State v. Savinskiy

399 P.3d 1075, 286 Or. App. 232, 2017 WL 2569837, 2017 Ore. App. LEXIS 745
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJune 14, 2017
Docket121059; A154791
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 399 P.3d 1075 (State v. Savinskiy) 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. Savinskiy, 399 P.3d 1075, 286 Or. App. 232, 2017 WL 2569837, 2017 Ore. App. LEXIS 745 (Or. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

SHORR, J.

Defendant appeals a judgment of conviction for: two counts of attempted murder (Counts 1 and 2), ORS 161.405(2)(a); one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer while in a motor vehicle (Count 5), ORS 811.540(1); one count of identity theft (Count 6), ORS 165.800; one count of attempted possession of a silencer (Count 7), ORS 161.405 (2)(c); five counts of recklessly endangering another person (Counts 9 to 13), ORS 163.195; two counts of conspiracy to commit murder (Counts 17 and 18), ORS 161.450(2)(a); and one count of conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree (Count 19), ORS 161.450(2)(a). We initially affirmed the trial court without opinion. State v. Savinskiy, 272 Or App 664, 358 P3d 1008 (2015), vac’d and rem’d, 359 Or 847, 838 P3d 847 (2016). Defendant petitioned for review, and the Supreme Court vacated our decision and remanded the case to us for reconsideration in light of State v. Prieto-Rubio, 359 Or 16, 376 P3d 255 (2016).

On remand, we are asked to consider anew whether the trial court erred when it partially denied defendant’s motion to suppress. When denying the motion to suppress in part, the trial court concluded that the state did not violate defendant’s right to counsel under Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution when defendant’s cellmate, who was acting on behalf of the state and without notice to defendant’s counsel, asked defendant about his involvement in new potential conspiracy crimes. At the time of defendant’s cellmate’s questioning, defendant had previously been arrested, charged, and retained counsel for crimes related to defendant’s participation in a shoot-out and police chase. Applying the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Prieto-Rubio, we hold that it was reasonably foreseeable that the informant’s questioning of defendant regarding defendant’s uncharged conspiracies would result in the discovery of incriminating information regarding charges for which defendant had already obtained counsel and, accordingly, reverse and remand defendant’s convictions that were affected by the trial court’s error in denying the motion to suppress and otherwise affirm.

[235]*235We review the denial of a motion to suppress for legal error and defer to the trial court’s findings of historical fact if there is constitutionally sufficient evidence in the record to support them. State v. Plew, 255 Or App 581, 583, 298 P3d 45 (2013). The relevant facts are not disputed for purposes of this appeal.

Defendant was contacted by an officer from the Astoria Police Department at the Lamplighter Hotel in Astoria because the hotel staff had found suspicious items in his room. Defendant answered his door with a handgun, and, after initially failing to comply with the officer’s instructions to open his door, he became involved in a shootout with police. Escaping the shoot-out, defendant led law enforcement officers on an extended car chase through Clatsop County. The officers eventually caught defendant and charged him with two counts of attempted aggravated murder (Counts 1 and 2), two counts of attempted assault in the first degree (Counts 3 and 4), one count of attempting to elude police (Count 5), one count of identity theft (Count 6), one count of possession of a firearm silencer (Count 7), one count of attempted possession of a destructive device (Count 8), and five counts of recklessly endangering another person (Counts 9 to 13). Defendant was arraigned and retained an attorney to represent him on those charges.

Approximately three months after defendant was arrested and had retained counsel for his initial charges, defendant’s cellmate, Russell, contacted the two detectives who were investigating defendant’s charged conduct. In the detectives’ first interview with Russell, he discussed several statements that defendant had made to him about defendant’s pending charges as well as a number of new criminal conspiracies defendant was planning with Russell. Based on this information, the detectives decided to apply for a warrant to record conversations between Russell and defendant by having Russell wear a body wire. In addition to seeking information about defendant’s uncharged conspiracies, the probable cause affidavit in support of their warrant application stated, in part:

“[B]ecause of the aforementioned unsolicited information provided to * * * Russell by [defendant] during their incarceration at Clatsop County Jail * * * describing [defendant’s] [236]*236actions and the events in an officer involved shooting with Astoria Police Department Officers * * * it is reasonable to believe that [defendant] may discuss or repeat the same previously mentioned details. Therefore, I am asking the Court that any conversations provided by [defendant] to * * * Russell, which are unsolicited and may relate to the crimes involving Attempted Aggravated Murder (ORS 163.095), Assault in the First Degree (ORS 163.185), Unlawful Use of a Weapon (ORS 166.220), and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm Silencer (ORS 166.272)—for which [defendant] has already been charged—be allowed in this request for intercepted oral communications.”

Based on the detectives’ application, a warrant was issued to record generally defendant’s conversations with Russell.

Prior to his first recorded conversation with defendant, Russell once again approached the detectives with information about defendant’s new criminal activities. During that additional meeting, Russell disclosed that defendant had conspired with Russell to kill a police officer and his ex-wife, both of whom defendant believed were likely to testify against him in his criminal trial. Russell also told the detectives that he and defendant ha,d conspired to severely injure the assistant district attorney prosecuting defendant’s case. Russell also provided the detectives with statements written by defendant regarding the new criminal conspiracies.

The detectives successfully recorded three conversations between Russell and defendant. Prior to each of Russell’s taped conversations with defendant, the detectives told Russell not to discuss defendant’s pending charges. The detectives wanted to limit the discussion to defendant’s new crimes. However, despite the detectives’ repeated warnings, Russell discussed defendant’s pending charges during each recording session.

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Related

State v. Craigen
524 P.3d 85 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2023)
State v. Craigen
489 P.3d 1071 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2021)
State v. Savinskiy
441 P.3d 557 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2019)
State v. Allen
438 P.3d 396 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
399 P.3d 1075, 286 Or. App. 232, 2017 WL 2569837, 2017 Ore. App. LEXIS 745, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-savinskiy-orctapp-2017.