State v. Obregon

444 P.3d 331, 309 Kan. 1267
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJune 28, 2019
Docket117422
StatusPublished
Cited by68 cases

This text of 444 P.3d 331 (State v. Obregon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Obregon, 444 P.3d 331, 309 Kan. 1267 (kan 2019).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by Biles, J.:

**1268Christopher Obregon appeals his sentence after pleading no contest to drug offenses. He challenges whether a prior Florida battery conviction should be classified as a person felony. Obregon also disagrees with the Court of Appeals decision to remand his case for a jury trial on whether a firearm sentence enhancement is appropriate. We affirm in *334part, reverse in part, vacate sentences, and remand to the district court with directions.

We vacate Obregon's sentence and order the district court to reconsider the Florida conviction's person-crime classification. This is necessary because there were two alternative means of committing the Florida offense, and it is unclear which provided the basis for conviction. This may be significant because one version of the Florida offense lacks a comparable Kansas person offense, so it would not support the person-crime classification the district court gave it. See State v. Wetrich , 307 Kan. 552, Syl. ¶ 3, 412 P.3d 984 (2018). We also order that Obregon's resentencing proceed without the firearm enhancement. The panel's remand for a jury finding is contrary to our state's general rule against special verdicts in criminal cases.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Obregon pleaded no contest to one count each of marijuana possession with intent to distribute and cocaine possession with intent to distribute. These offenses occurred in May 2016. In exchange, the State dismissed 18 other drug charges.

Under K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 21-6805(g)(1), "if the trier of fact makes a finding that an offender ... in the furtherance of a drug felony, possessed a firearm, ... the offender shall be sentenced to: (A) ... an additional 6 months' imprisonment." In its complaint, the State alleged both counts Obregon pleaded to carry the statutory enhancement. The plea agreement provided for the enhancement.

**1269The district court accepted Obregon's no contest pleas, found him guilty of both offenses, and applied the enhancement.

Obregon's presentence investigation report recommended a B criminal history score. It listed four prior convictions, including a 2012 Florida battery conviction, which the PSI report recommended be scored as a person felony. Obregon would have had a criminal history score of C if the Florida battery was scored as a nonperson felony. See K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 21-6809 (criminal history categories in scale).

Florida's battery statute contains two ways to commit the offense. One is identical to a Kansas battery, but the other is broader. See Fla. Stat. § 784.03(1)(a) (2009). The PSI report did not show which version in the Florida statute Obregon was convicted of violating. He did not object to his criminal history at sentencing.

The district court denied a downward dispositional departure motion and sentenced Obregon to 79 months' imprisonment for cocaine possession and to a concurrent 55-months' prison term for the marijuana possession. Obregon timely appealed.

A Court of Appeals panel concluded the district court properly calculated Obregon's criminal history score. State v. Obregon , No. 117,422, 2018 WL 911215, at *3 (Kan. App. 2018) (unpublished opinion). But it also held Obregon invalidly waived his right to jury trial on the firearm enhancement. 2018 WL 911215, at *3. The panel vacated the enhancement and remanded to the district court either for Obregon to properly waive his jury trial right or for a jury to make the factual findings required by K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-6805(g)(1) regarding the firearm. 2018 WL 911215, at *3.

Obregon timely petitioned for review of the panel's decision, which we granted. Jurisdiction is proper. See K.S.A. 20-3018(b) (providing for petitions for review of Court of Appeals decisions); K.S.A. 60-2101(b) (Supreme Court has jurisdiction to review Court of Appeals decisions upon petition for review).

THE FLORIDA BATTERY CONVICTION

To be scored as a person crime, a prior out-of-state conviction must have elements identical to or narrower than a Kansas person crime. Wetrich , 307 Kan. at 562, 412 P.3d 984. Obregon challenges whether the **1270district court properly scored his Florida conviction as a person crime without knowing which version of the Florida crime he committed.

Standard of review

Classification of prior offenses for criminal history purposes involves statutory interpretation, which is a question of law subject to unlimited review.

*335Wetrich , 307 Kan. at 555, 412 P.3d 984 (applying unlimited review standard to whether prior out-of-state conviction should be classified as person felony).

Discussion

Under the revised Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act:

"(1) Out-of-state convictions and juvenile adjudications shall be used in classifying the offender's criminal history.
"(2) An out-of-state crime will be classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor according to the convicting jurisdiction:
....
"(3) The state of Kansas shall classify the crime as person or nonperson.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
444 P.3d 331, 309 Kan. 1267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-obregon-kan-2019.