State v. McClellan

2008 UT App 48, 179 P.3d 825, 598 Utah Adv. Rep. 19, 2008 Utah App. LEXIS 47, 2008 WL 466574
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedFebruary 22, 2008
Docket20051048-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 2008 UT App 48 (State v. McClellan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. McClellan, 2008 UT App 48, 179 P.3d 825, 598 Utah Adv. Rep. 19, 2008 Utah App. LEXIS 47, 2008 WL 466574 (Utah Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

McHUGH, Judge:

¶ 1 Defendant Carl McClellan appeals his conviction of rape, a first degree felony. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-402 (Supp.2007). We affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶2 In 1988, McClellan was arrested and charged with rape. Throughout the pretrial process, McClellan was represented by attorney Phil Hadfield. At some point prior to trial, however, Hadfield ceased representing McClellan and took a position with the Utah County Attorney’s Office (the County Attorney), the agency prosecuting McClellan. Three days prior to trial, McClellan’s new attorney, James Rupper, filed a motion to continue, which the trial court denied because McClellan refused to waive his right to a speedy trial. The trial then proceeded as scheduled.

¶3 During jury selection, the trial court asked the potential jurors, “Do any of you as jurors know any of those witnesses who have been identified for us or the attorney or parties in this matter ... ?” Juror Douglas replied that she knew the prosecutor through her work as a clerk at the Spanish Fork Circuit Court. The trial court then asked Juror Douglas whether there was “[ajnything in the nature of your relationship with [the prosecutor] which would create a problem for you in acting fairly and impartially as a juror?” Juror Douglas replied in the negative and then stated that she could disregard her association with the prosecutor and “render a verdict based solely on the evidence.” Juror Douglas also stated that she knew McClellan’s trial counsel, but that her acquaintance would not prevent her from being “fair and impartial.”

¶ 4 Later, at McClellan’s request, the trial court asked Juror Douglas about her employment as a court clerk. Juror Douglas indicated that she had “significant contact with law enforcement authorities,” that she sat in court for criminal proceedings, and that she discussed the outcome of criminal cases with attorneys and judges. The trial court then asked Juror Douglas, “Would the things that you have learned and experienced have a tendency to influence you in this particular case in weighing the evidence that you would hear today?” Juror Douglas replied, “I don’t believe so.” McClellan later moved to strike Juror Douglas for cause, which the trial court denied. McClellan then used a peremptory challenge to remove Juror Douglas.

¶ 5 Another juror, Juror Williams, also replied that she knew the prosecutor because she had worked with him “for a few months a few years ago.” Juror Williams then stated that this relationship would not make it difficult for her to act “fairly and impartially as a juror.” Juror Williams also stated that she worked as “a secretary to the court administrator here in the district court.” McClellan did not object to Juror Williams, and she served on the jury.

¶ 6 During trial, the Deputy County Attorney sought to introduce an audiotape containing a police interview of McClellan. This tape had not been disclosed to McClellan prior to trial. McClellan moved to suppress the tape on the grounds that the interrogat *828 ing police officer had failed to advise McClellan of his Miranda rights during the recorded interview and because the late production of the tape constituted an unfair surprise. The trial court denied this motion. The prosecutor then authenticated the tape through direct examination of the police officer who conducted the interview and asked that it be admitted for the purpose of “rebut[ting] the statements of the defendant.” McClellan’s counsel then stated that he had “[n]o objection to the tape being admitted for that purpose.” A portion of the tape was then played for the jury. Afterwards, the trial court instructed the jury that the tape was admitted only for rebuttal purposes. Although the tape was not transcribed into the record, the parties agree that the tape impeached McClellan’s trial testimony regarding whether he initially lied to the police officer during the interview.

¶ 7 The jury convicted McClellan of rape, and he was sentenced to five years to life on September 23, 1988. After the trial court’s denial of McClellan’s motion for a new trial, he filed a timely notice of appeal on February 27,1989. After several changes in appellate counsel, McClellan’s appeal was dismissed on January 30, 1992 for failure to file a brief. Approximately three years later, McClellan filed a pro se habeas corpus petition in the Third District Court, which was dismissed as untimely. McClellan appealed from the dismissal of the habeas corpus petition and this court reversed, ordering that McClellan be re-sentenced nunc pro tune, with credit for time served. For reasons that are unclear, the order for re-sentencing was never filed with the Fourth District Court.

¶ 8 On June 12, 1996, the Fourth District Court issued a Notice of Intent to Dispose of Exhibits and Order, indicating the court’s intent to discard the exhibits in the file, including the tape of McClellan’s interrogation, unless a timely objection was filed. Because the order of re-sentencing still had not been filed and there were no objections regarding the destruction of exhibits, the Fourth District Court disposed of that evidence.

¶ 9 On July 15, 2004, McClellan wrote a letter to the Fourth District Court notifying it of the order to re-sentence. After a series of motions, continuances, and changes in counsel, McClellan was re-sentenced on October 4, 2005. McClellan appealed and filed a motion for remand under rule 23B of the Utah Rules of Appellate Procedure, see Utah R.App. P. 28B. We denied the rule 23B motion.

ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW

¶ 10 McClellan argues that the trial court committed plain error by failing to disqualify the entire County Attorney’s office after Hadfield, McClellan’s former attorney, joined that office. “[T]o establish the existence of plain error and to obtain appellate relief from an alleged error that was not properly objected to, the appellant must show the following: (i) An error exists; (ii) the error should have been obvious to the trial court; and (in) the error is harm-ful_” State v. Dunn, 850 P.2d 1201, 1208 (Utah 1993). Similarly, McClellan contends that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance for failing to move to disqualify the entire County Attorney’s office. “When an ineffective assistance of counsel claim ‘is raised for the first time on appeal without a prior evidentiary hearing, it presents a question of law.’ ” State v. Holbert, 2002 UT App 426, ¶ 26, 61 P.3d 291 (quoting State v. Bryant, 965 P.2d 539, 542 (Utah Ct.App.1998)).

¶ 11 Next, McClellan argues that the trial court committed plain error, and that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance, by letting an individual with a conflict of interest sit on the jury. The aforementioned standards of review are also applicable to this challenge. See id. (noting standard of review for ineffective assistance of counsel claim is correctness); Dunn, 850 P.2d at 1208 (stating elements of plain error).

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

Related

State v. Alvarado
2014 UT App 87 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2014)
McClellan v. State
2012 UT App 316 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2012)
State v. Murdock
2011 UT App 71 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2011)
State v. McClellan
2009 UT 50 (Utah Supreme Court, 2009)
People v. Davenport
762 N.W.2d 163 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Perry
2009 UT App 51 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2009)
State v. Balfour
2008 UT App 410 (Court of Appeals of Utah, 2008)
People v. Davenport
760 N.W.2d 743 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2008 UT App 48, 179 P.3d 825, 598 Utah Adv. Rep. 19, 2008 Utah App. LEXIS 47, 2008 WL 466574, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcclellan-utahctapp-2008.