State v. Baker

CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedJune 7, 2024
Docket126151
StatusUnpublished

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

Bluebook
State v. Baker, (kanctapp 2024).

Opinion

NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

No. 126,151

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS

STATE OF KANSAS, Appellee,

v.

LUCKY MALONE BAKER, Appellant.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appeal from Barton District Court; CAREY L. HIPP, judge. Submitted without oral argument. Opinion filed June 7, 2024. Affirmed.

Sam Schirer, of Kansas Appellate Defender Office, for appellant.

Natalie Chalmers, assistant solicitor general, and Kris W. Kobach, attorney general, for appellee.

Before BRUNS, P.J., HILL, J., and MARY E. CHRISTOPHER, S.J.

PER CURIAM: Lucky Malone Baker entered a guilty plea and was convicted of one count of criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling. He now appeals several aspects of his resulting sentence, including the amount of restitution, imposition of BIDS attorney fees, and his offender registration. Based on a review of the issues presented, we affirm the district court's sentencing order.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In March 2022, the State charged Baker with aiding and abetting in the criminal

1 discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling—a severity level 7 person felony—and two counts of criminal damage to property—a severity level 9 nonperson felony. The charges arose from an incident in July 2018 in which Baker allegedly participated in a drive-by shooting, during which a house, camper, ATV, and truck were damaged by gunshots.

In June 2022, Baker agreed to plead guilty to the charge for aiding and abetting in criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling. In exchange, the State agreed to dismiss the criminal damage to property charges, dismiss pending charges in another case, and to not revoke a diversion in an unrelated case. Under the plea agreement, Baker acknowledged in a handwritten notation he would have to register as a violent offender for 15 years and that he "[a]gree[d] to restitution as requested." The plea agreement also included a provision stating he understood the court "may require that I pay full restitution and reparations for all personal injury, property loss or damage." The State agreed not to oppose a request for dispositional departure. However, the parties agreed to no durational departure.

The district court accepted Baker's plea after advising him of his rights and confirming he knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently entered the plea agreement. The only mention of restitution at the plea hearing was the prosecutor stating—without objection—Baker "will pay restitution that is requested." During the plea hearing, the district court asked Baker to "explain to the Court . . . why you think you're guilty on this count," which led to the following inquiry:

"[Defense Counsel]: Is your name Lucky Malone Baker? "MR. BAKER: Yes, it is. "[Defense Counsel]: Mr. Baker, is it true, as the information filed March 18th of this year in this case says, sometime on the late evening or early morning between July 21st, July 22nd, 2018, did you drive a vehicle with some other individuals in it by 1507 Van Fleet Lane in Great Bend, Barton County, Kansas?

2 "MR. BAKER: Yes. "[Defense Counsel]: And while you were driving this vehicle, did some of these other individuals discharge a firearm in the direction of the residence located at that night? "MR. BAKER: Yes. "[Defense Counsel]: And at the time you were all aware that there were likely individuals inside the residence? "MR. BAKER: Yes."

The State proffered the probable cause affidavit as the factual basis for Baker's plea. The probable cause affidavit reflected that the driver of the vehicle—Baker, based on his admission at the plea hearing—turned off the vehicle's headlights just before the shooting. The affidavit also stated Brenda Holden, who lived in the house with her son Danyon, reported finding "the back window to her son's 2004 Chevy Silverado broken out." Officers found a "total of 6 different [bullet] entry points . . . from the Chevy Silverado, a 3-wheeler in the bed of the pickup, and the passenger side rear door." Further damage included:

"An entry hole to the paneling of the residence, exiting into the garage and striking a sign. The wooden fence on the northwest corner of the property. A Jayco Jayflight camper which sits up in the front of the residence and to the north of the garage. The bullet entered the front right side of the camper, striking a pillow on the bed."

