compelling reason to unseal the records, the court may order all or a portion of the records unsealed.
M.  Nothing herein shall prohibit the introduction of evidence regarding actions sealed pursuant to the provisions of this section at any hearing or trial for purposes of impeaching the credibility of a witness or as evidence of character testimony pursuant to Section 2608 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

405-501-0827

Expungement of records

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-18. Expungement of records – Persons authorized.

Persons authorized to file a motion for expungement, as provided herein, must be within one of the following categories:

1. The person has been acquitted;

2. The conviction was reversed with instructions to dismiss by an appellate court of competent jurisdiction, or an appellate court of competent jurisdiction reversed the conviction and the district attorney subsequently dismissed the charge;

3. The factual innocence of the person was established by the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) evidence subsequent to conviction, including a person who has been released from prison at the time innocence was established;

4. The person has received a full pardon on the basis of a written finding by the Governor of actual innocence for the crime for which the claimant was sentenced;

5. The person was arrested and no charges of any type, including charges for an offense different than that for which the person was originally arrested are filed or charges are dismissed within one (1) year of the arrest, or all charges are dismissed on the merits;

6. The statute of limitations on the offense had expired and no charges were filed;

7. The person was under eighteen (18) years of age at the time the offense was committed and the person has received a full pardon for the offense;

8. The offense was a misdemeanor, the person has not been convicted of any other misdemeanor or felony, no felony or misdemeanor charges are pending against the person, and at least ten (10) years have passed since the judgment was entered;

9. The offense was a nonviolent felony, as defined in Section 571 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the person has received a full pardon for the offense, the person has not been convicted of any other misdemeanor or felony, no felony or misdemeanor charges are pending against the person, and at least ten (10) years have passed since the conviction; or

10. The person has been charged or arrested or is the subject of an arrest warrant for a crime that was committed by another person who has appropriated or used the person’s name or other identification without the person’s consent or authorization.

For purposes of this act, “expungement” shall mean the sealing of criminal records. Records expunged pursuant to paragraph 10 of this section shall be sealed to the public but not to law enforcement agencies for law enforcement purposes.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

405-501-0827

Custody and distribution of proceeds from sale of rights arising from criminal act

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-17.  Custody and distribution of proceeds from sale of rights arising from criminal act.
A.  Every person who has been charged, convicted, has pled guilty or has pled nolo contendere to any crime, hereinafter referred to as the defendant, or any other person with the cooperation of the defendant, who contracts to receive, or have any other person or entity receive, any proceeds or profits from any source, as a direct or indirect result of the crime or sentence, or the notoriety which the crime or sentence has conferred upon the defendant, shall forfeit the proceeds or profits as provided in this section; provided, however, proceeds or profits from a contract relating to the depiction or discussion of the defendant’s crime shall not be subject to forfeiture unless an integral part of the work is a depiction or discussion of the defendant’s crime or an impression of the defendant’s thoughts, opinions, or emotions regarding the crime.  All parties to a contract described in this section are required to pay to the district court wherein the criminal charges were filed any proceeds or thing of value which pursuant to the contract is to be paid to the defendant or to another person or entity.  The district court shall make deposit of proceeds received pursuant to this section and direct the county treasurer to make the deposit of those funds in an escrow account for the benefit of and payable to victims of the crime or the legal representative of any victim of the crime committed by the defendant or to repay a public defender office for legal representation during a criminal proceeding.  There is hereby created a lien upon any sum of money or other thing of value payable to anyone pursuant to any contract described in this section, for the purpose of enforcing the forfeiture obligation established herein, which lien may be foreclosed in the same manner as statutory tax liens created by Oklahoma law.  Any person who contracts without fully providing for such forfeiture in compliance with the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) and not to exceed three times the value of the proceeds of the contract, or by imprisonment not exceeding ten (10) years in the custody of the Department of Corrections, or both such fine and imprisonment.
B.  Payments from the escrow account shall be used, in the following order of priority, to satisfy any judgment rendered in favor of a victim or a victim’s legal representative, to pay restitution, fines, court costs, and other payments, reparations or reimbursements ordered by the court at the time of sentencing including repayments to a public defender office for legal representation of the defendant and to pay every cost and expense of incarceration and treatment authorized by law as a cost of the defendant.
C.  A victim or the legal representative of a victim must file a civil action, in a court of competent jurisdiction, to recover money against the defendant or the defendant’s legal representative within seven (7) years of the filing of the criminal charges against the defendant.  The victims and the legal representative of a victim of the crime shall have a priority interest in any proceeds or profits received pursuant to the provisions of this section.  If no victim or legal representative of a victim has filed a civil suit within seven (7) years from the filing of the criminal charges against the defendant, any money in the escrow account shall be paid over in the following order of priority:
1.  For restitution;
2.  For any fine and court costs;
3.  For other payments ordered in the sentence;
4.  For the costs and expenses of incarceration; and
any remaining money to the Victims’ Compensation Revolving Fund.  Upon disposition of charges favorable to the defendant, any money in the escrow account shall be paid over to the defendant.
D.  The district court wherein the criminal charges were filed shall, once every six (6) months for seven (7) years from the date any money is deposited with the court, publish a notice in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation in each county of the state in accordance with the provisions on publication of notices found in Sections 101 et seq. of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes, notifying any eligible victim or legal representative of an eligible victim that monies are available to satisfy judgments pursuant to this section.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

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Jury trial – Exceptions

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22-16. Jury trial – Exceptions.

No person can be convicted of a public offense, unless by the verdict of a jury, accepted and recorded by the court, or upon a plea of guilty, or upon final judgment for or against him upon a demurrer to the indictment, or upon a judgment of a police or justice’s court in cases in which such judgment may be lawfully given without the intervention of a jury or grand jury.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

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Testimony against one’s self ‑ Restraint during trial and prior to conviction

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

§22‑15.  Testimony against one’s self ‑ Restraint during trial and prior to conviction.
No person can be compelled in a criminal action to be witness against himself; nor can a person charged with a public offense be subjected before conviction to any more restraint than is necessary for his detention to answer the charge, and in no event shall he be tried before a jury while in chains or shackles.

Law Offices of Matt Swain

405-501-0827