State v. Orr

2005 UT 92, 127 P.3d 1213, 542 Utah Adv. Rep. 13, 2005 Utah LEXIS 243, 2005 WL 3557416
Utah Supreme Court·Decided December 30, 2005·No. 20041057·Published·Cited by 18 cases

Opinion

DURRANT, Justice:

INTRODUCTION

¶ 1 The question before us is whether the district court erred in extending David J. Orr’s probation when (1) Orr did not receive notice that the State intended to seek an extension of probation until seven days after his probation was originally set to expire and (2) the district court, in its written order, did not expressly find that Orr had violated a term of his probation or that such violation was willful. We conclude that notice of a probation extension proceeding is sufficient, even if served after the original probationary term was set to expire, provided a probation violation report is filed prior to the original expiration date and that the notice complies with due process. We further conclude that *1215 to extend probation a court must make written findings that a defendant violated the terms of probation, but that a transcript of oral findings may satisfy this requirement. Applying these conclusions of law to the facts presented in this case, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals that the district court properly extended Orr’s probation.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 Orr pleaded guilty to two third degree felonies in connection with alleged fraud and securities violations. On May 12, 2000, the district court sentenced Orr to two consecutive prison terms of zero-to-five years. The district court suspended Orr’s sentence and placed him on thirty-six months probation under the supervision of the Utah Adult Probation and Parole Department (“AP & P”). One of the conditions of Orr’s probation was that he pay $365,504.39 in restitution in monthly installments of “no less than $1,000 ... or 25% of [his] income.”

¶ 3 Until May 2003, the month Orr’s probation was set to expire, Orr made monthly restitution payments of approximately $1,000. In that month, however, Orr failed to make his restitution payment. Because Orr had failed to pay the full restitution amount, AP & P filed a probation violation report on May 9, 2003, 1 and asked the court to order Orr to show cause as to why his probation should not be revoked. On May 12, 2003, the court issued the order to show cause, which was served on Orr on May 19, 2003.

¶ 4 Orr moved to dismiss the order to show cause, arguing that the district court lost jurisdiction to extend his probation on May 12, when his probation expired. Orr further argued that the district court did not have jurisdiction over him because AP & P did not file its report and serve him with notice before his probation expired. The court, citing Utah Code section 77-18-l(ll)(b) (2003), 2 held that the May 9 filing tolled Orr’s probationary period and provided it with jurisdiction to extend Orr’s probation. The district court then extended Orr’s probation for the full ten-year term of Orr’s suspended prison sentence.

¶ 5 Orr appealed to the court of appeals, where he again raised the notice argument and further argued that the district court lacked authority to extend his probation because it did not make a specific factual finding that he willfully violated his probation terms. 3 State v. Orr, 2004 UT App 413, ¶¶ 8, 11, 103 P.3d 164. The court of appeals affirmed the district court’s holding that the May 9 filing tolled Orr’s probationary period. Id. ¶ 10. The court of appeals did not determine whether a written statement of factual findings or a finding of willfulness was required to extend probation, but instead determined that even if these rules were applicable to probation extension, the district court’s order and record demonstrated a sufficient factual basis to extend Orr’s probation. Id. ¶¶ 11-13.

¶ 6 We granted certiorari to review the court of appeals’ decision. We have jurisdiction pursuant to Utah Code section 78-2-2(5) (2002).

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶7 On certiorari, we review the court of appeals’ decision for correctness and grant no deference to its conclusions of law. Allstate Ins. Co. v. Wong, 2005 UT 51, ¶ 12, 122 P.3d 589. “Our review extends no further than to determine whether the court of *1216 appeals accurately reviewed the trial court’s decision under the appropriate standard of review.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted).

¶ 8 In this case, no party has asserted that the court of appeals applied an incorrect standard of review to either of the issues before us on certiorari. The court of appeals appropriately applied a correctness standard of review to the questions of law and a clearly erroneous standard of review to the district court’s factual findings. State v. Orr, 2004 UT App 413, ¶ 7, 103 P.3d 164.

¶ 9 The court of appeals does not, however, set forth the standard of review for mixed questions of law and fact such as whether the district court’s factual findings were sufficient to support the extension of Orr’s probation under the applicable laws. In a probation extension proceeding, the district court has discretion “to grant, modify, or revoke probation.” State v. Jameson, 800 P.2d 798, 804 (Utah 1990). Therefore, to reverse the district court’s decision in such proceedings, a reviewing court must determine “that the evidence of a probation violation, viewed in a light most favorable to the trial court’s findings, is so deficient that the trial court abused its discretion in revoking [or modifying appellant’s] probation.” Id. Thus, in addressing the question of whether there were sufficient factual findings to support the extension of Orr’s probation, we will review the district court’s determination for an abuse of discretion.

ANALYSIS

¶ 10 In this case, Orr argues that the district court improperly extended his probation (1) because he did not receive notice that the State intended to extend his probation until after his probation was set to expire and (2) because the district court’s findings were insufficient. Before addressing these arguments, we must first decide the threshold issue of whether the due process requirements for probation extension are coextensive with those provided for probation revocation.

I. AT BOTH PROBATION REVOCATION AND PROBATION EXTENSION PROCEEDINGS, A DEFENDANT SHOULD BE AFFORDED THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF DUE PROCESS.

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State v. Orr, 2005 UT 92, 127 P.3d 1213, 542 Utah Adv. Rep. 13, 2005 Utah LEXIS 243, 2005 WL 3557416 (Utah 2005).

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