State Of Washington, V. Christopher Lee Olsen

530 P.3d 249
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMay 31, 2023
Docket56574-9
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 530 P.3d 249 (State Of Washington, V. Christopher Lee Olsen) 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, V. Christopher Lee Olsen, 530 P.3d 249 (Wash. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

NOTICE: SLIP OPINION (not the court’s final written decision)

The opinion that begins on the next page is a slip opinion. Slip opinions are the written opinions that are originally filed by the court. A slip opinion is not necessarily the court’s final written decision. Slip opinions can be changed by subsequent court orders. For example, a court may issue an order making substantive changes to a slip opinion or publishing for precedential purposes a previously “unpublished” opinion. Additionally, nonsubstantive edits (for style, grammar, citation, format, punctuation, etc.) are made before the opinions that have precedential value are published in the official reports of court decisions: the Washington Reports 2d and the Washington Appellate Reports. An opinion in the official reports replaces the slip opinion as the official opinion of the court. The slip opinion that begins on the next page is for a published opinion, and it has since been revised for publication in the printed official reports. The official text of the court’s opinion is found in the advance sheets and the bound volumes of the official reports. Also, an electronic version (intended to mirror the language found in the official reports) of the revised opinion can be found, free of charge, at this website: https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports. For more information about precedential (published) opinions, nonprecedential (unpublished) opinions, slip opinions, and the official reports, see https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions and the information that is linked there. For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/. Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two

May 31, 2023

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 56574-9-II (Consol. with Respondent No. 56577-3-II and No. 56584-6-II) v.

CHRISTOPHER LEE OLSEN, PUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant.

LEE, J. — Christopher L. Olsen moved to withdraw his guilty pleas in three separate cases

after our Supreme Court held in State v. Blake1 that the unlawful possession of a controlled

substance statute was unconstitutional. The superior court vacated Olsen’s unlawful possession

of a controlled substance convictions but denied his motions to withdraw his guilty pleas.

Olsen appeals, arguing that he is entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas to not only the

unlawful possession of a controlled substance charges, but also his guilty pleas to the forgery and

second degree unlawful possession of a firearm charges because the pleas were part of an

indivisible plea agreement. Because Olsen is not entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas to the

unlawful possession of a controlled substance charges, the rule regarding withdrawal of indivisible

pleas is not applicable. Therefore, we affirm the superior court.

1 197 Wn.2d 170, 481 P.3d 521 (2021). For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/. No. 56574-9-II (Consol. w/Nos. 56577-3-II and 56584-6-II)

FACTS

On August 15, 2003, the State charged Olsen with forgery committed on August 13, 2003.

Then, on September 10, the State charged Olsen with unlawful possession of a controlled

substance committed on September 7. Olsen pleaded guilty to both charges on the same day.

Separate judgment and sentences, based on two separate cause numbers, were entered on each

conviction.

On October 4, 2005, the State charged Olsen with unlawful possession of a controlled

substance and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm. On January 17, 2006, Olsen

pleaded guilty to both charges.

On October 6, 2021, Olsen filed motions under CrR 7.8, seeking to withdraw his guilty

pleas in all three cases based on our Supreme Court’s decision in Blake. Olsen argued that his

motions were not time barred because his judgment and sentences were facially invalid due to the

fact that his convictions for unlawful possession of a controlled substance were unconstitutional

after the Blake decision. Olsen contended that he was entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas to the

unlawful possession of a controlled substances charges because those convictions were void.

Olsen then argued that his guilty pleas to the 2003 forgery and the 2005 second degree unlawful

possession of a firearm charges were part of indivisible plea agreements with the unlawful

possession of a controlled substance charges, and therefore, he is entitled to withdraw his pleas to

all charges.

At the show cause hearing, Olsen clarified that he was asking to vacate his unlawful

possession of a controlled substance convictions because they were void. Olsen argued that

vacating the convictions required withdrawing his guilty pleas. And because the guilty pleas to

unlawful possession of a controlled substance were indivisible from the guilty pleas to the other

2 For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/. No. 56574-9-II (Consol. w/Nos. 56577-3-II and 56584-6-II)

charges, he was entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas to all charges that were part of the indivisible

plea agreements.

The State conceded that Olsen was entitled to have his convictions for unlawful possession

of a controlled substance vacated. But the State argued that vacating those convictions did not

require allowing Olsen to withdraw his guilty pleas because the pleas were valid at the time that

they were entered. Similarly, Olsen was not entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas to the forgery

and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm charges.

The superior court ruled that Olsen’s motions were not time barred because Blake was a

significant, material, retroactive change in the law under RCW 10.73.100(6). The superior court

also ruled that it was not required to allow Olsen to withdraw his voluntarily entered guilty pleas

in order to vacate the unlawful possession of a controlled substance convictions. Thus, the superior

court vacated Olsen’s unlawful possession of a controlled substance convictions, but denied

Olsen’s motions to withdraw his guilty pleas.

Olsen appeals the superior court’s orders denying his motions to withdraw his guilty pleas.

ANALYSIS

Olsen argues that because Blake rendered unlawful possession of a controlled substance a

nonexistent crime, he was entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas to the unlawful possession of a

controlled substance charges. Olsen also argues that because his other convictions were part of

indivisible plea agreements, he must be entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas in its entirety.

When a defendant is entitled to withdraw a guilty plea to one charge in an indivisible plea

agreement, the defendant may move to withdraw the entire plea agreement. State v. Turley, 149

Wn.2d 395, 400, 69 P.3d 338 (2003). But here, Olsen was not entitled to withdraw his guilty pleas

3 For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/. No. 56574-9-II (Consol. w/Nos. 56577-3-II and 56584-6-II)

to the unlawful possession of a controlled substance charges; therefore, he also is not entitled to

withdraw his pleas to the forgery and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm charges.

A. OLSEN NOT ENTITLED TO WITHDRAW PLEAS TO UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
530 P.3d 249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-washington-v-christopher-lee-olsen-washctapp-2023.