DO NOT CITE. SEE GR 14.1(a).
Court of Appeals Division II
State of Washington
Opinion Information Sheet
Docket Number: |
40340-4 |
Title of Case: |
State Of Washington, Res./cross-app. V. Jay B. Kasbaum, Jr., App./cross-res |
File Date: |
06/12/2012 |
SOURCE OF APPEAL
----------------
Appeal from Pierce County Superior Court |
Docket No: | 09-1-01572-6 |
Judgment or order under review |
Date filed: | 01/14/2010 |
Judge signing: | Honorable Frank E Cuthbertson, Bryan E. Chushcoff |
JUDGES
------
Authored by | Marywave Van Deren |
Concurring: | Joel Penoyar |
| Christine Quinn-Brintnall |
COUNSEL OF RECORD
-----------------
Counsel for Appellant/Cross-Respondent |
| Kathryn A. Russell Selk |
| Russell Selk Law Office |
| 1037 Ne 65th St Box 135 |
| Seattle, WA, 98115-6655 |
Counsel for Respondent/Cross-Appellant |
| Melody M Crick |
| Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney |
| 930 Tacoma Ave S Rm 946 |
| Tacoma, WA, 98402-2171 |
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION II
STATE OF WASHINGTON,
Respondent and Cross-Appellant, No. 40340-4-II
v. UNPUBLISHED OPINION
JAY BRIAN KASBAUM,
Appellant and Cross-Respondent.
Van Deren, J. -- Jay Kasbaum appeals his bail jumping convictions, asserting that the trial
court erred by excluding evidence in violation of his right to present a defense under article I,
section 22 of our state constitution and the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Kasbaum also asserts that because the State successfully moved to exclude hospital admission
documents, the prosecutor committed misconduct by questioning Kasbaum regarding the lack of
evidence supporting his affirmative defense and by arguing to the jury that Kasbaum could not
meet his burden to prove his affirmative defense that he was at the hospital when he was supposed
to be at court. The State cross-appeals the trial court's imposition of a sentence under
Washington's Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA). We affirm both Kasbaum's
convictions and the DOSA sentence.
No. 40340-4-II
FACTS
In March 2009, the State charged Kasbaum with one felony count of unlawful possession
of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, two felony counts of unlawful possession of a
controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of 40 grams or less of
marijuana. The State filed an amended information charging Kasbaum with two counts of bail
jumping after Kasbaum failed to appear in court on June 24, 2009, and September 21, 2009.
After determining that police officers seized evidence in violation of Kasbaum's constitutional
rights, the State withdrew its drug-possession charges and proceeded to jury trial on the two bail
jumping counts.
Kasbaum's defense at trial was that he failed to appear in court on June 24 because his
alarm clock did not go off due to a power outage and that he failed to appear in court on
September 21 because he broke his knuckle and went to the hospital for treatment. On the
second day of trial, Kasbaum sought to admit hospital admission documents to support his
defense. The State objected to admission of the evidence, arguing that the documents were
hearsay and that Kasbaum did not produce a witness that could authenticate the documents as
business records. The State also argued that the documents were not relevant to Kasbaum's
defense because they did not indicate the time that Kasbaum had sought medical treatment. The
trial court excluded the documents, stating:
Okay. Well, in this case, I'm looking at the omnibus order of September 16th,
2009. It indicates that all the discovery has been completed, and so I have a
couple of concerns. One is the discovery hasn't been timely provided to the State,
and the second concern is that I believe these documents are hearsay, and in
addition, there isn't sufficient indicia of authenticity to admit these documents.
The patient information section, it's not filled in. I mean, it doesn't indicate who
these are or who they're for. It doesn't indicate -- doesn't meet the diagnosis or
2
No. 40340-4-II
treatment exception to the hearsay rule because none of them say anything about
the diagnosis or treatment received, so Mr. Kasbaum can certainly testify that he
was at the hospital or what diagnosis or treatment he received if he chooses to
testify, but these documents aren't admissible to prove that.
Report of Proceedings (RP)1 at 51.
After the State rested, Kasbaum moved for a brief recess to determine whether he could
find a witness to authenticate the hospital admission documents. The trial court denied
Kasbaum's motion based on his late production of these documents. Kasbaum asserted that the
trial court could not rely on the September 16 omnibus order to deny his motion for a recess
based on late discovery because the omnibus order was filed before the State added the second
bail jumping charge. The State replied that it filed a second omnibus order on November 9. The
trial court considered the November 9 omnibus order and denied Kasbaum's motion for a recess,
stating:
Okay. I'm looking at the November 9th omnibus order. On the November 9th
omnibus order, it indicates that the defense is investigating defendant's hospital
records, and that was November 9th. That's almost a month ago. Today is
December 3rd, so I believe that the defense has had adequate time to research the
defendant's hospital records.
