Kathryn Swenson v. Commonwealth of Kentucky

CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedAugust 27, 2020
Docket2019 CA 001066
StatusUnknown

This text of Kathryn Swenson v. Commonwealth of Kentucky (Kathryn Swenson v. Commonwealth of Kentucky) 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
Kathryn Swenson v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, (Ky. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

RENDERED: AUGUST 28, 2020; 10:00 A.M. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Commonwealth of Kentucky Court of Appeals

NO. 2019-CA-001066-MR AND NO. 2019-CA-001081-MR

KATHRYN SWENSON APPELLANT

APPEALS FROM HARDIN CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE KELLY MARK EASTON, JUDGE ACTION NOS. 18-CR-00022 AND 18-CR-00244

COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY APPELLEE

OPINION AFFIRMING

** ** ** ** **

BEFORE: CALDWELL, JONES, AND KRAMER, JUDGES.

KRAMER, JUDGE: Pursuant to an order entered July 8, 2019, the Hardin Circuit

Court found Kathryn Swenson in violation of her probation. In lieu of having her

probation consequently revoked, Swenson had requested a graduated sanction

consisting of “up to” twelve months’ incarceration, suspended upon condition that

she complete “a long-term rehab” program for drug addiction. The circuit court denied Swenson’s request, however, and ordered Swenson to serve the term of her

previously probated sentence, i.e., twenty years’ imprisonment, with eligibility for

parole upon serving twenty percent. Swenson now appeals, arguing her probation

was solely revoked because the circuit court unfairly enforced what she

characterizes as an unwritten “zero tolerance policy” for drug use associated with

her probation. In other words, Swenson’s claim is that her probation was only

revoked because she used methamphetamine on one occasion during her probation.

Having thoroughly considered the record, her arguments lack all merit; hence, we

affirm.

We review probation revocation orders under the abuse of discretion

standard. Commonwealth v. Andrews, 448 S.W.3d 773, 780 (Ky. 2014). We will

reverse only if we find “the trial judge’s decision was arbitrary, unreasonable,

unfair, or unsupported by sound legal principles.” Commonwealth v. English, 993

S.W.2d 941, 945 (Ky. 1999) (citations omitted). We “will not hold a trial court to

have abused its discretion unless its decision cannot be located within the range of

permissible decisions allowed by a correct application of the facts to the law.”

Blankenship v. Commonwealth, 494 S.W.3d 506, 508 (Ky. App. 2015) (citing

Miller v. Eldridge, 146 S.W.3d 909, 915 (Ky. 2004)).

Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 439.3106 provides the criteria for

revoking probation, stating in relevant part:

-2- Supervised individuals shall be subject to:

(a) Violation revocation proceedings and possible incarceration for failure to comply with the conditions of supervision when such failure constitutes a significant risk to prior victims of the supervised individual or the community at large, and cannot be appropriately managed in the community; or

(b) Sanctions other than revocation and incarceration as appropriate to the severity of the violation behavior, the risk of future criminal behavior by the offender, and the need for, and availability of, interventions which may assist the offender to remain compliant and crime-free in the community.

KRS 439.3106(1).

The Andrews Court considered the applicability of this statute to

revocation proceedings and held that “KRS 439.3106(1) requires trial courts to

consider whether a probationer’s failure to abide by a condition of supervision

constitutes a significant risk to prior victims or the community at large, and

whether the probationer cannot be managed in the community before probation

may be revoked.” Andrews, 448 S.W.3d at 780.

Here, Swenson does not – and, indeed, cannot – contest that she failed

repeatedly to abide by the conditions of her probation. Nevertheless, she asserts

the circuit court erred by revoking her probation rather than issuing the graduated

sanction she requested because, in her view, her failures did not indicate she

-3- constituted a significant risk to prior victims or the community at large, or that she

could not be managed in the community.

Given the twenty-year sentence of imprisonment, and in light of the

fallacy of her arguments that the circuit court had predetermined her case by

having a “zero tolerance policy,” we set out in detail the extent of the exhausting

opportunities the circuit court gave Swenson to receive treatment and remain on

probation. Upon a thorough review of the record, it cannot be seriously doubted

that the circuit court went far beyond complying with only the bare requirements of

KRS 439.3106(1) and that the keys to remaining on probation were repeatedly

handed to Swenson.

In case No. 18-CR-00022, Swenson pled guilty in Hardin Circuit

Court to committing, on or about December 28, 2017, the offense of receiving

stolen property under $10,000 (a class D felony). See KRS 514.110. On January

12, 2018, she was released on bond. Thereafter, in case No. 18-CR-00244,

Swenson pled guilty to committing nineteen more criminal offenses against several

more individuals in Hardin County over a sixty-day period between December

2017 and February 2018. Further, she admitted committing many of those

additional offenses shortly after being allowed pretrial release from custody on

January 12, 2018.1

1 The specifics of her latter guilty plea are summarized below:

-4- • On January 13, 2018, in violation of KRS 514.150, Swenson possessed United States mail matter of S. Soppeland while knowing or having reason to know it was stolen (a class D felony); • On January 13, 2018, in violation of KRS 514.110(3), Swenson possessed stolen property under $500 by knowingly possessing checks of C. Worthington while knowing or having reason to believe the checks were stolen (a class A misdemeanor); • On January 13, 2018, in violation of KRS 514.150, Swenson possessed United States mail matter of L. Baker while knowing or having reason to believe it was stolen (a class D felony); • On January 13, 2018, in violation of KRS 514.110(3), Swenson possessed stolen property under $500 by possessing a Garmin GPS valued at less than $500, belonging to D. Fryman, while knowing or having reason to believe it was stolen (a class A misdemeanor); • On January 13, 2018, in violation of KRS 514.110(3), Swenson possessed an HP laptop computer valued at less than $500, belonging to J. Townsend, while knowing or having reason to believe it was stolen (a class A misdemeanor); • On January 13, 2018, in violation of KRS 511.040

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Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Commonwealth v. English
993 S.W.2d 941 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1999)
Miller v. Eldridge
146 S.W.3d 909 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2004)
Commonwealth v. Andrews
448 S.W.3d 773 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2014)
Helms v. Commonwealth
475 S.W.3d 637 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2015)
Blankenship v. Commonwealth
494 S.W.3d 506 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2015)

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Kathryn Swenson v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kathryn-swenson-v-commonwealth-of-kentucky-kyctapp-2020.