Kaletch v. Commonwealth

396 S.W.3d 324, 2013 WL 1003413, 2013 Ky. App. LEXIS 49
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMarch 15, 2013
DocketNo. 2012-CA-000268-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 396 S.W.3d 324 (Kaletch v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kaletch v. Commonwealth, 396 S.W.3d 324, 2013 WL 1003413, 2013 Ky. App. LEXIS 49 (Ky. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

MOORE, Judge:

Kenneth Kaletch appeals the McCracken Circuit Court’s order revoking his probation. After a careful review of the record, we affirm because Kaletch’s double jeopardy rights were not violated, KRS 439.3107 is inapplicable, and there was no palpable error regarding his KRS 439.3106 claim.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Kaletch was indicted on one count of the use/possession of drug paraphernalia, first offense; one count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance — cocaine, second offense; and one count of being a second-degree persistent felony offender (PFO-2nd). The Commonwealth provided an offer on a plea of guilty, which stated that if Kaletch entered guilty pleas to the drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance charges, then the Commonwealth would dismiss the PFO-2nd charge, and would recommend a sentence of twelve months for the drug paraphernalia charge and a sentence of seven years for the possession of a controlled substance charge. Kaletch moved to enter a guilty plea in accord with the Commonwealth’s offer on a plea of guilty.

A plea hearing was held, and the court accepted his guilty plea. The PFO-2nd charge was dismissed. A subsequent sentencing hearing was held, and following that hearing, the court entered its final judgment sentencing Kaletch to twelve months of imprisonment for his conviction for the use/possession of drug paraphernalia, first offense, and to seven years of imprisonment for his conviction for first-degree possession of a controlled substance, cocaine, second offense. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently to each other for a total sentence of seven years of imprisonment, but they were ordered to run consecutively to all other sentences. The court then ordered that imposition of Kaletch’s sentence was withheld and sentenced Kaletch to a period of five years of probation.

Less than one year after sentencing, the Commonwealth moved for the issuance of a bench warrant against Kaletch, asking that he be “arrested to show cause why his probation should not be revoked” based upon the report of Kaletch’s probation officer, which stated that he had tested positive for “use of a controlled substance, cocaine, on December 14, 2011 and December 19, 2011.” A bench warrant was issued for Kaletch’s arrest for the purpose of having him show cause why his probation should not be revoked.

A probation revocation hearing was held, during which Kaletch’s probation officer, Michelle Alexander, testified that he had completed the CenterPoint Recovery Center program in June 2011, when he graduated from the program. After he tested positive for cocaine use on December 14, 2011, Ms. Alexander referred him to a social services clinician for additional treatment consideration. When he met with the social services clinician on December 19, 2011, he again tested positive for cocaine use and admitted the same. Because he had been through four treatment programs, Kaletch had exhausted all of the possible treatment options, so the social services clinician recommended that he attend ninety Narcotics Anonymous meetings in ninety days.

[327]*327Kaletch’s counsel argued during the probation revocation hearing that the court should consider graduated sanctions pursuant to KRS1 439.3107 and KRS 439.3108.2 Upon further questioning from the court, the probation officer stated that the referral to the social services clinician was a sanction and the further recommendation for him to attend ninety meetings in ninety days was another sanction, but that both were based upon his first failed drug test of December 14, 2011. Kaletch’s counsel argued that he had already been sanctioned, and that revocation of his probation would constitute a double jeopardy violation. However, the court ordered Ka-letch’s probation revoked based upon his second failed drug test on December 19, 2011.

Kaletch now appeals, contending that: (a) his double jeopardy rights were violated when the circuit court revoked his probation after he was sanctioned by the social services clinician; and (b) the circuit court abused its discretion when it failed to consider graduated sanctions as required by KRS 439.3106 and KRS 439.3107.

II. ANALYSIS

A. DOUBLE JEOPARDY AND PROBATION REVOCATION

Kaletch first alleges that his double jeopardy rights were violated when the circuit court revoked his probation after he was sanctioned by the social services clinician. We review a circuit court’s decision revoking a defendant’s probation for an abuse of discretion. See Miller v. Commonwealth, 329 S.W.3d 358, 359-60 (Ky. App.2010).

Probation revocation hearings must be conducted in accordance with minimum requirements of due process of law. KRS 533.050(2) provides that the court may not revoke or modify the conditions of a sentence of probation or conditional discharge except after a hearing with defendant represented by counsel and following a written notice of the grounds for revocation or modification.
Probation revocation is not dependent upon a probationer’s conviction of a criminal offense. Instead, the Commonwealth need only prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a probationer has violated the terms of probation.

Miller, 329 S.W.3d at 359 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

We first note that the testimony presented during Kaletch’s probation revocation hearing revealed that his “sanctions” 3 of meeting with the social services clinician and being ordered by the clinician to attend ninety Narcotics Anonymous meetings in ninety days was for his initial drug use probation violation that occurred on or about December 14, 2011. This is why the circuit court specified that his probation revocation was based upon his second drug use probation violation, which occurred on or about December 19, 2011, for which he had not been sanctioned. Thus, there could not be a double jeopardy violation because he was sanctioned for a [328]*328separate violation than the violation for which his probation was revoked.

Regardless, both the Kentucky Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court have held that the Double Jeopardy Clause does not apply to probation revocation proceedings. Specifically, the Kentucky Supreme Court has held:

Double jeopardy does not apply to parole or probation revocation proceedings because the threat of a negative parole board finding does not rise to the level of being “put in jeopardy” in the Constitutional sense.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
396 S.W.3d 324, 2013 WL 1003413, 2013 Ky. App. LEXIS 49, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kaletch-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-2013.