State Of Washington, V Bobbie Hansen, A/k/a Bobbie Valentich

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 25, 2017
Docket48841-8
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington, V Bobbie Hansen, A/k/a Bobbie Valentich (State Of Washington, V Bobbie Hansen, A/k/a Bobbie Valentich) 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.

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State Of Washington, V Bobbie Hansen, A/k/a Bobbie Valentich, (Wash. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two

July 25, 2017

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 48841-8-II

Respondent,

v.

BOBBIE HANSEN aka BOBBIE H. UNPUBLISHED OPINION VALENTICH,

Appellant.

JOHANSON, J. — Bobbie Hansen aka Bobbie H. Valentich appeals her bench trial

convictions for methamphetamine possession and willful refusal to provide information (willful

refusal). She argues that (1) Lewis County’s ordinances underlying her willful refusal conviction

are unconstitutionally vague, (2) insufficient evidence supports her willful refusal conviction, and

(3) the methamphetamine seized during her arrest was improperly admitted because the ordinances

underlying her arrest were unconstitutional. We conclude that the phrase “identifying

information” is not vague and that, upon request, an ordinary person would understand a request

for identifying information to mean that she is required to provide her first and last name as

common identifying information. Thus, we reject Hansen’s arguments and affirm her convictions. No. 48841-8-II

FACTS

I. BACKGROUND FACTS1

In April 2015, Lewis County Code Enforcement Officer Smokey Padgett and Lewis

County Deputy Sheriff Tim English approached Hansen’s property to investigate possible county

solid waste, septic, and building code violations. Officer Padgett observed a building and garbage

on the property. He believed permits were required to build, own, or occupy the building and to

store garbage on the property, and he knew no one had obtained such permits.

From the roadway adjacent to Hansen’s property, Deputy English and Officer Padgett

spoke with an individual later identified as Hansen. Officer Padgett’s office had previously

communicated with an individual named Bobbie Hansen about violation notices, but neither

Officer Padgett nor Deputy English had met Hansen in person or even knew her gender, and they

were unable to find her in law enforcement databases.

Officer Padgett told Hansen he was a code compliance officer and tried to speak with her

about the alleged code violations that he observed on the property. Officer Padgett and Deputy

English each asked Hansen to provide her name, but Hansen refused and also denied being the

property owner. Officer Padgett asked the woman if her name was “Bobbie,” and she stated her

first name was Bobbie but continued to refuse to provide her last name. Clerk’s Papers (CP) at

51. Officer Padgett informed Hansen that the county code required that she provide identifying

information when asked by a code enforcement officer, and Officer Padgett again requested

1 The background facts are based on the trial court’s findings of fact following the bench trial.

2 No. 48841-8-II

Bobbie’s full name.2 Hansen admitted that she refused to provide her last name. Officer Padgett

referred the matter to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.

Based on Officer Padgett’s referral, the State charged “Jane Doe” in Lewis County District

Court for willful refusal in violation of three Lewis County Code (LCC) provisions. The trial court

issued a summons after finding probable cause that Jane Doe willfully refused to provide

identifying information as required by the three sections of the LCC.

Officer Padgett identified a social media account belonging to a person named Bobbie

Hansen, whom Officer Padgett recognized from a picture and references to the property where he

had talked with Hansen. Officer Padgett provided Deputy English with a phone number for

Hansen, which Deputy English used to contact her. Deputy English called Hansen and arranged

to meet at her property to serve the summons, but Hansen failed to show up at the appointed time.

Deputy English left a voicemail detailing the date, time, and location of Hansen’s district court

arraignment, and Hansen received actual notice of the hearing. When she failed to appear for her

arraignment at district court, a bench warrant was issued for her arrest. On June 8, 2015, Deputy

English went to Hansen’s property and placed Hansen under arrest. During the arrest, Hansen

threw a small glass tube that Deputy English retrieved. The tube was later determined to contain

methamphetamine.

2 “Full name” as used in this opinion means first and last names.

3 No. 48841-8-II

II. PROCEDURAL FACTS

Hansen was charged with possession of methamphetamine and willful refusal to provide

information contrary to LCC 1.20.040(4)(b)-(c), and/or LCC 8.45.130(4)(a), and/or LCC

15.05.110(b)(1)b.-c.

Before trial, Hansen moved to suppress the methamphetamine, arguing that her arrest was

based on unconstitutionally vague ordinance provisions. The trial court denied the motion to

suppress, concluding that the challenged provisions were constitutionally applied and that

Hansen’s arrest, leading to the discovery of her methamphetamine possession, was valid.

Hansen waived her right to a jury trial, and the trial court conducted a “stipulated facts

trial.”3 Hansen was found guilty of one count of possession of methamphetamine and one count

of willful refusal to provide information to a code enforcement officer. The trial court concluded,

in part, that providing a first name was not sufficient identifying information to satisfy the

ordinances. Hansen appeals her convictions.

ANALYSIS

I. UNCONSTITUTIONAL VAGUENESS

Hansen argues that certain Lewis County ordinances 4 are unconstitutionally vague. We

disagree.

3 At trial, in lieu of calling witnesses, the parties presented the trial court with a document titled “Stipulated Facts,” which contained facts that individual witnesses would testify to if called to present testimony at trial. The trial court entered findings of fact based on the Stipulated Facts. 4 LCC 1.20.040(4)(b)-(c); LCC 8.45.130(4)(a); LCC 150.05.110(b)(1)b.-c.

4 No. 48841-8-II

A. RULES OF LAW

The constitutionality of county ordinances is a question of law that we review de novo.

State v. Watson, 160 Wn.2d 1, 5, 154 P.3d 909 (2007). The party arguing that an ordinance is

unconstitutionally vague has the heavy burden of proving the ordinance’s unconstitutionality

beyond a reasonable doubt. Watson, 160 Wn.2d at 11.

A vague ordinance violates due process. Watson, 160 Wn.2d at 6. An ordinance is

unconstitutionally vague if either “‘(1) [the ordinance] does not define the criminal offense with

sufficient definiteness [such] that ordinary people can understand what conduct is proscribed; or

(2) [the ordinance] does not provide ascertainable standards of guilt to protect against arbitrary

enforcement.’” Watson, 160 Wn.2d at 6 (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting State v.

Williams, 144 Wn.2d 197, 203, 26 P.3d 890 (2001)). A statute is sufficiently definite under the

first prong if “‘persons of ordinary intelligence can understand what the ordinance proscribes,

notwithstanding some possible areas of disagreement.’” Watson, 160 Wn.2d at 7 (quoting City of

Spokane v. Douglass, 115 Wn.2d 171, 179, 795 P.2d 693 (1990)). Under the second prong, a

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