OLADUNNI v. STATE (2020)

Ibrahim Oladunni pled guilty to various crimes, and the trial court entered a judgment of conviction on the plea on March 12, 2019. Within the same term of court, Oladunni filed a timely motion to withdraw his guilty plea, Dos Santos v. State, 307 Ga. 151, 158 (5), 834 S.E.2d 733 (2019), and a timely motion in arrest of judgment. OCGA § 17-9-61 (b). See OCGA § 15-6-3 (3) (terms of court for Atlanta Circuit Superior Court, which includes Fulton County, commence on the first Monday in January, March, May, July, September, and November).

He also filed three notices of appeal, two after oral rulings denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea and one after the entry of the trial court's written order denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea. In each notice of appeal, Oladunni challenged his conviction and sentence, the denial of his motion to withdraw his guilty plea, and the trial court's treatment of his motion in arrest of judgment. Oladunni's motion in arrest of judgment “was pending when [he] filed [his] notice[s] of appeal, and as far as we know, his motion still is pending today.” State v. Hood, 295 Ga. 664, 763 S.E.2d 487 (2014).

Because Oladunni's motion in arrest of judgment remains pending, we lack jurisdiction over his appeals. Oladunni's “motion [in arrest of judgment] remains pending, the trial court has jurisdiction to rule on the merits of the motion, [Oladunni's] notice[s] of appeal ․ [have] not ripened, and the attempted appeal in this [c]ourt must be dismissed.” Pounds v. State, 309 Ga. 376, 385 (4), 846 S.E.2d 48 (2020) (addressing motion for new trial, which, like a motion in arrest of judgment, is a resetting post-judgment motion under OCGA § 5-6-38 (a)). “If the motion [in arrest of judgment] is denied, the judgment from which [Oladunni] seeks to appeal will stand, and the notice[s] of appeal previously filed by [Oladunni] then will ripen.” Hood, 295 Ga. at 665, 763 S.E.2d 487.

Appeals dismissed.

McFadden, Chief Judge.

Doyle, P. J., and Hodges, J., concur.