State v. Stacy

326 P.3d 136, 181 Wash. App. 553
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMay 12, 2014
DocketNo. 71437-6-I
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 326 P.3d 136 (State v. Stacy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Stacy, 326 P.3d 136, 181 Wash. App. 553 (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Schindler, J.

¶1 A jury convicted Shane Austin Stacy

— of assault in the second degree by strangulation of Andrea Holde, assault in the third degree of a police officer, and assault in the fourth degree of a hospital security officer. On appeal, Stacy argues the court abused its discretion by denying his motion to introduce evidence under ER 405(b) and violated his right to present his defense by excluding a statement he made to police officers while in custody. Stacy also argues the court erred in refusing to give his proposed jury instruction on involuntary intoxication and the instruction the court gave misstates the law. In addition, Stacy claims the court violated his right to be present and his right to a public trial by answering a question from the jury. We affirm.

FACTS

¶2 At around 7:00 p.m. on February 24, 2012, Shane Austin Stacy and his wife, Mary Beth, arrived at a party [558]*558hosted by the local chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) at the Monticello Hotel in Longview. Over 200 people attended the party. One bar was located in the ballroom and the other bar in the lounge. Guests were purchasing drinks for each other, and some guests brought alcohol from their hotel rooms to the party.

¶3 Andrea Holde is a member of the ILWU Women’s Auxiliary. Holde arrived at the hotel at approximately 11:00 p.m. to help clean up after the party ended. Holde is good friends with Heather Robinson. Karen Mitchell told Holde that earlier that evening, Stacy’s wife, Mary Beth, was kissing Heather’s husband, Mike Robinson.

¶4 Holde confronted Mary Beth, asking her if she had kissed Robinson and if she “likes being a home-wrecking whore.” Mary Beth denied kissing Robinson. Holde then found Stacy and asked him whether it was “ ‘okay that your wife was making out with Mike Robinson.’ ” Holde also asked Stacy, “ ‘Are you guys swingers?’ ” Stacy left and went to talk to Mary Beth.

¶5 Approximately a minute later, Stacy walked over to Holde. Stacy was “furious” and shouted at Holde, “ ‘Why are you lying? Why are you lying?’ ” Stacy then grabbed Holde by the throat, choking her and then slamming her into the wall. Bartender Kyle Wharton called 911.

¶6 In an attempt to pull Stacy off of Holde, longshoreman Jimmy Meadows grabbed Stacy from behind and put him in a “sleep hold.” Because Stacy still had a grip on Holde’s neck, Meadows, Holde, and Stacy ended up on the floor. A number of men tried to pull Stacy off Holde. After someone was finally able to pull Holde away, Meadows let go of Stacy.

¶7 Police officers from the Longview Police Department arrived at the hotel at approximately 11:15 p.m. Officer Timothy Deisher saw “a couple of guys” holding Stacy down on the ground. Officer Deisher said that Stacy was struggling and cursing. When Officer Deisher bent down to take [559]*559hold of Stacy’s legs, Stacy kicked Officer Deisher in the nose and lip. Officer Timothy Huycke helped Officer Deisher handcuff Stacy. Stacy was aggressive and angry, saying everyone was going to hell. Before taking Stacy to jail, the police took him to St. John Medical Center.

¶8 When they arrived at the hospital, Stacy was uncooperative and refused to get out of the patrol car. Hospital security officers Kyle Roush and Michael Derry helped the police officers pull Stacy out of the patrol car and put him in a wheelchair. When the health care providers attempted to take Stacy’s blood pressure, Stacy began yelling and cursing, and kicked hospital security officer Roush on the right side of his neck and jaw.

¶9 The State charged Stacy with assault in the second degree by strangulation of Andrea Holde in violation of RCW 9A.36.021(l)(g), assault in the third degree of Officer Timothy Deisher in violation of RCW 9A.36.031(l)(g), and assault in the fourth degree of hospital security officer Kyle Roush in violation of RCW 9A.36.041(1).

¶10 More than 25 witnesses testified during the four-day jury trial, including Holde, one of the bartenders at the Monticello Hotel, a number of longshoremen who attended the party, police officers, hospital staff, and Stacy. The defense theory at trial was that Stacy unknowingly ingested drugs.

¶11 Bartender Kyle Wharton testified that he served Stacy and his wife “tap beer, and I think they may have had shots, too.” Wharton testified that he never added anything to the drinks and did not see anyone suspicious at the bar. Wharton said guests were buying drinks for each other and there was a “high-flow of drinks [,] everybody was buying everybody drinks, . . . they were celebrating.” Wharton testified it was hard to keep track of how much everyone was drinking:

Q. . . . Were you watching the comings and goings at the party?
[560]*560A. As much as possible, but it was really, really busy.... [I]t’s a high-flow of drinks. So, there’s — there’s a lot of drinks going out. So, it’s — it was a busy night.
Q. Okay. Was it hard to keep track of what everyone was drinking?
A. By-
Q. By the amount that they had?
A. — like — yes.

¶12 Wharton also testified that a number of people were bringing their own alcohol to the party:

[T]here was a ton of the red, cheap party cups that were flowing through from — because they rented a bunch of motel rooms and hotel rooms, and people were bringing in the red party cups from every — every direction. And I couldn’t keep up with that.

Wharton said that based on his experience as a bartender, “alcohol affects people in different ways. . . . [S]ome other people can be fine one second, and then have two more, and then just [be] completely gone.”

¶13 During cross-examination, the defense introduced into evidence a copy of the bar tab showing that Stacy purchased five beers and a number of mixed drinks at the hotel ballroom bar.

¶14 Several officers testified that Stacy was extremely intoxicated. Officer Deisher told the jury that when he first saw Stacy, he had “bloodshot and watery eyes, he was yelling things, his speech seemed slurred. There was obviously a strong odor of alcohol or intoxicants about his person.” Officer Deisher testified that he is trained to detect signs of drug use and that he observed no signs of drug use during his interaction with Stacy.

¶15 Officer Huycke testified that he smelled “the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from [Stacy]. He was yelling many profanities, among other things, and as he’s yelling, his speech seemfed] to be slurred.”

¶16 Officer Rocky Epperson testified he did not see any signs of drug intoxication. Officer Epperson testified that [561]*561Stacy was “very intoxicated” and had “[v]ery slurred speech, he was staggering; his eyes were very watery, bloodshot; and his movements were slow. And, there was the obviously [sic] odor — overpowering odor of alcohol.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
326 P.3d 136, 181 Wash. App. 553, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stacy-washctapp-2014.