State Of Washington, Resp. v. Glenn T. Smith, App.

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided March 4, 2013·No. 67709-8·Unpublished

Opinion

i" iUL»t-

CUURT OF APPEALS DiV I

STATE OF WASHINGTON

2013HAR-U AH 10: 28

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 67709-8-1

Respondent, DIVISION ONE

v.

GLENN TYLER SMITH, UNPUBLISHED

Appellant. FILED: March 4, 2013

Cox, J. — Glenn Smith appeals his conviction for second degree burglary.

He claims the trial court erroneously refused to provide a lesser included

instruction of third degree theft. He also argues that there was insufficient evidence to convict him of second degree burglary. We disagree with both

claims and affirm.

In 2007, Smith was caught shoplifting from a Wal-Mart store in Everett. A Wal-Mart employee testified that she verbally told Smith that he was "trespassed" or restricted from entering any Wal-Mart for his lifetime afterthis incident.

In 2011, Smith was again caught shoplifting from the same Wal-Mart. The State charged Smith with one count ofsecond degree burglary.

At Smith's jury trial, he requested that third degree theft be included as a lesser included offense instruction. The trial court denied Smith's request on the basis that third degree theft is not a lesser included offense of second degree burglary.

The jury found Smith guilty of second degree burglary.

Smith appeals.

LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSE INSTRUCTION Smith argues that his conviction for second degree burglary must be reversed because he was entitled to a lesser instruction for third degree theft that the trial court declined to give. We disagree.

In Washington, the right to a lesser included offense instruction is

statutory.1 A defendant is entitled to an instruction of a lesser included offense if the two prongs ofthe State v. Workman2 test are met. Under the legal prong, each element of the lesser offense must be a necessary element of the charged

offense.3 Under the factual prong, the evidence presented in the case must support an inference that the lesser crime was committed.4 "'Put another way, if it is possible to commit the greater offense without having committed the lesser

offense, the latter is not an included crime.'"5

1RCW 10.61.006 ("In all other cases the defendant may be found guilty of an offense the commission of which is necessarily included within that with which he or she is charged in the indictment or information.").

290 Wn.2d 443, 447-48, 584 P.2d 382 (1978).

3State v. Berlin. 133 Wn.2d 541, 545-46, 947 P.2d 700 (1997) (citing Workman, 90 Wn.2d at 447-48).

4JcL 5]dat546n.1 (quoting State v. Frazier. 99 Wn.2d 180, 191,661 P.2d 126 (1983)).

Because the trial court rejected Smith's proposed instruction on the basis that third degree theft is not a lesser included offense of second degree burglary, we review the claimed legal error de novo.6 The elements of second degree burglary are (1) entering or remaining unlawfully in a building other than a vehicle or dwelling, and (2) so doing with intent to commit a crime against a person or property therein.7 The elements of third degree theft are (1) the commission of a theft of (2) property or services not exceeding $750 in value.8 Here, the State charged Smith with second degree burglary. Because none of the elements of third degree theft are necessary elements of second degree burglary, the trial court properly denied Smith's request for a lesser included instruction.

Smith argues that he was entitled to the third degree theft instruction because the second degree burglary charge was premised upon Smith's intent to commit a "theft." Though the information9 and the to-convict instruction,10

0 State v. Walker. 136 Wn.2d 767, 772, 966 P.2d 883 (1998).

7RCW 9A.52.030(1); see State v. Brunson, 128Wn.2d 98, 104-05, 905 P.2d 346 (1995).

8RCW 9A.56.050(1); see also RCW 9A.56.020(1) (defining theft).

9See Clerk's Papers at 69 (emphasis added) (stating in the information that "the defendant, on or about the 31st day of May, 2011, with intent to commit a crime of theft against a person or property therein").

10 See Clerk's Papers at 34 (emphasis added) (stating in the to-convict instruction "that the entering or remaining was with intent to commit a crime of theft against a person or property therein").

specified that the crime Smith intended to commit was "theft," this argument is not persuasive for two reasons.

