State Of Washington v. Sean Stoll

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 1, 2014
Docket44265-5
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Sean Stoll (State Of Washington v. Sean Stoll) 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. Sean Stoll, (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

FILED COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION II

2011i JUL - I 1111 8 : 149

STATE OF WASHINGTON

P TY

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON.

DIVISION II

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 44265 -5 -II

Respondent,

v.

SEAN P. STOLL, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant.

WoRSwIcK, J. — Sean Stoll was convicted of two counts of first degree rape of a child.

He appeals, arguing that ( 1) the trial court violated the prohibition against double jeopardy by

failing to instruct the jury that each count must be based on a separate and distinct act, (2) the instructions defined the doubt standard, ( 3) the trial court trial court' s jury improperly reasonable

erred by imposing legal financial obligations because substantial evidence fails to support the trial court' s boilerplate finding that Stoll has an ability to pay, and ( 4) the trial court erred by

imposing four community custody conditions. We accept the State' s concession that the

community custody conditions were erroneous, but we reject the remaining arguments raised in Stoll' s appeal. No. 44265 -5 -II

In a pro se statement of additional grounds ( SAG), Stoll further contends that ( 5) the trial

court violated his right to trial by an impartial jury by failing to excuse a potential juror for

cause, ( 6) insufficient evidence supports his convictions, ( 7) the trial court erroneously admitted

a videotaped interview with the victim, ( 8) Stoll' s counsel had a conflict of interest, and ( 9) the

prosecutor committed misconduct by calling a clinician to testify and Stoll' s counsel was

ineffective for failing to object. None of the claims in Stoll' s SAG warrant reversal.

Accordingly, we affirm Stoll' s convictions and remand his judgment and sentence to the trial

court to strike the erroneous community custody conditions.

FACTS

In 2008, nine - year -old S. J. reported to her father and stepmother that she had been

sexually assaulted several months prior by her cousin, Stoll. At that time, Stoll' s mother had

been living with S. J.' s family, and Stoll sometimes stayed with them. When Stoll stayed the

night, he slept in the living room with S. J., S. J.' s two brothers, and Stoll' s mother.

S. J. disclosed to her father, stepmother, and grandmother that Stoll had put his finger on

or inside her anus once during the night. S. J. also described an incident to her friend and then to

the friend' s grandmother.

S. J. then participated in a videotaped interview with Detective Shellee Stratton. S. J. told

Detective Stratton that as part of a routine that lasted about a week, Stoll had touched her vagina

with his hand and penetrated her vagina with his penis. S. J. said Stoll did this in the living room

during the early morning while others were sleeping. S. J. was also examined by a clinician, who opined that S. J.' s genitalia appeared normal.

2 No. 44265 -5 -II

Stoll was first tried on an amended information for two counts of first degree rape of a

child, but the jury could not reach a verdict. A second trial ended with two convictions, which

we vacated in a previous appeal.' See State v. Stoll, noted at 168 Wn. App. 1042, slip op. at 1

2012).

On a third amended information, the State tried Stoll a third time for two counts of first

degree rape of a child. The third amended information based both counts on acts that occurred

between April 24, 2006, and March 31, 2007, and based each count on " a[ n] act separate and

distinct from" the other count. Clerk' s Papers ( CP) at 46.

During voir dire, Stoll moved to excuse a potential juror for cause. The trial court denied

this motion, and Stoll ultimately used a peremptory challenge to excuse the potential juror.

During the third trial, S. J. testified that in addition to putting his finger in her anus, Stoll put his penis in her vagina. She further testified that she reported to her father and her

grandmother that Stoll had " had sex" with her. Report of Proceedings ( RP) ( Sept. 27, 2012) at

273.

By the time of the third trial, Detective Stratton had suffered a disability and was unable

to testify. Another detective, who had observed the interview, authenticated the videotape before

it was published to the jury. The clinician who examined S. J. also testified.

Stoll requested a jury instruction that would inform the jury that each count was based on

a separate and distinct act. The trial court refused this instruction, reasoning that it was clear

1 In Stoll' s second trial, evidence of his prior sex offense conviction was admitted under RCW 10. 58. 090, which was held to be unconstitutional in State v. Gresham, 173 Wn.2d 405, 413, 269 P. 3d 207 ( 2012).

3 No. 44265 -5 -II

from positioning of the Petrich instruction that each count involved a separate act. The trial

court gave a pattern instruction defining reasonable doubt.

The jury found Stoll guilty of both counts. In addition to a term of confinement, the

judgment and sentence imposed various community custody conditions. Among these

conditions were four which required Stoll to ( 1) pay for S. J. and her immediate family to receive

counseling, ( 2) submit to penile plethysmograph testing on the request of his community

corrections officer, ( 3) comply with various alcohol- related conditions, and ( 4) refrain from

unsupervised use of the internet. The trial court further ordered, " A restitution hearing ... shall

be set by the prosecutor or by the court." CP at 13. But the trial court did not hold a restitution

hearing or enter a restitution order.

Stoll appeals his convictions and these four community custody conditions in the

judgment and sentence.

ANALYSIS

I. DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Stoll first argues that his two convictions violate the constitutional prohibition against

double jeopardy because the trial court's jury instructions did not apprise the jury that it must

2 See State v. Petrich, 101 Wn.2d 566, 572, 683 P. 2d 173 ( 1984). The Petrich instruction here stated,

The State alleges that the defendant committed acts of rape of a child in the first degree on multiple occasions. To convict the defendant on any count of rape of a child in the first degree, one particular act of rape of a child in the first degree must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and you must unanimously agree asto which act has been proved. You need not unanimously agree that the defendant committed all the acts of rape of a child in the first degree. CP at 42. No. 44265 -5 -II

base each conviction on a separate and distinct act. We disagree because it was manifestly clear

to the jury that each count was based on a separate and distinct act.

The double jeopardy clause protects a defendant from being convicted of multiple

offenses that are identical in fact and law. State v. Calle, 125 Wn.2d 769, 777, 888 P. 2d 155

1995). But the double jeopardy clause is not violated when two counts arise from separate and

distinct acts. State v. Mutch, 171 Wn.2d 646, 662 -63, 254 P. 3d 803 ( 2011). We review an

alleged double jeopardy violation de novo. Mutch, 171 Wn.2d at 661 -62.

When multiple counts of the same crime allegedly occurred within the same charging

period, the trial court' s jury instructions are flawed if they do not inform the jury that each

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