State Of Washington, Res. v. Guy Adam Rook, App.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 24, 2013
Docket67572-9
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington, Res. v. Guy Adam Rook, App. (State Of Washington, Res. v. Guy Adam Rook, App.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Of Washington, Res. v. Guy Adam Rook, App., (Wash. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON to Ci STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 67572-9-1

Respondent, ) DIVISION ONE com v. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION _s> t^C

GUY ADAM ROOK, sr /-"J - ----•• cr-

Appellant. ) FILED: June 24, 2013

Grosse, J. —A trial court does not violate a criminal defendant's right to appear

at trial without physical restraints when, as here, the trial court ordered the defendant to wear a stun belt that was not visible to the jury and there was no showing that it in fact

interfered with his ability to participate in the trial. Accordingly, we affirm. FACTS

On August 25, 2009, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Sergeant Dan Flynn was in his patrol car driving on South 154th Street at the north end of SeaTac Airport. As Flynn drove around a blind corner, he saw a car approaching him from the opposite direction that was traveling at a very high speed and was partially over the center line. The posted speed limit was 35 m.p.h. but Flynn estimated the car's speed at 70 m.p.h. Flynn anticipated a collision and pulled off the road immediately and braced for impact. The car then sped past Flynn and continued around the corner. Flynn activated his emergency lights and began a pursuit of the speeding car. He pursued the car as it accelerated eastbound toward the traffic light at South 154th Street and 24th Avenue

South.

At the time, Christopher Kalaluhi was waiting at the traffic light at that intersection, heading south on 24th Avenue South. When the light turned green, No. 67572-9-1 / 2

Kalaluhi drove through the intersection and the speeding car crashed into Kalaluhi's car

on the passenger side of the car. Kalaluhi's car spun through the intersection and

crashed into a power pole.

Kalaluhi's coworker, Lori Partridge, was in the car behind Kalaluhi's car at the

intersection and went to help Kalaluhi after the collision. As she approached the scene,

she saw a man later identified as Guy Rook emerge from the driver's side of the

speeding car. Rook appeared to Partridge as if he was going to fall over, then stumbled across the street and went into some bushes. Just as Partridge began to call 911,

Sergeant Flynn arrived. Partridge then approached Kalaluhi's car, which she described as "flat as a pancake" and saw that Kalaluhi's face was bleeding and that he looked frightened. Flynn described Kalaluhi as "basically wrapped in metal," and "bleeding severely from [his] face."

Flynn called for aid and then went to check on the passenger in Rook's car, identified as Tracy Rectenwald.1 Rectenwald did not have any visible injuries except for a mark from the seatbelt and told Flynn that she was okay. Flynn then saw Rook return

to the scene. Flynn handcuffed Rook and had another officer place him in a patrol car. Shortly after, Deputy Andy Conner contacted Rook and noted that he had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and an odor of alcohol on his breath. Conner advised Rook of his rights and asked him how much he had to drink. Rook replied, "Too much; I'm drunk." Rook also told Conner that his arm was injured and Conner took him to the hospital. At the hospital, a physician's assistant examined Rook and noted that Rook smelted of alcohol and appeared intoxicated. Deputy Conner then read Rook the

1We note that Tracy Rectenwald's last name is spelled two different ways in the record. For this opinion we use the spelling "Rectenwald." 2 No. 67572-9-1 / 3

implied consent warnings for a blood test and asked Rook if he would provide a blood

sample. Rook responded, "Fuck that, I'm going to prison, anyway, so I ain't going to

help you." Rook was belligerent and verbally abusive to Conner and the hospital staff

and eventually insisted on leaving the hospital against medical advice.

