Van Ermen v. Percy

489 F. Supp. 791, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11173
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedMay 5, 1980
DocketCiv. A. No. 79-C-440
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 489 F. Supp. 791 (Van Ermen v. Percy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Ermen v. Percy, 489 F. Supp. 791, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11173 (E.D. Wis. 1980).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

REYNOLDS, Chief Judge.

Petitioner Robert Van Ermen, an inmate of the Wisconsin State Prison at Waupun, has petitioned this court for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. For the reasons stated below, the petition will be denied.

In 1961, petitioner was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1972, his sentence was commuted by the Governor to a term of fifty years, and in April 1973, petitioner was released on parole. A special condition of his parole was that he refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages.

On July 10, 1976, petitioner consumed several cans of beer at a Summerfest celebration in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter petitioner was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child.

While petitioner was imprisoned awaiting trial on the sexual assault charge, the Bureau of Probation and Parole of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services instituted proceedings to revoke petitioner’s parole. The stated ground for the revocation was that petitioner violated the terms of his parole by consuming an alcoholic beverage.

A hearing on whether petitioner’s parole should be revoked was held on August 30, 1976. Petitioner’s earlier request for counsel had been denied, so, consequently, he was unrepresented at the revocation hearing.

The chief witness at the hearing was petitioner’s parole officer, Agent Meenk. Meenk testified that petitioner had originally been convicted of murdering a 63-year old woman after sexually assaulting her during an episode of heavy drinking. Meenk submitted the 1973 parole decision in which the parole board imposed the no drinking provision.

Meenk testified that following petitioner’s parole, “things went very well.” Petitioner married and obtained permanent employment. Petitioner reported as directed and posed no supervisory problems.

The first indication that Meenk had that petitioner was drinking came in April 1976. At that time, one of Meenk’s assistants interviewed petitioner’s wife who stated that her husband had consumed “an occasional but seldom bottle of beer.” On June 9, 1976, petitioner met with Meenk, but [793]*793Meenk did not remember to question him concerning his wife’s allegation.

Meenk then testified that he interviewed petitioner in the Green Lake County jail following his arrest on the sexual assault charge. Petitioner admitted drinking six cans of beer on the day in question but denied that he was guilty of the assault.

Meenk stated that he wanted to revoke petitioner’s parole because of his drinking, not because of the sexual assault charge. He stated that he and his supervisors considered petitioner’s violation of the prohibition against the use of alcohol to be a serious matter in light of his original conviction which involved drinking. Meenk stated that it was his opinion that petitioner would pose a danger to the community if permitted to drink. Meenk introduced a neurological report prepared by Dr. Kenneth Viste which corroborated his opinion. The report, prepared in 1972, stated, among other things, that petitioner’s anti-social behavior resulted from “pathological intoxication by alcohol,” that similar behavior could be expected if he resumed drinking on the outside, and that he would pose “a potential danger to society should he begin drinking.” This report was before the parole board in 1973 and was a basis for the imposition of the no drinking provision of petitioner’s parole.

Shortly after the hearing, petitioner’s parole was revoked. The hearing examiner found that petitioner had consumed alcohol in violation of his parole agreement and that this violation warranted revocation.

Following the revocation, petitioner filed for a writ of certiorari in Sheboygan County Circuit Court. After reviewing the administrative record, the Court found that the decision to revoke petitioner’s parole was arbitrary and capricious and based on petitioner’s pending sexual assault charge rather than his consumption of alcohol. The Court vacated the revocation order and reinstated petitioner to parole status.

The Department of Health and Social Services appealed the circuit court ruling to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, thereby automatically staying its enforcement. § 817.26, Wis.Stats. On February 14, 1978, however, the Wisconsin Supreme Court dissolved the stay and ordered petitioner released pending disposition of the appeal. On June 30, 1978, the Wisconsin Supreme Court reversed the circuit court ruling and reinstated the original revocation order. Van Ermen v. Department of Health and Social Services, 84 Wis.2d 57, 267 N.W.2d 17 (1978). Petitioner filed a motion for rehearing, which motion was denied on September 21, 1978. The case was remanded to the circuit court, and on February 12, 1979, petitioner was returned to prison. The sexual assault charge against petitioner was ultimately dismissed on the motion of the Green Lake County District Attorney.

Petitioner raises three issues for consideration by this court: (1) whether petitioner was denied his constitutional right to counsel at the revocation hearing; (2) whether petitioner was denied due process of law in that his revocation was arbitrary and capricious; and (3) whether petitioner was denied due process of law by the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s refusal to order an updated evaluation of his need for incarceration.

In Gagnon v. Scarpelli, 411 U.S. 778, 93 S.Ct. 1756, 36 L.Ed.2d 656 (1973), the United States Supreme Court held that in some situations a parolee has a due process right to be represented by counsel at a parole revocation hearing. The Court stated that while in most cases the presence of counsel would be “both undesirable and constitutionally unnecessary,” there were some cases where “fundamental fairness” would require that counsel be provided. Id., at 790, 93 S.Ct., at 1763. The Court went on to outline the circumstances in which counsel would be necessary:

“ * * * Presumptively, it may be said that counsel should be provided in cases where, after being informed of his right to request counsel, the probationer or parolee makes such a request, based on a ti'mely and colorable claim (i) that he has not committed the alleged violation of the conditions upon which he is at liberty; or (ii) that, even if the violation is a matter of public record or is uncon[794]*794tested, there are substantial reasons which justified or mitigated the violation and make revocation inappropriate, and that the reasons are complex or otherwise difficult to develop or present. * * * ” Id., at 790, 93 S.Ct., at 1764.

In this case the petitioner violated one of the conditions of his parole. The only matter that was contested at the revocation hearing was whether petitioner’s violations were “justified or mitigated” so as to make revocation inappropriate. Petitioner raised several mitigating factors in his defense: his prior drinking with the knowledge of his parole agent, his wife’s illness, and his good record on parole. None of these factors, however, can be characterized as so complex or difficult to present that the assistance of an attorney was required.

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Related

United States ex rel. Gilkey v. Detella
919 F. Supp. 317 (N.D. Illinois, 1996)
Van Ermen v. Percy
645 F.2d 76 (Seventh Circuit, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
489 F. Supp. 791, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11173, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-ermen-v-percy-wied-1980.