Barnes, J.
In support of his argument that his pro se request for an early trial should have been honored, Black relies on Fletcher v. State, 959 N.E.2d 922 (Ind. Ct App. 2012), trans. vacated. In Fletcher, after counsel was appointed but before an appearance was entered, Fletcher filed a pro se motion for an early trial. According to the CCS, the trial court noted that a public defender had been appointed, affirmed the previously scheduled trial date, and forwarded a copy of the motion to counsel. A few days later, the public defender entered an appearance. The State later filed a motion to strike Fletcher’s request for an early trial. At a subsequent status hearing, Fletcher’s attorney objected to postponing the scheduled trial. Later, Fletcher’s attorney filed a motion for discharge pursuant to Criminal Rule 4(B) on the basis that more than seventy days had passed since Fletcher filed his pro se motion for early trial. The trial court denied the motion, and Fletcher was eventually convicted of various drug-related charges.
On appeal, Fletcher argued that the trial court improperly denied his motion for discharge. The Fletcher panel considered our earlier opinion in Jenkins v. State, 809 N.E.2d 361 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004), in which Jenkins filed two pro se motions for an early trial after counsel had been appointed, and the trial court refused both motions. [Footnote omiteed.] On appeal, we observed, “Our supreme court has stated that ‘once counsel [is] appointed, [a d]efendant sp[eaks] to the court through counsel.’” Jenkins, 809 N.E.2d at 367 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004) (quoting Underwood v. State, 722 N.E.2d 828, 832 (Ind. 2000)) (alterations in original), trans. denied. The Jenkins court concluded, “As counsel had been appointed before Jenkins filed either of his early trial motions, the court was not required to accept the motions for filing.” Id.
In addressing Underwood and Jenkins, the Fletcher majority stated:
To the extent that the State relies upon the language in Underwood that “once counsel was appointed, Defendant spoke to the court through counsel,” we acknowledge that this language may suggest that appointment is the relevant time period for determining whether a defendant may file a pro se motion for a speedy trial. However, Underwood was addressing a situation in which counsel filed motions to continue following the defendant’s pro se motion for a speedy trial. Further, the issue of a distinction between the time a court appoints an attorney and the time an attorney files an appearance was not at issue. Accordingly, we disagree with the holding in Jenkins to the extent that it implies that the appointment of counsel and not the appearance of counsel is the relevant time.
Fletcher, 959 N.E.2d at 929 (footnote omitted). The Fletcher majority also pointed out that Fletcher’s attorney objected to the resetting of the trial and filed a motion for discharge, which the majority considered to be an affirmation of Fletcher’s pro se request for an early trial. Id. Based on these distinctions, the Fletcher majority reversed the denial of Fletcher’s motion for discharge.
We believe Fletcher is distinguishable because [defense counsel] Anzini did not pursue an early trial on Black’s behalf. In fact, at a March 2013 hearing, Anzini asked to set another pre-trial conference so he could discuss a proposed plea agreement with Black and, at an April 2013 hearing, Anzini asked for a joint continuance of the May trial date. Although the issue of the early trial request was raised at the May 2013 hearing, it was not until July 2013 that Anzini actually requested an early trial. The trial court denied that request because Black had been released on his own recognizance and was serving a sentence unrelated to the pending charges.
We also agree with Judge Friedlander’s dissenting opinion in Fletcher, in which he stated:
The Majority indicates that certain language in our Supreme Court’s decision in Underwood v. State, 722 N.E.2d 828 (Ind. 2000), as cited and discussed in Jenkins, “may suggest” that appointment of counsel, not counsel’s entry of an appearance, is the relevant time for purposes of determining whether a defendant may file a pro se motion for speedy trial. Op. at 929. I interpret Jenkins to hold that the Underwood language means precisely that, and I agree with Jenkins in this respect.
Id. at 930 (Friedlander, J., dissenting). As our supreme court explained in Underwood, “once counsel was appointed, Defendant spoke to the court through counsel. The trial court was not required to respond to Defendant’s request or objection. To require the trial court to respond to both Defendant and counsel would effectively create a hybrid representation to which Defendant is not entitled.” Underwood, 722 N.E.2d at 832. Because Black’s pro se request was made after counsel was appointed, the trial court was not required to respond to Black’s early trial request. See id. Black has not established that he should have been released pursuant to Criminal Rule 4(B).
BAKER, J., and CRONE, J., concur.