RP at 94.
Kasbaum testified that he had been working on a car on the morning of September 21
when he broke the knuckle of his left hand and went to St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood,
Washington, for treatment. He called his attorney's office from the hospital and was advised to
come directly to the office. Kasbaum immediately left the hospital and went to his attorney's
office without receiving any medical treatment. That same day, Kasbaum scheduled a hearing to
1 Unless otherwise indicated, cites to the report of proceedings refer to the December 2 to
December 3, 2009, trial record.
3
No. 40340-4-II
quash the warrant issued because he failed to appear.
The State's asked Kasbaum during its cross-examination:
[State]: Okay. You indicated on September 21st, the morning of your court
hearing, you were working on your car?
[Kasbaum]: Right.
[State]: You indicated that you injured your hand and you indicated you were
showing the jury your left hand, right?
[Kasbaum]: Right.
[State]: It was your left hand? That's yes?
[Kasbaum]: Yes.
[State]: And you also indicated that you went to seek medical treatment on that
day, correct?
[Kasbaum]: Correct.
[State]: Okay. Did you see a nurse or doctor?
[Kasbaum]: I walked in and --
[State]: A nurse or doctor.
[Kasbaum]: It was -- I believe it was a nurse at the front desk.
[State]: All right. Is that person here today?
[Kasbaum]: No, because you objected it.
[State]: Is that person, yes or no, here today?
[Kasbaum]: No.
RP at 111.
Kasbaum did not object to the State's cross-examination. At closing, the State addressed
Kasbaum's affirmative defense:
[T]he defense . . . ha[s] to give you evidence that shows [Kasbaum] needed to be
hospitalized or he needed to receive treatment. Where's the evidence?
. . . .
[Kasbaum] says that he was seen by a nurse. Okay. Where's that person?
Not here. He says that he broke his hand. All right. Didn't hear anything
qualifying him as a medical expert that allows him to make that diagnosis. We saw
no x-rays. We saw no medical records.
[Kasbaum] then tells you that even though he went to a hospital, he left
immediately, but apparently still couldn't get here on time, and because he left
immediately, he received no treatment. Very clearly, in order to be eligible for this
defense, you have to be hospitalized or you have to receive treatment. By his own
admissions when he took the stand, he told you that neither one of them w[as]
true, that he didn't receive any treatment, and that he wasn't hospitalized. So this
defense on it[]s face is not valid. Defense has no proof showing that he needed
4
No. 40340-4-II
treatment, that he received treatment, that he was hospitalized.
RP at 131-33.
In its rebuttal closing argument, the State also told the jury, "[A]s to the defense, the
burden is on the defendant. Did he provide you with any medical information whatsoever? No.
. . . [H]e provided you with no documentation or proof to show that he had any [injury]." RP at
138-39. Kasbaum did not object to these portions of the State's closing argument. The jury
returned verdicts finding Kasbaum guilty of both bail jumping charges.
The State asked the trial court to sentence Kasbaum to the statutory maximum of 60
months. Kasbaum requested an exceptional sentence below the standard range or, in the
alternative, a sentence under DOSA. At Kasbaum's sentencing hearing, the trial court reviewed a
January 7, 2010, chemical dependency evaluation, which indicated Kasbaum had chemical
dependency issues. The trial court also heard testimony from Kasbaum's former community
corrections officer (CCO). The trial court sentenced Kasbaum to a DOSA sentence over the
State's objection, stating:
I think that there is -- in this case, the underlying offenses are all four drug
offenses, and while bail jumping isn't a drug offense, the underlying offenses that
bring us here today involve substance abuse issues, and I don't know why you
didn't choose to avail yourself or take advantage of treatment options that you
may have had earlier, but my understanding from [Kasbaum's former CCO] is back
in September [20]08, you did get one evaluation, which was inconclusive about
whether treatment was recommended or not and whether you were chemically
dependent or not. The more recent evaluation done on January 7th of this year
indicates that there is some chemical dependency. So I believe that based on the
purposes of the Sentencing Reform Act and that what is appropriate in this case
for the Court to impose is what's called a DOSA sentence, and I'm going to
impose a DOSA sentence in this case and give you an opportunity to deal with this
drug issue, because with your offender score, I think you now understand that if
you do anything, including obviously being late to court, you're looking at five
years in prison.
