WINBUSH v. STATE
WINBUSH v. STATE
Dissenting Opinion
¶ 1 Revoking Appellant's suspended sentence in full for failure to pay fines, costs, assessments and supervision fees was an abuse of discretion, as the trial court did not make inquiry and did not make a finding on the Appellant's inability to pay, the propriety of reducing the fine or extending the time for payments, or the possibility of making alternative orders. I dissent.
¶ 2 In Bearden v. Georgia ,
[A] sentencing court must inquire into the reasons for the failure to pay. If the probationer willfully refused to pay or failed to make sufficient bona fide efforts legally to acquire the resources to pay, the court may revoke probation and sentence the defendant to imprisonment .... If the probationer could not pay despite sufficient bona fide efforts to acquire the resources to do so, the court must consider alternate measures of punishment other than imprisonment. Only if alternate measures are not adequate to meet the State's interests in punishment and deterrence may the court imprison a probationer who has made sufficient bona fide efforts to pay. To do otherwise would deprive the probationer of his conditional freedom simply because, through no fault of his, he cannot pay the fine.
Id . at 672-73,
¶ 3 Under Bearden and Turner , the trial judge must inquire into Appellant's ability to pay before imprisonment. This inquiry must involve certain procedural safeguards, especially notice to the individual of the importance of ability to pay and an inquiry into the ability to pay and any refusal to pay. If an individual is unable to pay, then the sentencing judge must consider alternative measures before imprisoning the individual. The Majority relies on Tilden v. State ,
¶ 4 The State presented three witnesses to testify that Appellant was assessed the fines, costs, fees, and that he had not made a payment. The trial court did not inquire of Appellant the reasons for not paying the assessments. For some unknown reason, Appellant's counsel sat by and failed to present any argument regarding willfulness or an inability to pay on behalf of the Appellant. Interestingly, the State alleged newly committed offenses in violation of the probated sentence along with failure to pay; however the State failed to introduce any evidence of the new violations, and the trial court's decision to revoke was solely based on failure to pay. To revoke an Appellant at a revocation proceeding by presenting only evidence of failure to pay without any evidence of willfulness, instead of presenting evidence in support of the more serious violation of committing new crimes, is a dangerous and inappropriate procedure to adopt.
¶ 5 The Majority's holding that a defendant must present evidence at a revocation proceeding is faulty because it ignores the language of the Supreme Court's holding in Bearden . In Bearden , the Court explicitly directed all courts to conduct a hearing of a defendant's ability to pay because it is unconstitutional to revoke an indigent person's probation simply based on his inability to pay a fine or restitution.
¶ 6 The Majority misses the mark completely. Focusing on which party in the revocation proceedings must present evidence regarding a willful failure to pay, the Majority happily places the burden solely on the defendant. Bearden does not stand for the proposition that defendants must prove *1282through the presentation of evidence that they are poor or unable to pay.
¶ 7 The Supreme Court mandates, before putting a person in prison for debts alone, that a trial court must inquire into the willfulness of the violation.
¶ 8 The Oklahoma Legislature, understanding our State prison crisis, enacted 22 O.S.Supp 2018, § 991b(D)(3), which went into effect November 1, 2018, and states: "Absent a finding of willful nonpayment by the offender, the failure of an offender to pay fines and costs may not serve as a basis for revocation, excluding restitution." The Bearden mandate will be codified in Oklahoma, mooting the Majority opinion in this case. A trial court must make inquiry and a finding regarding willfulness if the court is placing a person in prison for failure to pay.
¶ 9 The State in a revocation proceeding bears the burden of proof. If the State simply puts on evidence of non-payment and rests, they have not offered any evidence for the judge to make the required findings under the statute for willful failure to pay. If the defendant chooses to present evidence of non-willfulness, then the judge must consider that evidence in making a finding under 22 O.S. § 991b(3). The new statute and Bearden , do not establish a presumption of willfulness. A defendant is not required to present a defense.
¶ 10 However, this is not the end of the procedural aspects of a revocation solely for debt collection, as the judge is the gatekeeper. The judge is the last person to protect the process, as it should be. Putting someone in prison for failure to pay must be rare. As in every instance prior to incarcerating a person for failure to pay a debt, the judge must inquire of the defendant as to the reasons for the inability to pay. The Supreme Court recognized this important procedural step, stating "We hold, therefore, that in revocation proceedings for failure to pay a fine or restitution, a sentencing court must inquire into the reasons for the failure to pay." Bearden v. Georgia ,
¶ 11 Without findings of fact that Appellant willfully failed to pay the assessments, costs, and fees through judicial inquiry, the decision to revoke the Appellant in full for five years in the Department of Corrections was an abuse of discretion and a violation of Appellant's right to due process. I would reverse the decision of the trial court.
