State Of Washington v. Christopher Michael Clausen

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 3, 2014
Docket43166-1
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Christopher Michael Clausen (State Of Washington v. Christopher Michael Clausen) 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 Michael Clausen, (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

FILED COURT ^OF APPEALS C 0UR B~ € D Visio' I

2Glil JUN - 3 A M 8: 34 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE ON STATSF4QO ' cW

W DIVISION II BY iTY

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 43166 -1 - II

Respondent,

v.

CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL CLAUSEN, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant.

HUNT, P. J. — Christopher Michael Clausen appeals his jury trial conviction for third

degree child rape. He argues that ( 1) his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance, ( 2) the trial

court erroneously denied his motion for a new trial, ( 3) he is entitled to relief under the

cumulative error doctrine, and (4) the trial court abused its discretion by imposing impermissible

community custody conditions. We affirm Clausen' s conviction but remand to the sentencing

court to strike the non - crime related community custody conditions.

FACTS

I. CHILD RAPE

Nineteen - year - old Christopher Michael Clausen met 14- year -old REM' at the local

library. On March 1, 2010, after " hanging out" at the library, REM, Clausen, and three other

people walked around Gig Harbor, visited an abandoned movie theatre and a Safeway, and then

dispersed. Report of Proceedings ( RP) at 118. Clausen walked REM home, taking a " back way"

that led past a baseball field, where they stopped to sit and talk. RP at 122. Clausen asked REM

1 To provide some confidentiality, we use initials be used in the body of the opinion to identify some parties and juveniles involved. No. 43166 -1 - II

her age; she replied that she was 14 years old. Clausen tickled REM, massaged her back,

progressed into kissing, performed oral sex on her, and engaged in penile /vaginal intercourse.

Clausen asked REM not to tell anyone about what had happened.

REM arrived at her grandmother' s house around 9: 20 PM. REM' s grandmother,

Margaret McConnell, was upset that REM had been out late. REM went to bed without telling

anyone about the incident. The next day, REM called her father and told him about her sexual

experience. According to REM, her father seemed " slightly concerned" and apparently shared

his concern with McConnell, who confronted REM later that day, and drove her to St. Anthony' s

Hospital for an examination. RP at 142. REM spoke with hospital staff, who called police to

investigate.

Gig Harbor Police Officer Gary Dahm interviewed REM, who reported the various

activities of the night before and identified Clausen as the man with whom she had had sexual

intercourse. Dahm and Gig Harbor Police Officer Dan Welch arrested Clausen, advised him of

his Miranda' rights, and began questioning him in Dahm' s patrol car after Clausen waived his

rights. Clausen initially told Dahm that he had been at a video game store the night before; but

when faced with the details of REM' s account, he eventually admitted having had consensual

sex with a girl he claimed was 16 years old. The officers booked Clausen into the Pierce County

j ail.

2 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U. S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694 ( 1966). No. 43166 -1 - II

II. PROCEDURE

The State charged Clausen with one count of third degree child rape. Before trial,

defense counsel endorsed the following statutory defense:

In any prosecution under this chapter in which the offense or degree of the offense depends on the victim' s age, it is no defense that the perpetrator did not know the victim' s age, or that the perpetrator believed the victim to be older, as the case may be: PROVIDED, That it is a defense which the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that at the time of the offense the defendant 3] reasonably believed the alleged victim to be the age identified in subsection ( 3)[

of this section based upon declarations as to age by the alleged victim.

RCW 9A.44. 030( 2). The court held a CrR 3. 5 hearing and ruled that Clausen' s statements to the

officers were admissible. REM, McConnell, Officers Dahm and Welch, and Kelly Morris ( the

forensic nurse who examined REM) testified at trial; Clausen did not testify at trial. The jury

found Clausen guilty of third degree child rape.

The trial court sentenced Clausen to 60 months confinement and a term of community

custody up to 36 months, not to exceed the statutory maximum. The trial court imposed a

number of mandatory and non -mandatory community custody provisions contained in appendix 4 H to the judgment and sentence, including the following non - mandatory community custody

conditions, which he challenges in this appeal:

15. Hold no position of authority or trust involving children under the age of 18.

3 RCW 9A.44. 030( 3)( c) provides: For a defendant charged with rape of a child in the third degree, that the victim was at least sixteen, or was less than forty - eight months younger than the defendant.

4 It appears that the trial court used an outdated appendix H form. It included " up to life community custody" under former RCW 9. 94A. 712 ( 2008), which was recodified as RCW 9. 94A. 507 in 2009, a year before Clausen committed his offense. Clerk' s Papers at 231. See LAWS OF 2008, ch. 231, § 56, effective August 2, 2009.

3 No. 43166 -1 - II

16. Do not initiate, or have in anyway, physical contact with children under the age of 18 for any reason. Do not have any contact with physically or mentally vulnerable individuals.

18. Inform your community custody corrections officer of any romantic relationships to verify there is no victim - age children involved. 19. Submit to polygraph testing upon direction of your community corrections officer and / or therapist at yourYou must successfully pass all expense.

polygraph tests, and indicate no deception at any time on the test.

21. Do not go to or frequent places where children congregate, ( I.E. Fast - food outlets, libraries, theaters, shopping malls, play grounds and parks, etc.) unless

otherwise approved by the Court[.]

25. You shall not have access to the Internet at any location nor shall you have access to computers unless otherwise approved by the Court. You also are prohibited from joining or perusing any public social websites ( Facebook, MySpace, etc.)[.]

27. Do not possess or peruse any sexually explicit materials in any medium. Your sexual deviancy treatment provider will define sexually explicit material. Do not patronize prostitutes or establishments that promote the commercialization of sex.

Clerk' s Papers ( CP) at 232 -33.

Clausen moved for a new trial under CrR 7. 5( a)( 3) and CrR 7. 8( b)( 2), . and moved to

strike the contents of his presentence interview. The trial court denied these motions. Clausen

appeals his conviction and several community custody provisions of his judgment and sentence.

ANALYSIS

I. EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL

Clausen first argues that trial counsel was ineffective in ( 1) failing to indentify and to

adhere to a cohesive defense strategy, despite her endorsement of the statutory defense under

RCW 9. A.44. 030( 2); ( 2) being routinely unprepared to present legal matters to the trial court;

4 No. 43166 -1 - II

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