5
No. 40340-4-II
RP (Jan. 14, 2010) at 21-22.
Kasbaum timely appeals his convictions. The State cross-appeals the trial court's
imposition of a DOSA sentence.
ANALYSIS
I. Right To Present a Defense
Kasbaum first contends that the trial court violated his constitutional right to present a
defense by excluding evidence relevant to his bail jumping defense. The State responds that the
trial court properly excluded the evidence because the evidence was not relevant and was
inadmissible hearsay. We hold that the hospital documents were relevant to Kasbaum's defense,
but that the trial court did not violate Kasbaum's right to present a defense by excluding the
evidence.
In general, we review a trial court's evidentiary ruling for an abuse of discretion. State v.
Rehak, 67 Wn. App. 157, 162, 834 P.2d 651 (1992). But we review de novo a claim that a trial
court's evidentiary ruling violated a defendant's constitutional right to present a defense. State v.
Jones, 168 Wn.2d 713, 719, 230 P.3d 576 (2010).
A. Relevancy
A defendant has a right to present evidence in defense of the crimes charged. U.S. Const.
amend. VI; Wash. Const. art. 1, § 22. A defendant does not, however, have the right to present
irrelevant evidence in his or her defense. State v. Hudlow, 99 Wn.2d 1, 15, 659 P.2d 514 (1983).
"'Relevant evidence'" is "evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact
that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it
would be without the evidence." ER 401. Under ER 402, "All relevant evidence is admissible,
6
No. 40340-4-II
except as limited by constitutional requirements or as otherwise provided by statute, by these
rules, or by other rules or regulations applicable in the courts of this state. Evidence which is not
relevant is not admissible."
RCW 9A.76.170(2) provides an affirmative defense to the crime of bail jumping, which
states:
It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that uncontrollable
circumstances prevented the person from appearing or surrendering, and that the
person did not contribute to the creation of such circumstances in reckless
disregard of the requirement to appear or surrender, and that the person appeared
or surrendered as soon as such circumstances ceased to exist.
RCW 9A.76.010(4)2 defines "'[u]ncontrollable circumstances'" in relevant part as "a medical
condition that requires immediate hospitalization or treatment."
Kasbaum offered three hospital documents that he asserted were relevant to his affirmative
defense to the September 21 bail jumping charge.3 Those documents included a patient rights
form, a conditions of admission/financial agreement form, and notice of privacy practices form.
All three documents contained boilerplate language and did not contain any specific information
related to Kasbaum. Kasbaum signed all three documents and indicated on the forms that he
signed them on September 21, 2009. The documents also included an unknown person's
signature.4
2 The legislature amended RCW 9A.76.010 in 2009 to remove gender-specific language. The
effective date of the amendment was July 26, 2009, between the dates Kasbaum committed his
two bail jumping offenses. Because the amendment did not make any substantive changes to
RCW 9A.76.010, we refer to the current form of the statute. See former RCW 9A.76.010
(2001).
3 Kasbaum does not assert that the excluded evidence was relevant to his June 24 bail jumping
charge.
4 All three forms appear to be signed by the same unknown person. The patient rights and notice
7
No. 40340-4-II
Contrary to the State's contention, the three hospital admission forms are relevant to
Kasbaum's affirmative defense. The documents, which Kasbaum asserts he received and signed at
the hospital on September 21, support Kasbaum's affirmative defense that he was unable to attend
his court hearing do to a medical emergency requiring immediate hospitalization. Accordingly,
the hospital documents meet the "very low" threshold of relevancy. State v. Darden, 145 Wn.2d
612, 621, 41 P.3d 1189 (2002). The State's contention that the documents do not contain the
time of day Kasbaum went to the hospital, do not contain personal information, and do not
indicate anything about Kasbaum's condition or treatment concern the weight of the evidence, not
its relevancy.
