State v. Allmaras

CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 2, 2020
Docket45821
StatusPublished

This text of State v. Allmaras (State v. Allmaras) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Allmaras, (Idaho Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF IDAHO

Docket Nos. 45821/46817

STATE OF IDAHO, ) ) Opinion Filed: October 2, 2020 Plaintiff-Respondent, ) ) Melanie Gagnepain, Clerk v. ) ) MATTHEW ALLEN ALLMARAS, ) ) Defendant-Appellant. ) )

Appeal from the District Court of the First Judicial District, State of Idaho, Kootenai County. Hon. John T. Mitchell, District Judge.

Order revoking probation, reversed; order relinquishing jurisdiction, reversed; and case remanded.

Eric D. Fredericksen, State Appellate Public Defender; Brian R. Dickson, Deputy Appellate Public Defender, Boise, for appellant.

Hon. Lawrence G. Wasden, Attorney General; Jeff D. Nye, Deputy Attorney General, Boise, for respondent. ________________________________________________

HUSKEY, Chief Judge Matthew Allen Allmaras appeals in these consolidated cases from the district court’s orders revoking probation and relinquishing jurisdiction. Because the district court abused its discretion by imposing an invalid condition of probation and by revoking Allmaras’s probation based on the court’s allegation that Allmaras violated the invalid condition, the order revoking probation is reversed. The order relinquishing jurisdiction is also reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings before a different judge. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Allmaras was charged with lewd conduct with a minor. Allmaras and the State entered into an Idaho Criminal Rule 11(f) plea agreement. In exchange for Allmaras’s guilty plea pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25 (1970) to one count of felony injury to a

1 child, the State agreed that the sentence imposed would be a unified sentence of two years, with one year determinate; the sentence would be suspended for two years; and Allmaras would be placed on probation with the first year of probation being supervised. At the plea hearing, Allmaras’s attorney stipulated that there were sufficient facts upon which a jury could return a guilty verdict should Allmaras go to trial. The district court read the charging language in the amended information, advised Allmaras that by pleading guilty on an Alford basis he would be admitting the truthfulness of the charge, and asked Allmaras how he pleaded to the charge. Allmaras responded, “Guilty.” The district court accepted the guilty plea and ordered the preparation of a presentence investigation report, but did not order or mention any requirement for psychosexual and polygraph examinations. The case was then assigned to the present presiding district court judge. The newly assigned district court rejected the plea agreement, but Allmaras declined to withdraw his plea. At sentencing, the court asked Allmaras, “Is there a reason why there’s no psychosexual evaluation, no full disclosure polygraph?” Allmaras responded, “No, Your Honor.” The district court imposed a unified sentence of ten years, with three years determinate, suspended execution of the sentence, and placed Allmaras on four years of supervised probation. As a condition of probation (Condition 21), the district court required Allmaras to immediately serve 180 days in jail. Condition 21 noted that Allmaras would be released early if he passed a full disclosure polygraph but if he failed the polygraph, the district court would retain jurisdiction for 365 days. Allmaras filed an Idaho Criminal Rule 35 motion to modify his sentence and argued that the condition of probation, which required him to pass a full disclosure polygraph, violated his Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination. At the hearing on the Rule 35 motion, Allmaras’s counsel sought clarification on Condition 21. The district court explained that Allmaras could start his period of retained jurisdiction immediately if he chose not to participate in the polygraph rather than wait in jail for 180 days to run. Allmaras’s attorney then sought information from the district court on how Allmaras could immediately begin the period of retained jurisdiction. The district court thought “the appropriate procedural thing to do would be for [Allmaras] to admit that he violated his probation at this time by not getting a full disclosure polygraph.” Allmaras’s counsel did not agree that Allmaras violated Condition 21 because the condition was to serve 180 days

2 in the jail, with the length of time in jail conditioned upon on whether Allmaras passed or failed the polygraph. Because Allmaras could choose not to undergo the polygraph and simply remain in jail for 180 days, counsel argued it could not be a probation violation to decline to participate in the full disclosure polygraph. The district court disagreed and told Allmaras he could either go forward with the Rule 35 motion or go forward on an admit/deny hearing on a probation violation allegation for failing to obtain a polygraph. Allmaras denied that he violated Condition 21 after which the district court itself alleged a probation violation and scheduled an evidentiary hearing. At the evidentiary hearing, the State did not present any evidence. Instead, the prosecutor asked the court “to take judicial notice that there’s no polygraph in the file.” The district court indicated it would take judicial notice of “the entire file” and if “examination of that entire court file indicates a lack of [a polygraph] examination, then that’s what it indicates.” On that point, the district court stated it was “quite sure that’s what it indicates.” In response to the district court’s invitation for argument, Allmaras’s counsel argued that the State had not established a probation violation, in part because the probation condition gave Allmaras three options. First, Allmaras could serve the 180 days in jail, but be released early by participating in and passing a polygraph. Second, if Allmaras participated in and failed a polygraph, the district court would retain jurisdiction, although it is unclear from the order whether that would occur at the end of the 180 days or upon a review of the failed polygraph evaluation. Third, if Allmaras refused to participate in a polygraph, he would serve the 180 days and then remain incarcerated during a period of retained jurisdiction. Because Allmaras could choose not to participate in the polygraph, he could not be in violation of Condition 21 for selecting that option. The district disagreed, found Allmaras violated his probation by failing to submit to a full disclosure polygraph, and then ordered into execution Allmaras’s unified sentence of ten years, with three years determinate, and retained jurisdiction. Turning to the retained jurisdiction, the district court told Allmaras he “need[ed] to pass [a] full disclosure polygraph regarding the events in question” while on his period of retained jurisdiction or the district court would impose the prison sentence. Allmaras’s counsel asked the district court to clarify what it meant by a “full disclosure polygraph.” The district court explained that it wanted Allmaras to undergo a polygraph “regarding the

3 event in question with this 12-year-old and any other acts.” (Emphasis added.) Allmaras’s counsel objected to the district court’s requirement on the ground that it would violate Allmaras’s Fifth Amendment rights. The district court told counsel: “[Y]ou’re going to have to advise your client appropriately. But if I don’t see a polygraph that details his knowledge of the events in question, I guarantee you I will impose the prison sentence.” The district court then told Allmaras, “If you don’t have a polygraph at least concerning the events in question, I will impose your prison sentence. Do you understand that?” Allmaras indicated he understood. Allmaras appealed the order revoking his probation, giving rise to Docket No. 45821.

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Allmaras, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-allmaras-idahoctapp-2020.