State v. Motter

162 P.3d 1190, 139 Wash. App. 797
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided July 24, 2007·No. 34251-1-II, 35039-4-II·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinion

162 P.3d 1190 (2007)

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
William Henry MOTTER, Appellant.
In re Personal Restraint Petition of William Henry Motter, Petitioner.

Nos. 34251-1-II, 35039-4-II.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 2.

July 24, 2007.

*1191 John A. Hays, Longview, WA, for Appellant.

Iv Motter, Shelton, WA, pro se.

Michael C. Kinnie, Arthur David Curtis, Clark County Prosecuting Atty, Vancouver, WA, for Respondent.

PART PUBLISHED OPINION

QUINN-BRINTNALL, J.

¶ 1 Around 10 o'clock at night, 71-year-old Dr. David Dixon responded to a burglar alarm at his medical office in Vancouver, Washington. Dixon initially thought it was a false alarm, but once inside he confronted William Motter standing behind an examining room door armed with a homemade *1192 weapon.[1] Motter rammed Dixon with the examining room door and a scuffle ensued.

¶ 2 Dixon's security service heard his cries for help through an audio feed and called the Vancouver police. A police K-9 unit responded and subsequently found Motter hiding in nearby blackberry brambles and arrested him. Dixon sustained minor injuries as a result of his altercation with Motter, including a broken fingernail and several bruises.

¶ 3 The State charged Motter with one count of first degree burglary premised on assault. RCW 9A.52.020(l)(b). After a short trial in which Motter exercised his right not to testify, a jury convicted him as charged. Motter appealed and filed a personal restraint petition (PRP) challenging this conviction.

¶ 4 We consolidated Motter's appeal and PRP. Here, we review: (1) Motter's community custody conditions; (2) a permissive inference jury instruction; (3) a no duty to retreat jury instruction; (4) the trial court's alleged failure to assess Motter's competency; (5) the effectiveness of Motter's counsel; and (6) alleged misconduct by the prosecution. In the published portion of this opinion, we affirm Motter's community custody conditions. But we analyze the remaining issues without publication because we resolve those issues by following well-established legal principles that have no precedential value. RCW 2.06.040; State v. Fitzpatrick, 5 Wash.App. 661, 669, 491 P.2d 262 (1971).

ANALYSIS

COMMUNITY CUSTODY

¶ 5 Motter challenges three of his community custody conditions: (1) a mandate that Motter undergo substance abuse treatment; (2) prohibition on Motter's possession or use of drug paraphernalia; and (3) a requirement that Motter notify his community corrections officer when he is prescribed a controlled substance or legend drug. A defendant may raise these claims for the first time on appeal. State v. Jones, 118 Wash. App. 199, 204, 76 P.3d 258 (2003). We affirm.[2]

¶ 6 We review a sentencing court's application of the community custody provisions of the Sentencing Reform Act de novo. State v. Pierson, 105 Wash.App. 160, 165, 18 P.3d 1154 (2001). And we review findings of fact that underlie the imposition of community custody for substantial evidence. See State v. Brockob, 159 Wash.2d 311, 343, 150 P.3d 59 (2006).

¶ 7 First, we note that a proper community custody condition must be authorized by the legislature because it is the legislature's sole province to fix legal punishments. State v. Pillatos, 159 Wash.2d 459, 469, 150 P.3d 1130 (2007). Motter wrote a letter to the court asking to receive mental health treatment. But a defendant's request does not give the court authority to impose a requested condition.

¶ 8 If an offender was convicted of a "violent offense," a sentencing court may impose community custody under former RCW 9.94A.715 (2003). The jury convicted Motter of first degree burglary, a class A felony. RCW 9A.52.020. Class A felonies are violent offenses. RCW 9.94A.030(50)(a)(i). Thus, former RCW 9.94A.715 authorized the trial court to impose community custody conditions.

¶ 9 Former RCW 9.94A.715 contains two provisions that are relevant to Motter's appeal. First, it authorizes a sentencing court to:

order the offender to participate in rehabilitative programs or otherwise perform affirmative conduct reasonably related to the circumstances of the offense, the offender's *1193 risk of reoffending, or the safety of the community.

Former RCW 9.94A.715(2)(a).[3]

¶ 10 Second, it authorizes a court to impose conditions that are listed in RCW 9.94A.700(4)-(5). Former RCW 9.94A.715(2)(a). RCW 9.94A.700(5) allows the court to order that:

(c) The offender shall participate in crime-related treatment or counseling services; [and]
. . . .
(e) The offender shall comply with any crime-related prohibitions.

A condition is crime-related if it directly relates to the circumstances of the crime. RCW 9.94A.030(13); State v. Llamas-Villa, 67 Wash.App. 448, 456, 836 P.2d 239 (1992). But subsection (e), relating to "crime-related prohibitions," does not allow a court to order affirmative conduct. RCW 9.94A.030(13).

A. REHABILITATIVE PROGRAMS

¶ 11 Motter first challenges the order that he participate in rehabilitative programs. The sentencing court ordered that Motter

enter into, cooperate with, fully attend and successfully complete all in-patient and outpatient phases of a . . . substance abuse . . . [and] anger management treatment program as established by the community corrections officer and/or the treatment facility.

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State v. Motter, 162 P.3d 1190, 139 Wash. App. 797 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007).

162 P.3d 1190 (State v. Motter) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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