State v. Hendershott

887 P.2d 351, 131 Or. App. 531, 1994 Ore. App. LEXIS 1740
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedDecember 7, 1994
Docket9202-30801; CA A78892
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 887 P.2d 351 (State v. Hendershott) 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. Hendershott, 887 P.2d 351, 131 Or. App. 531, 1994 Ore. App. LEXIS 1740 (Or. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

*533 De MUNIZ, J.

Defendant was convicted of attempted aggravated murder, 1 ORS 163.095; attempted murder, ORS 163.115; attempted assault in the first degree with a firearm, ORS 163.185; fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, ORS 811.540; reckless driving, ORS 811.140; robbery in the first degree, ORS 164.415; theft by extortion, ORS 164.075; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, ORS 164.135; two counts of attempted burglary in the first degree, ORS 164.225; two counts of menacing, ORS 163.190; two counts of burglary in the first degree, ORS 164.225; and felon in possession of a firearm, ORS 166.270. He assigns error to the court’s denial of his motion to dismiss on the basis of the state’s failure to preserve evidence, the court’s refusal to give a “less satisfactory evidence” instruction and the court’s imposition of various sentences. We affirm.

Because defendant was convicted after a jury trial, we state the facts in the light most favorable to the state. State v. Kolbe, 115 Or App 268, 270, 838 P2d 612, rev den 315 Or 644 (1992). On February 7,1992, Keene and her eight-year-old granddaughter drove to a Fred Meyer store and parked on the top level of the parking lot. As they were getting out of the car, defendant approached and demanded Keene’s keys. When Keene refused to give him the keys, defendant pointed a gun at Keene’s granddaughter and warned Keene that, if she did not hand him the keys, he would shoot the girl. Keene gave defendant the keys, and he drove off in her car.

Sergeant Parks was on patrol nearby when he received a broadcast about the carjacking. Parks saw a car proceed through a red light. When Parks approached the car, he saw that the license plate number matched that of the stolen car. Parks called for additional officers and activated *534 his siren and lights. A high-speed chase then ensued through a residential neighborhood.

Defendant eventually slowed the car and jumped out. As he fled, defendant fired one round at Parks from about 20-30 feet. Parks fired back and chased defendant between houses. In order to avoid a gunfight alongside several houses, Parks ended his pursuit and requested that the block be sealed, evacuated and searched.

Defendant then ran to Boxler’s house and demanded entry. Boxler saw defendant’s handgun, refused entry, and called the police. Defendant tried unsuccessfully to shoot the lock off the door. Another witness, Like, saw defendant running down the street carrying a handgun.

The special emergency reaction team (SERT) began to search the area. After noticing that the lock on the back door of a house appeared to have been tampered with, SERT officers entered the house. One of the officers found defendant standing in the bathtub fully clothed. He later denied breaking into the house and explained that his former girlfriend gave him permission to stay there. The resident of the house deified knowing defendant or giving him permission to enter the house.

Before trial, the police inadvertently returned the stolen car to Keene before examining it for evidence or allowing defendant to make a forensic examination of the car. The car was sold at least twice, and both defendant and the state were unable to locate it before trial.

Defendant first contends that the state’s failure to preserve or provide the car for inspection violated the discovery statutes, as well as his due process rights. We address the statutory issue first. Although his argument is difficult to discern, defendant appears to contend that, because the state lost the car and did not process it for evidence, he was denied various reports and statements of experts that would have been routinely generated had the state conducted a forensic examination of the car. ORS 135.815 provides, in part:

“[T]he district attorney shall disclose to the defendant the following material and information within the possession and control of the district attorney:
*535 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
“(3) Any reports or statements of experts, made in connection with the particular case, including results of physical or mental examinations and of scientific tests, experiments or comparisons which the district attorney intends to offer in evidence at the trial." (Emphasis supplied.)

Because the state did not process the car for evidence or undertake any forensic examination of it, no reports were made and, hence, there was no material or information to provide to the defense. Nothing the state did, or failed to do, violated defendant’s statutory discovery rights. See State ex rel Beach v. Norblad, 308 Or 429, 781 P2d 349 (1989); State v. Walton, 311 Or 223, 236, 809 P2d 81 (1991).

Defendant also argues that the state’s failure to preserve the car for forensic inspection violated his due process rights. He argues that forensic inspection of the car would have revealed the absence of any physical evidence connecting him to the car. Defendant, however, has failed to show that a forensic inspection of the car would have produced any favorable evidence. More than mere speculation is necessary to support defendant’s due process claim. Absent a showing that favorable evidence was lost or that the state acted in bad faith in failing to preserve the car, defendant’s due process claim must fail. Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 US 51, 109 S Ct 333, 102 L Ed 2d 281 (1988).

In his second assignment, defendant contends that the court erred when it denied his request that the court give a less satisfactory evidence instruction. In general, we review the court’s failure to give a jury instruction on evidentiary issues for abuse of discretion. State v. Shelley, 110 Or App 225, 228, 821 P2d 1111 (1991). Defendant requested that the court give the following instruction:

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Bluebook (online)
887 P.2d 351, 131 Or. App. 531, 1994 Ore. App. LEXIS 1740, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hendershott-orctapp-1994.