State of Washington v. Eugene Kliewer

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 5, 2025
Docket40270-3
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of Washington v. Eugene Kliewer (State of Washington v. Eugene Kliewer) 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. Eugene Kliewer, (Wash. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

FILED JUNE 5, 2025 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 40270-3-III ) Respondent, ) ) v. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) EUGENE KLIEWER, ) ) Appellant. )

LAWRENCE-BERREY, C.J. — Eugene Kliewer challenges several of his community

custody conditions and raises four arguments in his statement of additional grounds for

review. We remand for the trial court to strike or modify various conditions, and we

reject Kliewer’s pro se arguments.

FACTS

Eugene Kliewer pleaded guilty to possession of depictions of minors engaged in

sexually explicit conduct in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the

first degree. The trial court granted him an exceptional mitigated sentence of 41 months

with credit for 29 months, together with 36 months of community custody. No. 40270-3-III State v. Kliewer

The community custody conditions include the following:

[(a)](5) Pay supervision fees as determined by the Department of Corrections; .... [(b)](12) Submit to urinalysis and breathalyzer testing as directed. .... [(b)](18) Submit to searches of your person, residence, and vehicle by the community corrections officer to monitor compliance. [(b)](19) Must submit to searches of cell phone and any other electronic devices to include computer as directed by assigned community corrections officer to monitor compliance. .... [(b)](23) Submit to polygraph testing upon the request of your therapist and/or Community Corrections Officer, at your own expense. [(b)](24) Inform the Community Corrections Officers of any romantic relationships to verify there are no minor aged children involved.

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 132-33.

ANALYSIS

Kliewer challenges the above community custody conditions. While some of his

challenges assert the conditions lack statutory authority, other challenges assert the

conditions are unconstitutional.

We review a trial court’s community custody conditions for an abuse of discretion.

State v. Johnson, 197 Wn.2d 740, 744, 487 P.3d 893 (2021). Discretion is abused if it is

exercised on untenable grounds or for untenable reasons. Id.

The trial court can impose only community custody conditions authorized by

statute. State v. Charlton, 23 Wn. App. 2d 150, 169, 515 P.3d 537 (2022). We review a

2 No. 40270-3-III State v. Kliewer

trial court’s statutory authority to impose a particular community custody condition de

novo. State v. Armendariz, 160 Wn.2d 106, 110, 156 P.3d 201 (2007). A trial court’s

imposition of a statutorily unauthorized condition is an abuse of discretion. State v.

Geyer, 19 Wn. App. 2d 321, 326, 496 P.3d 322 (2021). Similarly, a trial court’s

imposition of an unconstitutional condition is an abuse of discretion. State v. Hai Minh

Nguyen, 191 Wn.2d 671, 678, 425 P.3d 847 (2018).

Supervision fees

Kliewer argues, and the State agrees, that the trial court erred when, in

condition (a)(5), it required Kliewer to pay Department of Corrections supervision fees.

RCW 9.94A.703(2). We direct the trial court to strike that condition.

Urinalysis and breathalyzer testing

Kliewer argues the trial court exceeded its authority when, in condition (b)(12), it

imposed a suspicionless breath/urinalysis testing requirement. He argues the condition is

not statutorily authorized because it is unrelated to the crime of conviction, and the

condition is unconstitutional because it violates his privacy interests under article I,

section 7 of the Washington Constitution. Kliewer acknowledges that his argument is

inconsistent with our unpublished opinion, State v. Nelson, No. 39110-8-III (Wash. Ct.

App. Feb. 13, 2024) (unpublished), https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/391108_

3 No. 40270-3-III State v. Kliewer

unp.pdf, aff’d, No. 102942-0 (Wash. Mar. 27, 2025), https://www.courts.wa.gov/

opinions/pdf/1029420.pdf, but he raises it on appeal to preserve the issue.

Our Supreme Court recently affirmed our unpublished opinion and held that such

testing is lawful to monitor compliance with a statutorily authorized condition and is not

an unconstitutional invasion of privacy because it was narrowly tailored to achieve a

compelling government interest. Nelson, No. 102942-0, slip op. at 10-12, 27.

Here, the trial court prohibited Kliewer from consuming controlled substances

except as lawfully prescribed, but it did not prohibit him from consuming alcohol. We

affirm condition (b)(12) insofar as it requires Kliewer to submit to urinalysis testing, but

we reverse and direct the trial court to strike “breathalyzer” from this challenged

condition.

Community custody officer (CCO) searches

Kliewer challenges the constitutionality of suspicionless searches by his CCO,

seemingly authorized by conditions (b)(18) and (b)(19). The State concedes that the

challenged conditions are unconstitutional as written but notes that the CCO would be

bound by RCW 9.94A.631(1)’s requirement that any search be justified by reasonable

cause. We direct the trial court to modify both conditions to conform to the reasonable

cause requirement codified in RCW 9.94A.631(1).

4 No. 40270-3-III State v. Kliewer

Polygraph fees and examinations

Kliewer argues, and the State agrees, that the trial court erred in condition (b)(23)

by requiring Kliewer to pay for polygraph testing (because such testing is a type of

community supervision cost)1 and by not limiting the scope of polygraph testing. We

direct the trial court to (1) strike the requirement that Kliewer pay for polygraph testing

and (2) limit such testing to monitoring Kliewer’s compliance with his community

custody conditions. State v. Combs, 102 Wn. App. 949, 952, 10 P.3d 1101 (2000).

Romantic relationships

Kliewer argues, and the State agrees, that condition (b)(24)’s requirement to

inform his CCO of any “romantic relationships” is unconstitutionally vague. CP at 132.

We direct the trial court to strike “romantic” and insert “dating” to satisfy constitutional

vagueness concerns. State v. Peters, 10 Wn. App. 2d 574, 591, 455 P.3d 141 (2019).

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL GROUNDS FOR REVIEW

Kliewer raises four issues in his statement of additional grounds for review (SAG).

He first contends no complaint was filed establishing probable cause for his arrest and

asks this court to make a probable cause finding. An affidavit of probable cause is

contained in this court’s record, and the affidavit attaches multiple sworn police

1 State v. Núñez, No. 57707-1-II, slip op. at 5 (Jan.

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Related

State v. Armendariz
156 P.3d 201 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Combs
10 P.3d 1101 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2000)
State v. Hai Minh Nguyen
425 P.3d 847 (Washington Supreme Court, 2018)
State of Washington v. Kevin Arther Peters
455 P.3d 141 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2019)
State v. Johnson
487 P.3d 893 (Washington Supreme Court, 2021)
State v. Armendariz
160 Wash. 2d 106 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Combs
102 Wash. App. 949 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2000)
State of Washington v. Joseph Edward Geyer
496 P.3d 322 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2021)

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