State Of Washington, V Albert K. Smith

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided January 23, 2019·No. 50397-2·Published

Opinion

Filed

Washington State

Court of Appeals

Division Two

January 23, 2019

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 50397-2-II

Respondent,

v.

ALBERT K. SMITH, PUBLISHED IN PART OPINION Appellant.

MELNICK, J. — Albert Smith appeals his convictions of theft in the first degree and identity theft in the first degree. In the published part of this opinion, we conclude the trial court did not err in applying the free crimes aggravating factor. In the unpublished portion, we conclude the court did not abuse its discretion in denying a mistrial motion and it did not commit reversible error in sentencing Smith. We also reject Smith’s assertions in his statement of additional grounds (SAG) and supplemental SAG. We affirm Smith’s convictions and sentence.

FACTS1

Smith’s convictions are based on a series of checks he cashed at the expense of his wife’s employer, Spaeth Transfer, a moving and storage company that operated out of Bremerton. Smith’s wife, Sharyl Smith,2 worked as the company’s bookkeeper between October 2012 and October 2015. Ultimately, Smith cashed 176 checks totaling $264,500 between December 2014

1 The following facts relate to the published portion of this opinion. Additional relevant facts will be related in the unpublished portion. 2 To avoid confusion, we refer to Sharyl Smith by her first name. We intend no disrespect.

and November 2015. A jury found Smith guilty of both identity theft in the first degree and theft in the first degree. It also found that both crimes were major economic offenses.

The State submitted a sentencing memorandum where it calculated Smith’s offender score as 21. It requested an exceptional sentence above the standard range of 100 months on both counts and that the sentences on each count be served consecutively. The State cited the jury’s finding of the major economic offense aggravator as well as an additional aggravator that, because of Smith’s high offender score, some of the current offenses would go unpunished. RCW 9.94A.535(2)(c). The court determined Smith had an offender score in excess of 9.3 The trial court sentenced Smith to the statutory maximum on each conviction count, 120 months, to be served consecutively. The trial court also orally found that Smith’s current offenses did not constitute the same criminal conduct. It cited the State’s sentencing memorandum, which argued that the crimes did not occur at the same time or place.

The trial court entered written findings of fact supporting its exceptional sentence:

(1) The offenses do not constitute same criminal conduct.

(2) The jury found that the crimes were major economic offenses.

(3) The defendant’s high offender score results in some crimes going unpunished if sentenced concurrently.

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 193. Based on those findings, the court entered a conclusion of law that an exceptional sentence was appropriate. Smith appeals.

3 In the unpublished portion of this opinion, we conclude the court erred in calculating Smith’s offender score; however, it clearly exceeded 9 points.

ANALYSIS

I. FREE CRIMES AGGRAVATING FACTOR Smith argues that the trial court erred in applying the free crimes aggravator,4 which applies when some of the current offenses would otherwise go unpunished. He contends that the aggravator does not apply in cases like this one, where only one conviction would go unpunished. We disagree.

A. Principles of Statutory Interpretation The interpretation of a statute involves a question of law we review de novo. State v.

Evans, 177 Wn.2d 186, 191, 298 P.3d 724 (2013). The primary goal of statutory interpretation is to determine and give effect to the legislature’s intent. State v. Larson, 184 Wn.2d 843, 848, 365 P.3d 740 (2015). To determine legislative intent, we first look to the plain language of the statute. Larson, 184 Wn.2d at 848. We consider the language of the provision in question, “‘the context of the statute in which the provision is found, related provisions, and the statutory scheme as a whole.’” Larson, 184 Wn.2d at 848 (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting State v. Ervin, 169 Wn.2d 815, 820, 239 P.3d 354 (2010).

If the plain meaning of a statute is unambiguous, we apply that plain meaning as an expression of legislative intent. Larson, 184 Wn.2d at 848. To determine the plain meaning of an undefined statutory term, we may look to the term’s dictionary definition. State v. Monfort, 179 Wn.2d 122, 130, 312 P.3d 637 (2013).

A statute is ambiguous when it is subject to more than one reasonable interpretation.

Evans, 177 Wn.2d at 192-93. When a statute is ambiguous, we first attempt to resolve any ambiguity and determine the legislature’s intent by considering principles of statutory

4 RCW 9.94A.535(2)(c).

construction, legislative history, and relevant case law. State v. Reeves, 184 Wn. App. 154, 158, 336 P.3d 105 (2014). If these indications of legislative intent are insufficient to resolve the ambiguity, we must apply the rule of lenity and construe the statute in favor of the defendant. Reeves, 184 Wn. App. at 158-59.

B. Legal Background A defendant’s standard sentencing range is based on his or her offender score. Under RCW 9.94A.525, a trial court calculates a defendant’s offender score based on prior convictions. RCW 9.94A.589(1)(a) provides that when a defendant is sentenced for multiple current offenses, the offender score for each current offense is determined by treating the other current convictions as prior convictions.

The standard range sentence for both of Smith’s crimes reached its maximum with an offender score of 9. RCW 9.94A.510; State v. Alvarado, 164 Wn.2d 556, 561, 192 P.3d 345 (2008). This fact means that when a defendant’s offender score equals or exceeds 9, other prior and other current offenses do not increase the standard sentence range. Alvarado, 164 Wn.2d at 563. A defendant whose offender score is at or above 9 will have the same standard range sentence regardless of the number of current or prior offenses. State v. France, 176 Wn. App. 463, 468-69, 308 P.3d 812 (2013). In this situation, a standard range sentence fails to punish the defendant for having committed multiple current offenses. Alvarado, 164 Wn.2d at 563.

The free crimes aggravator anticipates such a scenario and allows the trial court to impose an exceptional sentence when “[t]he defendant has committed multiple current offenses and the defendant’s high offender score results in some of the current offenses going unpunished.” RCW 9.94A.535(2)(c). Once the court determines that some of the defendant’s current offenses will go unpunished, it has discretion to impose an exceptional sentence on all current offenses. France,

176 Wn. App. at 468-69. The trial court may make this determination without any finding by the jury. RCW 9.94A.535(2).

C. Smith’s Crimes Here, Smith argues that the free crimes aggravator cannot apply when the defendant is charged with only two current offenses because only one offense would be unpunished. He cites to the language in RCW 9.94A.535(2)(c) that “some of the current offenses” would go unpunished. (Emphasis added.). He argues that because “some” is synonymous with a “few,” this aggravator is inapplicable when only a single offense is unpunished.5 Smith’s interpretation is inconsistent with the plain language of RCW 9.94A.535(2)(c).

According to WEBSTER’S THIRD INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY 2171 (2002) (Webster’s), “some of the current offenses” can properly refer to a single offense. First, Webster’s states that when “some” acts as a pronoun, as it does here, it can be used either in the singular or plural. Webster’s at 2171. Second, there are two applicable definitions: “one person or thing among a number” and “one indeterminate quantity, portion, or number as distinguished from the rest.” Webster’s at 2171. Either could apply to single or multiple unpunished offenses.6

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