State Of Washington, V Danielle Price Newton

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMarch 11, 2014
Docket43413-0
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington, V Danielle Price Newton (State Of Washington, V Danielle Price Newton) 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 Danielle Price Newton, (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

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2114 NAR I I All P: n IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF W

DIVISION II

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 4341

Respondent,

V.

DANIELLE PRICE NEWTON, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

1— PENOYAR, J. P. T. Danielle Newton appeals her convictions for possession of a

controlled substance with intent to deliver— methamphetamine ( count one) and possession of a

controlled substance— lnethamphetamine ( count three). Newton argues ( 1) the trial court

improperly gave an unwitting possession jury instruction on count one and that her counsel was ineffective for requesting the instruction; ( 2) the search warrant was unconstitutionally overbroad

and her counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge the search warrant and file a motion to

suppress evidence seized pursuant to the search warrant; ( 3) the trial court violated her

constitutional right to present a defense when it refused to admit a portion of her statement under

ER 106; and ( 4) the accomplice liability statute is unconstitutional. We hold the warrant was not

overbroad, Newton' s counsel was not ineffective for failing to file a motion to suppress, the trial

court did not violate Newton' s right to present a defense, and the accomplice liability statute is

Newton' s for count three. However, not unconstitutional. Accordingly, we affirm conviction

because the unwitting possession instruction improperly shifted the burden of proof on count

one, we reverse that conviction and remand for further proceedings.

1. Judge Joel Penoyar is serving as a judge pro tempore of the Court of Appeals, Division II, pursuant to CAP 21( c). 43413 -0 -II

FACTS

I. BACKGROUND

On the evening of December 9, 2011, police officers stopped the vehicle Nathan

Gadberry was driving and Newton was riding as a passenger. After removing Gadberry and

Newton fxom the vehicle, the officers placed them under arrest and conducted a search of their

persons incident to their arrest. While conducting a search of Newton, an officer asked her if she

had any weapons or sharp objects, and she responded that she had a syringe with

methamphetamine in her pocket. The officers then placed Newton in the back of a police vehicle

and read her Miranda2 rights. Newton waived her Miranda rights and again told the officers that

the syringe found in her pocket contained methamphetamine. The officers also found a digital

weighing scale on Gadberry.

Detective Bill Sofianos testified that he saw a blue container holding what appeared to be

methamphetamine in the center console area when the officers removed Newton and Gadberry

from the vehicle. The officers sealed the vehicle and towed it to a secure facility until a search

warrant could be obtained. Sofianos applied for and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle.

When searching the vehicle, officers found a glass smoking pipe, a scale, two spoons,

several cell phones, and Newton' s identification, in addition to the blue container Sofianos

already saw. The scale found on Gadberry, the syringe found on Newton, and the scale, spoons,

and pipe found in the vehicle all contained methamphetamine. The blue container from the

center console contained 4. 8 grams of methamphetamine. Detective Scott Holmes analyzed the

data from one of the seized cell phones and found several text messages from the day before and

Newton' Newton Gadberry. The State charged the day of s arrest as well as photos of and

2 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694 ( 1966). 2 43413 -0 -II

Newton with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver —methamphetamine and

possession of a controlled substance— methamphetamine. 3

Il. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The State tried Newton, along with Gadberry. On the day of the readiness hearing on

February 2, 2012, the State provided Newton with a CD containing evidence obtained from one

of the cell phones seized from the vehicle. At the readiness hearing, Newton was given the

opportunity to continue the trial in order to move to suppress the recently produced evidence.

Newton' s counsel stated that Newton felt her constitutional right to a speedy trial was more

important than addressing potential CrR 3. 6 issues. On the first day of trial on February 6, 2012,

Newton' s counsel verbally objected to the introduction of three photographs from the CD and

argued the search warrant was overbroad. Newton' s counsel, however, did not file a motion to

suppress, and stated that he saw no basis to bring a suppression motion and that Newton wanted

to proceed to trial instead of continuing to allow time to file a motion to suppress.

The State also iterated on the record that Newton wished to proceed to trial versus

continuing to pursue a motion to suppress:

W] e want [ the] Defendants to be advised of all their rights as well. And, I think in this case, we have some unusual circumstances that I want to make sure that the Court makes very clear to the Defendants that this is the first trial setting, that we' re — let' s see, at least right now I don' t know if there are any other motions from Defendants but that we are proceeding to trial and there has been no motion to suppress and that they are aware that they have waived that right because they think their right to a speedy trial is more important than possibly filing a motion to suppress.

3 The State also charged Gadberry with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver —methamphetamine ( count one) and possession of a controlled substance -

methamphetamine ( count two). 3 43413 -0 -II

1 Report of Proceedings ( RP) at 81. Newton' s counsel confirmed that Newton wished to

proceed to trial rather than continue the trial. The trial court did not suppress any of the evidence

and admitted three text messages and three photographs taken from the phone seized from the

vehicle.

At a CrR 3. 5 hearing before trial, the trial court admitted Newton' s post -Miranda

confession that the syringe found in her pocket contained methamphetamine. At trial, Newton

also attempted to admit a pre -Miranda statement she allegedly made to the officer that conducted

the search incident to her arrest that the syringe with the methamphetamine in her pocket was the

only methamphetamine she had. The trial court ruled this statement inadmissible hearsay and

that it did not meet any of the hearsay exceptions.

Newton' s counsel requested that the trial court give an unwitting possession instruction

for count one, which the trial court gave. The trial court also gave an accomplice liability

instruction. The jury found Newton guilty on both count one and .count three and agreed to the

special verdict regarding a school zone sentencing enhancement for count one. Newton appeals.

ANALYSIS

I. UNWITTING POSSESSION JURY INSTRUCTION

Newton argues the jury instruction on unwitting possession violated her Fourteenth

Amendment right to due process because it improperly shifted the burden of proof on count one

to the defense. Newton also argues that her trial counsel was ineffective for requesting the

unwitting possession instruction. Because Newton' s counsel erroneously requested the

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Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Brandenburg v. Ohio
395 U.S. 444 (Supreme Court, 1969)
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Chambers v. Mississippi
410 U.S. 284 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Dalton
868 P.2d 873 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1994)
State v. Stenson
940 P.2d 1239 (Washington Supreme Court, 1997)
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977 P.2d 582 (Washington Supreme Court, 1999)
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State v. Buford
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State v. Balzer
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State v. Hayes
439 P.2d 978 (Washington Supreme Court, 1968)
In Re Rosier
717 P.2d 1353 (Washington Supreme Court, 1986)
State v. Perrone
834 P.2d 611 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Riley
846 P.2d 1365 (Washington Supreme Court, 1993)
State v. Powell
893 P.2d 615 (Washington Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Johnson
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State v. Sims
829 P.2d 1075 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Henderson
792 P.2d 514 (Washington Supreme Court, 1990)

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