Layton City v. Stevenson

2014 UT 37, 337 P.3d 242, 769 Utah Adv. Rep. 26, 2014 Utah LEXIS 135, 2014 WL 4378715
Utah Supreme Court·Decided September 5, 2014·No. 20130342·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

Chief Justice DURRANT,

opinion of the Court:

Introduction

T1 This case presents two related issues: (1) must the prosecution provide proof of a conviction to establish that a defendant failed to comply with a plea in abeyance condition prohibiting any further violations of law; 1 and (2) what standard of proof must the prosecution meet in order to establish that a defendant failed to comply with a condition in a plea in abeyance agreement. The court of appeals reached only the first issue, holding that the prosecution could show that the defendant failed to comply with the condition through "evidence of misconduct other than a conviction. 2

12 As to the first issue, we affirm the decision of the court of appeals and hold that the prosecution need not provide proof of a conviction to establish that a defendant failed to comply with a "no violations of law" condition. Neither the plain language of the condition nor the plea in abeyance statute requires that the prosecution provide evidence of a subsequent conviction to establish that the defendant violated the law. And as to the second issue, we conclude that the prose-ecution must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a defendant failed to comply with a plea in abeyance condition. This preponderance standard is applicable in settings similar to a plea in abeyance evidentiary hearing, most notably a probation violation hearing. Moreover, a defendant's right to be presumed innocent is inapplicable in a plea in abeyance evidentiary hearing because at such a hearing the prosecution does not attempt to prove the defendant is guilty of a crime but instead seeks only to enforce the contractual terms of the plea in abeyance agreement.

13 Accordingly, we affirm the court of appeals and remand the case to the district court to determine whether the prosecution can prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant failed to substantially comply with the condition in his plea in abeyance agreement that he commit "no violations of law." The district court may exercise its discretion in making this determination by either holding an evidentiary hearing or relying on the existing record.

Background

¶ 4 The defendant, Brent Sorenson Stevenson, was arrested in Layton City on February 18, 2009, and charged in Second District Court with patronizing a prostitute. He initially pled not guilty to the charge but later changed his plea to no contest after negotiating a plea in abeyance agreement with the prosecution. 3 Before entering his no contest plea, Mr. Stevenson signed a Defendant's Rights Sheet informing him of his various individual rights. The district court confirmed that he was entering the plea freely, voluntarily, and without the influence of alcohol or drugs. The district court also confirmed that he understood that by entering the plea he waived certain constitutional rights. 4

*245 T5 The minutes of the plea hearing, along with the sentencing sheet signed by Mr. Stevenson, list the terms of the plea in abeyance agreement. Additionally, the district court verbally confirmed the terms of the agreement during the plea hearing. Under the terms. of the plea in abeyance agreement, Mr. Stevenson pled no contest to patronizing a prostitute. In exchange, Layton City agreed to have his plea held in abeyance for eighteen months, The plea in abeyance agreement contained the following conditions: (1) the plea would be held in abeyance for eighteen months, (2) Mr. Stevenson could commit "[nlo violations of law, exeept minor traffic, or like kind violations," (8) he had to pay a fee of $400 with forfeiture of bail applied to the fee, and (4) he had to submit to HIV testing within thirty days and report the results to Layton City. If Mr. Stevenson failed to substantially comply with the conditions in the agreement, the court could terminate the plea in abeyance agreement. 5

T6 About six months after Mr. Stevenson entered into the plea in abeyance agreement for the Layton City charge, he was charged in Sunset City Justice Court with sexual solicitation. Approximately six months later, he entered into a diversion agreement with the Sunset City prosecutor. Under this agreement, if Mr. Stevenson complied with certain conditions, the prosecution would dismiss the sexual solicitation charge. But if Mr. Stevenson failed to comply, the court could authorize the prosecutor to proceed with prosecution. 6 Mr. Stevenson complied with the diversion agreement, and on May 5, 2011, the prosecution dismissed the Sunset City action. 7

T7 On October 14, 2010, after learning of the Sunset City charge, Layton City filed a motion for an order to show cause with the Second District Court and alleged that Mr. Stevenson violated the condition in the plea in abeyance agreement requiring that he commit no further violations of law. The district court issued an order to show cause, and Mr. Stevenson moved to strike the order and also requested an evidentiary hearing. The court scheduled an evidentiary hearing to determine whether Mr. Stevenson violated the plea in abeyance agreement.

18 At that hearing, the court heard testimony from three witnesses. The first, Jennifer Ben, testified that Mr. Stevenson was her landlord and that he offered rent relief in exchange for sex. According to Ms. Ben, she and Mr. Stevenson had two phone conversations about the proposed exchange. On cross-examination, she also testified that she waited approximately one week to report Mr. Stevenson's proposition, that he allowed her to remain in the apartment for several months without paying rent, and that she had a felony conviction for attempted forgery.

T9 Corporal Brett Jameson also testified. He testified that he was with Ms. Ben when *246 she called Mr. Stevenson regarding the rent and that Mr. Stevenson suggested that Ms. Ben engage in sexual relations with him. Corporal Jameson admitted that he never specifically identified Mr. Stevenson as the person on the other end of the call. He also admitted that the call between Ms. Ben and Mr. Stevenson was not recorded and that there are no phone records of the call.

10 Mr. Stevenson testified last. He denied the allegations that he offered rent relief for sex. He also testified that Ms. Ben owed him for six months of rent.

11 After the evidentiary hearing, the district court sought supplemental briefing from the parties on several issues, two of which are relevant to this appeal: (1) what must be proven to establish a violation of a plea in abeyance agreement, and (2) what is the proper standard of proof in order to demonstrate a defendant's failure to comply with a condition in a plea in abeyance agreement.

112 After supplemental briefing, the district court agreed with Mr. Stevenson that the "no violations of law" condition in the plea in abeyance agreement required a conviction and not merely an allegation of misconduct. It further agreed with Mr.

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Layton City v. Stevenson, 2014 UT 37, 337 P.3d 242, 769 Utah Adv. Rep. 26, 2014 Utah LEXIS 135, 2014 WL 4378715 (Utah 2014).

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