State Of Washington v. Sean Vickers

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided February 11, 2014·No. 44565-4·Unpublished

Opinion

l " C_ 3

D1I! IS IO,,q TI FEB i ! AM 3 40 CI SH T034 0 rY

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 44565 -4 -II

Respondent,

v.

SEAN RAY VICKERS, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant,

LARRY DEAN DOW,

Defendant.

Johanson, A.C. J. — Sean Ray Vickers appeals his second.-degree theft. conviction

claiming that the State offered insufficient evidence at trial to prove that the two stolen VISA credit cards recovered from him were " access devices" as defined in RCW 9A.56. 010( 1).

Consequently, he argues that the State did not establish all of the elements to satisfy former

RCW 9A.56. 040( 1)( c) ( 2009), second degree theft ( access device). Because the State offered

sufficient evidence at trial from which a reasonable jury could infer that the recovered credit

cards were " access devices," we affirm Vickers' conviction.

FACTS

On April 12, 2012, Oleg Tkachuk and his cousin, Victoriya Statnik, noticed an older,

green van parked near Tkachuk' s car. Tkachuk saw his car' s passenger window was broken and No. 44565 -4 -II

a man standing by his car' s passenger door; the man then got into the van and drove away.

Tkachuk got into his car, followed the van, and called 911.

Vancouver Police Corporal Jeff Sundby, the first responding officer, pulled over the

green van. Corporal Sundby learned the driver and passenger of the van were Vickers and Larry

Dow, and when Tkachuk and Statnik arrived, they recognized Dow as the man taking things out

of Tkachuk' s car.

Corporal Sundby found a backpack and a purse in the van, which Tkachuk and Statnik

identified as theirs. Dow told Corporal Sundby that he had dumped some items a short distance

away, and Vancouver Police Officer Brian Viles was able to locate those items, which Tkachuk and Statnik also identified. Two credit cards and a Washington State driver' s license in

Tkachuk' s name were among these recovered items.

The State charged Vickers with one count of second degree theft of an access device, one 1 count of third degree malicious mischief, and one count of second degree vehicle prowling.

Former RCW 9A. 56. 040( 1)( c); RCW 9A.48. 090( 1)( a); former RCW 9A.52. 100 ( 2011). At trial,

I- - Tkachuk identified the two recovered credit cards as his.- A jury found Vickers guilty as charged.* -

ANALYSIS

Vickers argues that there was insufficient evidence to convict him of second degree theft

because the State did not establish that Tkachuk' s credit cards were " access devices." But

Tkachuk' s testimony and the context of the discovery of the cards would allow any reasonable

juror to conclude that the credit cards were " access devices."

1 Dow was also charged with second degree theft of an access device, malicious mischief, and second degree vehicle prowling. This appeal involves only Vickers.

2 No. 44565 -4 -II

The appropriate test for an insufficient evidence claim is whether, after viewing the

evidence in the light most favorable to the State, any rational trier of fact could have found guilt

beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Salinas, 119 Wn. 2d 192, 201, 829 P. 2d 1068 ( 1992). All

reasonable inferences from the evidence are drawn in favor of the State and interpreted strongly

against the defendant. Salinas, 119 Wn.2d at 201. An insufficiency claim admits the truth of the

State' s evidence and all inferences reasonably drawn from the evidence. Salinas,. 119 Wn.2d at

201. We do not reweigh the evidence and substitute our judgment for that of the jury. See State

v. Kilburn, 151 Wn.2d 36, 57, 84 P. 3d 1215 ( 2004).

An " access device" is

any card, plate, code, account number, or other means `of account access that can" be used alone or in conjunction with another access device to obtain money, goods, services, or anything else of value, or that can be used to initiate a transfer of funds, other than a transfer originated solely by paper instrument.

RCW 9A. 56. 010( 1).

Asserting his insufficiency claim, Vickers relies on State v. Rose, 175 Wn.2d .10, 282

P. 3d 1087 ( 2012). He argues that Rose creates a presumption that without affirmative evidence

that credit cards are not access devices. Rose, however, does not they are active and usable,

establish such a presumption. Rose holds that a defendant may prevail by demonstrating that

trial evidence proves that a credit card is not an " access device "; when a defendant affirmatively

establishes that the credit card was neither activated nor linked to an active account, the

defendant can show that the card lacked the ability to obtain " something of value." See 175

Wn.2d at 17 -18 & n. 1.

In Rose, authorities arrested Rose shortly after he visited the victim' s home and he

possessed what appeared to be a credit card in the victim' s name. 175 Wn.2d at 12 - 13. At trial,

91 No. 44565 -4 -II

the victim testified that she had received a credit card offer .that included an unactivated credit

card. Rose, 175 Wn.2d at 14 -15. Trial evidence showed that the card was never activated, there

2 was no account associated with the card. Rose, 175 Wn.2d at 17 -18. Accordingly, our Supreme

Court held that the State had not demonstrated that the card constituted an access device. Rose,

175 Wn.2d at 18. It is incorrect to say that Rose created a presumption that credit cards are not

access devices unless the State presents affirmative evidence that the cards are active and usable.

Unlike the defendant in Rose, here Vickers did not demonstrate that the two credit cards

were not activated or linked to an active account. Therefore, Rose does not apply here.

Ultimately, the State offered evidence that the recovered credit cards were access devices.

At trial, the State offered the testimony of Corporal Sundby and Tkachuk to identify the

recovered credit cards as Tkachuk' s. The State introduced photographs that Corporal Sundby

took of the two credit cards and a Washington State driver' s license issued to Tkachuk. Dow had

taken those items from Tkachuk' s car, where Tkachuk had kept them in either a backpack or his

wallet. Any rational juror, upon hearing that the credit cards belonged to Tkachuk and that he

carried them with him in his wallet or backpack, -could reasonably infer that they were access _ _ -

devices.

2 Like Rose, State v. Schloredt, 97 Wn. App. 789, 987 P. 2d 647 ( 1999), and State v. Clay, 144 Wn. App. 894, 184 P. 3d 674 ( 2008), review denied, 165 Wn. 2d 1014 ( 2009), both involved credit cards as access devices. In neither case did the defendant demonstrate that the cards were inactive, unusable, or unlinked to active accounts.

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Related

State v. Schloredt
987 P.2d 647 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1999)
State v. Salinas
829 P.2d 1068 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Clay
184 P.3d 674 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2008)
State v. Kilburn
84 P.3d 1215 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Rose
282 P.3d 1087 (Washington Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Clay
144 Wash. App. 894 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2008)