State v. Vargas
State v. Vargas
Opinion of the Court
In this criminal appeal, defendant contends that the trial court’s guilty verdicts on two counts of felony assault in the fourth degree should have been merged into a single conviction. The state’s primary argument on appeal is that defendant’s claim of error is not reviewable, because the trial court imposed sentences on both convictions that are within the presumptive sentence range under the sentencing guidelines. We disagree and remand with instructions to enter a single conviction for fourth-degree assault, and for resentencing, but otherwise affirm.
The case arises out of a domestic violence episode that resulted in defendant being charged with, among other crimes, two counts of felony fourth-degree assault — one count for committing assault after having previously been convicted of assaulting the same victim, ORS 163.160(3)(a), and the other count for committing assault in the immediate presence of the victim’s minor child, ORS 163.160(3)(c). Defendant pleaded guilty to both assault counts, and the trial court accepted that plea.
During sentencing, the court asked the prosecutor whether the counts arose from incidents on separate days, and the prosecutor replied, “They were both the same night. There’s two different theories. It’s a minor child and then a prior conviction on [the victim].” However, the court did not merge the convictions; it imposed concurrent, presumptive sentences on each count.
On appeal, defendant argues that ORS 161.067 does not authorize two separate convictions for felony fourth-degree assault in this case. The state acknowledges that defendant raised the issue below and “that the bare-bone facts set forth as the factual basis for the plea *** do not clearly establish a sufficient basis under ORS 161.067(3) for entry of separate convictions.”
The state contends, however, that defendant’s claim of error is unreviewable under ORS 138.222. That statute governs the review of sentences imposed for felony
There is no dispute that the trial court imposed concurrent, presumptive sentences for defendant’s assault convictions, but we have construed ORS 138.222(2)(a) more narrowly than the state proposes. As we explained in State v. Casiano, 214 Or App 509, 515, 166 P3d 599 (2007), ORS 138.222(2)(a) addresses challenges to the length of a sentence that is within the presumptive range; it does not preclude review of “aspects of a presumptive sentence other than the length of the sentence as imposed [.]” (Emphasis omitted.) Because defendant challenges the court’s failure to merge the findings of guilt, not the length of the concurrent, presumptive sentences, ORS 138.222(2)(a) does not preclude review.
Convictions for fourth-degree assault reversed and remanded with instructions to enter judgment of conviction for one count of felony fourth-degree assault reflecting that defendant was convicted on both theories; remanded for resentencing; otherwise affirmed.
The statute governs appeals from a judgment of conviction entered for a felony committed on or after November 1, 1989. ORS 138.222(1).
The state does not contend that we lack jurisdiction over defendant’s appeal, but it disputes defendant’s contention that we have jurisdiction under ORS 138.050. We agree with the state. See Davis, 265 Or App at 438 (jurisdiction over the defendant’s appeal based on merger argument is under ORS 138.222(7), which allows appeal from a judgment “based on the sentence for a felony”).
If the claim is unreviewable under ORS 138.222(2)(a), an appellant cannot rely upon ORS 138.222(4)(a) as an exception to (2)(a) to establish reviewability. See State v. Casiano, 214 Or App 509, 515, 166 P3d 599 (2007) (holding that ORS 138.222(4)(a) is not an exception to ORS 138.222(2)(a)).
In its answering brief, the state acknowledges that defendant “is correct that the very short record in this case is insufficient to establish that his two convictions were based on two discrete assaults.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.