State of Washington v. Ryan Robert Bronowski

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 21, 2016
Docket33599-2
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of Washington v. Ryan Robert Bronowski (State of Washington v. Ryan Robert Bronowski) 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. Ryan Robert Bronowski, (Wash. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

FILED June 21, 2016 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division Ill

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

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 33599-2-III ) (consolidated with Respondent, ) No. 33608-5-III) ) v. ) ) RYAN R. BRONOWSKI, ) ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION Appellant. ) ) In re the Matter of the Personal Restraint ) of ) ) RYAN ROBERT BRONOWSKI, ) ) Petitioner. )

LAWRENCE-BERREY, A.CJ. - Ryan Bronowski appeals his convictions for theft

of a motor vehicle, second degree possession of stolen property, and three counts of

second degree vehicle prowling. He argues ( 1) he received ineffective assistance of

counsel because defense counsel failed to request a jury instruction for a lesser included

offense to theft of a motor vehicle, (2) his right to a unanimous jury verdict was violated

when the State failed to elect between multiple acts that could result in a conviction for No. 33599-2-III; No. 33608-5-III State v. Bronowski

second degree possession of stolen property, and (3) the trial court abused its discretion

when it imposed a five-year no-contact order to protect a victim of only a gross

misdemeanor. Mr. Bronowski also filed a personal restraint petition alleging sexual

misconduct by defense counsel. We agree the trial court abused its discretion when it

imposed a five-year no-contact order to protect a person who was neither a witness to nor

a victim of a class C felony. In all other respects, we affirm.

FACTS

On the morning of March 1, 2015, Alicia Aldendorf entered her car and discovered

that someone had rummaged through her glove box and scattered her belongings around

the front seat of her vehicle. She determined that her Banner Bank debit card, checkbook,

and some coffee cards had been removed from her vehicle. No fraudulent charges were

ever made using her Banner Bank debit card.

Similarly, James Adams awoke early that morning to the sound of his dogs

barking. A few days later, Mr. Adams discovered that someone had broken into one of

his cars. The delay in his discovery was because he seldom used that car. Mr. Adams

determined that his iPod, compact disc visor, cords, a glass breaking tool, a pair of

sunglasses, and an access card for parking were missing. That same morning, Lonnie

O'Bannan noticed his 1999 Dodge Neon being backed out of his driveway by an

2 No. 33599-2-III; No. 33608-5-III State v. Bronowski

unidentified person. Mr. O'Bannan immediately called the police to report his car had

been stolen.

Liberty Lake Police Officer Mike Bogenreifwas on patrol the morning of these

crimes. He learned from dispatch that a car theft had just occurred and received a

description of Mr. O'Bannan's stolen car. Minutes later, Officer Bogenreif saw Mr.

O'Bannan's Dodge Neon on the side of the road. As Officer Bogenreif approached, he

saw a man exit from the driver's door. Officer Bogenreif ordered the man to the ground,

but the man fled into a nearby yard. Officer Bogenreif noticed someone still in the car,

and chose to detain that person rather than chase the man.

About 10 minutes later, Spokane County Sheriffs Deputy Thomas Edelbrock

arrived to assist Officer Bogenreif. The officers searched the yard where the man had

fled. The officers located the man, later identified as Ryan Bronowski, hiding between an

outbuilding and a fence. The officers also discovered a black backpack belonging to Mr.

Bronowski. In the backpack and in the Neon, the officers found a glove, keys, and a

small amount of change, all of which Mr. O'Bannan later identified as his property. The

officers also recovered Ms. Aldendorf s checkbook and Banner Bank debit card, along

with Mr. Adams's iPod, glass breaking tool, and parking access card.

The State charged Mr. Bronowski with theft of a motor vehicle, second degree

3 No. 33599-2-111; No. 33608-5-111 State v. Bronowski

possession of stolen property, and three counts of second degree vehicle prowling. A jury

found him guilty of all charges. The trial court sentenced Mr. Bronowski to 57 months

for his theft of a motor vehicle conviction, and ordered sentences on the lesser offenses to

run concurrently. The trial court also imposed five-year no-contact orders protecting Mr.