B. Hearsay
Kasbaum appears to concede that the hospital admission documents contain inadmissible
hearsay, but nonetheless argues that the trial court violated his right to present a defense by
excluding them.5 We disagree.
of privacy practices forms have an unknown signature on the "Witness" line. Exs. 19, 21. The
conditions of admission/financial agreement form has the same signature on the "Signature of
[Franciscan Health System] Employee" line and includes a handwritten date of September 21,
2009. Ex. 20 (capitalization omitted).
5 At trial, the State objected to the admission of the hospital documents because Kasbaum could
not produce a witness to authenticate the documents under the business records exception to the
hearsay rule. RCW 5.45.020. The State thus assumed, and the trial court accepted, that the
hospital documents contained inadmissible hearsay without any explanation of why Kasbaum was
offering the documents as evidence, which could have obviated a hearsay objection. For purposes
of this appeal we turn to Kasbaum's constitutional claim because Kasbaum did not assert at trial
that the documents did not contain hearsay. RAP 2.5(a); See also State v. Guloy, 104 Wn.2d
412, 422, 705 P.2d 1182 (1985) ("A party may only assign error in the appellate court on the
specific ground of the evidentiary objection made at trial."). Furthermore, Kasbaum assigns error
to the trial court's evidentiary ruling only insofar as it violated his constitutional right to present a
defense. We need not address the trial court's denial of Kasbaum's motion for a recess because
he does not assign error to that ruling.
8
No. 40340-4-II
A defendant's Sixth Amendment right to present relevant evidence may be subject to
reasonable restrictions. United States v. Scheffer, 523 U.S. 303, 308, 118 S. Ct. 1261, 140 L. Ed.
2d 413 (1998); Taylor v. Illinois, 484 U.S. 400, 410, 108 S. Ct. 646, 98 L. Ed. 2d 798 (1988);
Rock v. Arkansas, 483 U.S. 44, 55, 107 S. Ct. 2704, 97 L. Ed. 2d 37 (1987); Chambers v.
Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284, 295, 93 S. Ct 1038, 35 L. Ed. 2d 297 (1973). And state governments
"unquestionably have a legitimate interest in ensuring that reliable evidence is presented to the
trier of fact in a criminal trial." Scheffer, 523 U.S. at 309.
In Jones, 168 Wn.2d 713, our Supreme Court held that the trial court's exclusion of
evidence under Washington's rape shield statute, RCW 9A.44.020, violated the defendant's Sixth
Amendment right to present a defense.6 In holding that the trial court's evidentiary ruling violated
the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to present a defense, our Supreme Court determined that
courts are required to balance "'the defendant's need for the information sought'" with "[t]he
State's interest in excluding prejudicial evidence." Jones, 168 Wn.2d at 720 (quoting Darden,
145 Wn.2d at 622). In balancing these competing interests, courts must consider "'the integrity
of the truthfinding process and [a] defendant's right to a fair trial.'" Jones, 168 Wn.2d at 720
(alteration in original) (quoting Hudlow, 99 Wn.2d at 14).
Although the longstanding rule against the admission of hearsay evidence "may not be
applied mechanistically to defeat the ends of justice," that was not the case here. Chambers, 410
U.S. at 302. Kasbaum was permitted to testify about all the critical facts underlying his
6 The Jones court determined that the defendant's Sixth Amendment rights were violated by the
exclusion of evidence under the rape shield statute despite holding that the rape shield statute did
not apply to the evidence at issue, contrary to the long-standing principle that "[a] reviewing court
should not pass on constitutional issues unless absolutely necessary to the determination of the
case." State v. Hall, 95 Wn.2d 536, 539, 627 P.2d 101 (1981).
9
No. 40340-4-II
affirmative defense. And, contrary to Kasbaum's contention, the excluded hospital admission
forms, although marginally relevant, were not highly probative of his affirmative defense because
the documents did not indicate the date or time that they were issued to Kasbaum, apart from the
date he wrote next to his signature line,7 and did not provide any information related to
Kasbaum's injury or his need for treatment at the hospital when he was due in court. Thus, even
if the excluded hospital documents had been admitted, the jury still had to evaluate the credibility
of Kasbaum's testimony to determine if he met the burden of proving his affirmative defense.
Accordingly, we hold that the trial court's exclusion of evidence did not violate Kasbaum's right
to present a defense to the September 21 bail jumping charge.
II. Prosecutorial Misconduct
Next, Kasbaum contends that the prosecutor committed misconduct by (1) questioning
Kasbaum about his failure to produce evidence supporting his affirmative defense and (2) arguing
in closing that Kasbaum failed to produce evidence supporting his affirmative defense. Kasbaum
asserts that these actions constitute prosecutorial misconduct because the prosecutor's successful
argument to exclude the hospital admission forms caused him to be unable to produce evidence
supporting his affirmative defense. We disagree.
A defendant claiming prosecutorial misconduct must show both improper conduct and
resulting prejudice. State v. Fisher, 165 Wn.2d 727, 747, 202 P.3d 937 (2009). Prejudice exists
where there is a substantial likelihood that the misconduct affected the verdict. State v.