I note that Appellant committed numerous violations of the rules and conditions of his suspended sentence, including committing new felony crimes, yet the State, inexplicably, did not allege these violations in the revocation proceedings.
The Majority cites cases from other jurisdictions to support their interpretation of Bearden requiring the burden to shift to a defendant after the State simply proves non-payment. However, numerous other jurisdictions (including federal courts) have found that my interpretation of Bearden is correct. No matter the burden or the evidence presented, there must be a judicial inquiry. See State ex rel. Fleming v. Missouri Bd. of Prob. & Parole ,
Opinion of the Court
¶ 1 Appellant, Phillip Eric Winbush, III, appeals from the revocation of his five (5) year suspended sentence in Case No. CF-2012-478 in the District Court of Comanche County, by the Honorable Mark R. Smith, District Judge. On April 16, 2013, Appellant entered a plea of guilty to Count 1: Unlawful Possession of Controlled Drug With Intent to Distribute, felony; Count 2: Attempting to Elude Police Officer, misdemeanor; and Count 3: Driving With License Cancelled / Suspended / Revoked, misdemeanor. He was sentenced to a term of eight (8) years with all but the first three (3) years suspended, plus fines, costs and fees of $3,336.00 on Count 1; to a term of one (1) year, plus fines, costs and fees of $726.00 on Count 2; and to a term of one (1) year, plus fines, costs and fees of $736.50 on Count 3, with all sentences ordered to run concurrently.
¶ 2 On May 18, 2014, Appellant signed a Notice of Court Hearing for Payment of Fines and Costs and agreed to appear within ten days of his release to determine his ability to pay fines and costs.
¶ 3 On September 20, 2016, the revocation hearing was conducted before Judge Smith. The State first called Kelly Blasengame ("Blasengame"). Blasengame worked in the Comanche County District Court Clerk's office and was responsible for tracking people who had been ordered to pay fines and costs. Blasengame testified Appellant had not paid any money towards his fines and costs. Blasengame testified a first payment schedule had been set up for Appellant and he made no scheduled payments on fines and costs. Blasengame testified a second payment schedule was set up for Appellant and he again made no payments on fines, costs or assessments. The State then called John Crouse ("Crouse") with the Comanche County District Attorney's Office. Crouse testified he was responsible for tracking individuals ordered to pay DA supervision fees. Crouse testified Appellant had come in to set up a payment schedule, but had never paid any money toward his fees. On cross-examination, Crouse testified that Appellant had never contacted him concerning any difficulty Appellant was having in making his payments. The State's final witness was Keli Ireland ("Ireland") with the Comanche County District Attorney's Office. Ireland testified Appellant kind of had an attitude when he filled out his intake form, so she let Crouse handle the case. After Ireland's testimony, the State rested.
¶ 4 Appellant demurred to the evidence, which was denied by Judge Smith. Appellant did not present any testimony or evidence at the revocation hearing. Judge Smith found by a preponderance of the evidence that Appellant had violated probation by failing to make required payments. Judge Smith ordered a pre-sentence investigation report and continued the sentencing hearing. On October 20, 2016, Judge Smith heard arguments and revoked Appellant's five (5) years suspended sentence in full. Appellant now appeals.
¶ 5 In his first proposition, Appellant contends that Judge Smith's order revoking his suspended sentence was an abuse of discretion "because the law, as applied to the facts, failed to prove the alleged violations were willful." Appellant's brief at 3. Appellant argues that there was no evidence presented in this case that he willfully did not pay fines and costs, and therefore this Court should reverse Judge Smith's order revoking his suspended sentence. Appellant also argues that it is fundamentally unfair to revoke probation automatically without considering whether adequate alternative methods for punishing the defendant are available. The dissent in this appeal contends that because Judge Smith "did not inquire of Appellant the reasons for not paying the assessments" the revocation of Appellant's suspended sentence was an abuse of discretion.
¶ 6 These arguments resurrect the issue of where the burden of proof should be placed when a probationer has failed to make required payments. Specifically, which party bears the burden of demonstrating whether such violation was willful or not. Appellant and the dissent both rely heavily on specific language within Bearden v. Georgia ,
*1278¶ 7 Bearden is not a beacon of clarity as is evidenced by the struggle numerous courts exhibited in their early attempts to decipher the decision. This Court's own decisions issued within a relatively short time after Bearden reflect those struggles.
