State v. Stewart

2013 WI App 86, 836 N.W.2d 456, 349 Wis. 2d 385
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedJune 11, 2013
DocketNo. 2012AP1457-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2013 WI App 86 (State v. Stewart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Stewart, 2013 WI App 86, 836 N.W.2d 456, 349 Wis. 2d 385 (Wis. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

BRENNAN, J.

¶ 1. London Mack Stewart appeals from a judgment of conviction entered upon his guilty plea to one count of first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon, one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm by a felon, all as a repeater, and from an order denying his postconviction motion. Stewart argues that the State breached the plea agreement when two of the police officers who executed the no-knock search warrant, one of whom Stewart shot during the execution of that warrant, requested that the sentencing court impose the maximum sentence during the sentencing hearing. Because the police officers were speaking as victims and not as agents of the State at the time they requested the maximum sentence, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2. The relevant facts are not in dispute. On June 29, 2010, Stewart pled guilty to first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon, first-degree recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous [389]*389weapon, and felony gun possession, all as a repeater, for shooting at Milwaukee Police Officer James A. Jekanoski, injuring him in the arm, and narrowly missing his partner, Milwaukee Police Officer Dennis Justus, while they were executing a search warrant at a residence where Stewart was staying. In exchange, the State dismissed a second felony gun possession count and a count for maintaining a drug house, and recommended a sentence of "25 years globally" for the three offenses, consisting of fifteen years of initial confinement and ten years of extended supervision, consecutive to another sentence Stewart was already serving.

¶ 3. At the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor repeated his agreed-upon recommendation of a global twenty-five-year sentence, and the circuit court received, without objection from Stewart, both oral and written impact statements from both Officers Jekanoski and Justus. Both officers told the court that they wanted Stewart to be sentenced to the maximum time allowable for each count.

¶ 4. The circuit court, noting that it "was struck by the victim impact reports," sentenced Stewart as follows:

• First-degree reckless injury while using a dangerous weapon as a repeat offender (count one): Fifteen years of initial confinement, followed by ten years of extended supervision.
• First-degree recklessly endangering safety while using a dangerous weapon as a repeat offender (count two): Ten years of initial confinement, followed by five years of extended supervision, consecutive to count one.
• Felon in possession of a firearm as a repeat offender (count three): Five years of initial confinement, [390]*390followed by five years of extended supervision, concurrent with the sentences for counts one and two.

Judgment was entered accordingly.1

¶ 5. Appointed counsel for Stewart filed a no-merit report that we rejected. Thereafter, Stewart was given an extension of time to file a postconviction motion, and Stewart was appointed new counsel. Current counsel for Stewart filed a Wis. Stat. § 809.30 (2011-12)2 motion for postconviction relief, raising the issue presented here — whether the State breached the plea agreement when Officers Jekanoski and Justus asked the court to sentence Stewart to the maximum. The circuit court denied the motion without an evidentiary hearing.3 Stewart appeals.

DISCUSSION

¶ 6. Stewart argues that Officers Jekanoski's and Justus's requests that the circuit court impose the maximum sentence amounted to a substantial and material breach of the plea agreement, pursuant to State v. Matson, 2003 WI App 253, 268 Wis. 2d 725, 674 N.W.2d 51. As a remedy, Stewart asks that we reverse the circuit court's order denying his postconviction motion and remand this case for specific performance of the parties' agreed-upon plea bargain, namely, a new sentencing hearing, at which the State will recommend a global twenty-five-year sentence before a different [391]*391judge. Because we conclude that this case is distinguishable from Matson, we affirm.

¶ 7. "An accused has a constitutional right to the enforcement of a negotiated plea agreement." Id., ¶ 16. As such, once a defendant pleads guilty in reliance upon the prosecutor's promise, due process requires fulfillment of the bargain. Id. "A prosecutor who does not present the negotiated sentencing recommendation to the circuit court breaches the plea agreement." Id.

¶ 8. In order to obtain relief for breach of a plea agreement, Stewart must show that a breach occurred and that it was material and substantial. See State v. Williams, 2002 WI 1, ¶ 2, 249 Wis. 2d 492, 637 N.W.2d 733. Because the facts in this case are undisputed, the question of whether a breach occurred and whether it was material and substantial are matters of law that this court reviews de novo. Id., ¶ 5. "A material and substantial breach is a violation of the terms of the agreement that defeats the benefit for which the accused bargained." Id., ¶ 38.

¶ 9. In Matson, Leonard Matson, as part of a negotiated plea agreement, pled guilty to abduction of a child and to burglary, both as a habitual offender. Id., 268 Wis. 2d 725, ¶ 2. In exchange for Matson's pleas, "the State reduced the severity of the child abduction charge and dismissed a misdemeanor theft charge." Id. The State and defense counsel, with Matson's approval, agreed to jointly recommend the court impose "ten years' confinement, with ten years of extended supervision on one count and fifteen years' consecutive probation on the second count." Id.

¶ 10. After the plea hearing, but prior to the sentencing hearing, the investigating detective in the [392]*392case wrote a five-page letter to the sentencing judge, on police department stationary, explaining why he disagreed with the plea agreement. Id,., ¶ 3. He told the court that he "was 'directly involved in the investigation of this case'" and that" 'despite the joint recommendation for 10 years['] prison and 15 years['] probation, I request maximum sentencing on all charges, to ensure the protection of our community.'" Id.

¶ 11. Matson filed a motion to exclude the letter from the circuit court's sentencing decision, arguing that it was a breach of the plea agreement. Id., ¶¶ 4, 7. "The district attorney conceded the letter was a breach of the plea agreement as the letter was 'clearly a representation made by a representative of the state'" and did not oppose Matson's motion. Id., ¶ 7. The circuit court admitted to reading the letter "but not 'seriously.'" Id., ¶ 8. The court forwarded the letter to the presentence investigation writer and noted that it would only "consider the letter 'insofar as it is given to me through the Department of Corrections.'" Id.

¶ 12. At sentencing, the State and Matson made their joint sentencing recommendation. Id., ¶ 9. "The PSI report recommended the maximum sentence on the abduction conviction and five years less than the maximum on the burglary conviction, to be served consecutively." Id.

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Bluebook (online)
2013 WI App 86, 836 N.W.2d 456, 349 Wis. 2d 385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stewart-wisctapp-2013.