State v. Magana

159 P.3d 1163, 212 Or. App. 553, 2007 Ore. App. LEXIS 714
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMay 16, 2007
DocketA125662 (Control) A125663
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 159 P.3d 1163 (State v. Magana) 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. Magana, 159 P.3d 1163, 212 Or. App. 553, 2007 Ore. App. LEXIS 714 (Or. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

*555 BREWER, C. J.

Defendant, a former City of Eugene Police Officer, was convicted of numerous crimes, including multiple sex offenses, coercion, and official misconduct, in which the victims were 12 women whom he met in the course of his duties. 1 He appeals, raising six assignments of error. We affirm.

A detailed recitation of the facts is not necessary to our resolution of defendant’s assignments of error. As noted, the victims in this case were women with whom defendant came into contact in the course of his duties as a police officer, most often in the course of investigating drug, alcohol, or prostitution-related offenses or domestic disturbances. During those investigations, defendant would tell the victims that he would not arrest or cite them if they would engage in sexual activity with him. In one instance, defendant told a victim that he would have her children taken away if she resisted his sexual advances; after she complied, he promised to help her with legal matters if she kept quiet. In another instance, defendant observed a different victim making a drug purchase. He handcuffed her and put her in his patrol car, then coerced her into performing oral sex on him. Later, defendant arrested the same victim, then picked her up in his personal vehicle after she was released. He told her that he had helped to get her out of jail, and so she “owed him.” He again demanded oral sex, and she complied.

Ultimately, in 2003, one of the victims called 9-1-1, leading to an investigation of defendant, indictments in two consolidated cases with a total of 52 counts, and conviction on 42 of those counts. 2 The trial court imposed consecutive *556 sentences on 17 of the counts involving 10 of the victims. The remaining counts were sentenced to be served concurrently. The total term of defendant’s incarcerative sentence was 975 months.

Defendant and the state both present combined arguments on defendant’s first three assignments of error. We similarly discuss those assignments together. In the assignments, defendant argues that the trial court erred by (1) disallowing his demurrer to one of the indictments on the ground that some of the counts lacked enough specificity to allow him to prepare a defense; (2) denying his motion to require the state to make pretrial elections regarding the coercion and misconduct charges; and (3) denying his motion in limine to exclude evidence of uncharged acts of misconduct.

The pertinent indictment contained 51 counts, including numerous counts of rape, sexual abuse, sodomy, harassment, kidnapping, burglary, coercion, and official misconduct. Defendant demurred to the indictment, challenging the specificity of the official misconduct and coercion counts. In particular, defendant argued that those counts were insufficient to apprise him of what conduct was alleged to constitute the violations. He renews that argument on appeal. We review a trial court’s ruling on a demurrer to a charging instrument for errors of law. E.g., State v. Couch, 196 Or App 665, 672, 103 P3d 671 (2004), aff'd, 341 Or 610, 147 P3d 322 (2006).

With the exception of changing the name of the alleged victim and time period, the official misconduct counts are identical, as are the coercion counts. The third count is representative of the official misconduct counts:

“In relation to [JS], the defendant on or between January 1, 1999 and January 1,2003, in Lane County, Oregon, being a public servant and with the intent to obtain a benefit or harm another, did unlawfully and knowingly fail to perform a duty imposed upon him as a public servant by law, or one clearly inherent in the nature of the office, or did perform an act constituting an unauthorized exercise in official duties; contrary to statute and against the peace and dignity of the State of Oregon.”

*557 ORS 162.415 defines first-degree official misconduct as follows:

“(1) A public servant commits the crime of official misconduct in the first degree if with intent to obtain a benefit or to harm another:
“(a) The public servant knowingly fails to perform a duty imposed upon the public servant by law or one clearly inherent in the nature of the office; or
“(b) The public servant knowingly performs an act constituting an unauthorized exercise in official duties.”

The sixth count of the indictment is representative of the coercion counts:

“The defendant, on or between January 1, 1999 and January 1, 2003, in Lane County, Oregon, did unlawfully and knowingly compel or induce [JS] to engage in or abstain from engaging in conduct in which [JS] had a legal right to engage or abstain from engaging by means of instilling in [JS] a fear that if [JS] refrained from the conduct or engaged in the conduct contrary to the compulsion or inducement the said defendant would unlawfully use or abuse the said defendant’s position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty in such a manner as to affect some person adversely; contrary to statute and against the peace and dignity of the State of Oregon.”

ORS 163.275 defines the crime of coercion as follows:

“(1) A person commits the crime of coercion when the person compels or induces another person to engage in conduct from which the other person has a legal right to abstain, or to abstain from engaging in conduct in which the other person has a legal right to engage, by means of instilling in the other person a fear that, if the other person refrains from the conduct compelled or induced or engages in conduct contrary to the compulsion or inducement, the actor or another will:
«íH # ‡ ❖ ^
“(g) Unlawfully use or abuse the person’s position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to *558 official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty, in such manner as to affect some person adversely.”

An indictment must contain a “statement of the acts constituting the offense in ordinary and concise language, without repetition, and in such manner as to enable a person of common understanding to know what is intended [.]” ORS 132.550(7). Indictments that charge offenses using the words of the statute are generally sufficient. State v. Hale, 335 Or 612, 621, 75 P3d 448 (2003), cert den, 541 US 942 (2004) (“[W]e now confirm that, as this court so many times has held, an indictment generally is sufficient if it charges an offense in the words of the statute.”).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Van Nelson
Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2026
State v. Bravo-Chavez
343 Or. App. 326 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
State v. Sanchez
337 Or. App. 797 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)
Antoine v. Taylor
499 P.3d 48 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2021)
Antoine v. Taylor
465 P.3d 238 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)
State v. Stout
382 P.3d 591 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2016)
State v. Ghim
340 P.3d 753 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Sparks
340 P.3d 688 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Carle
337 P.3d 904 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Kelly
328 P.3d 757 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2014)
State v. Molver
225 P.3d 136 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2010)
State v. Delp
178 P.3d 259 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2008)
State v. Williams
167 P.3d 485 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
159 P.3d 1163, 212 Or. App. 553, 2007 Ore. App. LEXIS 714, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-magana-orctapp-2007.