State v. Butler

956 P.2d 733, 25 Kan. App. 2d 35, 1998 Kan. App. LEXIS 39
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedMarch 27, 1998
Docket78,168
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 956 P.2d 733 (State v. Butler) 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. Butler, 956 P.2d 733, 25 Kan. App. 2d 35, 1998 Kan. App. LEXIS 39 (kanctapp 1998).

Opinion

PlERRON, j.;

Michael Butler appeals his convictions of one count of battery against a law enforcement officer, a class A person misdemeanor, in violation of K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 21-3413, and three counts of criminal threat, a severity level 9 person felony, in violation of K.S.A. 21-3419. Butler claims the trial court failed to instruct on the lesser included offense of disorderly conduct. We affirm.

Prior to the events in this case, there had been a court order entered allowing law enforcement officers to require Butler to take a portable breath test at any time at their discretion. The order also allowed them to enter his home if they felt he was there and avoiding them. Further, the order permitted the officers to arrest Butler if he refused to take a breath test or if they had reason to believe he had been consuming alcohol. The validity of this order is not challenged.

Officers Mark Hughey, Andre McDaniel, and Burton Nondorf of the Cloud County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report that Butler had been making threatening phone calls. The officers attempted to locate Butler at his house and then his mechanic shop, but he was not at either place. The officers then checked the *36 residence of Ethel Breault, located next door to Butler’s mechanic shop. Looking through the windows, the officers saw Butler watching television.

Officer Hughey knocked at the front door, and Breault answered. Officer Hughey asked to speak with Butler. Butler called out, “I’m not here.” After several requests, Butler agreed to talk with the officers on the front porch. Officer Hughey asked Butler to submit to a portable breath test, but he refused. Butler became belligerent and began using profanities towards the officers. Butler’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, he smelled of alcohol, and he walked unsteadily. Officer Hughey stated the conversation with Butler lasted for approximately 10 minutes.

Officer Hughey told Butler he was under arrest for refusal to take the breath test. Butler approached Officer Hughey with a clinched fist and Officer McDaniel sprayed Butler with pepper spray. The officers placed Butler on the floor and handcuffed him. Officer Hughey testified that Butler yelled out, “Mark Hughey is a drug-selling fucker, and I’m going to kill him when I get out.” The three officers picked up Butler and took him to Officer Nondorf’s car. While the officers were trying to put Butler in the back seat of the patrol car, he repeatedly spit, kicked, bit, and head butted all three of them. Officer Hughey was kicked hard in the chest and bitten on the right hand.

Officer Nondorf began to drive away. Butler spit in Officer Nondorf’s face, continued kicking, and began banging his head into the back window of the patrol car. The officers decided that a patrol car with a wire mesh separating the back and front seats was necessary to transport Butler. After switching Butler to such an equipped patrol car, the officers determined the wire mesh could not withstand the force of Butler’s kicks, so they switched back to Nondorf’s patrol car. Officers McDaniel and Hughey accompanied Butler in the back seat of the patrol car. Officer McDaniel had his arm around Butler’s head and Officer Hughey restrained Butler’s legs. They draped a plastic raincoat over Butler’s head so he could not spit on them.

Officer Hughey testified that Butler made several comments that he had AIDS and the officers were going to get the disease *37 because of his spitting and biting. Officer Hughey testified that Butler repeatedly threatened that when he got out of jail he was going to get a gun and shoot and kill Officers Hughey and McDaniel.

At the jail, Butler was put into a straitjacket because he was hitting his head against the wall on the holding cell. Officer Hughey testified that even with the straightjacket on, Butler continued to try and kick, bite, and head butt the officers. Officers Hughey and Keam were in the immediate vicinity of the holding cell when Butler spoke directly to Keam stating that before he left the state of Kansas, he was going to kill a bunch of officers and Keam was going to be the first one.

Butler testified he never refused to take a breath test that evening. He claimed McDaniel sprayed him with pepper spray for no apparent reason. Butler said he was caught on one of the officer s belts as he fell forward from the effects of the pepper spray. Butler claimed that Officer Hughey drew his gun, pointed it at him, and stated, “Come on, you want it, come get it.” Butler said the officers dropped him off the porch and sprayed him again with pepper spray.

Butler testified he was thrashing in the back of the patrol car because Officer McDaniel was holding a club against his neck and he was losing consciousness. Butler testified that while in the holding cell he was trying to remove the mucus caused by the pepper spray by wiping his head against the wall. Butler testified Officer Keam asked him if he was going to kill any cops, to which he sarcastically replied, “Yeah right, I’m going to kill some cops.”

A summary of Butler’s testimony is not that he claimed to have been guilty of disorderly conduct. He testified he had done nothing wrong and had been unreasonably physically abused by the police.

At trial, Butler requested a jury instruction on disorderly conduct as a lesser included offense of criminal threat. The court ruled disorderly conduct was not a lesser included offense based on the evidence that the terroristic threats were threats to harm the officers in the future with weapons. Therefore, the elements of the two crimes were not identical, and disorderly conduct would not necessarily be proven as a result of proving the criminal threat.

*38 The jury convicted Butler of one count of battery against Officer Hughey and three counts of criminal threat against Officers McDaniel, Hughey, and Keam.

Butler’s only argument on appeal is that the district court erred in failing to instruct the jury on disorderly conduct as a lesser included offense of the charged crimes. Although he did not raise the issue below, he now argues the district court also failed to instruct the jury on disorderly conduct as a lesser included offense of battery of a law enforcement officer.

“A trial court has the affirmative duty to instruct the jury on all lesser included offenses established by the evidence. Instructions on lesser included offenses must be given even though the evidence is weak and inconclusive and consists solely of the testimony of the defendant.” State v. Ordway, 261 Kan. 776, Syl. ¶ 1, 934 P.2d 94 (1997). The trial court is under an affirmative duty to give an instruction on a lesser included offense even if a defendant fails to request it at trial. State v. Moncla, 262 Kan. 58, 73-74, 936 P.2d 727 (1997).

K.S.A. 21-3107

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
956 P.2d 733, 25 Kan. App. 2d 35, 1998 Kan. App. LEXIS 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-butler-kanctapp-1998.