O'Bannan, Ms. Aldendorf, and Mr. Adams.

Mr. Bronowski appeals. He subsequently filed a personal restraint petition. We

consolidated the personal restraint petition with this appeal.

ANALYSIS

A. Challenge to theft of a motor vehicle conviction

Mr. Bronowski claims he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his

attorney failed to request a jury instruction on second degree taking a motor vehicle,

which he asserts is a lesser included offense of theft of a motor vehicle. Because we can

resolve this claim by addressing his ineffective assistance argument, we decline to address

his assertion that the former is a lesser included offense of the latter.

An ineffective assistance of counsel claim may be raised for the first time on

appeal. State v. Kyllo, 166 Wn.2d 856,862,215 P.3d 177 (2009). Ineffective assistance

of counsel claims are reviewed de novo. State v. Sutherby, 165 Wn.2d 870,883,204 P.3d

916 (2009). To demonstrate ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must make two

4 No. 33599-2-111; No. 33608-5-111 State v. Bronowski

showings: (1) that counsel's performance was deficient, and (2) that counsel's errors were

serious enough to prejudice the defendant. State v. Thomas, 109 Wn.2d 222, 225-26, 743

P.2d 816 (1987) (quotingStricklandv. Washington, 466 U.S. 668,687,104 S. Ct. 2052,

80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984)).

Under the deficiency prong, counsel's conduct is not considered deficient if it can

be characterized as legitimate trial strategy. Kyllo, 166 Wn.2d at 863. When reviewing

an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, there is a strong presumption that counsel's

conduct fell within a wide range of a reasonable professional assistance. Strickland, 466

U.S. at 689. A criminal defendant can rebut this presumption by showing that counsel's

performance cannot be explained by any legitimate trial strategy. State v. Grier, 171

Wn.2d 17, 33,246 P.3d 1260 (2011) (quoting State v. Reichenback, 153 Wn.2d 126,130,

101 PJd 80 (2004)). 1

Under the prejudice prong, a defendant must show "there is a reasonable

probability that, but for counsel's deficient performance, the outcome of the proceedings

1 In his brief, Mr. Bronowski refers to a three-part test from State v. Breitung, 155 Wn. App. 606, 615, 230 P.3d 614 (2010), aff'd, 173 Wn.2d 393,267 PJd 1012 (2011) used to analyze the deficiency prong. This test examines (1) the difference in maximum penalties between the greater and lesser offenses, (2) whether defense's theory of the case is the same for both greater and lesser offenses, and (3) the overall risk to the defendant given the totality of developments at trial. Id. (quoting State v. Grier, 150 Wn. App. 619, 640-41, 208 P.3d 1221 (2009), vacated by, 171 Wn.2d 17). This test has been explicitly

5 No. 33599-2-III; No. 33608-5-III State v.

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Related

Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
State Ex Rel. Carroll v. Junker
482 P.2d 775 (Washington Supreme Court, 1971)
State v. Petrich
683 P.2d 173 (Washington Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Kitchen
756 P.2d 105 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
Matter of Personal Restraint of Rice
828 P.2d 1086 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Nitsch
997 P.2d 1000 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2000)
State v. McFarland
899 P.2d 1251 (Washington Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Rundquist
905 P.2d 922 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1995)
State v. Grier
208 P.3d 1221 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2009)
In Re Elmore
172 P.3d 335 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Armendariz
156 P.3d 201 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Thomas
743 P.2d 816 (Washington Supreme Court, 1987)
State v. Breitung
230 P.3d 614 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2010)
State v. Sutherby
204 P.3d 916 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Bobenhouse
214 P.3d 907 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Warren
195 P.3d 940 (Washington Supreme Court, 2008)
State v. Kyllo
215 P.3d 177 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Brown
940 P.2d 546 (Washington Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Ford
973 P.2d 452 (Washington Supreme Court, 1999)
State v. McCorkle
973 P.2d 461 (Washington Supreme Court, 1999)

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