State v. Crawford

824 P.2d 951, 250 Kan. 174, 1992 Kan. LEXIS 22
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 17, 1992
Docket66,172
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 824 P.2d 951 (State v. Crawford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court 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. Crawford, 824 P.2d 951, 250 Kan. 174, 1992 Kan. LEXIS 22 (kan 1992).

Opinions

The opinión of the court was delivered by

McFarland, J.:

Veryl D. Crawford pled guilty to seven class B and C felonies. The sole issue raised by defendant in this direct appeal is whether or not the district court abused its discretion in imposing sentence herein.

The convictions herein arise from two cases which were ..consolidated by the district court. The pleas were entered on June 22, 1990. The cases, crimes, and sentences are as follows:

District Court Case No. 90 CR 852

Count I — aggravated robbery (class B), 15 years to life.
Count II — attempted aggravated robbery (class C), 5 to 20 years.

District Court Case No. 90 CR 950

Count I — robbery (class C), 5 to 20 years.
Count II — aggravated burglary (class C), 5 to 20 years.
Count III — rape (class B), 15 years to life.
Count IV — aggravated robbery (class B), 15 years to life.
Count V — aggravated battery (class C), 5 to 20 years.

[175]*175The sentences imposed in 90 CR 852 are consecutive to each other, but concurrent with the sentences imposed in 90 CR 950 and in 90 CR 378 (an earlier case not involved in this appeal). As to 90 CR 950, the sentences on counts 1, 2, 3, and 5 run concurrently with each other, but consecutively to that imposed on count 4. Further, all sentences imposed in 90 CR 950 are concurrent with those imposed in 90 CR 852 and 90 CR 378. The controlling term of the sentences imposed herein is 30 years to life. This is the same controlling term as imposed in the earlier case 90 CR 378 wherein defendant had been found guilty by jury trial of four felonies (unspecified in the record herein) and sentenced to a controlling term of 30 years to life. Inasmuch as the sentences imposed in the appeal before us are to be served concurrently with those in 90 CR 378, the controlling term remains at 30 years to life. Case No. 90 CR 378 is on appeal as appellate case No. 66,171 but has not been argued or decided.

The sentences imposed herein are within the statutory range provided for each offense. Defendant bases his claim of abuse of district court discretion upon the district court’s failure to apply K.S.A. 21-4601 and 21-4606(2).

K.S.A. 21-4601 expresses the legislative policy on sentencing as follows:

. “This article shall be liberally construed to the end that persons convicted of crime shall be dealt with in accordance with their individual characteristics, circumstances, needs, and potentialities as revealed by case studies; that dangerous offenders shall be correctively treated in custody for long terms as needed; and that other offenders shall be dealt with by probation, suspended sentence, fine or assignment to a community correctional services program whenever such disposition appears practicable and not detrimental to the needs of public safety and the welfare of the offender, or shall be committed for at least a minimum term within the limits provided by law.”

K.S.A. 21-4606 provides:

“(1) In sentencing a person to prison, the court, having regard to the nature and circumstances of the crime and the history, character and condition of the defendant, shall fix the lowest minimum term which, in the opinion of said court, is consistent with the public safety, the needs of the defendant, and the seriousness of the defendant’s crime.
“(2) The following factors/ while not controlling, shall be considered by the court in fixing the minimum term of imprisonment:
(a) The defendant’s history of prior criminal activity;
(b) The extent of the harm caused by the defendant’s criminal conduct;
[176]*176(c) Whether the defendant intended that his criminal conduct would cause or threaten serious harm;
(d) The degree of the defendant’s provocation;
(e) Whether there were substantial grounds tending to excuse or justify the defendant’s criminal conduct, though failing to establish a defense;
(f) Whether the victim of the defendant’s criminal conduct induced or facilitated its commission;
(g) Whether the defendant has compensated or will compensate the victim of his criminal conduct for the damage or injury that he sustained.”

Each of the seven sentences herein was the maximum provided for the particular offense under K.S.A. 21~4501(b) and (c), although the actual effect thereof was blunted by running them, in several instances, concurrently with each other and with the sentences imposed in the other cases. Ordinarily, the district court would be required to apply both statutes in imposing sentence as contended by the defendant herein. The district court must consider the sentencing factors set forth in K.S.A. 21-4606(2) when exercising its discretion' in sentencing a defendant in excess of the minimum term for the offense.

The appeal herein arises from a set of facts which make it an exception to the rules applicable to sentencing. On June 22, 1990, the defendant came before the district court and entered his plea of guilty to the seven felonies. The pleas of guilty were part of a plea bargain which included sentence recommendations. Defendant stated in open court: “I just want to plead guilty to take advantage of the deal.”

Immediately thereafter, preparation of a presentence investigation report was waived. Both the State and defense counsel urged the court to impose the sentences proposed in the plea bargain. Each stated a lot of thought had gone into the plea bargain. We know little of the details of the crimes except for the State’s comment that unnecessary harm was inflicted here on elderly victims. Proceeding without a presentence investigation report which would have provided details of the crimes might well have been part of the defense counsel’s strategy to gain acceptance by the district court of the proposed sentences. The sentencing herein occurred in the same hearing in which the guilty pleas were accepted. The district court stated it was going to follow the sentence recommendations of the attorneys and imposed those exact sentences.

[177]*177The defendant received the sentences he bargained for or, in his words, he took advantage of the deal — a deal which included the sentences he received. He is before us on appeal seeking to undo the onerous part of his deal. There is no claim he did not understand what his deal was or the effects thereof. Rather, he claims error in that the court did not apply the statutory factors in imposing the sentences.

In State v. Higgins, 243 Kan. 48, 51,

Related

State v. Dighera
916 P.2d 68 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1996)
State v. Curry
897 P.2d 1053 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1995)
State v. Walton
885 P.2d 1255 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1994)
State v. Starks
885 P.2d 387 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1994)
State v. Owens
875 P.2d 1007 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1994)
State v. Moses
872 P.2d 265 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1994)
State v. Edwards
867 P.2d 355 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1994)
State v. O'Connell
861 P.2d 138 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1993)
State v. Vargas
861 P.2d 135 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1993)
State v. Mareska
855 P.2d 954 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1993)
State v. Daniels
853 P.2d 65 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1993)
State v. Fish
850 P.2d 250 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1993)
State v. Crawford
824 P.2d 951 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
824 P.2d 951, 250 Kan. 174, 1992 Kan. LEXIS 22, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-crawford-kan-1992.