State v. Oquendo

621 A.2d 24, 262 N.J. Super. 317, 1993 N.J. Super. LEXIS 82
CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedJanuary 4, 1993
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 621 A.2d 24 (State v. Oquendo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Oquendo, 621 A.2d 24, 262 N.J. Super. 317, 1993 N.J. Super. LEXIS 82 (N.J. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinions

PER CURIAM.

Defendant Miguel Angel Oquendo appeals from his conviction of a second violation of probation and the sentence imposed thereon, as well as the failure to allow him “jail credit” based on time spent on “parole” while serving his sentence of probation after the county jail portion of that sentence.

Oquendo had entered a retraxit plea of guilty on January 30, 1988, to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it within 1,000 feet of a school. Under the plea agreement the State agreed to dismiss three other charges against him and recommend a sentence of four years’ probation with 364 days in the Camden County Jail, as well as the usual Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction penalties. The prosecutor waived the mandatory period of parole ineligibility required by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7. Oquendo was sentenced in accordance with the plea agreement, with a modification agreed to by the State which allowed Oquendo to serve his jail sentence on weekends from 7:00 p.m. on Fridays to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays.

On September 11, 1989, the Camden County Probation Department charged Oquendo with a violation of probation for failure to comply with certain provisions of his probation. After a hearing, Oquendo was found to have violated the terms of his probation. His sentence was then modified to require that he serve the remainder of his 364 days in jail immediately, thus eliminating the weekend jail provision of the sentence. The State again agreed to waive the mandatory period of parole ineligibility “at this time, and only this time,” with a warning that it would not do so again if there was another violation of probation. The assistant county prosecutor took the position that she would seek a prison sentence of five years, three without parole eligibility, for any future violations.

[320]*320A second violation of probation proceeding was instituted against Oquendo on November 9, 1990. At an April 1, 1991 hearing the judge found that Oquendo had violated probation by failing to pay the required fines and penalties, not reporting to his probation officer, and failing to obtain drug evaluation. The State announced it withdrew its waiver of the mandatory period of parole ineligibility. The judge thereafter revoked Oquendo’s probation and sentenced him to five years in prison, three without parole eligibility.

On appeal, Oquendo raises the following issues:

I. The plea agreement in this case did not provide that a period of parole ineligibility was mandatory if the defendant violated his probation. (Not raised below).
II. The trial court erred in finding that defendant had inexcusably failed to comply with a substantive condition of probation.
III. The court in imposing parole ineligibility for a violation of probation violated the sentencing guidelines as established by the Supreme Court in State v. Baylass, 114 N.J. 169, 553 A.2d 326 (1989) and State v. Molina, 114 N.J. 181, 553 A.2d 332 (1989). (Not raised below).
IV. N.J.S.A. 20:35-12, which precludes the court from foregoing a mandatory sentence without the State’s consent, violates the doctrine of separation of powers and the defendant’s right to due process of law, as well as his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights. (U.S. Const, amend V, VI, and XIV; N.J. Const. art. I, H1; art. Ill, H1). (Not raised below).
A. N.J.S.A. 2C:35-12 violates the doctrine of separation of powers by vesting conclusive sentencing authority in the prosecutor rather than in the court.
B. The utilization of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-12 to circumvent the sentencing guidelines set forth in State v. Baylass, 114 N.J. 169, 553 A.2d 326 (1989), and State v. Molina, 114 N.J. 181, 553 A.2d 332 (1989), violates separation of powers.
C. N.J.S.A. 2C:35-12 violates defendant’s Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights and the right to due process by delegating excessive power to the prosecutor.
V. Defendant’s guilty plea did not waive any issue pertaining to his sentence, which had not yet been imposed when he pled guilty. (Not raised below).
VI. The trial court erred in not granting defendant jail credit for the completion of his 364 day county jail term and in not granting defendant credit for time spent on parole from the county jail. (Not raised below).

We reject Oquendo’s contention that there was insufficient basis for finding a substantive violation of probation as without merit. See State v. Peters, 129 N.J. 210, 217-218, 609 A.2d 40 (1992). We note that the remaining issues were essentially not [321]*321raised below and thus must be considered under the plain error standard, except those issues arising after the sentence was imposed.

We note also that State v. Vasquez, 129 N.J. 189, 609 A.2d 29 (1992), has resolved Oquendo’s constitutional challenge to N.J.S.A. 20:35-12. That statute does not violate the doctrine of separation of powers because prosecutorial discretion is subject to judicial review where a defendant clearly and convincingly shows that the exercise of discretion was arbitrary and capricious. Vasquez, supra, 129 N.J. at 196-197, 609 A.2d 29.

With respect to the waiver of the mandatory period of parole ineligibility, those issues have recently been resolved by the Supreme Court. Regardless of whether Oquendo received notice of the consequences of violating his probation at the initial sentencing, State v. Peters, supra, 129 N.J. at 213, 609 A.2d 40, has now held that N.J.S.A. 2C:35-12 “does not compel the [sentencing] court to impose a mandatory period of parole ineligibility on resentencing because of a probation violation when the prosecutor has waived the parole disqualifier at the time of the initial sentencing in conjunction with a plea agreement.” See also State v. Vasquez, supra, 129 N.J. at 200, 209, 609 A.2d 29. “[T]he prosecutor retains no sentencing authority on resentencing with respect to the imposition of a parole disqualifier.” Id. at 200, 609 A.2d 29. Hence, on resentencing, the judge must follow the general guidelines set forth in State v. Baylass, 114 N.J. 169, 553 A.2d 326 (1989). However, the judge still retains discretionary authority to impose parole ineligibility under appropriate circumstances and based on adequate findings. State v. Vasquez, supra, 129 N.J. at 205, 609 A.2d 29.

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Bluebook (online)
621 A.2d 24, 262 N.J. Super. 317, 1993 N.J. Super. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-oquendo-njsuperctappdiv-1993.