Opinion
14-23-00194-CR
11-16-2023
SAMUEL WAYNE WATTS, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
On Appeal from the 180th District Court Harris County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. 1684286
Panel Consists of Justices Hassan, Poissant, and Wilson.
ABATEMENT ORDER
PER CURIAM.
The trial court failed to submit findings of fact and conclusions of law on the voluntariness of appellant's statement. Article 38.22, section 6 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure requires the trial court to make written fact findings and conclusions of law as to whether a challenged statement was made voluntarily, even if appellant did not request them or object to their absence. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 38.22 § 6 (Vernon 2005); Urias v. State, 155 S.W.3d 141, 142 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004). The statute is mandatory and the proper procedure to correct the error is to abate the appeal and direct the trial court to make the required findings and conclusions. See Tex. R. App. P. 44.4; Wicker v. State, 740 S.W.2d 779, 784 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987).
Accordingly, the trial court is directed to reduce to writing its findings of fact and conclusions of law on the voluntariness of appellant's statement and have a supplemental clerk's record containing those findings filed with the clerk of this court on or before December 18, 2023. If the trial court's findings were dictated into the record, the trial court is directed to include those findings in a supplemental clerk's record to be filed with the clerk of this court on or December 18, 2023.
The appeal is abated, treated as a closed case, and removed from this court's active docket. The appeal will be reinstated on this court's active docket when the trial court's findings and recommendations are filed in this court. The court will also consider an appropriate motion to reinstate the appeal filed by either party.