State Of Washington, V. David C. Calhoun

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMarch 21, 2022
Docket83438-0
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington, V. David C. Calhoun (State Of Washington, V. David C. Calhoun) 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. David C. Calhoun, (Wash. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 83438-0-I ) Respondent, ) DIVISION ONE ) v. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) DAVID CHRISTOPHER CALHOUN, ) ) Appellant. ) )

HAZELRIGG, J. — A jury convicted David C. Calhoun of rape of a child in the

first degree, child molestation in the first degree, and child molestation in the

second degree. Calhoun seeks reversal arguing that defense counsel was

ineffective for failing to challenge a potentially biased juror, that the trial court erred

in denying his motion for new counsel, that the trial court violated his speedy trial

rights, and that insufficient evidence supports his child rape conviction. Calhoun

also argues, and the State concedes, that the trial court erroneously imposed

Department of Correction community custody supervision fees. We affirm

Calhoun’s convictions, but remand to strike the supervision fees.

FACTS

In 2005, David Calhoun married C.A.’s mother and became stepfather to

C.A., born in 2004. The family lived in Tacoma from August 2013 to February

2015, in Spanaway from February to November 2015, in another house in

Citations and pinpoint citations are based on the Westlaw online version of the cited material. No. 83438-0-I/2

Spanaway from November 2015 to May 2016, and in Minnesota from May 2016 to

November 2016. Calhoun and C.A.’s mother separated in Minnesota, returned to

Washington, and divorced in April 2017.

In August 2017, when C.A. was 13 years old, C.A. disclosed to her mother

that Calhoun had sexually abused her. C.A.’s mother confronted Calhoun, but did

not take further action until 2018, when she discovered that C.A. had disclosed the

sexual abuse to other individuals in online messages. C.A.’s mother then notified

law enforcement and escorted C.A. to the hospital. C.A. submitted to a forensic

interview, but no medical examination took place due to the amount of time that

had passed between the sexual assaults and the date she went to the hospital.

The State charged Calhoun in an amended information with rape of a child

in the first degree, child molestation in the first degree, and child molestation in the

second degree. Calhoun’s case was continued five times prior to trial. On January

28, 2019, May 30, 2019, and July 24, 2019, the court granted agreed continuances

based on the prosecutor’s unavailability for trial and the need to interview

witnesses.

On September 30, 2019, defense counsel requested a continuance

because he was in trial on another case, anticipated starting another trial

immediately after, and would be on vacation for two weeks after that. Defense

counsel also explained that he needed additional time to prepare for trial,

particularly given that Calhoun faced a possible life sentence.1 The prosecutor did

1 The State originally gave notice that Calhoun faced life without the possibility of parole

under RCW 9.94A.030(38)(b)(i) based on a 1990 conviction in California for lewd acts with a child under the age of 14 with force. At sentencing, the State informed the court that the information was insufficient to establish factual comparability.

2 No. 83438-0-I/3

not oppose the motion. Calhoun expressed frustration with the proposed

continuance and asserted that the charges against him should be dismissed due

to violation of his speedy trial rights. The court stated, “I don’t have information in

front of me that would suggest that your rights have been violated.” Over

Calhoun’s objection, the trial court granted the continuance.

On November 13, 2019, the State and defense counsel presented a joint

motion to continue the trial five additional days so defense counsel could interview

C.A. Calhoun signed the proposed order. The trial court granted the motion.

Trial commenced on November 18, 2019, 342 days after Calhoun was

arraigned. Calhoun immediately asked for a continuance and that he be appointed

new counsel due to violation of his right to speedy trial. Calhoun stated that he

had repeatedly asked his attorney to assert his speedy trial rights, but his attorney

“refused on all accounts, telling me that it just wasn’t the time” and “pretty much

does whatever he wants to do.” Calhoun also expressed displeasure with defense

counsel’s advice that he consider accepting the State’s plea offer. The trial court,

noting that a continuance would cause further delay, asked Calhoun why he

wanted a continuance when his complaint was that his speedy trial rights had been

violated. Calhoun explained that “what I would like to do is have grounds for

dismissal; however, I don’t know how to do the paperwork. But if I have somebody

that will help me do that, then I believe I have the grounds for dismissal.”

The trial court denied Calhoun’s motion for new counsel and for a

continuance. The court explained that CrR 3.3(f)(2) allows for cases to be

continued over a defendant’s objection when appropriate in the administration of

3 No. 83438-0-I/4

justice and when the defendant would not be prejudiced in his defense, as was the

case with the September 30 continuance. A few moments later, Calhoun again

expressed his dissatisfaction with his attorney, calling him “a piece of shit” and

saying “I don’t want to talk to this guy.” The following day, Calhoun apologized on

the record for his “outburst” and thanked the court for “hearing [him] out.”

The case then proceeded to jury selection. Several potential jurors,

including juror 9, were questioned in open court but outside the presence of the

remainder of the jury pool. Upon questioning by the trial court, juror 9 stated that

she was employed as a residential rehabilitation counselor at the Special

Commitment Center (SCC) on McNeil Island. Juror 9 stated that she did not

provide sex offender treatment at SCC. When the trial court asked juror 9 whether

“[a]nything about [her] working with folks that have been found to be Sexually

Violent Predators [ ] would affect [her] ability to serve as a juror in a case involving

allegations of sexual offenses,” she responded “No.” When asked whether she

could separate “what knowledge she may have acquired from working with [her]

current population to what [she] would be required to do . . . in the courtroom,” juror

9 responded, “I believe I can.” Defense counsel then asked juror 9 if the offenders

spoke with her about “their offenses, or [if] they talk about what’s going on

currently, their day-to-day stuff.” Juror 9 explained that she primarily works with

patients with special needs, such as dementia or hearing impairment, and stated

“[w]e don’t talk about their offenses or whatever happened in the past.” During the

remainder of jury selection the following day, defense counsel asked juror 9 if she

agreed that the burden of proof is on the State, and she responded, “I do.” Neither

4 No. 83438-0-I/5

party exercised a peremptory challenge against juror 9 or challenged her for cause.

Juror 9 was seated on the jury.

At trial, C.A. testified regarding three incidents of sexual abuse by Calhoun.

The first incident occurred in the Tacoma house when C.A. was 8 years old.

Calhoun summoned C.A. to his bedroom, laid her flat on the bed, and “started

touching [her] chest and [her] vagina” with his hands for a “[c]ouple of minutes.”

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