State of Tennessee v. Burton W. Webb

CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 29, 2014
DocketE2013-02107-CCA-R3-CD
StatusPublished

This text of State of Tennessee v. Burton W. Webb (State of Tennessee v. Burton W. Webb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Tennessee v. Burton W. Webb, (Tenn. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT KNOXVILLE June 24, 2014 Session

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. BURTON W. WEBB

Appeal from the Criminal Court for Hamilton County No. 283234 Rebecca J. Stern, Judge

No. E2013-02107-CCA-R3-CD - Filed July 29, 2014

The Defendant, Burton W. Webb, pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless aggravated assault, Class D felonies, two counts of vehicular assault, Class D felonies, and driving under the influence (DUI) second offense, a Class A misdemeanor. See T.C.A. §§ 39-13-102, 39- 13-106, 55-10-401 (2010). The trial court merged the DUI conviction with the vehicular assault convictions and sentenced the Defendant as a Range I, standard offender to two years for each reckless aggravated assault conviction and to three years for each vehicular assault conviction. The court ordered consecutive service of the vehicular assault convictions, for an effective six-year sentence. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial court erred (1) by applying certain enhancement factors to the vehicular assault convictions, (2) by denying alternative sentencing, and (3) by ordering consecutive sentences. Although we conclude that the trial court erroneously applied two enhancement factors, the lengths and the manner of service of the sentences are proper. We also conclude that the trial court erred by failing to state its factual findings underlying its conclusion that consecutive sentences were warranted pursuant to State v. Wilkerson, 905 S.W.2d 933, 938 (Tenn. 1995). We remand the case in order for the court to state its factual findings on the record.

Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgments of the Criminal Court Affirmed in Part; Reversed in Part; Case Remanded

J OSEPH M. T IPTON, P.J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which R OBERT W. W EDEMEYER and D. K ELLY T HOMAS, J R., JJ., joined.

Jerry H. Summers (on appeal) and Benjamin McGowan (at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings and on appeal), Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the appellant, Burton W. Webb.

Robert E. Cooper, Jr., Attorney General and Reporter; Renee W. Turner, Assistant Attorney General; William H. Cox, III, District Attorney General; and Kate Lavery, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee. OPINION

Although the Defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault and to three counts of reckless aggravated assault, a transcript of the guilty plea hearing is not included in the appellate record. The record reflects, though, that the Defendant pleaded guilty with the understanding that the trial court would determine the length and the manner of service of his sentences. At the sentencing hearing, Stephanie Anders testified that she prepared the presentence report, which was received as an exhibit. The report shows that the Defendant had previous convictions for resisting a stop and frisk in 2007, driving with a suspended, canceled, or revoked license in 2007, and DUI in 2005.

Regarding the present offenses, the presentence report shows that the Defendant was released on bond on July 9, 2012, on the condition that he complete an intensive outpatient treatment program at “CADAS.” The Defendant failed a drug screen and was placed in an in-patient treatment program. On October 3, 2012, the Defendant was permitted to enter a treatment program at English Mountain Recovery in Sevierville, Tennessee that was followed by six months at St. Paul Sober Living in St. Paul, Minnesota. Although he successfully completed the English Mountain Recovery program, on April 24, 2013, the Defendant was discharged from St. Paul Sober Living because of a “relapse on heroin, alcohol, and oxycodone.” The Defendant failed to notify his attorney and the trial court of his unsuccessful attempt to complete the program. After the Defendant’s discharge from the program was discovered during the presentence investigation, the trial court forfeited the Defendant’s bond for failure to comply with the conditions of his pretrial release and issued a capias for his arrest. He was arrested on July 26, 2013, and held in confinement until the sentencing hearing on August 26, 2013.

The presentence report shows that the Defendant graduated from high school but did not complete college. He reported first drinking alcohol at age seventeen and first using heroin, oxycodone, and marijuana in his twenties. He said he stopped using oxycodone and marijuana in 2012 because “I had to - I didn’t want to, but I had to - it was killing me.” The Defendant reported entering a rehabilitation program in Newport Beach, California in 2003, but the information was unverified because the program was closed.

Although the Defendant reported successfully completing the program in Minnesota, Ms. Anders received a letter from the program director stating that the Defendant was asked to leave the program on April 24, 2013, for failing a drug screen. The Defendant admitted to the program director that he used opiates, which was his second relapse. On March 4, 2013, the Defendant admitted consuming alcohol to a staff member. On April 19, 2013, the Defendant admitted consuming alcohol to a staff member and was asked to leave the facility

-2- but given until the end of the week to find other arrangements. On April 23, the Defendant was “high on oxycodone” and asked to leave the facility immediately.

The presentence report showed that the Defendant was employed at Paradise Car Wash from November 2012 to May 2013. Although the Defendant reported earning $8.00 per hour, employment records showed that he earned $7.25 per hour and that he was a “voluntary quit,” which usually meant the person failed to show up for work. The Defendant also reported working at Montana Harvest as a cashier from 1995 to 1997 and quitting for an undisclosed reason. The Defendant reported working at various health food stores, performing HVAC work, and following the music band Phish on tour but provided no documentation.

On cross-examination, Ms. Anders testified that although the Defendant failed to comply with the terms of his pretrial release in the present case, she found no previous violations of probation.

Philip Boring testified that he was the victim of one of the vehicular assaults, which occurred on September 12, 2011. He said the accident occurred at 8:00 a.m. when he was taking his four children to school before going to work. He said that he was stopped at a traffic light, that he proceeded into the intersection when the light turned green, and that he saw the Defendant’s car just before the impact. He said he turned his car toward the Defendant’s car in an effort to direct the impact to his door instead of the rear door where his children were sitting in the back seat. He said the Defendant’s car hit his car on the driver’s side door, which caused the car to spin. He said that when his car stopped, it was facing the opposite direction.

Mr. Boring testified that his children were ages five, six, seven, and eight at the time of the accident. He said the children’s mothers were deceased at the time of the accident. His son Alex was in the front passenger seat and only sustained a few scratches. His youngest son, who was sitting in the back seat, had a scar on his right cheek, which he assumed was caused by broken glass. He said his oldest son received a “real bad” bruise to his left elbow, although the doctors first thought the arm was broken. He said his daughter received the most severe injuries. He said she sustained a brain injury that was similar to an injury caused by shaken baby syndrome. He stated that she was paralyzed on her left side for approximately two months and that the doctors initially did not think she would survive.

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Bluebook (online)
State of Tennessee v. Burton W. Webb, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-tennessee-v-burton-w-webb-tenncrimapp-2014.