State v. Solano

2009 NMCA 098, 215 P.3d 769, 146 N.M. 831
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 25, 2009
Docket28,166
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 2009 NMCA 098 (State v. Solano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Solano, 2009 NMCA 098, 215 P.3d 769, 146 N.M. 831 (N.M. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION

CASTILLO, Judge.

{1} Defendant challenges the district court’s designation of his conviction for third degree vehicular homicide as a serious violent offense for the purposes of the Earned Meritorious Deductions Act (the EMDA), NMSA 1978, § 33-2-34 (2004) (amended 2006). We conclude that the district court’s designation was not an abuse of discretion because (1) the factual findings were legally sufficient to satisfy this Court’s requirements in State v. Morales, 2002-NMCA-016, 131 N.M. 530, 39 P.3d 747 (filed 2001) and (2) substantial evidence supported those findings. Accordingly, we affirm the district court.

I. BACKGROUND

{2} On July 27, 2005, Defendant struck and killed the victim with his vehicle. Defendant’s blood alcohol level tested at .23 and .24. On August 12, 2005, Defendant was charged in district court with one count of homicide by vehicle, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 66-8-101 (2004). Defendant waived indictment, pled guilty, and judgment was entered on August 15, 2005. The district court committed Defendant to the corrections department for sixty days for the purposes of diagnosis and evaluation.

{3} The sentencing hearing was held on November 23, 2005, during which the district court heard from the victim’s family. The State recommended the maximum sentence. The district court imposed the maximum sentence and designated the conviction to be a serious violent offense, thus limiting the amount of good time credit that Defendant could earn. The district court commended Defendant for taking responsibility for his actions and suspended two years of the sentence based on this and Defendant’s remorse.

{4} Defendant appealed the serious violent offender designation to this Court. By memorandum opinion, this Court remanded the matter back to the district court because the findings supporting the serious violent offense designation were insufficient to satisfy the established legal standard. State v. Solano, No. 26,403, slip op. at 3-4 (N.M.Ct.App. July 24, 2007). On remand, the district court held a second sentencing hearing. The court made additional findings and imposed the same sentence, including the serious violent offense designation. Defendant again appeals his sentence.

II. DISCUSSION

{5} Defendant makes two arguments in the current appeal. First, Defendant contends that the district court’s findings on remand were again insufficient to support a serious violent offense designation. Second, Defendant argues that the district court’s serious violent offense designation was not supported by substantial evidence. In addition, Defendant and the State dispute the standard for our review. We begin with the standard of review and a brief overview of the EMDA, and then we turn to Defendant’s arguments.

A. Standard of Review

{6} Defendant argues that we apply both a de novo and a substantial evidence standard. He states that we consider de novo whether the district court’s findings are in compliance with the EMDA and then consider whether the designation was supported by substantial evidence. The State contends that we conduct our review for abuse of discretion. Although we agree with the State that the proper standard is abuse of discretion, we observe that Defendant’s approach effects the same result.

{7} Our Supreme Court has explained that the judiciary has no role in the administration of the EMDA apart from exercising “discretion to determine whether the nature of the offense and the resulting harm in a particular factual context justify categorizing the offense as a serious violent offense.” State v. Rudolfo, 2008-NMSC-036, ¶ 37, 144 N.M. 305, 187 P.3d 170. Nevertheless, “[although the determination that a crime that falls within the district court’s discretionary authority under the EMDA as a serious violent offense is a discretionary act, the district court will abuse its discretion if it acts contrary to law.” State v. Scurry, 2007-NMCA-064, ¶ 4, 141 N.M. 591, 158 P.3d 1034. In addition, a district court abuses “its discretion when its decision is not supported by substantial evidence.” State v. Montoya, 2005-NMCA-078, ¶ 8, 137 N.M. 713, 114 P.3d 393. Thus, we review the district court’s findings and subsequent serious violent offender designation “for sufficient evidence, for legal error, as well as for an untenable choice between or among alternatives.” State v. Gonzales, 2005-NMSC-025, ¶ 25, 138 N.M. 271, 119 P.3d 151 (describing the scope of appellate review under the abuse of discretion standard).

{8} We now turn to the relevant language of the EMDA and its accompanying case law.

B. The EMDA

{9} Under Section 33-2-34, a prisoner may earn meritorious deductions under certain circumstances. If the offense is a nonviolent offense, the defendant may earn up to thirty days per month of time served. Section 33-2-34(A)(2). If the offense of conviction is designated as a serious violent offense, however, the sentence reduction is limited to no more than four days per month of time served. Section 33-2-34(A)(l). A “nonviolent offense” is defined as “any offense other than a serious violent offense.” Section 33-2-34(L)(3). A “serious violent offense” is defined in two ways. Section 33-2-34(L)(4)(a) through (n) enumerates specific crimes that are per se serious violent offenses — crimes that are designated serious violent offenses regardless of the circumstances. Section 33-2-34(L)(4)(o) lists several other specific crimes that may be considered serious violent offenses “when the nature of the offense and the resulting harm are such that the court judges the crime to be a serious violent offense for the purpose of this section.” Included among these discretionary serious violent offenses is Defendant’s crime — third degree homicide by vehicle, as prohibited by Section 66-8-101. See § 33-2-34(L)(4)(o)(14).

{10} This Court has previously addressed the differences between the per se serious violent offenses under Section 33-2-34(L)(4)(a) through (n) and the discretionary designations under Section 33-2-34(L)(4)(o). In order to designate the conduct of a particular defendant as a serious violent offense under the discretionary category, the district court must determine that the crime was “committed in a physically violent manner either with an intent to do serious harm or with recklessness in the face of knowledge that one’s acts are reasonably likely to result in serious harm.” Morales, 2002-NMCA-016, ¶ 16, 131 N.M. 530, 39 P.3d 747. This factual basis for designation of a serious violent offense must be reflected in findings made by the district court. Id. ¶¶ 17-18. This Court has since clarified the requirement for such findings and has explained that a district court “need not express its findings in the Morales language as long as the findings are consistent with the Morales standard.” Montoya, 2005-NMCA-078, ¶ 8, 137 N.M. 713, 114 P.3d 393. Turning to the facts of the present case, we consider the sufficiency of the district court’s findings.

C. The District Court’s Findings

{11} The district court made two findings relevant to the Morales criteria:

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Bluebook (online)
2009 NMCA 098, 215 P.3d 769, 146 N.M. 831, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-solano-nmctapp-2009.