State v. Sierra

399 P.3d 987, 361 Or. 723, 2017 WL 3430583, 2017 Ore. LEXIS 545
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided August 10, 2017·No. CC 05C40355; CA A153534; SC S064237·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

*725 WALTERS, J.

This court reversed two of defendant’s nine convictions and remanded the case for resentencing on the remaining convictions. State v. Sierra, 349 Or 506, 254 P3d 149 (2010), modified and adh’d to on recons, 349 Or 604, 247 P3d 759 (2011). On remand, a different judge, who did not preside over defendant’s original trial, imposed a longer total sentence than had the original trial court. This case requires us to decide two issues: first, whether Oregon common law or the federal Double Jeopardy Clause precludes the second sentencing court from imposing new sentences on defendant’s convictions for unlawful use of a weapon (UUW) because defendant already had served the previously imposed sentences; and second, whether the Due Process Clause, as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court in North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 US 711, 89 S Ct 2072, 23 L Ed 2d 656 (1969), and by this court in State v. Partain, 349 Or 10, 239 P3d 232 (2010), precludes the imposition of a more severe sentence than originally imposed. The answer to both questions is no. We affirm the decisions of the trial court and the Court of Appeals, State v. Sierra, 278 Or App 96, 374 P3d 952 (2016).

I. BACKGROUND

A jury convicted defendant of nine offenses: one count of first-degree kidnapping; two counts of second-degree kidnapping; one count of fourth-degree assault; and five counts of unlawful use of a weapon (UUW). The state did not allege enhancement factors. The trial court sentenced defendant to a total of 250 months in prison. The court imposed a 110-month sentence on the conviction for first-degree kidnapping, two consecutive 70-month sentences on the convictions for second-degree kidnapping, and concurrent sentences of 14 months or less on the remaining convictions (including all of defendant’s UUW convictions). On review, this court concluded that the evidence did not support the convictions for two counts of second-degree kidnapping because the state had failed to prove the act element. Sierra, 349 Or at 518. The court reversed defendant’s convictions on those counts and remanded the case to the *726 trial court for resentencing. Sierra, 349 Or at 607 (modified and adh’d to on recons).

On remand, before a different judge, the state sought an upward departure sentence on defendant’s conviction for first-degree kidnapping, as well as longer sentences than originally imposed on the other convictions. On the kidnapping conviction, the state alleged, and the sentencing jury found, four enhancement factors—the use of a weapon; threat of or actual violence towards a witness; prior sanctions should have deterred defendant’s criminal conduct and did not; and incarceration is necessary for public safety. Based on the jury’s findings, the state sought, by upward departure, a sentence of 220 months on that count—an increase of 110 months over defendant’s original sentence. The state also asked the court to place four of defendant’s UUW convictions (counts 5, 7,10, and 11) into grid block 6-D and impose the 14-month presumptive sentence on each and to require defendant to serve those four sentences consecutively to each other and to the 220-month sentence imposed on the kidnapping conviction, for a total sentence of 276 months.

Defendant objected under Partain, arguing that the imposition of a longer total sentence would be presumed vindictive because the second sentencing court would not be basing its sentence on information unknown to the first court at the time of the original sentencing. Defendant also contended that the common-law rule of State v. Smith, 323 Or 450, 918 P2d 824 (1996), prevented the sentencing court from imposing new sentences on any of the UUW convictions because defendant had fully served the sentences originally imposed on those counts. Finally, defendant argued that revisiting a completely served sentence would deny him due process and the swift and complete administration of justice, under Article I, section 10, of the Oregon Constitution. 1

The sentencing court overruled defendant’s objections and imposed the sentence requested by the state. The *727 court explained that defendant’s sentence complied with the Partain requirements because the court had based the increased sentence on information not available to the first court: the apparent continued impact of the crimes on the victims and defendant’s prison disciplinary record. The court also explained that it was imposing an upward dura-tional departure sentence on the first-degree kidnapping conviction based on the enhancement factors found by the jury, and that the sentences requested by the state on the UUW convictions were appropriate under the sentencing guidelines.

Defendant appealed to the Court of Appeals, arguing that (1) the Smith rule and the Double Jeopardy Clause of the federal constitution prevented the sentencing court from applying ORS 138.222(5)(b) and imposing new sentences on any of the UUW convictions; and (2) under Pearce and Partain, the Court of Appeals was required to presume that the judge on remand had acted vindictively and that due process precluded imposition of a more severe sentence. The Court of Appeals rejected defendant’s arguments, holding that the Smith rule did not bar the trial court from applying ORS 138.222(5)(b) and modifying defendant’s UUW sentences on remand and that the trial court had satisfied the Pearce/Partain requirements. Sierra, 278 Or at 100-05. The court also held that defendant’s double jeopardy argument was not preserved and did not warrant plain error review. Id. at 98. 2

Defendant petitioned for review in this court, renewing the arguments presented before the Court of Appeals. We allowed defendant’s petition.

*728 II. ANALYSIS

A. Defendant’s Objections to Increases in His Sentence Based on Crimes of UUW

1. Defendant’s common-law argument

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State v. Sierra, 399 P.3d 987, 361 Or. 723, 2017 WL 3430583, 2017 Ore. LEXIS 545 (Or. 2017).

399 P.3d 987 (State v. Sierra) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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