Chad Hargreaves v. State

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia

ATLANTA,____________________ December 01, 2025

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order: A26A0798. CHAD HARGREAVES v. THE STATE.

A jury convicted Chad Hargreaves of five counts of child molestation and a single count each of aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation. He was sentenced to life in prison. We affirmed his convictions in an unpublished opinion. See Hargreaves v. State, Case No. A18A0181 (May 25, 2018). Hargreaves then filed a “Motion to Set Aside a Void Indictment,” alleging that his convictions and sentence were void because the State failed to follow the proper procedures to obtain a valid charging document. The trial court denied the motion, and Hargreaves appealed. We dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction, explaining that Hargreaves’s motion was, in substance, a petition to vacate his judgment of conviction, which is not an appropriate remedy in a criminal case. See Hargreaves v. State, Case No. A19A0667 (Nov. 16, 2018). Last month, Hargreaves filed a “Motion to Vacate the Void Judgment,” again arguing that his conviction is a nullity because his indictment was flawed. The trial court denied the motion, and Hargreaves appeals. Once again, however, we lack jurisdiction. A challenge to the validity of an indictment is a challenge to a criminal conviction. See Jones v. State, 290 Ga. App. 490, 494(2) (659 SE2d 875) (2008). But “a petition to vacate or modify a judgment of conviction is not an appropriate remedy in a criminal case.” Harper v. State, 286 Ga. 216, 218 (1) (686 SE2d 786) (2009). Any appeal from an order denying or dismissing such a petition or motion must be dismissed. See Roberts v. State, 286 Ga. 532, 532 (690 SE2d 150) (2010); Harper, 286

Ga. at 218(2). Accordingly, this appeal is hereby DISMISSED for lack of jurisdiction.

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________ 12/01/2025 I certify that the above is a true extract from the minutes of the Court of Appeals of Georgia. Witness my signature and the seal of said court hereto affixed the day and year last above written.

, Clerk.