State of Maine v. Deleskey

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedJuly 16, 2013
DocketKENcr-12-388
StatusUnpublished

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

Bluebook
State of Maine v. Deleskey, (Me. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

STATE OF MAlNE SUPERIOR COURT KENNEBEC, SS. CRIMINAL ACTION DRcket NC?. GR-12-388 , ' j/'- /!;,: 6;1 fl/ -" " ~ /:) - .

STATE OF MAlNE,

DECISION AND ORDER v. ON DEFENDANT'S MOTION DISMISS NIGHT HUNTING AND POSSESSION OF LOADED GUN IN VEHICLE CHARGES AND MERGE INTO SINGLE COUNT

JOSEPH DELESKEY, Defendant

Before the Court is Defendant Joseph Deleskey's Motion to Dismiss Night Hunting and \ Possession ofLoaded Gun in Vehicle Charges and Merge Into Single Count. The Defendant was

originally indicted for multiple counts of possession of a firearm by a felon as well as multiple

counts of night hunting and possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle. The Defendant

previously filed a Motion to Dismiss for multiplicity the multiple possession of a firearm by a

felon counts. Without conceding multiplicity, the State ultimately agreed to join the counts, and

the Court dismissed all but one count. The Defendant now asks the Court to similarly merge the

multiple night hunting counts and the multiple possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle

counts over the State's objection.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL ffiSTORY

The basis for Defendant Deleskey's Motion is an alleged violation of the Double

Jeopardy Clause to both the Maine and Federal Constitutions. The same constitutional provision

1 underlay the Defendant's previous and successful Motion to Dismiss multiple counts alleging

possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in violation of 15 M.R. S.A. § 3 93. In the present

matter, the Defendant again asserts illegal multiplicity, and that the Defendant's charges for

night hunting and possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle should be dismissed and

merged.

While the parties agree that there is no Maine case law interpreting the double jeopardy

clause under Maine's felon in possession statute, there is ample federal law interpreting the

federal counterpoint to the Maine statute, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). 1 The Court notes, as did the

Defendant, that the language of 15 M.R.S.A. § 393 and 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) is virtually identical.

The Defendant asserts that "possession is a course of conduct, not an act; by prohibiting

possession Congress intended to punish as one offense all of the acts of dominion which

demonstrate a continuing possessory interest in a firearm." United States v. Hope, 545 F.3d 293,

296 (5th Cir. 2008). Therefore, what is now before the Court is whether the same or similar

rationale can be applied to the Defendant's alleged violations of statutes prohibiting night

hunting and possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.

DISCUSSION

The Defendant's primary argument is that the only factor distinguishing each count of

night hunting and each count of possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle is the date. In

other words, the Defendant states: "[w]hile each incident alleges a slightly different date, it is

clear from the indictment alone that in only two hunting seasons Defendant hunted after sunset

with a loaded gun in his vehicle. There is no functional difference between each count, and,

indeed, they are identical except for the dates." (Def.'s M. Dismiss ,-r 2.) Defendant argues that

1 The Maine statute prohibiting possession of a firearm by a prohibited person is 15 M.R.S.A. § 393(l)(A-1)(3).

2 each incident of night hunting and possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle is part of a

common scheme or plan to go night hunting while possessing a loaded gun in a vehicle.

12 M.R.S.A. § 11206 defines night hunting as "[h]unt[ing] wild birds or wild animals

from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise of the following day .... " 12

M.R.S.A. § 11206(A). The Defendant asserts that there is no dispute that the alleged activities

all took place well after sunset on each occasion. 12 M.R.S.A. § 11212 provides that "[a] person

may not, while in or on a motor vehicle ... have ... a firearm with a cartridge or shell in the

chamber .... " 12 M.R.S.A. § 11212(B). Unlike the charge of possession of a firearm by a

prohibited person, there appears to be no federal counterpart to either§ 11206 or§ 11212.

