Neidlinger v. State

2007 WY 204, 173 P.3d 376, 2007 Wyo. LEXIS 214, 2007 WL 4385779
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 2007
Docket06-292, S-07-0062
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 2007 WY 204 (Neidlinger v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Neidlinger v. State, 2007 WY 204, 173 P.3d 376, 2007 Wyo. LEXIS 214, 2007 WL 4385779 (Wyo. 2007).

Opinion

GOLDEN, Justice.

[11] In this consolidated appeal, Terry Neidlinger challenges the order of the district court revoking his probation and sentencing him to a term of incarceration. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

ISSUE

[12] Neidlinger phrases his sole issue on appeal as follows:

The trial court's revocation of probation on the grounds that Terry Neidlinger would not admit to sexual misconduct in treatment, despite the fact that he had entered a no contest plea, was an abuse of discretion.

FACTS

[13] In February 2006, Neidlinger was charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a minor in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 14-8-105(a) (LexisNexis 2005) 1 and one count of third degree sexual assault in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-804(a)@ii) (LexisNexis 2005). Pursuant to a plea agreement, Neidlinger pled no contest to one count of indecent liberties on August 21, 2006, in exchange for dismissal of the other charges. The State provided the factual basis for the plea:

Your Honor, if this made it to trial the state would produce evidence that established that on September 21st of 2005, that [AN] had disclosed to a Johnson Junior High counselor that in mid-August her father had taken her bra off and touched her breasts while he held her down and wrestled with her. The defendant also had the victim's younger sister touch her breasts. The defendant further squeezed and pinched the victim's breasts. Eventually, the victim got away.
The defendant then told her to go to her room where he then took off her pants and then made her lay on the floor for several minutes while he discussed household issues.

[14] The district court expressed reservations about the no contest plea and Neid-linger's refusal to admit the criminal conduct but ultimately accepted the plea On November 28, 2006, the district court sentenced Neidlinger to a prison term of three to five years but suspended execution of that sentence in favor of four years supervised probation. The probation conditions included requirements that Neidlinger participate in the Intensive Supervision Program (ISP), submit to a sex offender evaluation and successfully complete a sex offender treatment program. Neidlinger filed a notice of appeal from the Judgment and Sentence, and that appeal comprises Docket No. 06-292.

[15] On December 9, 2006, and January 6, 2007, Neidlinger met with Charles Mueller, a sex offender therapist, at the behest of his probation agent. During both meetings, Neidlinger refused to admit any inappropriate sexual behavior. Because of Neidlinger's refusal to admit, Mueller did not suggest any further treatment.

[16] On January 11, 2007, the State filed a petition to revoke Neidlinger's probation, alleging that Neidlinger had violated the terms of his probation. The affidavit for revocation specifically alleged:

On or about January 6, 2007, said Defendant was terminated from sex offender counseling.
This is in direct violation of said Defendant's Judgment and Sentence of the Court, Condition Number 14, which states, "Defendant shall submit to and pay for a sex offender evaluation by a sex offender counselor approved of [by] the probation agent and successfully complete any subse *378 quently recommended sex offender counseling at his own expense."
This is also a violation of said Defendant's ISP Agreement, signed and dated November 29, 2006, Condition Number 6, which states, "I will submit to any and all evaluations deemed necessary by ISP agents, at my own expense, and adhere to any and all recommendations resulting from those evaluations," and Condition Number 7, which states, "I will actively participate in any treatment/counseling and/or training programs recommended by ISP agents, at my own expense." [Emphasis omitted.]

[17] The district court conducted a revocation hearing on February 7, 2007. At the conclusion of that hearing, the district court determined that Neidlinger had violated the terms of his probation. Specifically, the district court concluded that, because he failed to admit any sexual misconduct, Neidlinger effectively failed to comply with the requirement that he submit to a sex offender evaluation. The court revoked Neidlinger's probation and re-imposed the underlying three- to five-year prison sentence. Neidlinger filed a notice of appeal from the order revoking his probation, and that appeal comprises Docket No. S-07-0062. At Neidlinger's request, this Court consolidated the two appeals.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

[18] We review a trial court's decision to revoke probation under the abuse of discretion standard. Sami v. State, 2004 WY 23, ¶ 15, 85 P.3d 1014, 1019 (Wyo.2004); Anderson v. State, 2002 WY 46, ¶ 25, 43 P.3d 108, 118 (Wyo.2002). "Determining whether the trial court abused its discretion involves the consideration of whether the court could reasonably conclude as it did, and whether it acted in an arbitrary or capricious manner." Dysthe v. State, 2003 WY 20, ¶ 16, 63 P.3d 875, 883 (Wyo.2003).

DISCUSSION

[19] As a preliminary matter, in his brief Neidlinger does not present any argument directly challenging the legality of his convietion and sentence underlying the appeal in Docket No. 06-292. Consequently, we summarily affirm in all respects the original Judgment and Sentence entered on November 30, 2006.

[110] We now turn to the question whether the district court abused its discretion in revoking Neidlinger's probation. The conflict between the parties comes down to whether Neidlinger was required to admit his criminal sexual conduct in order to comply with the probation requirement that he submit to a sex offender evaluation. The district court stated during the revocation hearing:

I believe that the responsibility for determining what this judgment and sentence means is mine. The responsibility for determining what the word means is mine. In my mind Mr. Neidlinger still has not submitted himself to an evaluation. He refused to do that by refusing to admit that he had done anything wrong. Submitting to an evaluation connotes several things. It means calling up and saying, I'm here, I want to come to talk to you about it. And then having a conversation about it.
Submitting to an evaluation also means that under the setting of this particular combination of cireumstances that there must be an admission of responsibility. Mr. Neidlinger has refused to admit that responsibility.
It is my conclusion as a finding of fact after hearing the evidence, after hearing Mr. Mueller testify, after hearing comments of counsel that by failing to admit that he did anything wrong, he failed to submit himself to an evaluation.
... He failed to admit that the allegations of his daughter, Mr. Neidlinger's daughter, were accurate and correct. He failed to submit himself, he failed to present himself to the examination, and the evaluation of himself as a sex offender.
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So it is my finding that Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2007 WY 204, 173 P.3d 376, 2007 Wyo. LEXIS 214, 2007 WL 4385779, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neidlinger-v-state-wyo-2007.