State of Iowa v. Montez Guise

CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 14, 2018
Docket17-0589
StatusPublished

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

Bluebook
State of Iowa v. Montez Guise, (iowa 2018).

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA No. 17–0589

Filed December 14, 2018

STATE OF IOWA,

Appellee,

vs.

MONTEZ JAVON LAMONT GUISE,

Appellant.

On review from the Iowa Court of Appeals.

Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Cerro Gordo County,

Colleen D. Weiland, Judge.

The State seeks further review of a court of appeals decision

reversing the sentence of the defendant. DECISION OF COURT OF

APPEALS VACATED; DISTRICT COURT JUDGMENT AFFIRMED.

Mark C. Smith, State Appellate Defender, Melinda J. Nye, Assistant

Appellate Defender, and Nicholas Jones, Law Student, for appellant.

Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General, Sharon K. Hall, Assistant

Attorney General, Carlyle D. Dalen, County Attorney, and Gina A.

Jorgensen, Assistant County Attorney, for appellee. 2

WIGGINS, Justice.

On appeal, for the first time, the defendant raised the issue that the

court’s use of the Iowa Risk Revised risk assessment tool (IRR) in

sentencing the defendant violated his due process rights. The defendant

also claimed the court used an unproven or unprosecuted offense when it

sentenced him. We transferred the case to the court of appeals. The court

of appeals reversed the defendant’s sentence finding there is “no legislative

authority supporting the use of the IRR at sentencing.” The State asked

for further review, which we granted. On further review, we find the court

of appeals erred in reaching an issue not preserved by the defendant. We

further find the defendant failed to preserve error on his due process claim

and the record is insufficient to reach the due process claim on direct

appeal. We also find the district court did not use an unproven or

unprosecuted offense when it sentenced the defendant. Therefore, we

vacate the court of appeals decision finding there is “no legislative

authority supporting the use of the IRR at sentencing” and affirm the

judgment of the district court.

I. Background Facts and Proceedings.

On December 31, 2016, Montez Guise went to his ex-girlfriend

M.J.’s Mason City apartment and entered the premises. At that time, there

was a valid no-contact order between Guise and M.J., with M.J. being the

protected party. Guise left the apartment, taking the apartment key and

M.J.’s rent money with him. M.J. barricaded the door, fearing Guise would

return. Guise returned shortly thereafter, kicked down M.J.’s apartment

door, and started breaking items in the home.

The dispatcher sent Mason City police officers to M.J.’s apartment

for a welfare check after receiving reports that M.J. and her friend Gloria,

who was also inside the apartment, were in danger. When officers arrived, 3

Guise prevented M.J. and Gloria from answering the door. The officers

kicked down the door and arrested Guise as he was trying to escape out

of an apartment window.

The State charged Guise with burglary in the second degree, a class

“C” felony, in violation of Iowa Code sections 713.1 and 713.5 (2017) and

false imprisonment, in violation of Iowa Code section 710.7, a serious

misdemeanor. On February 6, 2017, Guise pled guilty to burglary in the

second degree as part of a plea agreement. The court released him to the

department of correctional services on pretrial release pending sentencing.

Under the plea agreement, for Guise’s burglary charge, the State

recommended a ten-year prison sentence, suspended; probation; and a

one-thousand dollar fine, suspended. In exchange for his plea, the State

dismissed the false imprisonment and related simple misdemeanors, and

refrained from asserting the habitual offender enhancement.

On February 23, the department of corrections reported Guise had

violated his conditions of release. The department of corrections reported

Guise failed to show up for a probation appointment, violated his no-

contact order, resisted arrest, and was in possession of drug

paraphernalia. The State charged him with the additional charge of

interference with official acts, a serious misdemeanor, stemming from his

arrest on the violation of the no-contact order. Guise pled guilty to this

charge prior to sentencing.

On March 14, the Mason City probation/parole office filed Guise’s

presentence investigation report (PSI), which it had prepared at the

direction of the district court. The PSI stated the interviewer completed an

IRR. The IRR recommended Guise be supervised at an intensive level.

Guise did not object to the district court’s use of the PSI at sentencing and 4

made only one correction after reviewing the PSI—his explosive attitude

only refers to him while on methamphetamine.

On March 20, the court sentenced Guise. At the sentencing hearing,

the State recommended the sentence in the plea agreement for the

burglary charge. For Guise’s interference with official acts resulting in the

bodily injury charge, the State recommended one year in jail, suspended;

probation for two years; and fines. In other words, the State recommended

no jail time.

The district court rejected the sentence recommended by the State

for the burglary charge and sentenced Guise to prison for an indeterminate

term, not to exceed ten years. For the interference with official acts charge,

the district court also rejected the sentence recommended by the State and

sentenced Guise to ninety days in jail, to be served concurrently with the

burglary sentence.

Guise filed a motion of appeal from the final judgment and

sentencing. We transferred the case to the court of appeals. The court of

appeals vacated the district court’s sentence and remanded, holding there

is “no legislative authority supporting the use of the IRR at sentencing.”

The State requested further review, which we granted.

II. Issues.

In his brief on appeal, Guise did not raise the issue decided by the

court of appeals. Rather, he contends the district court violated his due

process rights by using the IRR. In the alternative, he argues the court

abused its discretion by considering the IRR without understanding the

purpose and limitations of the IRR. The alternative argument is in essence

a due process argument. Thus on further review, we will not consider

whether there is legislative authority supporting the use of the IRR at

sentencing. 5

We will consider whether the district court violated Guise’s due

process rights by consideration of and reliance on the IRR in imposing its

sentence. Second, if counsel did not preserve error on this issue, whether

counsel provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to object to the

sentencing proceeding because the court’s consideration of and reliance

on the IRR violated Gordon’s due process rights. Third, whether in

sentencing Gordon, the district court abused its discretion by relying on

an unproven or unprosecuted offense.

III. Whether on Direct Appeal or Under an Ineffective- Assistance-of-Counsel Claim, the Court Infringed on Guise’s Due Process Rights Based on Its Use of the IRR at Sentencing.

Today, we filed an opinion in State v. Gordon, ____ N.W.2d ____ (Iowa

2018). In Gordon, we held a defendant could not raise this due process

argument for the first time on appeal when the defendant did not bring the

issue to the district court at the time of sentencing. Id.

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