State v. Bunting

76 P.3d 137, 189 Or. App. 337, 2003 Ore. App. LEXIS 1210
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedSeptember 10, 2003
Docket99C47823; A108280
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 76 P.3d 137 (State v. Bunting) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Bunting, 76 P.3d 137, 189 Or. App. 337, 2003 Ore. App. LEXIS 1210 (Or. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinions

[339]*339LANDAU, P. J.

Defendant appeals his convictions for sexual abuse in the third degree, ORS 163.415, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, ORS 471.410. He assigns error to the trial court’s admission of evidence relating to his 1991 convictions for rape in the third degree and furnishing alcohol to a minor. We agree that admission of the evidence was error and reverse.

Defendant was accused of giving his girlfriend’s 14-year-old daughter beer and then touching her breast. The incident was alleged to have occurred in December 1998. Defendant denied the allegation and waived jury trial. Before trial, the state moved for admission of evidence relating to defendant’s 1991 convictions,1 arguing that the evidence was admissible, under OEC 404(3) and State v. Johns, 301 Or 535, 725 P2d 312 (1986), to show that defendant intended his actions to result in sexual contact with the victim in this case and to show the plan utilized by him to achieve that result. In opposition to the state’s motion, defendant argued that the evidence did not meet the criteria set out in Johns and that, in any event, its probative value was outweighed by the risk of unfair prejudice.

The trial court admitted the evidence, with reservations:

“Well I get troubled by these. I’m reading from your memo and my concern is for instance, the factors that are to be considered in determining a probative value versus prejudicial effect, the need for the evidence. My concern is that really all that’s happening in these is that you, we’re allowing the use of a prior incident that really shows nothing more than their objection, and that is that because he’s done this once before, it’s highly likely that he’s done it this time. Now you can state it in a different way, but that’s, it troubles me and that’s my concern.”

As noted, defendant was convicted.2

[340]*340On appeal, defendant argues that his theory of defense at trial was not that he touched the victim’s breast inadvertently or accidentally, but that he did not touch it at all. He argues that intent therefore was not an issue in the case and that evidence relating to his previous convictions was not relevant. Defendant also argues that the proffered evidence did not meet three of the Johns criteria, relating to the respective victims’ “class,” the type of acts, and the physical elements of the acts. Lastly, defendant again argues that, even if the Johns criteria were met, the probative value of the evidence was substantially outweighed by the risk of unfair prejudice.

The state responds that intent is an element of defendant’s crimes of conviction and that evidence of his previous crimes was admissible under Johns as evidence of such intent. It also argues that, consistently with State v. Leach, 169 Or App 530, 9 P3d 755 (2000), rev den, 332 Or 632 (2001), the evidence was admissible as evidence of defendant’s motive or plan. As to prejudice, the state argues that the probative value of the evidence was not outweighed by the risk of prejudice; the state notes that the case was tried to the court and asserts that,’ particularly under that circumstance, the evidence met the criteria set out in Johns relating to the certainty that the previous crime was committed, the need for and strength of the evidence, its inflammatory effect, and its time consuming or distracting nature.

OEC 404(3) provides:

“Evidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that the person acted in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident.”

Thus, under OEC 404(3), evidence of other crimes is admissible if the evidence is relevant to some issue other than a [341]*341defendant’s predisposition or propensity to commit a crime or other bad act. See State v. Dunn, 160 Or App 422, 426, 981 P2d 809 (1999), rev den, 332 Or 632 (2001) (the first task of the trial judge is to determine the relevance of the evidence to the issues being tried; the judge should look at all of the issues in the case).3 Where evidence of other crimes is offered under OEC 404(3) as relevant to show a defendant’s intent, the evidence must meet the five-part test for relevance set out in Johns. State v. Osborne, 174 Or App 88, 91, 25 P3d 356 (2001). If those criteria are met, the court then determines whether the probative value of the evidence is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, or presentation of cumulative evidence, as provided in OEC 403. Johns, 301 Or at 556. We review the first two determinations, which are relevancy considerations, for errors of law. State v. Hampton, 317 Or 251, 254-56, 855 P2d 621 (1993). We review for abuse of discretion the trial court’s determination of whether OEC 403 considerations justify the exclusion of relevant evidence. State v. Barone, 329 Or 210, 238, 986 P2d 5 (1999), cert den, 528 US 1086 (2000); see also State v. Bracken, 174 Or App 294, 296, 23 P3d 417, rev den, 333 Or 162 (2001).

Defendant first asserts that the evidence was not relevant because he did not assert at trial that he touched the victim inadvertently or accidentally, and therefore intent was not at issue in this case. As this court noted in Leach:

“[Tjhere is a substantial and unresolved question as to whether ‘prior bad acts’ evidence can ever be admitted as [342]*342being relevant to intent where, as here, the defense is that the charged crime never occurred.”

169 Or App at 534. However, in Leach, the court determined that it need not resolve that question, because the evidence proffered did not meet the Johns criteria. Therefore, consistently with Leach, we first consider whether the evidence here met the Johns criteria:

“(1) Does the present charged act require proof of intent?
“(2) Did the prior act require intent?
“(3) Was the victim in the prior act the same victim or in the same class as the victim in the present case?
“(4) Was the type of prior act the same or similar to the acts involved in the charged crime?
“(5) Were the physical elements of the prior act and the present act similar?”

Johns, 301 Or at 555-56.

Again, defendant argues that the evidence did not meet the third, fourth, and fifth criteria. We need not address whether the evidence meets the third and fourth criteria, however, because we conclude that it did not meet the fifth. In State v. Pratt, 309 Or 205, 214, 785 P2d 350 (1990), the court explained that, in applying that criterion, similarities, even if they exist,

“cannot be considered in a vacuum. The circumstances of each crime as a whole must be compared.

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Related

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292 P.3d 604 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2012)
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State v. MOMENI
227 P.3d 1230 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2010)
State v. Deloretto
189 P.3d 1243 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2008)
State v. Phillips
174 P.3d 1032 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2007)
State v. Bunting
76 P.3d 137 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
76 P.3d 137, 189 Or. App. 337, 2003 Ore. App. LEXIS 1210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-bunting-orctapp-2003.