Foster v. Irwin

995 P.2d 272, 196 Ariz. 230, 316 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 46, 2000 Ariz. LEXIS 14
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 29, 2000
DocketCV-99-0002-PR
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 995 P.2d 272 (Foster v. Irwin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foster v. Irwin, 995 P.2d 272, 196 Ariz. 230, 316 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 46, 2000 Ariz. LEXIS 14 (Ark. 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

FELDMAN, Justice.

¶ 1 We granted review to determine whether a defendant convicted of possession of drugs for personal use is ineligible for mandatory probation under A.R.S. § 13-901.01 either because of a prior non-violent, non-drug-related felony conviction or because the trial judge believed that the defendant actually possessed the drugs for sale. We hold that the trial judge erred in sentencing the defendant to prison. We thus remand to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2 In 1998, Daniel Alex Foster was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, possession of dangerous drugs for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana. He pleaded guilty only to possession of dangerous drugs (methamphetamine) in violation of A.R.S. § 13-3407(A)(1). 1 Judgment was entered on the plea, and Foster was sentenced to three years in prison. Over objection, the sentencing judge ruled that Foster was not eligible for sentencing to probation under § 13-901.01 because he had a prior non-violent, non-drug-related felony conviction in California for evading police 2 and because the judge believed Foster actually possessed the drugs for sale even though he pleaded guilty to and was convicted of possession. Following the imposition of sentence, the judge stayed its execution to allow appellate review of the issue of whether probation was mandatory under § 13-901.01. Foster filed a special action in the court of appeals, arguing that the judge abused his discretion in sentencing Foster to prison. A majority of the court declined to accept jurisdiction. We granted review to determine the proper application of § 13-901.01, the codification of the measure known as Proposition 200. We have jurisdiction pursuant to Ariz. Const, art. VI, § 5(3) and (4).

DISCUSSION

¶3 In construing the statute, our “primary purpose is to effectuate the intent of those who framed the provision and, in the case of an [initiative], the intent of the electorate that adopted it.” Jett v. City of Tucson, 180 Ariz. 115, 119, 882 P.2d 426, 430 (1994). We have recently discussed the history of Proposition 200 and the subsequent enactment of § 13-901.01. See Calik v. Kongable, 195 Ariz. 496, 990 P.2d 1055 (1999). Briefly stated, the purpose was to change Arizona’s drug control policy by treating drug abuse as a medical problem best handled by treatment and education, not by incarceration. See id. at 501, 990 P.2d at 1060; see also Text of Proposed Amendment § 2, Proposition 200, 1996 Ballot Propositions. This intent was expressed by requiring a probation sentence for a first or second conviction of personal use or possession. § 13-901.01(A) and (F). 3 Standard felony sentene- *232 ing provisions that permit imprisonment apply only if the defendant has been convicted at least three times for personal possession or use or if the defendant has been convicted of a violent crime. § 13-901.01(G); see also Calik, 195 Ariz. at 499, 990 P.2d at 1058.

A. The trial judge is bound by the plea agreement he approved and accepted.

¶4 The statute at issue declares that “any person who is convicted of the personal possession or use of a controlled substance as defined in § 36-2501 is eligible for probation.” § 13-901.01(A). There are exceptions to eligibility for probation for a person convicted of a violent crime or for a person who has been convicted three times of personal possession or use of a controlled substance. § 13-901.01(0) and (G). It is a settled rule in Arizona that “[a] judgment or sentence must conform to the offense for which an accused has been charged and convicted, or to which he has entered his plea of guilty. The court cannot render judgment or pronounce sentence for another or different offense.” Haney v. Eyman, 97 Ariz. 289, 291, 399 P.2d 905, 906 (1965). In this case, Foster was not found guilty of possession of dangerous drugs for sale; thus he remains eligible for sentencing pursuant to § 13-901.01.

¶ 5 Our procedural rules also reflect the same principle. “Upon a determination of guilt on any charge ... judgment pertaining ... to that charge shall be pronounced and entered together with the sentence.” Ariz.R.Crim.P. 26.2(b) (emphasis added). Determination of guilt may be by “verdict of guilty by a jury, a finding of guilt by a court following a non-jury trial, or the acceptance by the court of a plea of guilty or no contest.” Ariz.R.Crim.P. 26.1(c) (emphasis added). Thus our court of appeals has concluded that once “the State made the [plea] agreement with [defendant] and the [trial] court accepted and acted upon it, all parties were bound by it.” Mejia v. Irwin, 195 Ariz. 270, 273, 987 P.2d 756, 759 (App. 1999). “[H]aving accepted the plea agreement, the trial court may not use the underlying facts to sentence [defendant] for a crime for which he has never been convicted.” Id. at 272, 987 P.2d at 758. We believe Mejia was correctly decided.

¶ 6 As the court said,

If the State believed that [defendant] should not be entitled to mandatory probation, it should not have offered a plea agreement to mere possession of dangerous drugs. Similarly, if the trial court thought [defendant’s] offense too serious to warrant mandatory probation, it could have rejected the plea agreement.

*233 Id. at 273, 987 P.2d at 759. The trial judge “shall either accept or reject the tendered negotiated plea.” Ariz.R.Crim.P. 17.4(d). Simply put, the trial judge may not accept and enter judgment on a guilty plea and then substitute his or her personal view of the facts to sentence the defendant for a crime for which he was not convicted.

B. “Possession” under § 13-3407(A)(1) qualifies as “personal possession” under § 13-901.01.

¶ 7 The state argues that “possess” or “use,” as those phrases are criminalized by § 13-3407(A)(1), are or may be different from and broader than the “personal possession or use” referred to in § 13-901.01. Thus, a conviction for possession or use under § 13-3407(A)(1) does not necessarily qualify as personal possession or use requiring a defendant to be sentenced under § 13-901.01. But neither the text nor the history of Proposition 200 supports this theory. The terms “possession” and “personal possession” are not separately defined in the criminal code. See § 13-3401.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
995 P.2d 272, 196 Ariz. 230, 316 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 46, 2000 Ariz. LEXIS 14, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foster-v-irwin-ariz-2000.