State of Washington v. Terry Clark Osborne

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 27, 2022
Docket37779-2
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of Washington v. Terry Clark Osborne (State of Washington v. Terry Clark Osborne) 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. Terry Clark Osborne, (Wash. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

FILED JANUARY 27, 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STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) ) No. 37779-2-III Respondent, ) ) v. ) ) TERRY CLARK OSBORNE, ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) Appellant. )

STAAB, J. — After a jury found Terry Osborne guilty of residential burglary, the

superior court imposed a mid-range sentence and a $5,000 “fine.” Mr. Osborne failed to

object, request a reduction, or assert indigency. On appeal, he contends that the fine was

an abuse of discretion. In his statement of additional grounds (SAG), Mr. Osborne

challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction, the trial court’s

ruling on the admissibility of his custodial statements, and the court’s failure to provide

jury instructions with its face mask policy.

We affirm Osborne’s conviction and sentence. No. 37779-2-III State v. Osborne

BACKGROUND

Terry Osborne was charged with residential burglary. At trial, the complaining

witness testified that she lives in Moses Lake, but owns a house in Ritzville where she

stores furniture and personal property, including a washer and dryer.

On April 3, 2020, a neighbor saw Mr. Osborne walking with a hand truck near the

house. A short time later, the witness heard a loud bang come from the back of the

victim’s house and saw Mr. Osborne walking down the sidewalk with the washing

machine on the hand truck. The neighbor notified the police. Within moments, an

officer contacted Osborne on the sidewalk. Osborne told the officer that “he was taking

[the washer] out of a friend’s house that was being cleaned out.” Report of Proceedings

(RP) (Beck) at 197. The officer and neighbor returned the washing machine to the

victim’s unlocked house, which they found in disarray with tracks in the grass and dirt

leading from the back door to the alley. The homeowner confirmed that the returned

washer was hers. The neighbor testified that a single man could move the washer “no

problem” with the dolly. RP (Beck) at 180. A jury found Mr. Osborne guilty of

residential burglary.

The trial court sentenced Mr. Osborne on September 28, 2020. The parties agreed

that with an offender score of 9.5, Mr. Osborne’s standard range was 63 to 84 months.

The State requested a high-end sentence of 84 months. Mr. Osborne and his attorney

requested a prison-based drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA) sentence of 73.5

2 No. 37779-2-III State v. Osborne

months. The State objected to the requested DOSA sentence, noting that Mr. Osborne

had a pending burglary charge in Grant County. In sentencing Mr. Osborne, the court

simply said: “74 months mandatory. LFOs, $5000 fine.” RP (Brittingham) at 49. The

State responded: “Has he had DNA[1] collected? Your Honor that’d be a total of $5,500

with a $5,000 fine and the $500 victim assessment. Mr. Scudder has indicated that

Defendant has had his DNA collected. So I’d ask the Court to strike the $100 DNA fee.”

RP (Brittingham) at 49. A week later, the court found Mr. Osborne indigent for purposes

of appeal.

ANALYSIS

A. SENTENCING

On appeal, Osborne contends that the trial court abused its discretion by imposing

a mandatory sentence and fine of $5,000. Mr. Osborne argues that the court’s use of the

word “mandatory” was vague and argues that if it reflects a belief that there was a

mandatory term of imprisonment or fine, the court’s sentence was based on untenable

grounds.

We consider the trial court’s imposition of legal financial obligations (LFOs) for

abuse of discretion. State v. Clark, 191 Wn. App. 369, 372, 362 P.3d 309 (2015). A

court abuses its discretion when its decision is based on untenable grounds or for

1 Deoxyribonucleic acid.

3 No. 37779-2-III State v. Osborne

untenable reasons. State ex rel. Carroll v. Junker, 79 Wn.2d 12, 26, 482 P.2d 775 (1971).

Residential burglary is a class B felony with a seriousness level of IV. RCW

9A.52.025(2); RCW 9.94A.515. Class B felonies carry a maximum sentence of

“confinement in a state correctional institution for a term of ten years, or by a fine in an

amount fixed by the court of twenty thousand dollars, or by both such confinement and

fine[.]” RCW 9A.20.021(b). Unless otherwise provided by statute, “the court may

impose fines on adult offenders” on all sentences under this chapter up to $20,000 for

class B felonies. RCW 9.94A.550.

We agree with the State that Mr. Osborne’s failure to object waives any review on

appeal. RAP 2.5(a); State v. Blazina, 182 Wn.2d 827, 830, 344 P.3d 680 (2015). In this

particular case, an objection would have provided the court an opportunity to clarify any

confusion regarding its use of the term “mandatory.”

Nevertheless, we disagree with Mr. Osborne’s contention that the judge was

imposing a mandatory sentence. Instead, in context, it appears that the term “mandatory”

was used to clarify that the judge was rejecting the request for a DOSA sentence. The

term of incarceration was within the standard range. The fine was authorized by statute.

RCW 9A.20.021(b). Moreover, penal fines are not considered “costs” subject to a

financial screening for ability to pay. Clark, 191 Wn.2d at 375-76. And while the fine

amount was placed on a line in the judgment and sentence next to “other” instead of the

4 No. 37779-2-III State v. Osborne

line in the form marked “fine,” it is clear from the prosecutor’s follow-up statement that

the court was imposing a penal fine. We find no abuse of discretion.

B. STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL GROUNDS

Osborne raises several issues in his statement of additional grounds (SAG). First,

he contends that there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction for residential

burglary.

Sufficiency of the evidence is reviewed de novo. State v. Rich, 184 Wn.2d 897,

903, 365 P.3d 746 (2016). Washington follows the standard of review for a challenge to

the sufficiency of the evidence as set out in Jackson v. Virginia.2 State v. Green, 94

Wn.2d 216, 221, 616 P.2d 628 (1980). When reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of

the evidence to prove the elements of an offense, we must determine “whether, after

viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of

fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Jackson 443 U.S. at 319. The purpose of this standard of review is to ensure that the

fact-finder rationally applied the constitutional standard required by the due process

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
State Ex Rel. Carroll v. Junker
482 P.2d 775 (Washington Supreme Court, 1971)
State v. Camarillo
794 P.2d 850 (Washington Supreme Court, 1990)
State v. Green
616 P.2d 628 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Salinas
829 P.2d 1068 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State of Washington v. Joshua James Clark
362 P.3d 309 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2015)
State v. Scanlan
445 P.3d 960 (Washington Supreme Court, 2019)
State v. Vasquez
309 P.3d 318 (Washington Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. Blazina
344 P.3d 680 (Washington Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Rich
365 P.3d 746 (Washington Supreme Court, 2016)

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