McKenzie, 157 Wn.2d 44, 52, 134 P.3d 221 (2006). Because Kasbaum did not object to the
prosecutor's allegedly improper conduct at trial, we must ascertain whether the prosecutor's
7 Although one document contained a handwritten date next to an unknown person's signature,
Kasbaum did not produce the person as a witness at trial.
10
No. 40340-4-II
misconduct was "so flagrant and ill-intentioned" that it caused an "enduring and resulting
prejudice" incurable by a jury instruction. State v. Stenson, 132 Wn.2d 668, 719, 940 P.2d 1239
(1997). This standard of review requires Kasbaum to establish that (1) the misconduct resulted in
prejudice that "had a substantial likelihood of affecting the jury verdict" and (2) "no curative
instruction would have obviated [the] prejudicial effect on the jury." State v. Thorgerson, 172
Wn.2d 438, 455, 258 P.3d 43 (2011).
We review a prosecutor's allegedly improper conduct in the context of the total argument,
the issues in the case, the evidence addressed in the argument, and the jury instructions. State v.
Dhaliwal, 150 Wn.2d 559, 578, 79 P.3d 432 (2003). A prosecutor has '"wide latitude in making
arguments to the jury'" and may '"draw reasonable inferences from the evidence.'" Fisher, 165
Wn.2d at 747 (quoting State v. Gregory, 158 Wn.2d 759, 860, 147 P.3d 1201 (2006)).
In support of his prosecutorial misconduct claim, Kasbaum relies on State v. Kassahun, 78
Wn. App. 938, 900 P.2d 1109 (1995). In Kassahun, the State charged a gas station and
convenience store owner with second degree murder after he shot and killed someone outside of
his establishment. 78 Wn. App. at 939-41. The State successfully moved to preclude the
defendant from discovering objective evidence of the victim's gang affiliation and activities, as
well as that of some of the witnesses present when the victim was killed. Kassahun, 78 Wn. App.
at 946, 952. The trial court modified its ruling in limine to allow Kassahun to present testimony
regarding his own subjective belief that the victim was a gang member. Kassahun, 78 Wn. App.
at 946. During closing argument, the State argued, over defense objection, that there was no
evidence that "'lawless gangs [were] taking over and running the show in the parking lot'" of
Kassahun's store. Kassahun, 78 Wn. App. at 946 (quoting Kassahun Report of Proceedings
11
No. 40340-4-II
(Nov. 23, 1993) at 1198).
Division One of this court determined that the prosecutor committed misconduct at
closing, reasoning:
Having prevailed by motion in limine in its effort to preclude Kassahun from
discovering objective evidence of Walker's gang membership and gang activities
and that of some of the witnesses who were in the parking lot at the time of the
shooting, it was misconduct for the prosecutor to imply in argument to the jury
that Kassahun was being untruthful because he failed to offer objective evidence to
support his belief that his business was being overrun by gangs.
Kassahun, 78 Wn. App. at 952. But because the Kassahun court reversed Kassahun's
convictions on other grounds, it did not analyze whether the prosecutor's improper
closing argument prejudiced Kassahun. 78 Wn. App. 952.
Kassahun is distinguishable for a number of reasons. First, here, the prosecutor did not
specifically refer to the excluded documents in its cross-examination or during closing arguments.
Instead, the prosecutor referred to Kasbaum's failure to support his affirmative defense with
testimony from a medical professional or with medical documentation showing that he suffered an
injury requiring hospitalization or treatment. The excluded hospital admission forms only show
that Kasbaum went to the hospital and do not contain any information related to his injury or need
for treatment. Thus, unlike in Kassahun, the prosecutor here was not faulting Kasbaum for failing
to produce evidence that the prosecutor successfully moved to exclude. And the prosecutor
could have made the same argument that the evidence did not support the defense theory even if
the trial court admitted the hospital admission forms as evidence.
Second, unlike cases holding that a prosecutor commits misconduct by commenting "'on
the lack of defense evidence [that] the defendant ha[d] no duty to present,'" here the prosecutor
12
No. 40340-4-II
was commenting on the lack of defense evidence supporting Kasbaum's affirmative defense.
State v. Dixon, 150 Wn. App. 46, 54, 207 P.3d 459 (2009) (quoting State v. Cleveland, 58 Wn.
