State v. Cardenas

890 P.2d 21, 77 Wash. App. 112
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedFebruary 28, 1995
DocketNo. 12965-9-III
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 890 P.2d 21 (State v. Cardenas) 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. Cardenas, 890 P.2d 21, 77 Wash. App. 112 (Wash. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

Munson, J.

Eliezer Cardenas appeals the sentence imposed after he pleaded guilty to one count each of vehicular assault, RCW 46.61.522, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident, RCW 46.52.020. He contends the reasons given by the trial court are not supported by the record and are insufficient to support the exceptional sentence. He also claims the sentence is clearly excessive.

Mr. Cardenas was driving at excessive speed through a residential area. Making a left turn, he lost control of the car. He drove through a retaining wall into the backyard of a residence where his vehicle struck Margaret Michel, pinning her against some pine trees. Mr. Cardenas fled. He was found and taken into custody. His blood alcohol reading, taken about 1 hour later, was .24 percent.

Ms. Michel’s injuries included a compound fracture of the left leg, a gross wound to the left ankle and foot, multiple breaks in the right leg and three broken bones in the right foot, a fractured pelvis, concussion caused by blunt trauma to the head, and bleeding between the skull and the brain. As a result of these injuries, she suffered loss of memory, some loss of cognitive functions, and her left leg was amputated. She will be able to walk only with the use of a cane or walker and she may require additional surgery in the future.

The victim’s family asked the court to impose a sentence of 4 years. The standard range is 6 to 12 months for the vehicular assault and 12 to 14 months for the hit and run charge. The court found the vehicular assault and hit and run charges did not encompass the same criminal conduct. Mr. Cardenas was sentenced to serve the maximum term of 5 years for the [115]*115vehicular assault conviction and a year plus 1 day on the hit and run charge, for a total of 6 years and 1 day.

Mr. Cardenas contends the court erred in imposing an exceptional sentence. A trial court’s imposition of an exceptional sentence is reviewed to determine whether the reasons given justify an exceptional sentence and are supported by the record. RCW 9.94A.210(4)(a). Whether the reason justifies an exceptional sentence is a question of law. State v. Grewe, 117 Wn.2d 211, 215, 813 P.2d 1238 (1991). Whether the reasons are supported by the record is a factual question; the trial court’s findings are accepted unless they are clearly erroneous. State v. Nordby, 106 Wn.2d 514, 723 P.2d 1117 (1986).

Vulnerable Victim

Mr. Cardenas argues the victim’s vulnerability does not justify an exceptional sentence. An exceptional sentence may be justified if "[t]he defendant knew or should have known that the victim of the current offense was particularly vulnerable or incapable of resistance due to extreme youth, advanced age, disability, or ill health.” RCW 9.94A.390(2)(b). A pedestrian victim of vehicular assault, being unable to take evasive action and lacking the protection afforded by being inside a vehicle, may be a particularly vulnerable victim of a vehicular assault. Nordby, at 518. In Nordby, the defendant deliberately steered the vehicle toward the shoulder of the road where pedestrians were walking. Similarly, in State v. Thomas, 57 Wn. App. 403, 788 P.2d 24, review denied, 115 Wn.2d 1003 (1990), the defendant took a shortcut through a convenience store parking lot. However, unlike the defendants in Nordby and Thomas, there is no evidence Mr. Cardenas intended to drive in an area where he knew, or should have known, there would be vulnerable pedestrians. Accordingly, the record does not support victim vulnerability as an aggravating factor which supports the exceptional sentence.

Recklessness and Drunkenness

Mr. Cardenas argues driving in a reckless manner while under the influence of alcohol does not justify an ex[116]*116ceptional sentence. Factors which constitute elements of the crime are necessarily considered by the Legislature in setting the standard range and cannot justify imposition of an exceptional sentence. State v. Chadderton, 119 Wn.2d 390, 832 P.2d 481 (1992); Nordby, at 519. When the Legislature defines alternative means of committing a crime and a defendant’s conviction is based on one alternative, factors which constitute an element of an alternative means may justify an exceptional sentence. Grewe, at 216-17.

Vehicular assault may be committed by driving in a reckless manner or while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. RCW 46.61.522(1). The information charging Mr. Cardenas with vehicular assault cited both alternatives, and the judgment does not rely on one alternative to the exclusion of the other. The court’s conclusion Mr. Cardenas drove in a reckless manner while under the influence of alcohol merely recites the factual basis for the convictions and does not justify imposition of an exceptional sentence.

Nevertheless, citing a vehicular homicide case, State v. Oksoktaruk, 70 Wn. App. 768, 856 P.2d 1099 (1993), the State argues recklessness and drunkenness, which are more egregious than the typical vehicular assault, justify imposition of an exceptional sentence. In Oksoktaruk, at 771, the trial court expressly determined the defendant’s driving was "far more egregious than the 'typical’ driving which leads to a vehicular homicide . . .”. Similarly, in State v. Perez, 69 Wn. App. 133, 136, 847 P.2d 532, review denied, 122 Wn.2d 1015 (1993), another vehicular homicide, the court found the circumstances of the offense "were more onerous than the typical vehicular homicide”. Here, the court concluded Mr. Cardenas drove in a manner that constituted recklessness and he was drunk. The trial court did not indicate Mr. Cardenas’ drunkenness or driving manner was atypically egregious. The court’s findings do not compel the conclusion Mr. Cardenas’ conduct was atypically egregious as a matter of law.

Egregious Injuries

Mr. Cardenas argues the trial court’s conclusion that Ms. Michel’s injuries were "more serious than injuries [117]*117normally inherent in the crimes of Vehicular Assault and Hit and Run” is clearly erroneous because the record contains no testimony as to what constitutes injuries normally inherent in vehicular assault. In determining whether an offense is more onerous than the typical offense defined by the statute, the trial court is to consider the facts of the particular case in light of all possible cases defined by the crime charged. State v. Solberg, 122 Wn.2d 688, 703-04, 861 P.2d 460 (1993).

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Related

State v. Cardenas
129 Wash. 2d 1 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
890 P.2d 21, 77 Wash. App. 112, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cardenas-washctapp-1995.