Papillion v. Texas - Criminal Appeal Dismissed
Summary
The Texas Court of Appeals, 9th District (Beaumont) dismissed defendant Thaddeus Deshun Papillion's appeal from a guilty plea conviction for possession of a controlled substance. The appeal was dismissed as untimely because Papillion failed to file his notice of appeal by the August 8, 2025 deadline and did not seek an extension within the permissible 15-day window.
What changed
The Court of Appeals dismissed Papillion's appeal from his July 9, 2025 sentence of two years confinement in state jail for possession of a controlled substance. The defendant's notice of appeal was not filed until January 30, 2026, approximately five months after the August 8, 2025 deadline, and well beyond the August 25, 2025 extension deadline under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 26.3. Neither Papillion nor the State responded to the Clerk's notice regarding the untimely filing.
This case illustrates the strict enforcement of appellate filing deadlines in criminal cases. Criminal defendants must file notices of appeal within 30 days of sentencing and may only obtain extensions within 15 days thereafter. Failure to comply with these procedural requirements results in forfeiture of the right to appeal. No action is required by compliance professionals as this is a private criminal matter with no regulatory implications for regulated industries.
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April 1, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note
Thaddeus Deshun Papillion v. the State of Texas
Texas Court of Appeals, 9th District (Beaumont)
- Citations: None known
- Docket Number: 09-26-00073-CR
- Nature of Suit: Poss of a Controlled Substance
Disposition: Dismissed
Disposition
Dismissed
Lead Opinion
In The
Court of Appeals
Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
NO. 09-26-00073-CR
THADDEUS DESHUN PAPILLION, Appellant
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
On Appeal from the Criminal District Court
Jefferson County, Texas
Trial Cause No. 23DCCR0857
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Thaddeus Deshun Papillion was indicted for possession of a controlled
substance, a charge to which he pleaded guilty, and on July 9, 2025, the trial court
sentenced him to two years confinement in state jail. Papillion did not file a motion
for new trial within 30 days after the date on which the trial court imposed the
sentence. See Tex. R. App. P. 21.4(a). Notice of appeal was due to be filed on August
8, 2025. See id. 26.2(a)(1). Papillion’s time for filing a motion for extension of time
to perfect his appeal expired on August 25, 2025. See id. 4.1(a), 26.3. A pro se notice
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of appeal was dated January 30, 2026, mailed in an envelope postmarked February
3, 2026, and received by the District Clerk on February 9, 2026.
On February 13, 2026, the Clerk of the Court notified the parties that the
appeal had been filed outside the time for which an extension of time may be granted
for filing notice of appeal and warned the parties that the appeal would be dismissed
unless grounds were shown for continuing the appeal. Neither Papillion nor the State
responded to the Clerk’s notice.
When a defendant appeals from a conviction in a criminal case, the time to
file a notice of appeal runs from the date sentence is imposed or suspended in open
court. See id. 26.2(a). An appellate court may extend the time to file the notice of
appeal if, within 15 days after the deadline for filing the notice of appeal, the
defendant files a notice of appeal in the trial court and files a motion for extension
of time in the appellate court. See id. 26.3. Papillion failed to file a notice of appeal
and a motion for an extension of time within the time permitted by the rule. See id.
He does not contend that he has obtained an out-of-time appeal from the Court of
Criminal Appeals.
This Court’s appellate jurisdiction in a criminal case is invoked by a timely
filed notice of appeal. Olivo v. State, 918 S.W.2d 519, 522 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996).
“Timely filing of a written notice of appeal is a jurisdictional prerequisite to hearing
an appeal.” Castillo v. State, 369 S.W.3d 196, 198 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012). “If a
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notice of appeal is not timely filed, the court of appeals has no option but to dismiss
the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.” Id.
The Court finds it is without jurisdiction to entertain the appeal. Accordingly,
we dismiss the appeal. See Tex. R. App. P. 43.2(f).
APPEAL DISMISSED.
PER CURIAM
Submitted on March 31, 2026
Opinion Delivered April 1, 2026
Do Not Publish
Before Johnson, Wright and Chambers, JJ.
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