State v. Limpus

625 P.2d 960, 128 Ariz. 371, 1981 Ariz. App. LEXIS 356
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedFebruary 19, 1981
Docket1 CA-CR 4394
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 625 P.2d 960 (State v. Limpus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Limpus, 625 P.2d 960, 128 Ariz. 371, 1981 Ariz. App. LEXIS 356 (Ark. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION

EUBANK, Judge.

Appellant pled guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class II felony, in violation of A.R.S. §§ 13-3552, 13-3551, and one count of photographing a minor engaged in sexual conduct, a Class III felony, in violation of A.R.S. §§ 13-3508 and 13-3501. The state dropped additional allegations of two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of photographing a minor engaged in sexual conduct. The plea agreement recited that the state took no position on sentencing. Following a mitigation hearing in which the sole witness to testify was Dr. Michael B. Bayless, appellant’s psychologist, appellant was sentenced to serve a term of seven years in the Arizona State Prison on Count I, sexual exploitation of a minor, five years in the Arizona State Prison on Count II, photographing a minor engaged in sexual conduct, and seven years in the Arizona State Prison on Count IV, sexual exploitation of a minor, all sentences to run concurrently.

Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal and raises six issues for our consideration:

1) Whether the state breached the plea agreement by taking a position on sentencing during the cross-examination of Dr. Bayless;
2) Whether A.R.S. § 13-3552 is constitutionally void for vagueness;
3) Whether A.R.S. § 13-3508 is constitutionally void for vagueness;
4) Whether the record reveals a factual basis for appellant’s plea to each count;
5) Whether the record reveals that appellant understood the nature of the charges to which he pled guilty; and
6) Whether the sentences imposed on appellant constitute an abuse of discretion and are excessive.

CROSS-EXAMINATION OF DR. BAYLESS

Appellant contends that during the cross-examination of Dr. Bayless, the state breached the plea agreement by taking a position on sentencing. At the time appellant entered his pleas, defense counsel and the prosecutor agreed on the record that counsel for the state could cross-examine appellant’s mitigation witnesses, notwithstanding the state’s promise to take no position on sentencing. Approximately five weeks later, the mitigation hearing was held, and appellant complains that in two instances the state breached the plea agreement.

The first instance occurred when the deputy county attorney cross-examined the psychologist regarding confessions of alleged prior bad acts made by the appellant to Dr. Bayless during the course of their counseling sessions. Defense counsel objected, and the following exchange occurred:

MS. SLOSS [defense counsel]: Your Hon- or, I object to this line of questioning. First of all, he said he took a complete history. Specific details of any acts are completely irrelevant to this case. He is here to give his opinion on the situation today and prognosis for the future, being aware of all the situations. And going into detail about past acts is really completely irrelevant, No. 1, and No. 2, the County Attorney’s Office said in the plea agreement that they were not going to introduce any evidence or new testimony.
*374 MR. WILLIAMS [prosecutor]: We said we would take no position on evidence. Dr. Bayless has gotten up here and given a lot of theories, a lot of conclusions and very little facts. If he doesn’t have a complete history, he has nothing to base his statements on. The. State doesn’t have to sit here with its tongue tied in a mitigation hearing even though we are not introducing any evidence.
THE COURT: The objection is overruled. You may proceed.

Appellant contends that the second instance in which the state took a position on sentencing occurred during the following exchange:

Q [prosecutor]: I understand from what you testified to on direct that you can, correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t believe in sending someone to prison for a punishment, is that correct?
A [Dr. Bayless]: I think that prison is designed for — it is my understanding in working with the court system, it is designed for rehabilitative process and as a protection against society, protection for society. Excuse me.
Q: But my question was, that you, Dr. Bayless, do not believe in sending someone to prison for punishment.
A: I don't believe in punishment for the pure sake of punishment for any reason, because it is proven statistically and behaviorally that punishment is not a very effective means of controlling human behavior, and as a result of that, it in fact increases negative behavior, as we have seen many times in our contact with criminal activity. Consequently, I think rehabilitative treatment is the focus of our court system and our judicial system, is it not?
Q: Do you think prison psychologists at the Arizona State Prison are incompetent?
A: I could not—
Q: Let me change the question. That is negative. Do you think the prison psychologists are competent?
A: I cannot really — I think each individual, as a psychologist or a psychiatrist, based on their degrees and based on their experience, should in fact be competent, of course. However, I do not know who is at the Arizona State Prison. I don’t know the- psychologists or psychiatrists there and, therefore, I could not really accurately make a statement as to their competency level.
Q: It would be nearly impossible to sodomize 15 year old boys at the Arizona State Prison, wouldn’t it?
A: I don’t believe we send 15 year old boys to the Arizona State Prison.

In Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257, 92 S.Ct. 495, 30 L.Ed.2d 427 (1971), the United States Supreme Court held that “when a plea rests in any significant degree on a promise or agreement of the prosecutor, so that it can be said to be part of the inducement or consideration, such promise must be fulfilled.” 404 U.S. at 262, 92 S.Ct. at 499, 30 L.Ed.2d at 433. Thus, a breach by the state of an agreement to make no recommendation on sentencing constitutes reversible error. State v. Barnes, 118 Ariz. 200, 575 P.2d 830 (App.1978). A breach of an agreement to take no position on sentencing occurs not only when the state directly breaks its promise, “but also when the spirit of the inducement, reasonably inferred from the written agreement, is breached.” State v. Davis, 123 Ariz. 564, 567, 601 P.2d 327, 330 (App.1979).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
625 P.2d 960, 128 Ariz. 371, 1981 Ariz. App. LEXIS 356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-limpus-arizctapp-1981.