State Of Washington v. Floydale Eckles, Jr.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedAugust 16, 2016
Docket47588-0
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Floydale Eckles, Jr. (State Of Washington v. Floydale Eckles, Jr.) 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. Floydale Eckles, Jr., (Wash. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two

August 16, 2016

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 47588-0-II

Respondent,

v.

FLOYDALE L. ECKLES, JR., UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant.

JOHANSON, P.J. — Floydale Eckles, Jr. appeals his bench trial convictions and sentencing

conditions for three counts of child rape, and one count of attempted child rape. We hold that the

community custody condition prohibiting Eckles from entering places where alcohol is primarily

sold is crime related and proper. However, we remand to the trial court to (1) correct a clerical

error in the judgment and sentence, (2) strike one unconstitutionally vague community custody

condition, (3) strike another noncrime-related community custody condition, and (4) make an

individualized determination of Eckles’s ability to pay legal financial obligations (LFOs). We also

hold that the trial court properly granted the State’s continuance motion and that Eckles’s counsel’s

performance was not deficient for failing to object to this motion. We affirm Eckles’s convictions.

But we reverse his sentence in part and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion. No. 47588-0-II

FACTS

I. CHARGES AND MOTION TO CONTINUE TRIAL

The State charged Eckles with three counts of child rape, one count of attempted child rape,

and one count of child molestation. These charges involved two victims, KT and KR,1 who were

between the ages of 12 and 15 years old. Because the background facts are largely irrelevant to

the issues raised on appeal, the details of the crimes are not repeated here.

Trial was set for January 20, 2015, but on that date the State moved for a continuance

because the prosecutor was in a homicide trial set to last two to three weeks. Defense counsel did

not object to the continuance. The trial court ruled that there was good cause to continue the trial

to February 9. Eckles filed a motion to dismiss for violation of his time for trial right. On February

9, the trial court noted Eckles’s earlier time for trial dismissal motion. Without expressly ruling

on Eckles’s motion, the trial court proceeded with trial.

II. ECKLES’S DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE

Eckles testified that he attended parties where he consumed drugs and alcohol and that he

was drunk at the party during which he admitted he had sexual intercourse with KT. KT was under

the influence of drugs or alcohol during each rape. KR was under the influence of drugs and

alcohol the night Eckles attempted to rape her. Eckles also claimed that his “vocation” was selling

drugs.

1 We use initials instead of names for victims of sex crimes to protect their privacy. Division Two General Order 2011-1.

2 No. 47588-0-II

III. CONVICTIONS, PRESENTENCE REPORTS, AND SENTENCING

Following the bench trial, the trial court found Eckles guilty of two counts of second degree

child rape, one count of third degree child rape, and attempted third degree child rape. Thereafter,

the Department of Corrections (DOC) submitted a presentence investigation report (PSI) with

attached “Appendix F” that listed recommended community custody provisions. DOC filed a

revised PSI to correct factual inaccuracies in the original PSI. The revised PSI did not include

Appendix F, but a new “Appendix H.”

The revised PSI stated that a child interviewer interviewed KT once and KR twice at the

“SAU” office.2 The PSI also details Eckles’s education and employment history. Eckles attended

but did not complete high school and “has worked only two jobs in his life and both of them were

in 2012 and 2013.” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 28. The first job paid Eckles up to $15 an hour and the

other job involved landscaping for about a month and Eckles could not remember how much he

was paid.

At the sentencing hearing, the State argued that Eckles lived with his parents and was

without steady employment. The State also argued that Appendix H, not Appendix F, should be

adopted to set out the community custody conditions. The trial court rejected Appendix F and

ruled that Eckles would be on community custody conditions as set out in Appendix H. The trial

court signed Appendix H that day. However, the judgment and sentence contained a checked box

stating the following: “PSI CONDITIONS—All conditions recommended in the Pre-Sentence

Investigation are incorporated herein as conditions of community custody, in addition to any

2 The PSI does not say what “SAU” stands for, but presumably it is the Kitsap County Special Assault Unit.

3 No. 47588-0-II

conditions listed in this judgment and sentence, unless otherwise noted.” CP at 47. The trial court

sentenced Eckles to 17½ years minimum in prison and community custody for life.

IV. COMMUNITY CUSTODY CONDITIONS AND LEGAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

Eckles’s community custody conditions included that he shall “[p]ossess/access no

pornography, sexually explicit materials, and/or information pertaining to minors via computer

(i.e. internet)” (CP at 47), “[s]hall not consume alcohol” (CP at 56), shall “[e]nter no bar or place

where alcohol is the chief item of sale” (CP at 47), and “[s]hall not possess tracking equipment”

(CP at 56).3

The State asked the court to impose “standard” LFOs and specifically requested a $500

victim assessment fee, a $1,135 court-appointed attorney fee, a $200 filing fee, a $100

deoxyribonucleic biological sample fee, a $100 contribution to Kitsap County Expert Witness

Fund, and a $500 contribution to Kitsap County Special Assault Unit (KCSAU). Defense counsel

did not object to these LFOs. There was no inquiry or further discussion about Eckles’s financial

situation or ability to pay the LFOs. The trial court stated it would “impose the standard legal and

financial obligations” and imposed the fees requested by the State. Report of Proceedings (RP)

(Mar. 11, 2015) at 45-46. The judgment and sentence stated the following: “4.1 LEGAL

FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS—RCW 9.94A.760. The Court finds that the Defendant has the ability

or likely future ability to pay legal financial obligations.” CP at 48. The judgment and sentence

also lists statutory or other authority supporting every other LFO imposed, except where it simply

states, “$500 Contribution—Kitsap Co. Special Assault Unit.” CP at 48. Eckles appeals.

3 The first three community custody conditions were included in the judgment and sentence and Appendix H, the fourth was included in only Appendix H.

4 No. 47588-0-II

ANALYSIS

I. JUDGMENT AND SENTENCE CLERICAL ERROR

Eckles argues that the judgment and sentence improperly incorporated the community

custody conditions set out in the original PSI, Appendix F, when the trial court actually intended

to impose the community custody conditions set out in the revised PSI, Appendix H. Eckles

contends that this was a clerical error that should be corrected on remand. We agree with Eckles

that the clerical error should be corrected.

Sentencing errors may be challenged for the first time on appeal. State v. Bahl, 164 Wn.2d

739, 744, 193 P.3d 678 (2008).

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