State ex rel. Patton v. Rubenstein

582 S.E.2d 743, 213 W. Va. 296, 2003 W. Va. LEXIS 8
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 27, 2003
DocketNo. 30967
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 582 S.E.2d 743 (State ex rel. Patton v. Rubenstein) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Patton v. Rubenstein, 582 S.E.2d 743, 213 W. Va. 296, 2003 W. Va. LEXIS 8 (W. Va. 2003).

Opinions

PER CURIAM:

Mr. Bruce Patton filed this petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking relief from a [298]*298decision of the West Virginia Parole Board (hereinafter “Board”) revoking his parole. Mr. Patton contends that the Board acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in revoking his parole. Specifically, Mr. Patton contends that the evidence of parole violations, including mitigating circumstances, was inadequate to support the parole revocation; that the Board failed to adequately consider less restrictive alternatives; and that the poor audio tape quality prevented all members of the Board from reviewing the evidence presented at the parole revocation hearing prior to rendering the decision to revoke parole. Based upon the briefs, record, and arguments of counsel, we deny the requested writ of habeas corpus.

I.Factual and Procedural History

Mr. Patton was sentenced to thirty years for aggravated robbery and breaking and entering. On December 21, 2001, after serving seven and one-half years of his sentence, Mr. Patton was paroled and subsequently became employed as a member of a towing crew. On June 24, 2002, after having been on parole for approximately six months, Parole Officer Pamela Baldwin filed a petition to revoke parole, charging Mr. Patton with the following five violations: (1) breaking the 9:00 p.m curfew on April 11, 2002; (2) visiting a bar on April 11, 2002; (3) driving on a suspended license on May 13, 2002; (4) possession of alcohol on June 6, 2002; and (5) driving on a suspended license on June 6, 2002. Subsequent to a July 30, 2002, hearing, the hearing examiner found probable cause on only charges one, three, and four.

On September 19, 2002, Board Chairman Douglas F. Stump conducted a final hearing in which Mi'. Patton testified. The factual issues raised in the hearing testimony will be addressed in the Discussion section of this opinion. Subsequent to the revocation hearing, Chairman Stump, according to an affidavit signed by him, met with the other two signing members of the Board and “discussed the matter thoroughly” prior to rendering a decision to revoke parole on October 1, 2002. Chairman Stump also explained in the affidavit that the “Board does not routinely listen to or review audio tapes of revocation hearings in their entirety.”

In seeking a writ of habeas corpus in this Court, Mr. Patton alleges that a thorough review of the evidence submitted in this case reveals the arbitrary and capricious nature of the Board’s revocation decision. Moreover, Mr. Patton alleges that the Board filed to satisfy the requirements of State ex rel. Eads v. Duncil, 196 W.Va. 604, 474 S.E.2d 534 (1996), regarding review by all members of the Board prior to a revocation determination. We address these issues separately in this opinion.

II.Standard of Review

This Court stated as follows in syllabus point three of Rowe v. Whyte, 167 W.Va. 668, 280 S.E.2d 301 (1981): “[t]he decision to grant or deny parole is a discretionary evaluation to be made by the West Virginia [Parole Board]. However, such a decision shall be reviewed by this Court to determine if the [Parole Board] abused its discretion by acting in an arbitrary and capricious fashion.” In syllabus point three of State ex rel. Eads v. Duncil, 196 W.Va. 604, 474 S.E.2d 534 (1996), this Court explained that “The West Virginia [Parole Board] must obey legislation and must act in a way which is not unreasonable, capricious, or arbitrary.”

Regarding Mr. Patton’s contention that the Board failed to satisfy the requirements of Eads, this Court reviews such questions of law de novo. See Phillips v. Fox, 193 W.Va. 657, 661, 458 S.E.2d 327, 331 (1995) (“In reviewing challenges to ... findings and conclusions ... we apply a two-prong deferential standard of review. We review the final order and the ultimate disposition under an abuse of discretion standard, and we review the ... underlying factual findings under a clearly erroneous standard. Questions of law are subject to a de novo review”).

III.Discussion

A. Contentions Regarding Revocation Hearing Testimony

We first address Mr. Patton’s primary contention that the Board acted arbitrarily and capriciously in revoking his parole based upon what Mr. Patton characterizes as very technical violations of parole. During the September 19, 2002, hearing conducted by [299]*299Chairman Stump, the charges against Mr. Patton were developed and mitigating factors were explained. With regard to the allegation of a curfew violation, Mr. Patton explained that he broke the 9:00 p.m. curfew on April 11, 2002, as a direct result of employment obligations in his position as a member of a twenty-four hour towing crew. He further maintained that his parole officer had encouraged his participation in this employment and had knowledge of its particular hourly demands. He alleged that he had been called to the Good Times Bar in Dunbar to assist a stranded motorist. His employer, Mi'. Lee Mullans, submitted a letter to the Board asserting that Mi’. Patton had indeed been called on that employment mission.

With regard to the charge of driving on a suspended license1 on May 13, 2002, Mr. Patton explained that a female customer had refused to drive her own vehicle from Advance Auto Parts to Mr. Patton’s place of employment for the replacement of her brakes, due to her fear that the brakes would fail completely during that drive. Mr. Patton explained, during the revocation hearing, that he had telephoned his employer for advice concerning the customer’s refusal to drive her own vehicle. Mr. Patton explained that his employer had advised him that the customer would have to pay a wrecker fee if the vehicle had to be towed from Advance Auto Parts to the location at which the brakes would be replaced. Thus, Mr. Patton agreed to drive the vehicle for the customer the one mile from Advance Auto Parts. At the parole revocation hearing, Mr. Patton explained: “And when I pulled in, Pam [the parole officer making a routine check] was behind us. She seen her get out of the truck and a little kid and I showed Pam the brake shoes in my hand that I got from over there. I mean I wasn’t supposed to be driving. You know, I can’t be right and be wrong. And I tried to do somebody a favor.... ”

With regard to the charge of alcohol possession on June 6, 2002, Officer Bryan Jones, the police officer who observed Mi*. Patton purchasing the beer at a local Go-Mart, testified at the parole revocation hearing. He did not observe Mr. Patton drinking the beer, but he did notice that there was a woman in Mr. Patton’s truck with him. With regard to the Go-Mart beer purchase, Mr. Patton testified that he had purchased a case of beer for his girlfriend. He also stated that he realized that he was a “recovering alcoholic” and that he had served as the chairman of Alcoholics Anonymous at the Huttonsville Correctional Center.

While Mr. Patton does not attempt to argue that the violations did not occur, he contends that the mitigating circumstances should have persuaded the Board to administer an alternative resolution of a less restrictive nature than, total revocation of parole and replacement within the prison population.

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Bluebook (online)
582 S.E.2d 743, 213 W. Va. 296, 2003 W. Va. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-patton-v-rubenstein-wva-2003.