¶ 8 Despite the nearly thirty (30) year precedent of McCaskey , Appellant and the dissent argue that McCaskey , Tilden and the other above cited authority misinterprets and misapplies Bearden . Their argument is unfounded. A careful and correct reading of Bearden gives proper perspective to the case and controversy actually addressed and the holdings actually made therein. We take this opportunity to weed the garden of revocation law concerning the willfulness of probation violations, and the burdens of proof and persuasion, particularly regarding a probationer's indigence and the failure to make required probation payments.
¶ 9 In Bearden , the State of Georgia filed a petition to revoke Bearden's probation because he had not paid the $550 balance of fines and restitution as ordered. Bearden was notified of the petition and was given the opportunity to be heard at a hearing on the petition. Bearden and his wife both testified about their lack of income and assets and of his repeated efforts to obtain work. Without considering the testimony of Bearden and his wife, the Georgia court automatically revoked Bearden's probation strictly based on Bearden's failure to pay as ordered the balance owed. On appeal, the United States Supreme Court held that fundamental fairness prohibited Georgia from sentencing Bearden to imprisonment simply because he failed to pay, without considering the reasons Bearden provided for his inability to pay, and determining that he had not made sufficient bona fide efforts to pay. Bearden ,
¶ 10 The following sentence in Bearden continues to be taken out of context and misconstrued: "We hold, therefore, that in revocation proceedings for failure to pay a fine or restitution, a sentencing court must inquire into the reasons for the failure to pay." Bearden ,
¶ 11 Moreover, the Bearden decision had little to do with the question of which party had the burden to prove whether Bearden's failure to pay was willful,
¶ 12 This Court has long held that a suspended sentence is a matter of grace and revocation of a suspended sentence is within the sound discretion of the trial court. See e.g. Demry v. State ,
¶ 13 In this case, Appellant did not present any testimony or evidence at the revocation hearing. He thus made no showing that his failure to pay all fines, costs, assessments, restitution and supervision fees was not willful; or that he made some good faith efforts to make payments. McCaskey ,
¶ 14 In his second proposition, Appellant correctly notes that the District Court did not impose post-imprisonment supervision either when Appellant was found to have violated terms and conditions of his suspended sentence on September 20, 2016, or when his five year suspended sentence was revoked in full on October 20, 2016. Appellant complains because the Judgment and Sentence After Revocation Proceedings includes a provision that he is to be under post-imprisonment supervision for one year after his release from custody, which will be supervised by a probation officer at $40.00 a month.
¶ 15 The State notes that the post-imprisonment supervision provision in the Judgment and Sentence After Revocation Proceedings is a scrivener's error. This Court has noted that a request to correct a scrivener's error should first be presented to the District Court by motion for order nunc pro tunc . Grimes v. State ,
DECISION
¶ 16 The order of the District Court of Comanche County revoking Appellant's five year suspended sentence in Case No. CF-2012-478 is AFFIRMED . Pursuant to Rule 3.15, Rules of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals , Title 22, Ch.18, App. (2018), the MANDATE is ORDERED issued upon the filing of this decision.
LUMPKIN, P.J.: CONCUR
LEWIS, V.P.J.: CONCUR IN RESULT
KUEHN, J.: DISSENT
ROWLAND, J.: CONCUR
LEWIS, VICE PRESIDING JUDGE, CONCURRING IN RESULTS:
¶ 1 I would simply affirm based on this Court's holding in McCaskey v. State ,
The DOC website shows Appellant was released from his three year term of incarceration on July 18, 2014.
This Court first found that the State failed to meet its burden, as defined by Bearden , to prove that the defendant was responsible for the failure make restitution payments as ordered. Stuard v. State ,
The Supreme Court notes that if there is proof the probationer has willfully refused to pay the fine or restitution when he has the means to pay, the State is perfectly justified in using imprisonment as a sanction to enforce collection. Bearden ,
Counsel for Appellant also cites a statement made by the United States Supreme Court in Minnesota v. Murphy that the sentencing "court must find that [the probationer] violated a specific condition, that the violation was intentional or inexcusable, and that the need for confinement outweighs the policies favoring probation." Murphy ,
The Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the United States Constitution ensure that an indigent probationer is not incarcerated based solely upon inability to pay a monetary obligation. See Bearden v. Georgia,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Phillip Eric WINBUSH, III, Appellant v. the STATE of Oklahoma, Appellee.
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published