The affidavit stated that the shooting occurred because of an argument between Baker and Brenda's other son, Braden Jewell, who also lived in the residence. About a year after the incident, Jewell contacted officers to report an altercation with Baker, during which Baker admitted to Jewell he was the driver during the shooting. Baker apologized. He told Jewell the gunshot "wasn't intended to hit the house, only Jewell's truck," "it was supposed to be one bullet to his truck, and the person shooting got carried away."

3 Baker later moved to withdraw his plea before sentencing, claiming he did not understand the consequences of the plea. The district court denied the motion at a hearing, finding Baker failed to show good cause to withdraw his plea.

The district court sentenced Baker in March 2023. The court imposed a presumptive 29-month prison sentence but granted Baker's motion for a dispositional departure to probation for a term of 24 months. Because Baker committed his crime with a deadly weapon, the court ordered him to register as a violent offender for a term of 15 years.

As for attorney fees, defense counsel asked the district to consider waiving BIDS attorney fees "due to the amounts of restitution. Mr. Baker will be owing quite a bit." Defense counsel asked the court to consider waiving the BIDS attorney fees in good faith that Baker would fulfill his other obligations. The court questioned defense counsel and Baker as follows:

"THE COURT: Let me ask this question. From your standpoint we're talking about 9,000 in restitution. Is there any objection from Mr. Baker with that amount? I'm asking Ms. Farnsworth and then I'll go to Mr. Baker. "MS. FARNSWORTH: No, Your Honor. We've had—looked at the receipts. So we are aware that that is the amount. "THE COURT: Okay. Do you agree with that, Mr. Baker? "MR. BAKER: Yes, Your Honor."

The court ordered Baker to pay $9,066.03 of restitution—$7,566.03 was to go to Farm Bureau, $1,000 to Danyon Holden, and $500 to Braden Jewell. After Baker personally confirmed that he could make the monthly restitution payments of $377, the district court asked Baker about employment. Baker stated he "work[ed] for Midwest Tent Rentals in fairs during the summertime [and] during wintertime I do side jobs as I

4 can." In response, the court ordered attorney fees "but reduce[d] it a little bit here." Thus, the court ordered Baker to pay $500 for attorney fees plus the $100 BIDS application fee.

Baker timely appealed.

ANALYSIS

I. Did the district court err in ordering Baker to pay restitution?

Baker challenges the restitution order, arguing the district court erred by imposing restitution for damages that were not caused by his crime of conviction. Although he acknowledged agreeing to pay restitution in his plea agreement and at sentencing, Baker now contends the court erred by requiring him to pay for damages attributable to the dismissed criminal damage to property charges. In short, Lucky concedes he must pay restitution for damages to the residence but disputes the restitution for the damages to the truck, ATV, and camper.

The State responds that Baker failed to preserve the issue for appeal and alternatively that the plain language of the plea agreement required him to pay "restitution as requested" by the State.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

DOWNTOWN BAR AND GRILL, LLC v. State
273 P.3d 709 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2012)
State v. Nelson
243 P.3d 343 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2010)
State v. Salas
210 P.3d 635 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2009)
State v. Phillips
210 P.3d 93 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2009)
State v. Thomas
199 P.3d 1265 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2009)
State v. Robinson
132 P.3d 934 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2006)
State v. Arnett
413 P.3d 787 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2018)
State v. Martin
429 P.3d 896 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2018)
State v. LaPointe
434 P.3d 850 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2019)
State v. Garcia-Garcia
441 P.3d 52 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2019)
State v. Johnson
441 P.3d 1036 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2019)
State v. Gray
459 P.3d 165 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2020)
State v. Frazier
461 P.3d 43 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2020)
State v. Little
469 P.3d 79 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2020)
State v. Buck-Schrag
477 P.3d 1013 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2020)
State v. Stoll
480 P.3d 158 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2021)
State v. Dixon
492 P.3d 455 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2021)
State v. Jones
492 P.3d 433 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2021)
State v. Allen
497 P.3d 566 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2021)
State v. Pearce
500 P.3d 528 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2021)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State v. Baker, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-baker-kanctapp-2024.