State v. Hernandez

832 P.2d 1162, 122 Idaho 227, 1992 Ida. App. LEXIS 132
CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 29, 1992
Docket19593, 19612
StatusPublished
Cited by58 cases

This text of 832 P.2d 1162 (State v. Hernandez) 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. Hernandez, 832 P.2d 1162, 122 Idaho 227, 1992 Ida. App. LEXIS 132 (Idaho Ct. App. 1992).

Opinions

WALTERS, Chief Judge.

Paul Hernandez pled guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of sixteen. I.C. § 18-1506. The charges were the result of sexual encounters Hernandez instigated with his daughter during 1985 and with his step-daughter during 1991. Both girls were eight or nine years old at the time of their encounters. The pleas were entered as a result of a plea bargain in which the prosecutor agreed to drop five similar counts involving Hernandez’ daughter, the older of the two girls. The court imposed two concurrent sentences with four-year minimum periods of incarceration, followed by indeterminate six-year periods. Soon thereafter, the court reduced the minimum terms to “zero” and increased the indeterminate terms to ten years, on the ground that Hernandez “should have been sentenced under the old statutes.” In this consolidated appeal, Hernandez argues that his sentences are excessive and that the court erred when it did not order a second psychological evaluation or retain jurisdiction.

Before we address whether the sentences are excessive, an observation will be made regarding the legality of each of Hernandez’ sentences. As it is currently written, I.C. § 18-1506 prescribes a punishment of up to fifteen years in prison for the crime of sexual abuse of a child. This punishment was not part of the statute until the statute was amended in 1988. See 1988 Idaho Session Laws, eh. 829, § 1, p. 991; State v. Bartlett, 118 Idaho 722, 723, n. 2, 800 P.2d 118, 119, n. 2 (Ct.App.1990). Until 1988, the statute was silent as to the range of punishment, except to provide that sexual abuse of a minor under sixteen was a felony. Where a different penalty is not prescribed, a felony is punishable by a prison term not to exceed five years. I.C. § 18-112.

When a criminal defendant is prosecuted under a statute that has been changed to increase the punishment, the statute to be applied is the one in effect at the time of the commission of the crime. Prosecution under the later version of the statute would run afoul of the prohibition against ex post facto laws. See W.R. La-FAVE and A.W. SCOTT, JR., SUBSTANTIVE CRIMINAL LAW § 2.4, p. 135-148 (1986). With this principle in mind, Hernandez’ charge stemming from incidents occurring in 1985 required prosecution under the 1985 version of I.C. § 18-1506. Therefore, the applicable punishment for that charge is five years, according to I.C. § 18-112. As to the charge founded on events occurring in 1991, the amended version of I.C. § 18-1506 would apply, and the punishment could extend to fifteen years. Based on the foregoing, it is clear that Hernandez’ sentence of zero to ten years for the 1985 incident is beyond that authorized by statute. The sentence based on the 1991 incident, however, is within statutory bounds. Unfortunately, neither party has raised the issue of the illegality of the sentence to the trial court or to this Court on appeal. Under the principle of stare decisis, we are constrained by the decisions of our Supreme Court in State v. Martin, 119 Idaho 577, 579, 808 P.2d 1322, 1324 (1991) and State v. Lavy, 121 Idaho 842, 828 P.2d 871 (1992), from ordering the district court to correct the illegality of Hernandez’ sentences. At best, we simply note that I.C.R. 35 allows the trial court to correct an illegal sentence at any time, on the motion of either party, and either party may appeal from the trial court’s ruling.

For the purpose of reviewing Hernandez’ sentences to determine if they represent an abuse of discretion, we are left with one zero-to-ten year sentence and one sentence which must be limited to a maximum of five years. Because the latter period is within the duration of the sentence specified by the court, we will consid[230]*230er it the effective term for purposes of review. However, this conclusion does not end the technical part of our analysis.

At the time the court sentenced Hernandez for both charges, the Unified Sentencing Act was in effect. We note that the Act applies “only to those persons who shall commit an offense on or after February 1, 1987.” I.C. § 19-2513, Compiler’s notes. Under the Act, the court must specify a minimum period of confinement. I.C. § 19-2513; State v. Knight, 114 Idaho 923, 762 P.2d 836 (Ct.App.1988). Regarding the 1991 sexual abuse charge, the court specified a minimum period of zero, meaning that Hernandez could be eligible for parole the day he enters prison. Prescribing “zero” as the minimum term has been held to be within the court’s authority under the Act. State v. Marquess, 115 Idaho 136, 137, 765 P.2d 161, 162 (Ct.App.1988). Thus, although the court incorrectly concluded that the defendant “should have been sentenced under the old statutes,” the sentence imposed for the 1991 offense actually comports with the Unified Sentencing Act, which is applicable to that crime.

For the charge stemming from the 1985 incident, however, the five-year maximum applies, as does the then-existing sentencing method. Under that method, when an indeterminate period of confinement was prescribed, the minimum period of confinement to be served was within the discretion of the Commission of Pardons and Parole. According to the Commission’s rules at the time, a qualifying defendant would not be eligible for parole until one-third of his sentence had expired. Knight, 114 Idaho at 924, 762 P.2d at 837. Here, that rule translates into Hernandez being eligible for parole in a little over one and two-third years, or twenty months. We will treat this period as the probable term of confinement and the period for review. State v. Toohill, 103 Idaho 565, 650 P.2d 707 (Ct.App.1982).

Sentencing is a matter left to the discretion of the trial court. State v. Hedger, 115 Idaho 598, 604, 768 P.2d 1331, 1337 (1989). In this case, a period of twenty months is within the range prescribed by statute and therefore, it ordinarily would not be considered an abuse of discretion. State v. Nice, 103 Idaho 89, 90, 645 P.2d 323, 324 (1982). However, a sentence may represent an abuse of discretion if it is shown to be unreasonable upon the facts of the case. Id. A sentence is reasonable if it appears to accomplish the objective of protecting the good order of society and is imposed to achieve any or all of the related goals of deterrence, rehabilitation or retribution. Toohill, 103 Idaho at 568, 650 P.2d at 710. A sentence of confinement that is longer than necessary to serve these goals is unreasonable. Id. When reviewing a sentence, we examine the facts in the record independently and focus on the nature of the offense, the character of the offender, and the protection of the public interest. State v. Reinke, 103 Idaho 771, 772, 653 P.2d 1183, 1184 (Ct.App.1982); State v. Shideler, 103 Idaho 593, 594, 651 P.2d 527, 528 (1982).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
832 P.2d 1162, 122 Idaho 227, 1992 Ida. App. LEXIS 132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hernandez-idahoctapp-1992.