State v. Becklin

137 P.3d 882
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 27, 2006
Docket23569-6-III
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 137 P.3d 882 (State v. Becklin) 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 v. Becklin, 137 P.3d 882 (Wash. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

137 P.3d 882 (2006)
133 Wash.App. 610

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
Andre Paul BECKLIN, Appellant.

No. 23569-6-III.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 3.

June 27, 2006.

*883 Anthony Rocco Castelda, Attorney at Law, Tonasket, WA, for Appellant.

Alex A. Kostin, Criminal Justice Division, Ronda Denise Larson, Attorney Generals Office/Criminal Justice Division, Olympia, WA, James Alan Von Sauer, Ferry County Prosecuting Attorney, Republic, WA, for Respondent.

SCHULTHEIS, J.

¶ 1 The crime of stalking as defined by the legislature in RCW 9A.46.110(1) cannot be accomplished through a third party. The State argued an accomplice liability theory in closing argument but did not offer an accomplice instruction before deliberations. In response to an inquiry during jury deliberations, the trial court instructed the panel that stalking could be accomplished through a third party. Because the instruction was both too late and an incorrect statement of the law, we reverse the defendant's stalking conviction.

FACTS

¶ 2 Mary McGee Ash and Andre Paul Becklin had a child together in October 1997. After their relationship deteriorated, Ms. Ash married Aaron Ash. On December 29, 2003, Ms. Ash obtained an order for protection from the Ferry County Superior Court prohibiting Mr. Becklin from having any contact with her, directly or through others, or coming within 100 feet of her home.

¶ 3 On March 13, 2004, Ms. Ash reported to the sheriff that two people who she recognized drove Mr. Becklin's car slowly past her home a few times that day. On March 26, she filed another statement with the sheriff to report that after a court appearance on the parentage action involving her child with Mr. Becklin, he and another man who attended *884 the hearing followed her home in separate cars and then circled the block. The men continued to follow her on an errand. She saw them driving around her neighborhood until dark.

¶ 4 On April 6, Mr. Becklin was charged with stalking. The information was amended the same day to include citation to the stalking statute, RCW 9A.46.110. On October 20, the State moved to amend the information, noting the hearing for November 2, the first day of trial. The State did not serve a copy of the proposed second amended information. The court granted the State's motion on the first day of trial over the defendant's objection. During trial, before the State rested, it again moved to amend the information. The court granted the motion over the defendant's objection.

¶ 5 During deliberations, the jury made two written inquiries to the court. In its first inquiry, the jury asked, "Is [a] third party included in stalking? Pursuant to our instructions of charges brought against the defendant can you stalk a party [through] a third person?" Clerk's Papers (CP) at 123. The court responded, "Yes" over the objection of defense counsel. CP at 123. The second question was, "Is there a stalking distance between the stalker and the victim?" CP at 124. The court responded, "No, refer to Instruction No. 6 for the elements of the crime that need to be proven." CP at 124. The defense objected. The jury found Mr. Becklin guilty of felony stalking. See RCW 9A.46.110(5)(b). Mr. Becklin appeals.

DISCUSSION

a. Amendment of the Information

¶ 6 We review the trial court's grant of a motion to amend an information for abuse of discretion. State v. Brett, 126 Wash.2d 136, 155, 892 P.2d 29 (1995). A trial court may allow the amendment of the information at any time before the verdict as long as the "substantial rights of the defendant are not prejudiced." CrR 2.1(d). Mr. Becklin has the burden of demonstrating prejudice under CrR 2.1(d). State v. Hakimi, 124 Wash.App. 15, 26-27, 98 P.3d 809 (2004) (citing State v. Gosser, 33 Wash.App. 428, 435, 656 P.2d 514 (1982)), review denied, 154 Wash.2d 1004, 113 P.3d 482 (2005). Mr. Becklin argues he was prejudiced by the amendments to the information because the date of the charged conduct was altered, and he was not informed of the change in time to adequately prepare for trial.

¶ 7 The information was initially amended to include the statute. It read "on or about March 26, 2004, ... [Mr. Becklin] repeatedly harassed or repeatedly followed another person." CP at 3 (emphasis added). On the first day of trial, the second amended information read, "on or about the 13th day of March, 2004 and several times on or about the 26th day of March, 2004, ... [Mr. Becklin] did ... repeatedly harass or repeatedly follow another person." CP at 59 (emphasis added). Finally, the third amended information, ordered before the State rested, read, "on or about the 13th day of March, 2004, up to and including on or about the 26th day of March, 2004, ... [Mr. Becklin] did ... repeatedly harass or repeatedly follow another person." CP at 121 (emphasis added).

¶ 8 This court has held that where only the date has changed, no alibi has been claimed, and the "`principal element in the new charge is inherent in the previous charge and no other prejudice is demonstrated,'" it is not an abuse of discretion to allow the amendment. State v. Allyn, 40 Wash.App. 27, 35, 696 P.2d 45 (1985) (quoting Gosser, 33 Wash.App. at 435, 656 P.2d 514). Here, the date of the offense was changed, no alibi defense was claimed, and the amendments had no affect on the elements.

¶ 9 Further, although Mr. Becklin complains on appeal that the matter was not continued, he did not request a continuance from the trial court. The failure to request a continuance shows he was not prejudiced by the amendment. See State v. Murbach, 68 Wash.App. 509, 511, 843 P.2d 551 (1993); See State v. Brown, 55 Wash.App. 738, 743, 780 P.2d 880 (1989).

¶ 10 Moreover, Mr. Becklin had pretrial notice of the allegations that the conduct took place on both of the dates at issue based on pretrial discovery, which defense counsel acknowledged he received.

*885 ¶ 11 Finally, Mr. Becklin argues that the third amended information was improper as it was done sua sponte by the court. He relies on State v. Kenney, 23 Wash.App. 220, 595 P.2d 52 (1979). The record clearly demonstrates that it was the prosecutor's decision to amend the charge. Therefore, unlike the defendant in Kenney, the court did not sua sponte direct the amendment.

b. Jury Instructions

¶ 12 When a jury is in deliberations, the trial court has discretion to determine whether to give further instructions upon request. State v. Brown, 132 Wash.2d 529, 612, 940 P.2d 546

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Bluebook (online)
137 P.3d 882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-becklin-washctapp-2006.