"Multiplicity is charging the same offense in two or more counts of an indictment or

information." United States v. Widi, 697 F. Supp. 2d 140, 144 (D. Me. 2010). See also United

States v. Lilly, 983 F.2d 300, 302 (1st Cir. 1992); United States v. Serino, 835 F.2d 924, 930 (1st

Cir. 1987); United States v. Swaim, 757 F.2d 1530, 1536 (5th Cir. 1985). Additionally, "[a]n

indictment is multiplicitous when a single offense is charged in more than one count ... and the

Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment prohibits multiple punishments for a single

offense." Serino, 835 F.2d at 930. See also United States v. Maggitt, 784 F.2d 590, 599 (5th Cir.

1986). The Fifth Circuit, in Serino, also articulated a test for whether an indictment is

multiplicitous or straightforward. See Serino, 835 F.2d at 930. "[W]here the same act or

transaction constitutes a violation of two distinct statutory provisions, the test to be applied to

determine whether there are two offenses or only one, is whether each provision requires proof

of a fact which the other does not."' 2 See id. (citing Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299,

2 In United States v. Goldberg, the District Court for the District of Massachusetts observed of the Blockburger test that it "is primarily a test of legislative intent; because Congress can impose lengthy or multiple punishments under a single statute, it may similarly divide the same punishment into discrete offenses." 913 F. Supp. 629, 632 (D.

3 304 (1932); see also Maggitt, 784 F.2d at 599; United States v. Marquardt, 786 F.2d 771, 778

(7th Cir.1986); United States v. Briscoe, 742 F.2d 842, 845 (5th Cir.1984)).

"The double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution

protects a defendant who has been convicted of a crime from a second prosecution for the same

offense and .from multiple punishments for the same offense." State v. Fairfield, 644 A.2d 1052,

1054 (Me. 1994) (emphasis added). The Law Court added in Fairfield, that "[w]hen double

jeopardy is at issue, the State may prosecute a defendant pursuant to more than one statutory

provision only if a conviction pursuant to each provision requires proof of a factual element that

the other did not." Id. Connecting double jeopardy with the concept of multiplicity, "[a]

multiplicitous indictment risks subjecting a defendant to multiple sentences for the same offense,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Blockburger v. United States
284 U.S. 299 (Supreme Court, 1931)
Bell v. United States
349 U.S. 81 (Supreme Court, 1955)
Ohio v. Johnson
467 U.S. 493 (Supreme Court, 1984)
United States v. Agnel Jones
533 F.2d 1387 (Sixth Circuit, 1976)
United States v. John Stanfa
685 F.2d 85 (Third Circuit, 1982)
United States v. Rosa Briscoe
742 F.2d 842 (Fifth Circuit, 1984)
United States v. John R. Swaim
757 F.2d 1530 (Fifth Circuit, 1985)
United States v. Shirley Maggitt and Tommy Maggitt
784 F.2d 590 (Fifth Circuit, 1986)
United States v. Debbe Marquardt
786 F.2d 771 (Seventh Circuit, 1986)
United States v. James Berry, Jr.
977 F.2d 915 (Fifth Circuit, 1992)
United States v. William W. Lilly
983 F.2d 300 (First Circuit, 1992)
United States v. Alonzo Hall, Sedrick Latroy McKinney
77 F.3d 398 (Eleventh Circuit, 1996)
United States v. Michael Carrasco
257 F.3d 1045 (Ninth Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Stefanidakis
678 F.3d 96 (First Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Douglas Kennedy
682 F.3d 244 (Third Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Jeffrey J. Grimes
702 F.3d 460 (Eighth Circuit, 2012)
Albert Williams v. Warden, Federal Bureau of Prison
713 F.3d 1332 (Eleventh Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Hope
545 F.3d 293 (Fifth Circuit, 2008)
United States v. Goldberg
913 F. Supp. 629 (D. Massachusetts, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State of Maine v. Deleskey, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-maine-v-deleskey-mesuperct-2013.