In re the Personal Restraint of Connick

28 P.3d 729, 144 Wash. 2d 442
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 2, 2001
DocketNo. 69938-1
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 28 P.3d 729 (In re the Personal Restraint of Connick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Personal Restraint of Connick, 28 P.3d 729, 144 Wash. 2d 442 (Wash. 2001).

Opinions

Smith, J.

— Petitioner Jeffrey Lynn Connick seeks review of an order of the Court of Appeals, Division One, which dismissed his personal restraint petition and denied remand to the Kang County Superior Court for resentencing on his conviction for intimidating a witness because there was no evidence in the record to substantiate Petitioner’s claim that his multiple count convictions in North Carolina constituted the “same criminal conduct” which would have avoided the trial court’s use of an incorrect offender score and imposition of a sentence above his standard sentence range. This court granted review. We affirm the Court of Appeals in dismissing Petitioner’s personal restraint petition.

QUESTION PRESENTED

The question presented in this case is whether Petitioner’s 1992 North Carolina convictions for breaking and entering and for larceny constituted the “same criminal conduct” for purposes of calculating his offender score under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1981 (SRA) upon his 1999 conviction in the King County Superior Court for intimidating a witness.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

On January 30, 1999 at 3:45 p.m. Petitioner Jeffrey Lynn Connick was apprehended for shoplifting by named victim, [445]*445a loss prevention officer for Nordstrom’s at Northgate Mall in Seattle.1 Named victim was subpoenaed by the State to testify as a witness at trial. On April 8,1999, while at work, she received a letter through the United States mail which read:

If you as much as give a statement to the Police or testify against me I will kill you. ... If you don’t think I am capable of this note that I’ve spent 15yrs in prison, I know where you work I know where you live and your birthdate is 7-12-73 So don’t play with me this is your only warning Bitch I was the # 2 hammer for the Aryan Brotherhood for 8yrs in Texas and I am not playing with you. I a[m] very serious Lady you better not contact police about this you better just do it.

The letter was signed “Jeffrey Connick” and the signature appeared to match Petitioner’s signature.3 The return address on the envelope was the King County Jail, with Petitioner’s name and booking number on it.4 After she received the letter named victim was “extremely scared,” burst into tears and became concerned about her safety.5

On April 13,1999, the King County Prosecuting Attorney filed an information in the King County Superior Court charging Petitioner Connick with intimidating a witness. The information read:

That the defendant JEFFREY LYNN CONNICK in King County, Washington, during a period of time intervening between April 6, 1999, through April 8, 1999, by use of a threat against [victim], a current or prospective witness, did knowingly attempt to induce that person to elude the legal process summoning her to testify, induce that person to absent herself from an official proceeding, induce that person not to report information which was relevant to a criminal investigation, [446]*446and induce that person not to give truthful or complete information relevant to a criminal investigation;
Contrary to RCW 9A.72.110(1), (3), (4), and against the peace and dignity of the State of Washington.[6]

On May 5, 1999, Petitioner Connick entered a plea of “guilty” to the charge of intimidating a witness, a Class B felony.7

Prior to the sentencing hearing on June 4, 1999, Petitioner and the Prosecuting Attorney entered into a plea agreement based upon the Prosecuting Attorney’s determination that under the SRA Petitioner’s offender score was 6, with a seriousness level of VI, resulting in a standard range of 46 to 61 months for the offense of intimidating a witness.8 The Prosecuting Attorney’s calculation of the offender score was based upon the record of convictions indicated in Chart I:

Chart I
Prior Conviction Date of Sentencing Jurisdiction Offender Score
Theft (over $750) (2 counts) April 13, 1989 (1/2/90)[9] Dallas County, Texas 2
[447]*447Breaking and Entering (1992CRS001591) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Larceny (1992CRS001591) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Larceny (1992CRS001275) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Taking Motor Vehicle (SZ032283A) March 17, 1994 California 1[10]

At the sentencing hearing, the Prosecuting Attorney restated his belief that Petitioner’s offender score was 6, resulting in a standard range of 46 to 61 months, and recommended a sentence of 50 months.11 In response, the trial court, the Honorable Harriett M. Cody, questioned the . disparity between the Prosecuting Attorney’s calculation of Petitioner’s offender score as 6 and the Presentence Investigation Report from the Department of Corrections (DOC) which calculated his offender score as 9.12 The presentence report in identifying Petitioner’s criminal history listed three convictions not listed by the Prosecuting Attorney. Those convictions are italicized in Chart II:13

[448]*448 Chart II
Prior Conviction Date of Sentencing Jurisdiction Offender Score[14]
Theft (over $750) (2 counts) January 2, 1990 Dallas County, Texas 2
Theft (over $750) April 13, 1989 Garland, Texas 1
Breaking and Entering, Count I (1992CRS001591) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Felony Larceny, Count I (1992CRS001591) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Felony Larceny (1992CRS001275) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Breaking and Entering, Count I (1992CRS001592) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Felony Larceny, Count II (1992CRS001592) July 14, 1992 North Carolina 1
Taking [Motor] Vehicle (SZ032283A) March 17, 1994 California 1

At the sentencing hearing, while the Prosecuting Attorney was reviewing the presentence report, Petitioner’s [449]*449lawyer, Ms. Leona A. Thomas, made the following statement to the court:

Your honor, I think I can shortcut this. For the purpose of this hearing only, it is Mr. Connick’s desire to move this forward, and he will agree that his score — for the purpose of this hearing only — is 9, and his standard range is 77 to 102 months.[15]

The trial judge indicated her understanding of Ms. Thomas’ statement by stating “the defendant, has indicated that. . . [he] will stipulate to the offender score of 9 as reflected on the D.O.C. report.”16

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 P.3d 729, 144 Wash. 2d 442, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-personal-restraint-of-connick-wash-2001.