State v. Ogden

519 P.3d 1198, 171 Idaho 258
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 2, 2022
Docket48301 & 48302
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 519 P.3d 1198 (State v. Ogden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Ogden, 519 P.3d 1198, 171 Idaho 258 (Idaho 2022).

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Docket Nos. 48301 & 48302

STATE OF IDAHO, ) ) Plaintiff/Respondent, ) Boise, June 2022 Term ) v. ) Filed: November 2, 2022 ) DARIN M. OGDEN, ) Melanie Gagnepain, Clerk ) Defendant/Appellant. ) )

Appeal from the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District of the State of Idaho, Ada County. Michael J. Reardon, District Judge.

The judgment of conviction for sexual battery is affirmed. The judgment of conviction for sexual exploitation of a child is vacated and remanded for a new trial.

Nevin, Benjamin & McKay LLP, Boise, attorney for Appellant. Dennis Benjamin argued.

Lawrence G. Wasden, Idaho Attorney General, Boise, attorney for Respondent. Andrew Wake argued.

BEVAN, Chief Justice. Darin Ogden appeals from his convictions for one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of sexual battery. Ogden argues the convictions should be vacated because of several erroneous evidentiary rulings made by the district court, which deprived Ogden of his constitutional right to confront witnesses and present a defense. Alternatively, Ogden argues his sentences should be vacated because the court considered unreliable information related to earlier conduct for which he had been acquitted. Ogden also requests that the presentence investigation report be redacted to omit those allegations. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND On September 4, 2018, Shelly Millet called 911 around 3 a.m. to report that her 16-year- old daughter, V.H., had been kidnapped by a drug dealer named Michael Roller. Millet was with Ogden, a friend from high school, at the time she called police. Millet advised officers Ogden

1 hangs out at her house and V.H. views him as a “father figure.” About thirty minutes later, V.H. called Millet and officers went to bring her home. After V.H. returned home, she informed one of the responding officers, Detective Brady, that she met Roller through Ogden, but the two do not get along. Based on Detective Brady’s conversation with V.H., he became concerned Roller and Ogden had been grooming V.H. for a sexual relationship. Millet looked through V.H.’s phone and found several explicit photos and videos of V.H. and gave officers permission to confiscate the phone. V.H. admitted she had taken the photos and videos at Roller’s direction. Officers reviewed V.H.’s phone and also discovered text messages in which she discussed having sexual intercourse with Ogden. Detective Brady spoke with V.H. again on September 6, 2018. In reviewing V.H.’s phone, Detective Brady found hundreds of phone calls and texts between V.H. and Ogden. During another interview with Detective Brady on September 12, 2018, V.H. made allegations against Ogden. The September 12, 2018, police report is not in the record, so it is unclear what specific allegations V.H. made at that time; however, the next day, officers obtained a warrant to seize Ogden’s cell phone. Officers found explicit photographs of V.H. on Ogden’s phone. Grand juries indicted Ogden on four counts of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen, one count of sexual battery of a minor child sixteen or seventeen, one count of disseminating material harmful to minors, and, in a consolidated case, one count of sexual exploitation of a child. A jury ultimately acquitted Ogden of the four counts of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen and one count of disseminating materials harmful to minors. The jury found Ogden guilty of sexual battery and sexual exploitation of a minor. The sexual battery charge alleged that “between April 17, 2018, and September 2018, Ogden committed sexual battery by having lewd contact with and/or upon the body of a minor, V.H. a child sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years of age, to-wit: sixteen (16) years old, by genital- genital contact and/or manual-genital contact and/or oral-genital contact, with the intent to arouse, appeal to, or gratify the lust, passion, or sexual desire of the defendant and/or said minor child, where the defendant was over the age of eighteen (18) years, to-wit: forty-four (44) years and at least five (5) years older than V.H.” The sexual exploitation of a child charge alleged that “between April 2016 and September 2018, Ogden did knowingly and willfully commit sexual exploitation of a child by causing, inducing or permitting V.H., a child under the age of eighteen, to wit: fifteen (15) years old to 2 engage in, or be used for, explicit sexual conduct for the purpose of producing or making an image or images which exploited V.H. by photographing her nude as she was bent over. The complaint specified the photograph was taken “on or about the 30th day of July, 2018.”1 Prior to trial, Ogden filed several motions in limine in support of his defense that he was “set up” in this case. Ogden alleged V.H. had essentially joined a drug gang, was doing drugs, and hanging out with a known enemy of Ogden – Michael Roller.2 Ogden also pointed to another third party’s involvement with V.H., Ty Birchfield, and noted that Birchfield was under federal indictment for running a drug operation.3 Ogden alleged that V.H. had lied and stated Ogden abused her to cover for Roller and Birchfield. Ogden’s first motion in limine sought to introduce expert testimony pursuant to Idaho Rule of Evidence 702, concerning “the fact that drug gangs exist and operate in Boise, Idaho, general information on how drug gangs operate, to include gang tactics, which are topics that are outside of a likely jurors [sic] knowledge and experience.” The State filed a motion to exclude Ogden’s expert witness, arguing Ogden’s expert witness disclosure was deficient and irrelevant. A few months later Ogden filed another motion in limine, this time asking the district court to allow the defense to cross-examine V.H. concerning her relationship, sexual behavior, and drug use with Roller during the months of July and August 2018 pursuant to Idaho Rule of Evidence 412(b)(4) and (b)(5). Ogden argued V.H.’s involvement with Roller provided motive for her to lie about her alleged sexual contact with Ogden. Ogden alleged V.H.’s sexual behavior with Roller and others in the months of July and August 2018 culminated in Millet and Ogden calling 911 and was the catalyst for the charges alleged against Ogden. At a hearing on the motion, Ogden’s counsel explained that the defense theory of the case was that Ogden was “set up.” Ogden’s counsel cited the chronology of V.H.’s internet searches and communications to argue that she did not start educating herself on sexual conduct until after

1 V.H. turned sixteen on April 17, 2018. It is unclear why the State charged Ogden with sexual exploitation of a child by causing, inducing or permitting V.H., a child under the age of eighteen, to wit: fifteen (15) years old to engage in, or be used for, explicit sexual conduct for the purpose of producing or making an image or images which exploited V.H., when the alleged photograph was taken on July 30, 2018, after V.H. had already turned sixteen. 2 Roller was charged in a separate case where he pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor child sixteen or seventeen years of age, and received an indeterminate 30-year sentence, with the first seven years fixed. 3 Birchfield was charged in federal court with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He pleaded guilty to both counts and was sentenced to serve 180 months. Birchfield was not charged with sexual abuse of V.H. 3 she started having sex with Roller in August 2018, despite claiming that Ogden took her virginity in April of 2018. The defense also argued that when V.H. first met with detectives she was very explicit with the details of her experiences, and yet, when she told them about sex with Ogden there were no details whatsoever.

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

Related

State v. Johnson
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2026
State v. Tellez
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2025
State v. Radue
564 P.3d 1230 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2025)
State v. Alvarez
564 P.3d 1192 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2025)
State v. Dills
561 P.3d 478 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2024)
State v. Chavez
560 P.3d 488 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2024)
State v. Wilson
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2024
State v. Scown
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2024
Martinez v. Carretero
539 P.3d 565 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2023)
State v. Torrey
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2023
State v. Harrison
Idaho Court of Appeals, 2023
State v. Lankford
535 P.3d 172 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2023)
State v. Ogden
526 P.3d 1013 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2023)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
519 P.3d 1198, 171 Idaho 258, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ogden-idaho-2022.