Kalaluhi had to be cut out of his car before he could be transported to the

hospital. He was initially transported to Highline Medical Center but was then transferred to Harborview Medical Center due to the severity of his injuries. Kalaluhi

had suffered a lacerated spleen, a fractured vertebra, and extensive cuts on his face

and head. The physician who treated him at Harborview determined that Kalaluhi's splenic laceration was a life threatening injury because of the risk of it breaking open and causing acute internal bleeding. Kalaluhi's spleen eventually healed without surgical intervention. Kalaluhi also suffered nerve damage that continues to affect the functioning of his right arm and he is still in pain on a daily basis. The State charged Rook with one count ofvehicular assault alleged to have been committed by the alternate means of driving under the influence (DUI) and in a reckless manner and one count offelony hit and run. Rook was facing a life sentence under the Persistent Offender Accountability Act (POAA) if convicted of vehicular assault, which would have been his third serious offense. Rook discharged three court appointed

attorneys and, after an unsuccessful motion to discharge a fourth, he decided to proceed pro se and waived his right to counsel.2 Throughout the protracted pretrial proceedings, Rook was belligerent and verbally abusive to the court and counsel. At one point when the court advised Rook

2The court appointed his fourth defense attorney to serve as standby counsel during his pro se representation. 3 No. 67572-9-1/4

that it was not prepared to address his discovery motions, Rook exclaimed, "Thanks for

fucking me again! Piece of --." Rook repeatedly became agitated as the court

requested that he show some self control.

Counsel for the King County Jail then brought a motion for the court to order

Rook to wear a "Band-It," a fabric band placed under the clothes that delivers an electric

shock when activated by a hand held control by a corrections officer. The motion was

based on Rook's volatile behavior, his jail infractions, and the fact that he was facing a

life sentence. The court held a hearing in which the jail cited several infractions he

committed which demonstrated "a lack of deference to authority and frequent and

repeated displays of rage and lack of control, not to mention threats and assaults."

Rook also testified, denying the infractions and claiming that he would not "act a fool" in

the courtroom.

When the trial court asked Rook if he had any alternative suggestions other than

wearing the Band-It, Rook noted there were "armed guards in here that are told to kill

you if you try to do anything stupid." The trial court then asked for suggestions "[ojther

than having a guard kill you." Rook replied, "I guess the best thing, if you decide that

I'm going to be a fool, would be that leg band thing that the jury can't see."

The court confirmed with jail counsel and the jail captain that the Band-It would

be placed on Rook's calf under his clothing and would not be visible to the jury, that the

officer who had the control device would be seated unobtrusively in another part of the

courtroom, and that it would not be activated unless there was an attempted escape or

attempted assault. The court also expressed concerns about the ability to maintain

security without the Band-It in light of the physical layout of the courtroom. Rook then No. 67572-9-1 / 5

agreed to wear the Band-It through the following exchange with the court:

THE COURT: Okay.

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

Related

State v. Manussier
921 P.2d 473 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Fain
617 P.2d 720 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Hutchinson
959 P.2d 1061 (Washington Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Hartzog
635 P.2d 694 (Washington Supreme Court, 1981)
State v. Hartzog
615 P.2d 480 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1980)
State v. Morin
995 P.2d 113 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2000)
State v. Jones
538 S.E.2d 917 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2000)
People v. Wright
123 Cal. Rptr. 2d 494 (California Court of Appeal, 2002)
State v. Smith
75 P.3d 934 (Washington Supreme Court, 2003)
State v. LANGSTEAD
228 P.3d 799 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2010)
State v. Thiefault
158 P.3d 580 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Monschke
135 P.3d 966 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2006)
Langley v. Zurich General Accident & Liability Insurance
25 P.2d 418 (California Supreme Court, 1933)
State v. Manussier
129 Wash. 2d 652 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Thorne
921 P.2d 514 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Hutchinson
135 Wash. 2d 863 (Washington Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Finch
975 P.2d 967 (Washington Supreme Court, 1999)
State v. Damon
25 P.3d 418 (Washington Supreme Court, 2001)
State v. Smith
150 Wash. 2d 135 (Washington Supreme Court, 2003)
State v. Conte
159 Wash. 2d 797 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State Of Washington, Res. v. Guy Adam Rook, App., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-washington-res-v-guy-adam-rook-app-washctapp-2013.