In re Det. of Anderson

Washington Supreme Court·Decided February 4, 2016·No. 91385-4·Published

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COUllT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

) In the Matter of the Detention of ) No. 91385-4 ) JOHN CHARLES ANDERSON. ) ENBANC ) ) Filed: FEB 0 4 2016 ,_______________________) -----------------

YU, J. -- Petitioner John Charles Anderson returns to this court a second

time asking that we reverse his civil commitment under chapter 71.09 RCW.

Specifically, he asks whether juvenile adjudication for a sexually violent offense is

a predicate "convict[ion]" under the applicable statutory provision, RCW

71.09.030(1)(e). We hold it is. We also reject his other challenges and therefore

affirm his civil commitment.

BACKGROUND

In 1988, when Anderson was 17 years old, he pleaded guilty in juvenile

court to statutory rape in the first degree. The victim was two and a half years old.

Anderson was sentenced to 100 weeks in a juvenile rehabilitation facility. In re Det. ofAnderson, No. 91385-4

Anderson has since disclosed numerous uncharged juvenile sex offenses predating

his guilty plea, including other rapes.

When Anderson's juvenile sentence was about to expire in 1990, the State

petitioned to have him involuntarily committed and he was transferred to Western

State Hospital (WSH) for an evaluation. Before the evaluation period ended,

Anderson voluntarily sought civil commitment. Anderson remained at WSH as a

voluntary patient for approximately 10 years. In 1998, Anderson requested to be

transferred to a less restrictive area of WSH. This less restrictive area was

intended for residents who "were managing their own lives and had the

wherewithal to take care of themselves," and residents who were transferred to the

less restrictive area were often later released into the community. 9 Verbatim

Report of Proceedings (VRP) (May 9, 2013) at 690. However, the psychosexual

evaluator determined that Anderson "was really not controlling his sexual impulses

to the degree that he claimed he had been," and recommended against transferring

him to the less restrictive area. Id. at 699.

In February 2000, Anderson announced his intention to end his voluntary

commitment and the State petitioned to have him involuntarily committed as a

sexually violent predator (SVP) pursuant to chapter 71.09 RCW. Anderson was

transferred to the Special Commitment Center (SCC) during the pendency of the

State's petition in March 2001.

2 In re Det. o.fAnderson, No. 91385-4

The State's petition alleged that Anderson was "a person who at any time

previously has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and has since been

released from total confinement and has committed a recent overt act." 1 RCW

71.09.030(1)(e). 2 The predicate conviction the State relied on was Anderson's

1988 juvenile court adjudication for first degree statutory rape, and the "recent

overt acts" it relied on were sexual contacts Anderson had with four other patients

while at WSH. Three of those patients had been diagnosed with developmental

disabilities, and the fourth had been diagnosed with severe borderline personality

disorder. In 2004, after a bench trial, the trial court found Anderson was an SVP.

The Court of Appeals reversed, holding that the trial court abused its

discretion by failing to appoint Anderson's requested expert witness. In re Det. of

Anderson, 134 Wn. App. 309, 321, 139 P.3d 396 (2006). This court agreed. In re

Det. ofAnderson, 166 Wn.2d 543, 551, 211 P.3d 994 (2009) (Anderson I).

However, the majority of this court rejected Anderson's argument that his sexual

contacts with other WSH patients could not be recent overt acts as a matter of law,

and therefore remanded for retrial. We specifically stated that the State's expert

testimony regarding Anderson's sexual contacts at WSH "support a reasonable

1 The State concedes Anderson was not in total confinement at WSH. 2 The r(flevant statutes have been revised numerous times since the State filed its petition. None of the revisions are material to our analysis, so we cite the current versions.

3 In re Det. ofAnderson, No. 91385-4

apprehension of sexually violent harm, and therefore by definition, Anderson's

sexual activities could constitute overt acts." ld. at 550.

