State v. Weddel

629 P.2d 912, 29 Wash. App. 461, 1981 Wash. App. LEXIS 2402
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMay 29, 1981
Docket4250-II
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 629 P.2d 912 (State v. Weddel) 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. Weddel, 629 P.2d 912, 29 Wash. App. 461, 1981 Wash. App. LEXIS 2402 (Wash. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

Reed, C.J.

Defendant Donald R. Weddel appeals his conviction of second degree burglary. We affirm.

On March 18, 1979, Larry and Jacqueline Wassman returned to their home in Lacey and discovered a gray Chevrolet Chevelle in their driveway with a young woman in the front seat. After the Wassmans had a brief conversation with the woman, who indicated that she thought their house was the residence of "the Hansons," a man they later identified as defendant Weddel came out from behind the house. He circled on foot to a vacant lot next to the house and then approached the vehicle, asking if the lot was for sale. After the man and woman left, Mr. Wassman, suspicious because of their inconsistent explanations for being at *463 the house, wrote down the Chevelle's license number, NET 900, and subsequently reported the incident to the police. There was no evidence, howéver, of any attempted entry to the Wassman residence.

On March 19, Paul and Wendy Johnson, returning from a shopping trip, arrived at their home located approximately seven-tenths of a mile from the Wassman residence. As the Johnsons pulled up to their mailbox across the street from their home, they noticed a gray Chevrolet Chevelle, occupied by two persons, leaving their driveway, some 50 to 75 feet from the mailbox. Dr. Johnson noted the Chevelle's license number, NET 900, and got a brief look at the driver. The Johnsons subsequently discovered that someone had stolen two stereo speakers from their living room after kicking open the front door.

Kelso police arrested defendant on March 20, apparently because he previously had been convicted of burglary and owned a vehicle matching the license number and description the Wassmans and Johnsons furnished. On March 23, while defendant was in custody, Mrs. Wassman positively identified him from a 6-picture photographic array, and on March 26 Mr. Wassman did likewise. Shown the same series of six pictures on March 23, Dr. Johnson tentatively identified defendant's picture as "the only one that looked like the individual I had seen driving the car."

On March 30 the State formally charged defendant with second degree burglary of the Johnson residence. On June 6 an amended information was filed, adding a second count charging attempted second degree burglary of the Wassman residence. 1 Before and during trial, defendant's timely *464 motions pursuant to CrR 4.4 to sever the attempted burglary count were denied. 2 At trial, defendant presented three alibi witnesses who testified they saw him in Long-view at approximately the time the Johnson burglary was committed, but he presented no evidence directed to the Wassman attempted burglary count. Defendant did not testify in his own defense. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on the burglary count and not guilty on the attempted burglary count. Defendant appeals from the burglary conviction, assigning error to the trial court's refusal (1) to sever the attempted burglary count; and (2) to suppress Dr. Johnson's photographic identification of defendant conducted while he was in custody.

Addressing first the issue of severance, we are mindful that joinder of counts should never be utilized in such a way as to unduly embarrass or prejudice one charged with a crime, or to deny him a substantial right. State v. Smith, 74 Wn.2d 744, 446 P.2d 571 (1968), vacated on other grounds sub nom. Smith v. Washington, 408 U.S. 934, 33 L. Ed. 2d 747, 92 S. Ct. 2852 (1972). The determination of whether prejudice resulting from joinder of counts is sufficient to warrant severance, however, is within the discretion of the trial court. State v. Thompson, 88 Wn.2d 518, 564 P.2d 315 *465 (1977); State v. McDonald, 74 Wn.2d 563, 445 P.2d 635 (1968). The trial court's exercise of this discretion will be overturned on appeal only upon a showing of manifest abuse. State v. Wills, 21 Wn. App. 677, 586 P.2d 543 (1978) , review denied, 92 Wn.2d 1006 (1979).

Defendant contends he was prejudiced by joinder of the attempted burglary charge in three ways. First, he argues the jury may have inferred that because he did not deny being at the Wassman residence, he must also have been at the Johnson residence; thus, joinder "confounded and embarrassed" him in his alibi defense to the Johnson burglary charge. Second, he argues the jury may have cumulated evidence of the crimes charged to find him güilty of the Johnson burglary when it might not have so found if the charges had been tried separately. Third, he argues joinder of the charges frustrated his desire to testify concerning the burglary charge but not to testify concerning the attempted burglary charge.

We believe the first two of these arguments . clearly are without merit and essentially complain of the same harm—that in their deliberations on the burglary count the jurors may have considered evidence introduced to prove the attempted burglary. Where the general requirements for joinder are met and evidence of one crime would be admissible to prove' an element of a second crime, joinder of the two crimes usually cannot be prejudicial. State v. Pleasant, 21 Wn. App. 177, 583 P.2d 680 (1978), review denied, 91 Wn.2d 1011, cert. denied, Pleasant v. Washington, 441 U.S. 935, 60 L. Ed. 2d 664, 99 S. Ct. 2058 (1979); State v. Kinsey, 7 Wn. App. 773, 502 P.2d 470 (1972), review denied, 82 Wn.2d 1002 (1973); State v. Conley, 3 Wn. App. 579, 476 P.2d 544 (1970). The general requirements for joinder of offenses are satisfied in this case because burglary arid attempted burglary obviously are offenses "of the same or similar character." CrR 4.3(a). The remaining question, then, is whether evidence of the attempted burglary would have been admissible in a separate trial of the burglary charge. As a general rule, a *466 defendant must be tried for the offenses charged in the information and evidence of other offenses may not be admitted as proof of guilt of the charged offenses if the evidence is relevant only to prove the defendant's criminal disposition. State v. Goebel, 40 Wn.2d 18, 240 P.2d 251 (1952). The general rule excluding evidence of uncharged offenses is subject to certain exceptions, the most common of which involve "other crimes" evidence offered to show (1) motive, (2) intent, (3) absence of accident or mistake, (4) common scheme or plan, or (5) identity. The foregoing list of exceptions is not exclusive, however, and the true test of admissibility is whether the other crimes evidence is relevant and necessary to prove an essential ingredient of the crime charged. See State v. Lew, 26 Wn.2d 394, 174 P.2d 291 (1946); State v. Kinsey, supra; ER 404(b). We believe that evidence of the attempted burglary was admissible to establish defendant's presence in the near vicinity of the burglary a short time before it occurred. See State v. Cartwright,

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Bluebook (online)
629 P.2d 912, 29 Wash. App. 461, 1981 Wash. App. LEXIS 2402, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-weddel-washctapp-1981.