State v. Fernaays

328 P.3d 792, 263 Or. App. 407, 2014 WL 2608572, 2014 Ore. App. LEXIS 773
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJune 11, 2014
Docket11C44386; A150544
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 328 P.3d 792 (State v. Fernaays) 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. Fernaays, 328 P.3d 792, 263 Or. App. 407, 2014 WL 2608572, 2014 Ore. App. LEXIS 773 (Or. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

HASELTON, C. J.

Defendant appeals from a judgment of conviction for robbery in the first degree, ORS 164.415, arguing, inter alia, that the trial court erred by imposing a departure sentence because defendant did not execute a written waiver of his right to have the alleged enhancement factors tried to a jury.1 ORS 136.770; ORS 136.773; Or Const, Art I, § 11. As amplified below, (1) although the trial court’s noncompliance with ORS 136.770 and ORS 136.773 constituted “plain error,” we decline to exercise our discretion to remedy that statutory error; and (2) the trial court’s purported noncompliance with Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution was not plain error in that the applicability of that provision in these circumstances is “reasonably in dispute.” State v. Brown, 310 Or 347, 355, 800 P2d 259 (1990). Accordingly, we affirm.

The material facts are procedural and undisputed. Defendant was charged with robbery in the first degree, ORS 164.415. Defendant subsequently waived counsel and, in the ensuing jury trial, represented himself, with a court-appointed attorney acting as his legal advisor. The state alleged that the following aggravating facts supported a departure sentence: (1) defendant was on supervision at the time of the robbery, (2) prior sanctions had failed to deter defendant from criminal activity, (3) defendant had demonstrated disregard for the laws and rules, and (4) incarceration is necessary for public safety. See OAR 213-008-0002 (providing a “nonexclusive list of mitigating and aggravating factors [that] may be considered in determining whether substantial and compelling reasons for a departure exist”).

On the first day of trial, defendant addressed the court regarding the enhancement factors as follows: “Your Honor, as far as the Blakely factors, you can find the evidence for that. I don’t need the jury to do it.”2 The trial court [409]*409responded that it would await the jury’s verdict before reaching sentencing issues.

After the case was submitted to the jury, and during deliberation, defendant’s legal advisor informed the trial court that, “[defendant], if he’s found guilty, would waive the jury trying the Blakely factors, and have [the court] reach the decision.” The court then asked defendant whether that was, in fact, what he wanted, and defendant responded, “I’m fine with that.” The following colloquy ensued:

“THE COURT: Okay. You understand you have a right to have a jury make a determination about—
“[DEFENDANT]: Yeah, I understand my right, and I don’t think it’s necessary. You can do it.
“THE COURT: You’re going to give that up? Okay. I mean, I think all they’ve alleged is that you were on some form of supervision at the time of the crime, that prior sanctions have failed to deter your criminal activity, [that you have] demonstrated disregard for the laws and rules, and [that] incarceration is necessary for the safety of the public. Those are the only things that I would deal with. And you have a right for a jury to make a determination beyond a reasonable doubt on any one or all of those.
“ [DEFENDANT]: I’m okay with you doing it.
“THE COURT: You [are] going to give those up?
“[DEFENDANT]: Yep.
“THE COURT: Okay. Do we feel that has to he executed in writing?
“[PROSECUTOR]: I would — I don’t think so. * * *
[410]*410“THE COURT: *** Okay. And [defendant,] you’ve talked to [your legal advisor] about this?
“[DEFENDANT]: Yeah.
“THE COURT: I mean, I know we had the prior case that you were on probation for at the time [of the crime], so—
“ [DEFENDANT]: I was on parole.
“THE COURT: And on parole, too, I guess. Yeah, I mean, I revoked your probation on the other matter, because he had 60 days using stuff.
“[PROSECUTOR]: I think that was an open case, Your Honor. He was on — the supervision, I believe, was just parole, wasn’t it?
“ [DEFENDANT]: It was post-prison, yeah.
“THE COURT: The PCS was the open case * * * and he was on release status * *

(Emphases added.) After that exchange, the trial court accepted defendant’s oral waiver. The jury subsequently returned a guilty verdict.

At sentencing, the court addressed defendant regarding aggravating factors:

“THE COURT: Okay. The state has the information to put forward that you were on parole at the time the offense was committed. Do you acknowledge that? Do you want to dispute that?
“[DEFENDANT]: (unintelligible).
“THE COURT: Okay. That could be used as an aggravating factor to seek an additional departure on the sentence. Do you understand that?
“[DEFENDANT]: Ido.
“THE COURT: And I think that’s what the state is going to be asking today. Have you done — you were on parole before, so you’ve been in the corrections division; is that correct?
[DEFENDANT]: Yes.
[411]*411“THE COURT: How much time have you actually done?
“ [DEFENDANT]: Twelve years, sir.”

The state then offered certified judgments of defendant’s prior convictions for second-degree robbery, third-degree theft, first-degree forgery (two counts), second-degree forgery, identity theft (five counts), fraudulent use of a credit card, possession of a controlled substance, assaulting a public safety officer, and attempted escape. Defendant did not dispute any of those convictions. The state suggested the following sentence:

“Defendant is a 9B on the guidelines, which would be a presumptive 61 to 65 months in prison [, OAR 213-004-0007] or, as the court mentioned, this is a Ballot Measure 11 offense, which is a 90 month determinate sentence[, ORS 137.700(2)(a)(Q)].
“And, based on the Blakely factors submitted, I would request that the court depart from the 65 months to 114 months in prison, which is 24 months longer than the presumptive Ballot Measure 11 sentence, but less than the maximum of 130 that he could get for this based on his prior history.
“I think that would be appropriate.

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Related

State v. Clarke
451 P.3d 1022 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
State v. Nickerson
354 P.3d 758 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2015)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
328 P.3d 792, 263 Or. App. 407, 2014 WL 2608572, 2014 Ore. App. LEXIS 773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fernaays-orctapp-2014.