State v. Prophet

507 P.3d 735, 318 Or. App. 330
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMarch 16, 2022
DocketA171101
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 507 P.3d 735 (State v. Prophet) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Prophet, 507 P.3d 735, 318 Or. App. 330 (Or. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Argued and submitted October 20, 2020, affirmed March 16, 2022

STATE OF OREGON, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. JOSIE CHRISTY ANN PROPHET, Defendant-Appellant. Harney County Circuit Court 18CR84172; A171101 507 P3d 735

Defendant appeals a judgment of conviction for resisting arrest, ORS 162.315, arguing that the trial court erred by refusing to deliver her proposed jury instruction stating that an individual must intentionally create a substan- tial risk of harm to be convicted of resisting arrest. Held: For statutes within the Criminal Code, every element other than venue, statute of limitations, and the like requires a culpable mental state. ORS 161.095(2). For statutes that con- tain an explicit mental state, that mental state applies to each nonprocedural element of the crime unless the text, context, and legislative history are clear that the legislature intended otherwise. ORS 161.115(1). Regarding the resisting arrest statute, ORS 162.315, the element of creating a substantial risk of injury requires a mental state, but evidence of legislative intent affirmatively rebuts the presumption that “intentionally” should be that mental state. Affirmed.

W. D. Cramer, Jr., Judge. Stacy M. Du Clos, Deputy Public Defender, argued the cause for appellant. Also on the brief was Ernest G. Lannet, Chief Defender, Criminal Appellate Section, Office of Public Defense Services. Michael A. Casper, Assistant Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent. Also on the brief were Ellen F. Rosenblum, Attorney General, and Benjamin Gutman, Solicitor General. Before James, Presiding Judge, and Lagesen, Chief Judge, and Kamins, Judge. KAMINS, J. Affirmed. Cite as 318 Or App 330 (2022) 331

KAMINS, J. Defendant was convicted of resisting arrest, ORS 162.315, after attempting to prevent a police officer from arresting her for driving under the influence of intoxicants. She appeals, arguing that the trial court erred in refus- ing to deliver her proposed jury instruction stating that an individual must intentionally create a substantial risk of harm to be convicted of resisting arrest.1 We conclude that the trial court did not err in refusing to give defendant’s proposed instruction because ORS 162.315 does not require that a defendant intentionally created a substantial risk of harm. Accordingly, we affirm. I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND The relevant facts are undisputed. At 4:00 p.m. on April 11, 2018, Oregon State Police Trooper Held was dis- patched to locate a silver Toyota Camry that was reportedly being driven by someone under the influence of intoxicants. Held located the vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road between Burns and John Day, observing that the engine was still running, and defendant was asleep in the driver’s seat. Held knocked on the window to awaken defendant and asked her a few questions, which defendant answered politely. However, Held observed that defendant’s move- ments were slow and that she had watery, bloodshot eyes, and droopy eyelids—all indicators of alcohol impairment. Held asked defendant to perform field sobriety tests, at which point defendant’s demeanor changed “dras- tically.” Defendant appeared noticeably more upset and began to alternate between cursing loudly and sitting on the ground crying. Due to defendant’s irritability, Held began to suspect that she was under the influence of methamphet- amine rather than alcohol and informed her that she was under arrest for driving under the influence of intoxicants. Held approached defendant and attempted to put her hands behind her back, but she became rigid and attempted to pull her arm closer to her body and away from Held. Held warned defendant that he would consider anything further to be resisting, but defendant continued to scream “[n]o” 1 We reject defendant’s remaining assignment of error without discussion. 332 State v. Prophet

and that she “wasn’t doing this.” With the help of Harney County Sherriff’s Deputy Nisbet, who had just arrived on scene, Held attempted to force defendant down to her knees using a “modified arm bar” technique so that he could place handcuffs on her. Although defendant continued to try and pull away, the technique succeeded, and Held was able to complete the arrest. As Held and Nisbet attempted to walk defendant over to the patrol car, defendant dragged her toes on the pavement, forcing them to carry her. After a search incident to arrest yielded drug par- aphernalia that tested positive for methamphetamine res- idue, the state charged defendant with both possession of methamphetamine, ORS 475.894 (2018),2 and resisting arrest, ORS 162.315. At trial, defendant requested a jury instruction that, to be convicted of resisting arrest, the jury had to find that she acted “with a conscious objective to create a substantial risk of physical injury to any person.” The trial court refused to give defendant’s proposed instruc- tion, however, explaining that the statute does not require proof that defendant intended to create a substantial risk of physical injury. Rather, the court reasoned, the intent requirement applies only to the statute’s conduct element: “use or threatened use of violence, physical force or any other means.” Defendant was later convicted of resisting arrest. On appeal, defendant assigns error to the trial court’s refusal to give her proposed instruction. She argues that ORS 162.315 requires proof that defendant intended to create a substantial risk of injury and that she was there- fore entitled to have her proposed jury instruction given. II. STANDARD OF REVIEW We review a trial court’s jury instructions for legal error. State v. Harper, 296 Or App 125, 126, 436 P3d 44 (2019). “A trial court commits reversible error when it incor- rectly instructs the jury on a material element of a claim or defense and that instructional error permits the jury to reach a legally erroneous result.” Id. 2 Amended by Ballot Measure 110 (2020); Or Laws 2021, ch 591, §§ 36, 39. Cite as 318 Or App 330 (2022) 333

III. ANALYSIS Under ORS 162.315, a person may not “intention- ally resist” someone “known by the person to be a peace officer or parole and probation officer in making an arrest.” Paragraph (2)(b) defines “resist” in relevant part as: “the use or threatened use of violence, physical force or any other means that creates a substantial risk of phys- ical injury to any person and includes, but is not limited to, behavior clearly intended to prevent being taken into custody by overcoming the actions of the arresting officer.” ORS 162.315(2)(b). Here, the parties dispute to which por- tions of that definition the modifier “intentionally” applies.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
507 P.3d 735, 318 Or. App. 330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-prophet-orctapp-2022.