People v. Wilburn

2013 COA 135, 343 P.3d 998, 2013 WL 5397386, 2013 Colo. App. LEXIS 1511
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 26, 2013
DocketCourt of Appeals No. 11CA1942
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2013 COA 135 (People v. Wilburn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Wilburn, 2013 COA 135, 343 P.3d 998, 2013 WL 5397386, 2013 Colo. App. LEXIS 1511 (Colo. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Opinion by

JUDGE NAVARRO

{1 The People appeal the trial court's order finding that defendant, Adam James Wilburn, did not violate the conditions of his deferred judgment. We disapprove the order.

I. Background

T2 On December 5, 2007, defendant was granted a three-year deferred judgment and sentence, under former section 18-1.3-102, Ch. 318, see. 2, 2002 Colo. Sess. Laws 1866-67, after entering a plea of guilty to the charge of possession with the intent to distribute MDMA (ecstasy), a schedule I controlled substance. As part of defendant's plea agreement, he signed a document entitled "Stipulation for Deferred Judgment and Sentence." In this document, defendant agreed to the following condition: "The [dle-fendant will not use aleohol to excess and will not use any narcotic, dangerous, or abusable drug without permission from the [clourt." He also agreed to comply with any other conditions required by his probation officer that were reasonably related to his rehabilitation. As a condition of his supervision, defendant agreed to "not use or possess any narcotic, dangerous or abusable substance without prescription."

T8 The probation department filed a complaint to revoke defendant's deferred judgment on July 15, 2009. The department filed an amended complaint on September 28, 2009, alleging four violations of defendant's conditions of supervision. Following a hearing, the trial court determined that counts one, three, and four were no longer at issue. The court addressed only count two, which alleged that defendant had violated the condition that he not use or possess any narcotic, dangerous, or abusable substance without a prescription. The complaint alleged that he had tested positive, multiple times, for THC (the active ingredient of marijuana). In response, defendant argued that he had used marijuana for medicinal purposes and, thus, his use was protected by the Colorado Constitution-even though no doctor had recommended that he use marijuana until years after the use alleged in the revocation complaint.

¶4 After multiple hearings, the trial court found that defendant had not violated the conditions of his deferred judgment, and the court dismissed the revocation complaint. In essence, the court determined that defendant had established an affirmative defense to revocation because he satisfied conditions of the state constitution pertaining to medical marijuana. Subsequently, the trial court withdrew defendant's guilty plea and dismissed the criminal charges against him (as the three-year period of deferred judgment had elapsed by the time the court dismissed the revocation complaint). This appeal followed.

IL Jurisdiction

15 Defendant argues that we lack jurisdiction to hear this appeal because the trial court's order declining to revoke his deferred judgment is not a final appealable order. We conclude that we have appellate jurisdiction because the trial court ultimately dismissed the charges against defendant, which resulted in a final judgment.

T6 Initially, we observe that the prosecution brought this appeal under section 16-12, 1021), C.R.S.2018. This statute authorizes appeals by the prosecution in eriminal cases on questions of law. Defendant does not dispute that this appeal concerns a question of law.

17 In criminal cases, a final judgment occurs when "the defendant is acquitted, the charges are dismissed, or the defendant is convicted and sentence is imposed." People v. Guatney, 214 P.8d 1049, 1051 (Colo.2009). The finality requirement is met with respect to "any ruling or order of a district court onee the action in which it was entered has produced a final judgment." People v. Gabriesheski, 262 P.3d 653, 657 (Colo.2011). Regardless of whether the order declining to revoke defendant's deferred judgment was immediately appealable, the finality requirement was met here when the trial court [1001]*1001dismissed all of the charges. See People v. Seader, 2012 COA 184, ¶13, 292 P.3d 1198 ("[We have jurisdiction under section 16-12-102(1) ... because the district court's dismissal of all charges in the indictment against defendant constitutes a final judgment.").

18 Defendant also argues that the appeal is moot. He maintains that any ruling from this court would have no practical effect because the charges have been dismissed and (according to him) they cannot be reinstated. We are not persuaded.

T 9 Where, as here, an appeal by the prosecution is authorized by statute, the Colorado Appellate Rules provide that we "shall issue a written decision answering the issues in the case and shall not dismiss the appeal as without precedential value." C.AR. 4(b)(Q). In this case, our options include, at least, affirming the trial court's order or disapproving the order. Seq, eg., People v. Lewis, 791 P.2d 1152, 1154 (Colo.App.1989). In any event, we must issue a decision. See People v. Jackson, 972 P.2d 698, 700-01 (Colo.App. 1998) ("Because the People are authorized by [section] 16-12-102(1) ... to appeal any decision of the trial court in a criminal case upon any question of law, and this case pertains to a question of law, we are required to issue a written decision." (citing CAR. 4(b)@Q))). Consequently, we proceed to address the merits of the appeal.

III. Analysis

A. The Trial Court Erred as a Matter of Law in Holding That Defendant Established an Affirmative Defense to Revocation

110 The People contend that the trial court erred by concluding that defendant established an affirmative defense to revocation of the deferred judgment. In particular, the People argue that, although the state constitution sets forth an affirmative defense to criminal prosecution based on the medical use of marijuana, it does not provide a defense to an administrative proceeding such as the revocation here. We agree.

T 11 The interpretation of a constitutional provision and the application of a constitutional standard are questions of law we review de novo. Danielson v. Dennis, 139 P.3d 688, 691 (Colo. 20086); City of Golden v. Parker, 188 P.3d 285, 289 (Colo.2006); People v. Clendenin, 282 P.Bd 210, 212 (Colo.App.2009).

T 12 The trial court determined that defendant did not have a prescription for marijuana, and defendant does not dispute this point. See Beinor v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 262 P.8d 970, 974 (Colo.App.2011) (marijuana remains a schedule I controlled substance and cannot be legally prescribed). Instead, defendant argues that the terms of his deferred judgment did not include the condition that he not use any narcotic, dangerous, or abusable substance without a prescription. On the contrary, in his stipulation, he agreed to comply with reasonable terms imposed by the probation department. The trial court found that defendant, in discussions with the department, agreed not to use or possess any narcotic, dangerous, or abusable substance without a prescription. Hence, defendant was obligated to comply with this condition. And count two of the revocation complaint alleged that defendant used marijuana without a prescription.

T13 In the hearings in the trial court, defendant did not contest the allegation that he had tested positive for the active ingredient in marijuana.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2013 COA 135, 343 P.3d 998, 2013 WL 5397386, 2013 Colo. App. LEXIS 1511, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-wilburn-coloctapp-2013.