First, Smith cites State v. Berlin11 to support his argument that the legal prong of the Workman test turns on how an offense is charged and prosecuted, not as it broadly appears in a statute. While this is a correct statement of law, Berlin addressed a different issue than the issue in this case.

In Berlin, the supreme court overruled State v. Lucky, which held that under the legal prong of the Workman test, a reviewing court must look at "'the elements of the pertinent charged offenses as they appeared in the context of the broad statutory perspective, and not in the more narrow perspective of the

offenses as prosecuted.'"12 In Lucky, the State charged Lucky with second degree assault committed with a deadly weapon under RCW 9A.36.021(1).

Lucky requested a jury instruction for the offense of unlawful display of a weapon under RCW 9.41.270(1 ).13 The State argued, and the supreme court agreed, that unlawful display of a weapon was not a lesser included offense "because it is possible to commit second degree assault, under RCW 9A.36.021, without displaying a deadly weapon."14

11 133 Wn.2d 541. 947 P.2d 700 (1997). overruling State v. Lucky, 128 Wn.2d 727, 912 P.2d 483 (1996).

12133 Wn.2d at 547 (quoting Lucky, 128 Wn.2d at 734).

13 kL 14 Id.

But in Berlin the supreme court overruled Lucky partly because it would "preclude[ ] a lesser included offense instruction whenever a crime may be

statutorily committed by alternative means."15 "A lesser offense will seldom satisfy every statutory alternative means of committing the greater offense."16 Instead, the court held:

A lesser included offense instruction is available to both the prosecution and the defense, the constitutional requirement of notice is incorporated into the Workman test, and the test allows both parties to effectively argue their theory of the case. Only when the lesser included offense analysis is applied to the offenses as charged and prosecuted, rather than to the offenses as they broadly appear in statute, can both the requirements of constitutional notice and the ability to argue a theory of the case be met. This is fair to both the prosecution and the defense.1171 Here, the State charged and prosecuted Smith with second degree

burglary under RCW 9A.52.030. As discussed above, this crime has two elements: (1) entering or remaining unlawfully in a building other than a vehicle or dwelling, and (2) so doing with intent to commit a crime against a person or

property therein.18 RCW 9A.52.030 does not provide alternative means of committing this offense. Thus, the Berlin court's concerns that it had with the rule in Lucky are not present in this case, and the holding in Berlin does not extend to

this case.

15 Id at 548.

16 Id, 17 Id. (emphasis added).

18 RCW 9A.52.030(1); see Brunson, 128 Wn.2d at 104-05.

Second, the supreme court has held that "[t]he intent to commit a specific named crime inside the burglarized premises is not an 'element' of the crime of burglary in the State of Washington."19 In State v. Bergeron, our supreme court rejected a burglary defendant's argument that the information in his case was defective because it did not specify the crime he intended to commit inside the premises.20 Based on the history and text of the burglary statute, the court held that "the specific crime or crimes intended to be committed inside burglarized premises is not an element of burglary that must be included in the information,

jury instructions or in the trial court's findings and conclusions."21 Although Bergeron addressed whether an information was defective, the

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Related

State v. Lucky
912 P.2d 483 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Workman
584 P.2d 382 (Washington Supreme Court, 1978)
State v. Frazier
661 P.2d 126 (Washington Supreme Court, 1983)
State v. Fiser
995 P.2d 107 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2000)
State v. Joy
851 P.2d 654 (Washington Supreme Court, 1993)
State v. Bergeron
711 P.2d 1000 (Washington Supreme Court, 1985)
State v. Brunson
905 P.2d 346 (Washington Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Salinas
829 P.2d 1068 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Walker
966 P.2d 883 (Washington Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Kutch
951 P.2d 1139 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1998)
State v. Lucky
128 Wash. 2d 727 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Berlin
947 P.2d 700 (Washington Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Walker
136 Wash. 2d 767 (Washington Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Drum
225 P.3d 237 (Washington Supreme Court, 2010)