On remand, Anderson moved to dismiss, contending that his juvenile

adjudication was not a conviction, and thus he could not be subject to an SVP

petition under RCW 71.09.030(1)(e). He also contended that his sexual contacts

with other patients at WSH were not recent overt acts as a matter of law. The trial

court denied Anderson's motion to dismiss, and Anderson was retried by a jury.

The jury concluded that Anderson is an SVP, and the trial court entered an order

committing him to the SCC. The Court of Appeals affirmed in an unpublished

decision. In re Det. ofAnderson, noted at 185 Wn. App. 1036 (2015), review

granted, 183 Wn.2d 1007, 352 P.3d 187 (2015).

ISSUES

A. Is a juvenile adjudication for a sexually violent offense a predicate

conviction for a sexually violent offense in the context ofRCW 71.09.030(1)(e)?

B. Did the Court of Appeals err in holding that it is the law of this case

that Anderson's sexual contacts at WSH could be overt acts?

C. Did the State produce sufficient evidence to satisfy its burden of

proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Anderson is an SVP?

4 In re Det. ofAnderson, No. 91385·-4

ANALYSIS

A. Juvenile adjudications for sexually violent offenses are predicate convictions in the context ofRCW 71.09.030(1)(e)

Anderson argues that he cannot be subject to a petition brought under RCW

71.09.030(1)(e), which applies to "a person who at any time previously has been

convicted of a sexually violent offense and has since been released from total

confinement and has committed a recent overt act." 3 (Emphasis added). We hold

that a juvenile adjudication for a sexually violent offense is a predicate conviction

for purposes ofRCW 71.09.030(1)(e).

We resolve questions of statutory interpretation de novo. In re Det. of

Martin, 163 Wn.2d 501, 506, 182 P.3d 951 (2008). Our goal is '"to ascertain and

carry out the intent of the Legislature."' !d. (quoting Rozner v. City ofBellevue,

116 Wn.2d 342, 347, 804 P.2d 24 (1991)).

"Technically speaking, juveniles are not 'convicted' of crimes, but rather

'adjudicated' to have committed offenses." In re Juveniles A, B, C, D, E, 121

Wn.2d 80, 87, 847 P.2d 455 (1993). However, we have long recognized that "the

Legislature's use of 'conviction' in statutes to refer to juveniles appears to be

endemic." Id.; see also State v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

In re Det. of Anderson, (Wash. 2016).

In re Det. of Anderson (In re Det. of Anderson) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Matter of Personal Restraint of Young
857 P.2d 989 (Washington Supreme Court, 1993)
State v. Michaelson
878 P.2d 1206 (Washington Supreme Court, 1994)
Rozner v. City of Bellevue
804 P.2d 24 (Washington Supreme Court, 1991)
Chemical Bank v. Washington Public Power Supply System
691 P.2d 524 (Washington Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. McNutt
101 P.3d 422 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2004)
In Re Detention of Anderson
211 P.3d 994 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
In Re Detention of Martin
182 P.3d 951 (Washington Supreme Court, 2008)
In Re Detention of Anderson
139 P.3d 396 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2006)
In Re Juveniles A, B, C, D, E
847 P.2d 455 (Washington Supreme Court, 1993)
In Re Audett
147 P.3d 982 (Washington Supreme Court, 2006)
State, Dept. of Ecology v. Campbell & Gwinn
43 P.3d 4 (Washington Supreme Court, 2002)
Detention of Marshall v. State
125 P.3d 111 (Washington Supreme Court, 2005)
Department of Ecology v. Campbell & Gwinn, L.L.C.
146 Wash. 2d 1 (Washington Supreme Court, 2002)
State v. Audett
158 Wash. 2d 712 (Washington Supreme Court, 2006)
In re the Detention of Martin
163 Wash. 2d 501 (Washington Supreme Court, 2008)
In re the Detention of Anderson
166 Wash. 2d 543 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. S.J.C.
352 P.3d 749 (Washington Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. O'Dell
358 P.3d 359 (Washington Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. McNutt
124 Wash. App. 344 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2004)
In re the Detention of Anderson
134 Wash. App. 309 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2006)