State v. Goldsmith

147 Wash. App. 317
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedNovember 4, 2008
DocketNo. 26403-3-III
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 147 Wash. App. 317 (State v. Goldsmith) 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. Goldsmith, 147 Wash. App. 317 (Wash. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

Sweeney, J.

¶1 The State may not place a defendant in jeopardy twice for the same crime. Here, the State charged the defendant with child molestation by the second prong of RCW 9A.44.083(1) (child molestation in the first degree). It alleged that the defendant knowingly caused two victims here to molest a third, unidentified child. But the State proved that the defendant himself molested the two victims identified in the State’s information. And a jury found him guilty of child molestation. The trial court arrested the judgment but refused to dismiss the case. We conclude that [321]*321jeopardy terminated with the arrest of judgment and that further prosecution for these crimes is prohibited.

FACTS

¶2 The State charged Mr. Goldsmith by information on April 27, 2006, with three counts of first degree child molestation. Each count alleged that Mr. Goldsmith, between May 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005, knowingly caused either of the two identified victims, D.M.H. and L.M.B., to have sexual contact with an unnamed victim who was also under 18.

¶3 Mr. Goldsmith moved for a bill of particulars. He argued that the 13-month period charged in the information was vague and made it difficult for him to show his alibi. The court denied his motion. The court concluded that the information provided adequate notice of the nature of the charges despite the time frame, and the information did not unreasonably inhibit Mr. Goldsmith’s ability to defend himself.

¶4 The case proceeded to trial. The State showed that Mr. Goldsmith, himself, had sexual contact with D.M.H. and L.M.B., but it offered no evidence that Mr. Goldsmith caused D.M.H. or L.M.B. to have sexual contact with another minor — the allegations set out in the information. The court instructed the jury that “[a] person commits the crime of child molestation in the first degree when the person has sexual contact with a child who is less than twelve years old, who is not married to the person, and who is at least thirty-six months younger than the person.” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 81.

¶5 The jury found Mr. Goldsmith guilty of three counts of first degree child molestation for molesting D.M.H. and L.M.B., ages 10 and 9 respectively at the time of trial. Mr. Goldsmith timely moved for arrest of judgment pursuant to CrR 7.4. The State conceded the problem with the original information and moved to amend the information and retry Mr. Goldsmith. The court vacated the conviction but re[322]*322fused to dismiss the prosecution. The State then filed an amended information that again alleged three counts of first degree child molestation, during the same time frame, but alleged this time that Mr. Goldsmith, himself, had sexual contact with the two identified child victims.

¶6 Mr. Goldsmith objected and moved to dismiss the second information because it placed him in jeopardy again for the same crimes. The court denied his motion.

DISCUSSION

¶7 The question before us is whether Mr. Goldsmith has been placed in jeopardy again for the same crimes that the court dismissed because of the first information — an information that did not charge what the State proved. That is a question of law and one of constitutional magnitude. State v. Daniels, 160 Wn.2d 256, 261, 156 P.3d 905 (2007). And so our review is de novo. State v. Jones, 159 Wn.2d 231, 237, 149 P.3d 636 (2006).

¶8 The State charged Mr. Goldsmith with child molestation in the first degree by the second of two alternative means. In Washington a person commits the crime of first degree child molestation “[(1)] when the person has, or [(2)] knowingly causes another person under the age of eighteen to have, sexual contact with another who is less than twelve years old and not married to the perpetrator and the perpetrator is at least thirty-six months older than the victim.” RCW 9A.44.083(1). The State charged the second alternative means of committing first degree child molestation only. But it offered evidence to show only the first alternative means.

¶9 The State characterizes the issue as a problem with its pleading. Mr. Goldsmith characterizes the issue as a problem with the State’s proof. The State parses the language of CrR 7.4 to argue that the court properly denied Mr. Goldsmith’s motion to dismiss the prosecution for violation of the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy. But the courts cannot by court rule, or through [323]*323any other device for that matter, override constitutional protections against double jeopardy. See State v. Frawley, 140 Wn. App. 713, 720, 167 P.3d 593 (2007), petition for review filed, No. 80727-2 (Wash. Oct. 9, 2007). So the question before us is whether Mr. Goldsmith will be twice placed in jeopardy by a second trial.

¶10 The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, guarantees “[n]o person shall be . . . subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” The Washington Constitution, article I, section 9, similarly protects a criminal defendant from being “twice put in jeopardy for the same offense.” Our courts interpret both clauses identically. State v. Gocken, 127 Wn.2d 95, 107, 896 P.2d 1267 (1995); State v. Schoel, 54 Wn.2d 388, 391, 341 P.2d 481 (1959). The constitutional guaranty against double jeopardy protects against a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal or conviction and against multiple punishments for the same offense. North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 717, 89 S. Ct. 2072, 23 L. Ed. 2d 656 (1969), overruled on other grounds by Alabama v. Smith, 490 U.S. 794, 109 S. Ct. 2201, 104 L. Ed. 2d 865 (1989).

¶11 We must dismiss the amended complaint if Mr. Goldsmith is being placed in jeopardy twice for the same offenses. See State v. Corrado, 81 Wn. App. 640, 645, 915 P.2d 1121 (1996). The bar against double jeopardy applies if three elements are met. First, jeopardy previously attached. Id. Second, jeopardy is terminated. Id. And, third, the defendant is placed in jeopardy again for the same offense. Id. Here, jeopardy clearly attached, and the State does not suggest otherwise. The question then is whether jeopardy terminated so that the amendment here effectively amounts to a second prosecution for the same crime. See State v. Cox, 109 Wn. App. 779, 783, 37 P.3d 1240 (2002).

¶12 The State argues that, given the arrest of judgment, Mr. Goldsmith’s jeopardy on the original charges continues. And the State could therefore file the amended complaint [324]*324and again try Mr. Goldsmith, this time for the crime he actually committed and the State proved.

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147 Wash. App. 317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-goldsmith-washctapp-2008.