People v. Dunnavan

886 N.E.2d 393, 381 Ill. App. 3d 514, 319 Ill. Dec. 630, 2008 Ill. App. LEXIS 263
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 26, 2008
Docket2-06-0518
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 886 N.E.2d 393 (People v. Dunnavan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Dunnavan, 886 N.E.2d 393, 381 Ill. App. 3d 514, 319 Ill. Dec. 630, 2008 Ill. App. LEXIS 263 (Ill. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinions

JUSTICE O’MALLEY

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, David D. Dunnavan, appeals his conviction of child pornography (720 ILCS 5/11 — 20.1(a)(l)(iv) (West 2002)), contending that it is barred by the principle of double jeopardy. Defendant argues that his prior conviction in New Mexico of sexual exploitation of children (possession of child pornography) (N.M. Stat. Ann. §30 — 6A— 3(A) (LexisNexis 2007)) constitutes the same conduct and is also a lesser-included offense of the Illinois offense of creation of child pornography (720 ILCS 5/11 — 20.1(a)(l)(iv) (West 2002)), and that this serves to bar his conviction of the Illinois offense in this case. We affirm.

On March 22, 2005, defendant was charged in New Mexico with the crime of sexual exploitation of a child (possession of child pornography). On April 4, 2005, defendant pleaded no contest to the charge and on May 31, 2005, defendant was sentenced in New Mexico for the offense.

On June 3, 2005, defendant was charged in Illinois with one count each of child pornography and aggravated criminal sexual abuse (720 ILCS 5/12 — 16(c)(l)(i) (West 2002)). Before trial, defendant moved to dismiss the Illinois charges. Defendant argued that his New Mexico conviction of sexual exploitation of a child was based on his possession of a videotape depicting him engaging in sexual activity with a child, T.R. Defendant contended that possession of the videotape was a lesser-included offense of the Illinois charge of child pornography, reasoning that, in making the tape, defendant necessarily had to possess the tape; in other words, defendant could not have created or manufactured the videotape without actually or constructively possessing the tape at the same time. Defendant concluded that the Illinois prosecution for child pornography would violate the prohibition against double jeopardy

The State argued that the offenses did not share the same elements and that, therefore, the Illinois prosecution was not barred by double jeopardy. The State contended that creating or making the tape was separate conduct from possessing it. The State urged the trial court to focus on the elements of each offense in its double jeopardy analysis, reasoning that the fact that the two offenses involved overlapping conduct was not significant to a proper double jeopardy analysis.

The trial court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss. Calling the issue a close question, the trial court held that possession was not an essential element of child pornography predicated on creating or manufacturing a videotape recording. The trial court also held that the Illinois offense of aggravated criminal sexual abuse shared no elements with the New Mexico offense.

The case proceeded to trial. The evidence adduced at trial showed that, in 2002-03, defendant had been employed as a teacher in the Belvidere School District. New Mexico investigators contacted the school district administration about a videotape. The principal of defendant’s former school recognized defendant and T.R. in the videotape. T.R. was about 10 years old at the time that defendant was employed with the school district. The videotape depicted defendant and T.R. in one of the school’s classrooms. T.R. had been blindfolded and was eating a lollipop shaped like male genitalia. The videotape also showed defendant rubbing his penis in T.R.’s hair.

The evidence also showed that the equipment used to make the videotape of the incident did not belong to the school district. The school where defendant had been employed did not possess a video camera, and school policy required parental permission to engage in videotaping a student.

Defendant offered no evidence in his own behalf. Defendant was found guilty of both charges. Defendant filed a motion for a new trial, which on May 16, 2006, was denied by the trial court. Defendant was sentenced to a 12-year term of imprisonment on the child pornography charge; no sentence was imposed on the aggravated-criminal-sexual-abuse conviction because the trial court held that it was based on the same conduct as the child-pornography conviction. Defendant timely appeals.

Defendant’s sole contention on appeal is that his child-pornography conviction violates the prohibition against double jeopardy. Defendant argues that the act of creating the videotape necessarily required him to possess the videotape he was creating. Defendant argues that, as a result, the New Mexico offense is actually a lesser-included offense of the Illinois offense. Defendant concludes that, this being so, he is being punished twice for the same conduct, which violates the prohibition against double jeopardy.

Before beginning our analysis of defendant’s contention, we first consider our standard of review. Generally, we review a trial court’s decision on a motion to dismiss charges on double jeopardy grounds for an abuse of discretion. People v. Brener, 357 Ill. App. 3d 868, 870 (2005). However, where no factual determinations are involved in the trial court’s decision, a purely legal question is presented and we review the trial court’s decision de novo. Brener, 357 Ill. App. 3d at 870. Here, the issue is purely a legal question and we will review the trial court’s judgment de novo.

We now turn to defendant’s contention. The prohibition against double jeopardy is of both constitutional (U.S. Const., amends. V, XIV; Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, §10) and statutory dimension (720 ILCS 5/3— 4(c)(1) (West 2004)). The prohibition against double jeopardy is designed to protect a citizen against three distinct abuses: “ * “(1) a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal; (2) a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction; and (3) multiple punishments for the same offense.” ’ ” People v. Sienkiewicz, 208 Ill. 2d 1, 4 (2003), quoting People v. Henry, 204 Ill. 2d 267, 283 (2003), quoting People v. Placek, 184 Ill. 2d 370, 376-77 (1998). Notwithstanding the constitutional protection against double jeopardy, it is long since settled that, under the separate-sovereigns doctrine, separate sovereigns, such as sister states, or the federal government and the state government, may prosecute the same person for the same acts without offending the double jeopardy clause of either the state or the federal constitution. People v. Porter, 156 Ill. 2d 218, 221-22 (1993). The rationale for the separate-sovereigns doctrine is that “ ‘prosecutions under the laws of separate sovereigns do not, in the language of the Fifth Amendment, “subject [the defendant] for the same offence [sic] to be twice put in jeopardy.” ’ ” Porter, 156 Ill. 2d at 221-22, quoting United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313, 317, 55 L. Ed. 2d 303, 308-09, 98 S. Ct. 1079, 1082-83 (1978). The fact that, here, two separate sovereigns conducted prosecutions based on defendant’s similar acts does not leave him bereft of protection, however. Section 3 — 4(c)(1) of the Criminal Code of 1961 provides:

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People v. Dunnavan
886 N.E.2d 393 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
886 N.E.2d 393, 381 Ill. App. 3d 514, 319 Ill. Dec. 630, 2008 Ill. App. LEXIS 263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-dunnavan-illappct-2008.