State v. Langworthy

583 P.2d 1231, 20 Wash. App. 822, 1978 Wash. App. LEXIS 2476
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 31, 1978
Docket4966-1
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 583 P.2d 1231 (State v. Langworthy) 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. Langworthy, 583 P.2d 1231, 20 Wash. App. 822, 1978 Wash. App. LEXIS 2476 (Wash. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinions

Dore, J.

The defendants Neil and Ellen Langworthy (brother-in-law and sister-in-law) appeal from a judgment of guilty rendered by the Skagit County Superior Court on a charge of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance (RCW 69.50.407). Defendants appeal.

Facts

Neil Langworthy was an inmate at the Skagit County Jail from March 22, 1976, through April 10, 1976. Inmates in the Skagit County Jail could deposit or have money deposited in their particular prison box for the purchase of cigarettes and candy. Neil had served as a trustee during a previous prison stint and was familiar with the procedures for purchasing cigarettes through funds deposited in such boxes.

On April 2, 1976, Ellen visited Neil at the Skagit County Jail. At that time Neil was down to his last few cigarettes so Ellen left a pack of cigarettes for his use. She also offered to leave Neil $5 for purchase of additional cigarettes. Neil [824]*824refused Ellen's money indicating that he felt he could make his last 7 days in jail without any further cigarettes. In spite of Neil's refusal to accept the money, Ellen testified that following her jail visit she left $5 for Neil to be placed in his property box.

At approximately 6 o'clock in the evening on April 2, 2 hours after Ellen left and admittedly at a time when he possessed at least one package of cigarettes, Neil requested jailer Dean Miller to call a phone number in Anacortes, Washington, and ask for Ellen and "to tell her that he wanted cigarettes and if she couldn't bring them to have 'Jake' bring them." Jake is the nickname of Steven Michael, a friend and houseguest of the Langworthys and known as a heroin user. The jail records indicate Michael had visited Neil at the jail on April 2 immediately following Ellen's visit at 4 p.m. At approximately 11 o'clock that same evening jailer Miller called Ellen and conveyed Neil's message as requested. The following morning, April 3 at approximately 8:30 a.m., Neil requested another jailer, Steve Cover, to call his wife and tell her "he was dying for some cigarettes." Ellen admitted she received both telephonic messages from the jailers.

At approximately 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the following day, April 3, Ellen went to the Skagit County Jail and delivered a carton of Marlboro cigarettes for Neil. On a routine inspection of incoming materials jail officers discovered heroin in the cigarettes delivered by Ellen. A short time later Neil's property box was opened and it contained $5.38 in change. Neil admitted he had used heroin as recently as a year and a half before. Both defendants denied that there was an agreement between them to smuggle heroin to Neil in the jail.

Issues

There are three issues raised on appeal: (1) whether RCW 69.50.407 is constitutional, (2) whether there was sufficient evidence to sustain convictions of defendants for the crime of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, RCW [825]*82569.50.407, and (3) whether the trial court erred in permitting police officers to testify regarding long-distance phone calls to Ellen in Anacortes, prior to the establishment of a prima facie case of conspiracy.

Issue 1: Constitutionality of RCW 69.50.407.

The law in Washington is clear that a statute which prescribes different punishments for the same act and authorizes a prosecutor to charge one person with a felony and another with a misdemeanor for the same act denies equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution, and article 1, section 12 of the constitution of this state. Olsen v. Delmore, 48 Wn.2d 545, 295 P.2d 324 (1956). Likewise, Washington law recognizes no logical basis for drawing a distinction between an authorization to charge for a "misdemeanor" contained in one statute and the same authorization contained in a different statute, which calls for a "felony," if the prosecution under each statute is for the identical act. State v. Zornes, 78 Wn.2d 9, 475 P.2d 109 (1970), 16A C.J.S. Constitutional Law § 564 (1956).

Appellants' constitutional challenge is based on a particular statutory interpretation with the issue being whether the Prosecuting Attorney for Skagit County at his discretion could have charged the Langworthys under either RCW 69.50.407 or RCW 9.22.010.

RCW 9.22.010 entitled "Conspiracy" states in part:

Whenever two or more persons shall conspire—

(1) to commit a crime; or

(7) to accomplish any criminal or unlawful purpose, or to accomplish a purpose, not in itself criminal or unlawful, by criminal or unlawful means;

. . . shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

RCW 69.50.407 entitled "Conspiracy" provides:

Any person who attempts or conspires to commit any offense defined in this chapter is punishable by imprisonment or fine or both which may not exceed the maximum punishment prescribed for the offense, the [826]*826commission of which was the object of the attempt or conspiracy.

It is undisputed that RCW 69.50.407 entitled "Conspiracy" is a felony, and RCW 9.22.010 entitled "Conspiracy" is a gross misdemeanor. The defendants were charged with felonies pursuant to RCW 69.50.407 rather than misdemeanors under RCW 9.22.010.

It is a well recognized rule of construction that where a general and a specific statute cover the same subject, the specific statute controls. State v. Collins, 55 Wn.2d 469, 348 P.2d 214 (1960); accord, Agricultural Labor Relations Bd. v. Superior Court, 16 Cal. 3d 392, 546 P.2d 687, 128 Cal. Rptr. 183 (1976); Thompson v. IDS Life Ins. Co., 549 P.2d 510 (Ore. 1965); Thomas v. State, 562 P.2d 1287 (Wyo. 1977); United States v. Beer, 518 F.2d 168 (5th Cir. 1975); cf.

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State v. Langworthy
583 P.2d 1231 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
583 P.2d 1231, 20 Wash. App. 822, 1978 Wash. App. LEXIS 2476, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-langworthy-washctapp-1978.