State v. Doe

34 P.3d 1110, 136 Idaho 427, 2001 Ida. App. LEXIS 87
CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 23, 2001
Docket25822
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 34 P.3d 1110 (State v. Doe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Doe, 34 P.3d 1110, 136 Idaho 427, 2001 Ida. App. LEXIS 87 (Idaho Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

PERRY, Judge.

John Doe appeals from the order of the district court affirming the magistrate’s decree that Doe falls within the purview of the Juvenile Corrections Act (J.C.A.) for committing two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen and one count of battery. Doe also appeals from the district court’s order denying Doe’s motions for temporary remand and stay of briefing schedule. We affirm.

I.

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

While in therapy for drag addiction, seventeen-year-old Doe disclosed to his therapist that he had perpetrated unlawful sexual acts on a number of minor children. Doe’s therapist sent a report of the disclosures to the Twin Falls County sheriffs office. An investigation was conducted and, on February 27, 1998, the state filed a petition charging Doe with four counts of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen and one count of attempted lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen. On May 5, 1998, the state filed an amended petition against Doe, alleging three counts of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen, one count of battery with the intent to commit a serious felony, and one count of battery. An evidentiary hearing was held on June 2, 3, and 9, 1998. The magistrate concluded that Doe fell within the purview of the Juvenile Corrections Act for committing two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen and one count of battery. At the sentencing hearing, the magistrate committed Doe to the custody of the state of Idaho Juvenile Corrections Department, ordered that Doe serve a total of 450 days in detention, suspended the detention, and placed Doe on probation for 36 months.

On July 17, 1998, Doe filed a timely appeal to the district court. Doe raised a number of issues, including that: the magistrate erred in admitting certain prior bad acts testimony pursuant to I.R.E. 404(b); the admission of Rule 404(b) testimony violated the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution; the evidence was insufficient to support the magistrate’s finding that Doe fell within the purview of the J.C.A.; and his trial counsel was ineffective. With regard to the ineffective assistance of counsel claim, Doe contended his trial counsel was deficient for fading to: (1) move to suppress statements Doe made to law enforcement during a 1994 interview on an unrelated case; (2) object to the opinion testimony of Doe’s therapist and another expert, both of whom testified regarding the credibility of Doe’s admissions; (3) object to inadmissible hearsay testimony; and (4) object to testimony regarding prior bad acts of which Doe had been acquitted. Doe filed two motions with the district court, seeking a temporary remand to the magistrate for the purpose of developing an evidentiary record to support his ineffective assistance of counsel claim and seeking to stay briefing on appeal until a transcript of that evidentiary hearing could be included in the appellate record.

On March 15,1999, the district court heal'd oral argument on the motion for temporary remand and the motion to stay briefing. At the conclusion of the hearing, the district *430 court denied the motions, stating that the only rule it could identify that would give it the authority to remand the case was I.A.R. 13.3, which required good cause. The district court did not believe Rule 13.3 allowed a remand to develop a post-conviction relief record and, therefore, did not find good cause.

On May 24, 1999, the district court heard oral argument on the appeal. On July 20, the district court issued its written memorandum opinion, affirming the magistrate. With regard to the ineffective assistance of counsel claim, the district court concluded that trial counsel was deficient for: (1) failing to move to suppress Doe’s 1994 statements to law enforcement; (2) for failing to object to the opinion testimony of Doe’s therapist and another expert regarding the credibility of Doe’s admissions; and (3) for failing to object to the testimony of an officer that related hearsay statements of an interviewer at the Children at Risk Evaluation Services (CARES) Program who stated she believed Doe committed the acts. The district court held that in spite of the errors committed, there was substantial evidence to find that Doe committed the acts. Therefore, the district court concluded that Doe failed to demonstrate that his counsel’s errors prejudiced him or so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial process that the trial could not be relied upon as having produced a just result. The district court also held that the admission of the Rule 404(b) testimony did not violate the Double Jeopardy clause of the United States Constitution and, even if all the Rule 404(b) evidence was admitted in error, substantial evidence remained to find Doe guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Doe filed an appeal from the district court’s decision, arguing essentially the same issues and also challenging the district court’s denial of his motions to remand and to stay the briefing schedule.

II.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

On review of a decision of the district court, rendered in its appellate capacity, we examine the record of the trial court independently of, but with due regard for, the district court’s intermediate appellate decision. In re Doe, 133 Idaho 811, 813, 992 P.2d 1211, 1213 (Ct.App.1999). When a violation of a constitutional right is asserted, the appellate court should give deference to the trial court’s factual findings unless those findings are clearly erroneous. Id. However, the appellate court exercises free review over the trial court’s determination as to whether constitutional requirements have been satisfied in light of the facts found. Id.

III.

ANALYSIS

A. Admission of Rule 404(b) Evidence

Doe argues the magistrate erred in admitting certain testimony over trial counsel’s objection without determining the testimony to be relevant under Rule 404(b) and not unduly prejudicial under I.R.E. 403.

Idaho Juvenile Rule 15(f) provides that the rules of evidence in a Juvenile Corrections Act evidentiary hearing are the same as the rules that apply in a criminal proceeding. Idaho Rule of Evidence 404(b) provides:

Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action 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, provided that the prosecution in a criminal case shall file and serve notice reasonably in advance of trial, or during trial if the court excuses pretrial notice on good cause shown, of the general nature of any such evidence it intends to introduce at trial.

In determining the admissibility of evidence of prior bad acts, this Court applies a two-prong analysis. First, the evidence must be relevant to a material disputed issue concerning the crime charged. State v. Moore, 120 Idaho 743, 745, 819 P.2d 1143, 1145 (1991). Whether evidence is relevant is an issue of law. State v. Atkinson, 124 Idaho 816, 819,

Related

State v. Asselin
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2020
Nicholas D. Johnson, aka Meeks v. State
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2016
In re D.C., Juvenile
2016 VT 72 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2016)
State v. Jared Webster
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2015
State v. Severson
215 P.3d 414 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Field
165 P.3d 273 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Diggs
108 P.3d 1003 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 2005)
State v. Suiter
67 P.3d 1274 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 P.3d 1110, 136 Idaho 427, 2001 Ida. App. LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-doe-idahoctapp-2001.