State v. Rodriguez

NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION.
UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL
AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE.

IN THE
ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS
DIVISION ONE

STATE OF ARIZONA, Appellee,

v.

JUAN MANUEL RODRIGUEZ, Appellant.

No. 1 CA-CR 22-0217
FILED 1-17-2023

Appeal from the Superior Court in Mohave County
No. S8015CR202100378
The Honorable Douglas Camacho, Judge Pro Tempore

AFFIRMED

COUNSEL

Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Phoenix
By Rebecca Jones
Counsel for Appellee

Jill L. Evans Attorney at Law, Flagstaff
By Jill L. Evans
Counsel for Appellant

MEMORANDUM DECISION

Judge Angela K. Paton delivered the decision of the Court, in which
Presiding Judge Maria Elena Cruz and Judge Peter B. Swann1 joined.

1Judge Peter B. Swann was a sitting member of this court when the matter
was assigned to this panel of the court. He retired effective November 28,
2022. In accordance with the authority granted by Article 6, Section 3, of
 STATE v. RODRIGUEZ
Decision of the Court

P A T O N, Judge:

¶1 Juan Manuel Rodriguez appeals from his convictions for
transportation of dangerous drugs for sale and misconduct involving
weapons. We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶2 Rodriguez was indicted for transportation of dangerous
drugs for resale and two counts of misconduct involving weapons in April
2021. Rodriguez was present at his arraignment. He was present at his
pretrial conference, three status conferences, and three final management
conferences, including the last one at which the final date and time for
Rodriguez’s trial were confirmed.

¶3 On the morning of trial, the prosecutor and Rodriguez’s
counsel appeared in court at the scheduled time, but Rodriguez was absent.
The court asked Rodriguez’s counsel about Rodriguez’s absence and after
discussion, found Rodriguez’s presence waived. The court and counsel
proceeded to discuss and resolve outstanding pretrial issues, which took
approximately twenty minutes. Rodriguez was present with counsel when
the proceedings resumed with jury selection about an hour later. The jury
convicted Rodriguez on all counts.

¶4 Rodriguez timely appealed. We have jurisdiction to hear this
appeal under Article 6, Section 9, of the Arizona Constitution and Arizona
Revised Statutes (“A.R.S.”) Sections 12-2101(A)(1), -120.21(A)(1), 13-4031,
and 13-4033(A)(1).

DISCUSSION

¶5 Rodriguez argues that the superior court committed
reversible error by failing to make a finding of or inquire into the
voluntariness of his brief absence on the first morning of trial. Because
Rodriguez did not object to the court’s proceeding with the pretrial

the Arizona Constitution and pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-145, the Chief Justice
of the Arizona Supreme Court has designated Judge Swann as a judge pro
tempore in the Court of Appeals for the purpose of participating in the
resolution of cases assigned to this panel during his term in office and for
the duration of Administrative Order 2022-162.

2
 STATE v. RODRIGUEZ
Decision of the Court

conference in his absence, we review for fundamental error. See State v.
Henderson, 210 Ariz. 561, 567 ¶ 19 (2005).

¶6 Both the U.S. and Arizona constitutions protect the rights of
an accused to be present at all stages of criminal proceedings against him.
See U.S. Const. Amendment six; Ariz. Const. art. 2 §§ 4, 24; see also State v.
Dann, 205 Ariz. 557, 571–72, ¶¶ 52-53 (2003) (discussing extent of Sixth
Amendment right to be present). A defendant has the right to be present at
every stage of his trial. Ariz. R. Crim. P. 19.2; State v. Garcia-Contreras, 191
Ariz. 144, 146 ¶ 8 (1998). But a defendant’s voluntary absence at a
proceeding waives this right, and a court “may infer that a defendant’s
absence is voluntary if the defendant had actual notice of the date and time
of the proceeding, notice of the right to be present, and notice that the
proceeding would go forward in the defendant’s absence.” Ariz. R. Crim.
P. 9.1.

¶7 Rodriguez was advised that a jury trial may go forward in his
absence if he failed to appear and that he had the right to be present at all
future proceedings. He also had actual notice of the date and time of his
trial at the final management conference in which his trial date and time
were confirmed. The superior court could thus properly infer that his
absence was voluntary according to Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure
9.1. Rodriguez did not request an inquiry into the voluntariness of his
absence, and the superior court did not err by not so inquiring sua sponte.
Because Rodriguez has not shown the superior court erred when it
proceeded with the brief pretrial conference in his absence, he has not
shown error, let alone prejudicial, fundamental error. See State v. Escalante, 245 Ariz. 135, 142 ¶ 21 (2018) (“[T]he first step in fundamental error review
is determining whether trial error exists.”).

CONCLUSION

¶8 We affirm.

AMY M. WOOD • Clerk of the Court
FILED: AA

3