App. 634, 647, 794 P.2d 546 (1990)). Finally, even assuming that the prosecutor's questioning
and comments during closing argument were improper, Kasbaum cannot show that such
misconduct was "so flagrant and ill-intentioned that it evinces an enduring and resulting prejudice"
and is incurable by a jury instruction. Stenson¸ 132 Wn.2d at 719. Regardless of the prosecutor's
questions and comments during closing, the jury was required to evaluate Kasbaum's evidence, or
lack thereof, to determine whether he met his burden of proving the affirmative defense by a
preponderance of the evidence. Accordingly, Kasbaum was not prejudiced by the prosecutor's
cross-examination or closing argument.
We affirm Kasbaum's convictions.
III. DOSA sentence
In its cross-appeal, the State asserts that the trial court abused its discretion in imposing a
DOSA sentence. Specifically, the State asserts that sufficient evidence did not support the trial
court finding that Kasbaum's chemical dependency contributed to his bail jumping offense. We
disagree.
In general, because a DOSA sentence is an alternate form of a standard range sentence, it
may not be appealed. RCW 9.94A.585(1); RAP 2.2(b)(6); State v. Williams, 149 Wn.2d 143,
146, 65 P.3d 1214 (2003). "[S]o long as the sentence falls within the proper presumptive
sentencing ranges set by the legislature, there can be no abuse of discretion as a matter of law as
to the sentence's length." Williams, 149 Wn.2d at 146-47. But the rule prohibiting appeals from
standard range sentences "does not bar a party's right to challenge the underlying legal
13
No. 40340-4-II
conclusions and determinations by which a court comes to apply a particular sentencing
provision." Williams, 149 Wn.2d at 147. Accordingly, we may review standard range sentences
"for the correction of legal errors or abuses of discretion in the determination of what sentence
applies." Williams, 149 Wn.2d at 147.
Here, the State asserts that the trial court abused its discretion in determining that
Kasbaum was eligible for a DOSA sentence because there was no evidence supporting a finding
that a chemical dependency contributed to his offense. The State relies on RCW 9.94A.607,
which provides that a trial court may order an offender to participate in rehabilitative programs as
a community custody condition upon a finding that a chemical dependency contributed to the
offense. But RCW 9.94A.6608, not RCW 9.94A.607, is the particular statute that provides the
requisite conditions for a trial court to impose a DOSA sentence. RCW 9.94A.660 provides in
relevant part:
(1) An offender is eligible for the special drug offender sentencing alternative if:
(a) The offender is convicted of a felony that is not a violent offense or sex
offense and the violation does not involve a sentence enhancement under RCW
9.94A.533(3) or (4);
(b) The offender is convicted of a felony that is not a felony driving while
under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug . . . or felony physical control
of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug
. . .;
(c) The offender has no current or prior convictions for a sex offense at
any time or violent offense within ten years before conviction of the current
offense . . . ;
(d) For a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act . . . or a
criminal solicitation to commit such a violation . . . the offense involved only a
small quantity of the particular controlled substance as determined by the judge
. . . ;
8 In 2009, the legislature amended RCW 9.94A.660. The effective date of the amendment was
August 1, 2009, between the dates that Kasbaum committed his bail jumping offenses. Because
the 2009 amendment did not affect the issue on appeal, eligibility requirements for a DOSA
sentence, we refer to the current form of the statute for clarity. See former RCW 9.94A.660
(2008).
14
No. 40340-4-II
(e) The offender has not been found . . . to be subject to . . . deportation
. . . ;
(f) The end of the standard sentence range for the current offense is
greater than one year; and
(g) The offender has not received a drug offender sentencing alternative
more than once in the prior ten years before the current offense.
RCW 9.94A.660 does not require a finding that chemical dependency contributed to the
offense. Instead, RCW 9.94A.660(3) provides that a trial court may impose a DOSA sentence if
the offender meets the statutory conditions and if the trial court finds that a DOSA sentence is
appropriate. Because the State does not argue that Kasbaum failed to meet the conditions set
forth in RCW 9.94A.660(1)(a) to (g) and the trial court did not abuse its considerable discretion
in finding a DOSA sentence was appropriate in light of the evidence that Kasbaum has substance
abuse issues, we affirm Kasbaum's sentence.
We affirm both Kasbaum's convictions and the trial court's imposition of a DOSA
sentence.
A majority of the panel having determined that this opinion will not be printed in the
Washington Appellate Reports, but will be filed for public record in accordance with RCW 2.06.040, it
is so ordered.
We concur: Van Deren, J.
Quinn-Brintnall, J.
Penoyar, J.
15
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