State v. Jones

658 P.2d 1262, 33 Wash. App. 865, 1983 Wash. App. LEXIS 2170
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided February 7, 1983·No. 9087-9-I·Published·Cited by 15 cases

Opinion

Swanson, J.

Larry Wayne Jones was convicted by a jury of first degree escape while armed with a deadly weapon and a firearm and first degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon. William Dennis Dunne was convicted by the same jury of first degree escape while armed with a deadly weapon and a firearm, possession of a machine gun, and auto theft. They appeal alleging: (1) the trial court erred by not granting their motion to dismiss their first trial because the prosecutor failed to comply with discovery orders; (2) their second trial violated constitutional provisions , prohibiting double jeopardy; (3) the trial court erred in refusing to grant their motion for a mistrial or dismissal in the second trial; and (4) they received inef *867 fective assistance of counsel. We affirm.

The charges against defendants arose out of the October 14, 1979, escape of seven inmates from the King County Jail. Briefly, with respect to the escape charges, the evidence showed both defendants were accomplices of the escapees—they supplied and drove the two escape vehicles. With respect to the assault charge against Jones, the State presented evidence showing Officer Alexander was shot three times by the driver of a brown Mustang. Jones was identified as the driver of the Mustang immediately after the shooting, and Jones stated in a hospital after the shooting: "I'd like to give a message to Officer Alexander. Nothing personal, you know, I just tried to give him three of my best ones."

With respect to the auto theft and possession of a machine gun charges against Dunne, there was testimony showing he had been in a stolen red Mustang with the escapees. After the car crashed, Dunne was found nearby with ammunition clips. The car, later inventoried, contained, among other items, an AR 15 semiautomatic rifle.

The appeal in this case arose out of discovery matters. The first trial of defendants ended in a mistrial ordered by the trial judge because of numerous failures by the State to adhere to the judge's discovery orders. A second trial began approximately 60 days later. Although during the first trial it was determined that the police had recorded their radio transmissions during the escape, and had also produced an edited tape version, the defendants did not request the tapes until the start of the second trial. The State subsequently produced the edited tapes, mistakenly stating the verbatim tapes did not exist. 1 Over 2 weeks into the second *868 trial near the close of the State's case, the State provided the verbatim tapes. The trial judge gave the defense a week to review the tapes and prepare. Jones' trial attorney, after reviewing the tapes, said he could not properly structure his defense without a new trial. He stated the new information would have altered his cross examination of numerous prior state witnesses, and perhaps changed the defendants' theory of the case. The trial court denied the defense motion to dismiss. Both defendants' trial attorneys, stating they were unprepared, refused to participate in any further examination of witnesses, the preparation of jury instructions, or closing arguments.

Defendants first assign error to the trial court's granting of a mistrial instead of a dismissal of the first trial. They contend that because the court rule governing sanctions for violating discovery orders does not explicitly include granting a mistrial, the trial court here was precluded from imposing that sanction. We disagree.

CrR 4.7(h) (7) (i) allows the trial court to declare a mistrial because of a party's failure to comply with discovery orders. The rule reads:

If at any time during the course of the proceedings it is brought to the attention of the court that a party has failed to comply with an applicable discovery rule or an *869 order issued pursuant thereto, the court may order such party to permit the discovery of material and information not previously disclosed, grant a continuance, dismiss the action or enter such other order as it deems just under the circumstances.

(Italics ours.) The broad language of the rule allowing the court to impose "such other order as it deems just under the circumstances" refutes defendants' position. That language allows the trial court to impose sanctions not specifically listed in the rule. See State v. Glasper, 12 Wn. App. 36, 39, 527 P.2d 1127 (1974). Furthermore, the granting of a mistrial has been expressly recognized as a sanction available under CrR 4.7(h)(7)(i). State v. Falk, 17 Wn. App. 905, 908, 567 P.2d 235 (1977). The trial court had discretion to declare a mistrial.

The defendants next assert that the second trial violated constitutional provisions prohibiting repeated prosecutions for the same offense. We conclude the defendants' second trial did not violate their constitutional rights.

The double jeopardy clause of the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution and article 1, section 9 of the Washington Constitution proscribe multiple prosecutions. Although the general rule is that the State has only one opportunity to require the accused to stand trial, a retrial is not automatically barred when the court declares a mistrial. Arizona v. Washington, 434 U.S. 497, 505, 54 L. Ed. 2d 717, 98 S. Ct. 824 (1978). In determining the constitutionality of a second trial after a mistrial, courts distinguish between mistrials declared with or without defendant's consent. United States v. Dinitz, 424 U.S. 600, 608, 47 L. Ed. 2d 267, 96 S. Ct. 1075 (1976). Thus we must initially determine whether defendants consented to the mistrial in this case.

Under the test established for determining whether the defendant consented to a mistrial for the purpose of the double jeopardy clause, the defendants consented here. In ascertaining whether defendants consented to a mistrial,

'[t]he important consideration, for purposes of the Dou *870 ble Jeopardy Clause, is that the defendant retain primary control over the course to be followed . . .

(Footnote omitted.) Dinitz, at 609. In this case, both defendants expressly agreed to the mistrial before the trial court granted it. They retained the power to continue or stop the trial. They consented to the mistrial.

Where defendants consent to a mistrial, the appropriate test to determine if a second trial is barred is whether the prosecutor's conduct was motivated "in bad faith in order to goad the respondent into requesting a mistrial or to prejudice his prospects for an acquittal." Dinitz, at 611. The defendants here do not contend the State's failure to supply discovery was motivated by bad faith, and the trial court found no willful violations on the part of the State.

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State v. Jones, 658 P.2d 1262, 33 Wash. App. 865, 1983 Wash. App. LEXIS 2170 (Wash. Ct. App. 1983).

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