State v. Plouffe

2014 MT 183, 329 P.3d 1255, 375 Mont. 429, 2014 Mont. LEXIS 516, 2014 WL 3429595
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 15, 2014
DocketNo. DA 12-0638
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 2014 MT 183 (State v. Plouffe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana 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. Plouffe, 2014 MT 183, 329 P.3d 1255, 375 Mont. 429, 2014 Mont. LEXIS 516, 2014 WL 3429595 (Mo. 2014).

Opinion

JUSTICE McKINNON

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

¶1 Karlyle Plouffe appeals from the order of the Fourth Judicial District Court, Mineral County, denying his motions to suppress and dismiss charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and distribution of dangerous drugs, both felonies. We reverse. We restate the issue on appeal as follows:1

¶2 Was Plouffe’s constitutional right against compelled self-incrimination, guaranteed by Article II, Section 25 of the Montana Constitution and the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, violated by the State’s use of confidential Treatment Court material?

BACKGROUND

¶3 Plouffe was charged in 2011 with trespass to property and possession of dangerous drugs (marijuana), both misdemeanor offenses. At his initial appearance in Justice Court, Plouffe was advised of his rights, including his right to counsel. Justice of the Peace Wanda James advised Plouffe that he may be eligible to participate in the Mineral County Treatment Court (Treatment Court), and Plouffe expressed interest in doing so. Judge James then contacted the public defender’s office to notify it that Plouffe needed to be appointed counsel. Public defender Kirk Krutilla was appointed, although Plouffe maintains that he never met with any defense counsel regarding either of the two charges.

¶4 The Treatment Court has a Treatment Team consisting of professionals who assist Judge James with processing cases. The Treatment Team includes Judge James, County Attorney Marcia Boris, Mineral County Sheriff Ernie Ornelas, and two probation and parole officers, Tim Case and Jay Childress. Initially, the Treatment Team included defense attorney Krutilla, but the Team at the time had no defense attorney due to a lack of funding. Nevertheless, although Krutilla no longer officially participated in Treatment Court, it appears he at least reviewed the Treatment Agreement with Plouffe, as Plouffe’s Treatment Agreement was signed by Kirk Krutilla, “Attorney for Defendant.”

¶5 Before Plouffe could participate in Treatment Court, he was [431]*431required to enter into a written Treatment Agreement. The Treatment Agreement is governed by the provisions of the Drug Offender Accountability and Treatment Act, Title 46, chapter 1, part 11, MCA. Plouffe signed a Treatment Agreement to enroll in Treatment Court, along with two of his friends, Christopher Hewitt and Roger Raedel. Pursuant to the Treatment Agreement, Plouffe entered conditional guilty pleas to the two misdemeanors. Sentencing was continued until he either successftdly completed Treatment Court, or was otherwise discharged from the program. The Treatment Agreement provided that if Plouffe successftdly completed Treatment Court, he would be able to withdraw his guilty pleas and have the charges dismissed. However, if Plouffe did not successftdly complete Treatment Court and was discharged from the program, the Treatment Agreement provided he would “be sentenced by the Mineral County Justice of the Peace in a manner consistent with the sentences typically imposed on other defendants for comparable offenses.”

¶6 The Treatment Agreement emphasized the extended period needed for treatment, depending on the “treatment issues” and “pace of progress” of the participant, and that it was likely a participant would be enrolled in Treatment Court a minimum of 18 months. The Treatment Agreement also required that Plouffe waive several rights in order to obtain treatment. Plouffe was required to waive his right to speedy trial, his right to assert any claim based on the delay in sentencing, and his privilege of confidentiality that attaches to records maintained by health care providers. The Treatment Agreement required Plouffe to release confidential information from his treatment providers to the Treatment Team, and allow for the sharing of confidential information between Treatment Team members and the court so that Plouffe’s progress, or lack thereof, could be assessed and monitored.

¶7 The Treatment Agreement also required Plouffe to comply with a number of conditions, including to “check in with the Mineral County Misdemeanor Probation Officer as directed and follow all reasonable directives of the probation officer.” He was required to submit to random drug testing that was requested by a Treatment Team member. The Treatment Agreement explained that a positive drug test result was sufficient to conclude that Plouffe had violated program rules and would result in an appropriate sanction, to which Plouffe would “promptly submit.” Reasonable incentives may include but are not limited to: graduation certificates, early graduation, fee reduction or waiver of fees, record expungement of the underlying case, or [432]*432reduced contact with a probation officer. Section 46-1-1104(3), MCA. Sanctions may include: a short-term jail sentence, fines, extensions of time in the program, peer review, geographical restrictions, termination, or contempt of court. Section 46-1-1104(4), MCA. Plouffe also agreed to “honestly answer all questions asked by team members, counselors, therapists or law enforcement personnel including the probation officer.”

¶8 Plouffe, as is typical of participants in a treatment court, had varied success in complying with Treatment Court requirements. Relevant to the instant proceedings, in October 2011, Plouffe was ordered not to associate with Hewitt and Raedel while a participant in Treatment Court, as the three were suspected of using drugs together. Further, Plouffe was rewarded early in his Treatment Court progress with a “week off” for his “great honesty,” and for successfully completing a report about honesty. In spite of this, Plouffe was sanctioned on August 3, 2011, and September 14, 2011, for being dishonest and received a four-day jail sentence and house arrest, respectively. Plouffe was therefore aware of the significance Treatment Court placed on being honest and that he could be sanctioned with incarceration if his actions were interpreted by the Treatment Team as dishonest. He also understood that he was not to associate with Hewitt and Raedel.

First, non-Mirandized, interview

¶9 On October 5,2011, Treatment Team member Case administered a routine urinalysis (UA) to Plouffe, Hewitt, and Raedel pursuant to standard Treatment Court procedures. All three tested positive for benzodiazepine. A few days prior, Hewitt’s grandmother, Ms. Mary Mellen, reported to the Mineral County Sheriffs Office that someone had stolen prescription pills from a locked box in her home. The investigating sheriffs deputy learned that numerous people had access to the locked box, and law enforcement was thus unable to determine who had taken the pills. Case explained to the District Court that generally, when a Treatment Court participant has a positive UA, he asks the participant the type and quantity of the drug the participant ingested, and where it was obtained. Case decided it was necessary to separate Plouffe, Hewitt, and Raedel to ask them these questions individually. Case thus requested Sheriff Ornelas, also a Treatment Team member, to assist with questioning. Case next requested assistance from felony probation officer Valerie Chestnut, who was [433]*433apparently filling in for Treatment Team member Childress.2 Case told Ornelas and Chestnut that he was suspicious of Plouffe’s UA results in light of the recent report of theft by Hewitt’s grandmother.

¶10 Plouffe was attending an AA meeting when Case removed him for questioning about his positive UA.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2014 MT 183, 329 P.3d 1255, 375 Mont. 429, 2014 Mont. LEXIS 516, 2014 WL 3429595, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-plouffe-mont-2014.