Six v. State

2008 WY 42, 180 P.3d 912, 2008 Wyo. LEXIS 44, 2008 WL 943753
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedApril 9, 2008
DocketS-07-0199
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 2008 WY 42 (Six 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
Six v. State, 2008 WY 42, 180 P.3d 912, 2008 Wyo. LEXIS 44, 2008 WL 943753 (Wyo. 2008).

Opinion

HILL, Justice.

[T1] Appellant, Brent Lee Six (Six), appeals from the district court's judgment and sentence which found him guilty of escape. Six contends that the State erred in failing to afford him an initial appearance within 72 hours of his arrest, as required by W.R.Cr.P. 5(a), and that cireumstance requires dismissal of the charges against him. In addition, he contends that the district court erred in instructing the jury as to the intent element of the crime of escape, and that error requires reversal of his conviction. We will affirm.

ISSUES

[12] Six states these issues:

I. Did the failure to afford Brent Six an initial appearance within 72 hours of arrest constitute a violation of W.R.Cr.P. 5(a) and warrant a dismissal of the case?
II. Did the trial court err in failing to include intent as an element of escape?

The State contends:

I. Was [Six] arrested for the crime of escape on October 25, 2006, and therefore denied his rights under W.R.Cr.P. 5, or was he simply transferred to the sheriff's custody pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-18-113, due to a violation of the conditions *914 of his placement at a community correctional facility?
II. Did the trial court fail to properly instruct the jury on intent as an element of escape?

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

[¶3] On October 25, 2006, Six was a transitional inmate in the custody of the Wyoming Department of Corrections and was housed at Community Alternatives of Casper (CAG).

[¶4] Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-18-110 (Lexis Nexis 2007) provides:

§ 7-18-110. Authority of department of corrections to contract for services.
(a) Subject to legislative appropriation, the department may, by negotiation without competitive bids or by competitive bidding, contract with any community corrections board created under this act, to provide services for:
(i) Convicted felony offenders ordered by a sentencing court to participate in adult community correctional facilities or programs as a condition of probation;
(ii) Inmates transferred to a residential adult community correctional facility by the department pursuant to W.S. 7-18-109; or
(ifi) Parolees required to participate in a residential or nonresidential adult community correctional program as a condition of parole pursuant to W.S. 7-18-115.
(b) No inmate, parolee or offender shall be deemed to be a third party beneficiary of, or to be otherwise entitled to enforce any provision of, any contract entered into under subsection (a) of this section. [Emphasis added.]

Six was transferred to CAC by the Department of Corrections under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-18-109 (LexisNexis 2007):

§ 7-18-109. Transfer of inmate to facility by department.
(a) Subject to subsection (b) of this seetion, and upon recommendation of the warden or superintendent of the institution, the department may transfer an adult inmate to a residential adult community correctional facility.
(b) A transfer of an inmate to a residential adult community correctional facility under this section may be made only if:
(i) The department determines the inmate poses a low risk of escape or violence;
(i) The inmate is eligible under W.S. 7-18-102(a)(fii);
(i) The inmate is within at least twenty-four (24) months of his parole eligibility date and his conduct during his confinement has been such that he is appropriate for placement;
(iv) The residential adult community correctional facility is operated under a contract with a corrections board and the corrections board has contracted with the department to provide services which include placement of pre-parole inmates;
(v) The inmate has been accepted by the corrections board;
(vi) Funding for the placement is available; and
(vii) The department determines the correctional needs of the inmate will be better served by the transfer.
(c) Prior to the placement of an inmate in any nongovernmental adult community correctional facility, the department shall notify or cause to be notified the law enforcement agencies of affected units of local government concerning the identity of the inmate to be placed.
(d) No inmate shall be transferred to a residential adult community corrections facility under this section unless he agrees in writing to abide by the regulations of the program provider and any additional conditions imposed by the department. Approval of a transfer under this section is not a discharge of the inmate but shall be construed as an extension of the limits of confinement of the institution to which the inmate was committed. The department may revoke the approval of the transfer of an inmate under this seetion at any time for violation by the inmate of any conditions of the placement. Upon *915 revocation the inmate shall be returned to the physical custody of the department.
(e) The probation and parole officers for the judicial district shall have general supervisory authority over all inmates in adult community correctional facilities or programs under this section. [Emphasis added.]

[15] The underlying facts that constitute the escape charge are not in dispute and we set them out only briefly for purposes of background and context. At 7:10 a.m., on October 25, 2006, Six left CAC to go to work. When he arrived at work, he was fired because he had not shown up for work the preceding day and had not called to say he was not coming to work. He then returned to CAC but did not sign himself back into the facility. Instead, he picked up another inmate and left. At 8:00 p.m. that same day, Six returned to CAC and was transferred to the custody of the Natrona County Sheriff pending review of his case under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-18-118 (LexisNexis 2007), which provides:

§ 7-18-113. Confinement of violators.
If the administrator of an adult community correctional facility or any other appropriate supervising authority has cause to believe that an offender, parolee or inmate placed in an adult community correctional facility has violated any rule or condition of that person's placement in that facility or any term of post-release supervision or cannot be safely housed in that facility, the administrator or other authority shall certify to the department the facts which are the basis for the belief and execute a transfer order to the sheriff of the county in which the facility is located, who shall confine the offender, parolee or inmate in the county jail pending a determination by the appropriate judicial or executive authorities as to whether or not the offender, parolee or inmate shall remain in community corrections.

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Bluebook (online)
2008 WY 42, 180 P.3d 912, 2008 Wyo. LEXIS 44, 2008 WL 943753, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/six-v-state-wyo-2008.