State of Washington v. Reed J. Alefteras

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided April 19, 2022·No. 37925-6·Unpublished

Opinion

FILED

APRIL 19, 2022

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. 37925-6-III )

Respondent, )

)

v. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION )

REED J. ALEFTERAS, )

)

Appellant. )

LAWRENCE-BERREY, J. — Reed Alefteras appeals the trial court’s order denying his CrR 7.8 motion for relief, which would have allowed him to withdraw his guilty plea. He raises four arguments on appeal, two of which he did not raise below. We disagree with his two preserved arguments, do not review his two unpreserved arguments, and affirm the trial court.

FACTS

Reed Alefteras was employed as a bail bond recovery agent when he and three colleagues attempted to recover two subjects at a motel in Spokane. The men were authorized to detain Shanda Hanson and Gary Todd; Ms. Hanson was in a room at the motel with another man, Justin Jordan, who the bail bond recovery agents had no authority to detain.

The four agents, armed with firearms, ordered Mr. Jordan out of the room by name and threatened to kill him. When he did not emerge, Mr. Alefteras broke a window and

State v. Alefteras

another bail bond recovery agent threw oleoresin capsicum1 into the room and then forced the door open and entered the room. The agents detained Mr. Jordan in handcuffs and interrogated him about the location of Mr. Todd; they offered to release Mr. Jordan in exchange for information. Ms. Hanson was also handcuffed and escorted from the area.

Charges and plea agreement On February 23, 2017, Mr. Alefteras and two of his fellow bail bond recovery agents were charged with unlawful imprisonment and second degree assault of Mr. Jordan. A charge of first degree burglary was added on August 31, 2017. The probable cause statement for the charges was an affidavit of facts authored by Detective Lonnie Tofsrud. The statement was based on Detective Tofsrud’s viewing of footage from a body camera worn by one of the bail bond recovery agents, his interview with Ms. Hanson, and the expert opinion of Mike Rocha, a trainer and subject authority in the bail bond recovery industry. In Mr. Rocha’s opinion, the bail bond recovery agents’ entry into the motel room did not meet industry standards.

In 2016, Mr. Alefteras had also been charged with first degree robbery and fourth degree assault in an unrelated incident. While the current case was pending, he was

1 Oleoresin capsicum is a pepper spray used to disrupt a subject’s bodily functions with transient effects.

State v. Alefteras

found guilty on both counts by a jury on January 25, 2018. He was sentenced to 31 months’ confinement on the charges on March 1, 2018.

After Mr. Alefteras was convicted in the robbery case, he entered into a plea agreement with the State in this case in which he would plead guilty to armed criminal mischief against property in violation of RCW 9A.84.010(1) and (2)(b) and the State would recommend a sentence of seven days’ time served. One of Mr. Alefteras’s codefendants accepted a similar deal. The amended information charged the crime:

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, committed as follows: That the defendant, REED J. ALEFTERAS, in the State of Washington, on or about September 14, 2016, being armed with a firearm, a deadly weapon, while acting with three or more persons, did knowingly and unlawfully, participate in the use of force against property, to-wit: room 161, belonging to the Econolodge Motel.

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 48.

Mr. Alefteras completed a statement on plea of guilty with his attorney. In the statement, he acknowledged he understood he had been charged with criminal mischief and was informed the elements were: “On 9-14-16, while armed with a firearm, acting with 3 or more persons, [defendant] participated in use of force against property.” CP at 50. The statement also indicated: “I plead guilty to: count 1 criminal mischief . . . in the amended information. I have received a copy of that Information.” CP at 63. Mr.

State v. Alefteras

Alefteras agreed in the statement that the court could review the statement of probable cause to establish a factual basis for his plea.

Guilty plea proceedings At the change of plea and sentencing hearing on March 2, 2018, the court first reviewed the new charge with Mr. Alefteras:

THE COURT: . . . I want to make sure you understand all of this.

The first one I’m going to start with is the amended information. The original information had three counts. This one is now charging you with criminal mischief. It’s my understanding you were going to be pleading guilty to that, is that correct?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Yes, your Honor.

THE COURT: Have you had the opportunity to go through this amended information with your attorney?

[Mr. Alefteras]: I have, your Honor.

THE COURT: Do you understand the elements of the crime that you will be pleading to here today?

[Mr. Alefteras]: I do, your Honor.

THE COURT: Do you have any concerns for that?

[Mr. Alefteras]: I do not.

Report of Proceedings (RP) (Mar. 2, 2018) at 6-7. The court next discussed Mr. Alefteras’s statement on plea of guilty and confirmed he had read it with his attorney and had no questions. The court listed his constitutional rights and questioned Mr. Alefteras:

THE COURT: . . . Did you understand those rights?

[Mr. Alefteras]: I did, your Honor.

THE COURT: Do you understand by entering a plea today, you are giving those up or waiving those rights?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Yes.

State v. Alefteras

THE COURT: Is that what you want to do here today?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Yes.

THE COURT: Waive your rights and enter this guilty plea.

[Mr. Alefteras]: I do.

RP (Mar. 2, 2018) at 8-9. The court informed Mr. Alefteras of the possible sentencing consequences and confirmed he understood that it did not have to abide by the State’s recommendation of credit for time served. The court discussed the factual basis for Mr. Alefteras’s plea:

THE COURT: In addition, I have to have a factual basis to accept [your guilty plea]. In other words what the facts say [you] did, you have to meet what it is that you’re pleading to. Or there needs to be a legal basis for me to accept it. So your statement indicates that I can rely on the probable cause affidavit and that there is a factual basis for this. Do you agree with that?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Yes.

THE COURT: Do you understand what it means for me to rely on the probable cause statement?

[Mr. Alefteras]: I believe so. You rely upon the police report.

THE COURT: Correct. Is that acceptable to you?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Yes.

THE COURT: Do you agree that there are sufficient [ ] facts in that probable cause affidavit to find you guilty of criminal mischief?

[Mr. Alefteras]: I do.

THE COURT: I concur with that. After reading it, I do find it meets the elements of criminal mischief. . . .

RP (Mar. 2, 2018) at 10-11. The court confirmed Mr. Alefteras’s criminal history and accepted his guilty plea:

State v. Alefteras

THE COURT: All right. Sir, with regards to the original charge of criminal mischief committed on or about September 14th, 2016 here in Spokane County, Washington, how do you plead?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Guilty.

THE COURT: Is that a free and voluntary plea?

[Mr. Alefteras]: Yes.

THE COURT: Has anybody threatened you or anybody else to get you to enter this plea?

[Mr. Alefteras]: No.

THE COURT: Has anybody promised you anything other than, perhaps, the recommendation of sentencing by the state, to get you to enter this plea?

[Mr. Alefteras]: No.

THE COURT: So sir, what I can tell you is based upon what you told me today, I find your plea is knowing and voluntary, that you know what you’re doing. I have a factual basis to accept your plea and so I will do that. . . .

RP (Mar. 2, 2018) at 12-13. The court sentenced Mr. Alefteras to the recommended seven days’ confinement with credit for time served.

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