State Of Washington, V. Anthony Enrico Hamilton ( 2022 )

THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 80473-1-I
(Consolidated with 79219-9-I)
Respondent,
DIVISION ONE
v.
UNPUBLISHED OPINION
ANTHONY ENRICO HAMILTON,
Appellant.
ANDRUS, A.C.J. —Anthony Hamilton appeals his 1990 second degree
robbery conviction, arguing that the information failed to allege all essential
elements of second degree robbery. He also contends his guilty plea should be
vacated because the record of his plea hearing is insufficient for direct appellate
review and his plea was not voluntary. Finally, he appeals a 2018 order correcting
the duration of a no contact order in the judgment and sentence, arguing it was an
improper ex parte order that rendered the judgment and sentence invalid. We
disagree and affirm.
FACTS
The State charged Anthony Hamilton with second degree robbery on May
2, 1990. He appeared with counsel in King County Superior Court for a plea
Citations and pin cites are based on the Westlaw online version of the cited material.
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hearing on May 29, 1990. The minute entry for this hearing stated “change of plea”
and “cause continued to [May 30, 1990].” There is no transcript of the May 29
hearing and the parties cannot locate the court reporter’s notes.
On May 30, 1990, he again appeared before the court and entered an
Alford 1 plea—stating that he was not guilty of robbery, but recognized he would
likely be found guilty at trial and wished to take advantage of the State’s offered
plea deal. The court asked Hamilton if he had reviewed the plea materials with his
attorney and whether he understood that by pleading guilty he was waiving his trial
rights. It further asked if his statements in the plea form were accurate and if all of
his questions had been answered. Hamilton answered yes to each question and
the court accepted the guilty plea. The court later sentenced Hamilton to 3 months’
confinement and 12 months of community custody.
In 1998, a Pierce County Superior Court jury convicted Hamilton of first
degree murder, first degree kidnapping and first degree robbery. That court
sentenced Hamilton to life without parole as a persistent offender, 2 with one of his
prior “strike” offenses being the 1990 second degree robbery conviction. 3
In June 2017, Hamilton filed a CrR 7.8 motion to withdraw his 1990 guilty
plea in King County Superior Court, claiming it was not knowing, intelligent and
voluntary. For reasons not evident in this record, the court took no action on the
1 North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S. Ct. 160, 27 L. Ed. 2d 162 (1970).
2 Washington voters passed Initiative 593, entitled “Persistent Offender Accountability Act” in
November 1993, also known as the “three strikes and you’re out” law, after Hamilton was convicted
of second degree robbery in 1990 and before he was convicted in Pierce County of murder,
kidnapping and first degree robbery. See State v. Thorne, 129 Wn.2d 736, 746, 921 P.2d 514(1996). Under Initiative 593, robbery in the second degree was “a most serious offense,” and thus
a “strike.” Id. at 747 (quoting former RCW 9.94A.030(23)(1993)).
3 Hamilton’s second “strike” was a 1991 conviction for first degree robbery.
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motion. A year later, he filed a CrR 7.8 motion to correct his sentence, this time
arguing that the failure of the original sentencing court to identify a specific term
for the no contact order contained in the judgment and sentence rendered it invalid.
He refiled the same motion in September 2018.
A month later, the court entered an “Order on Defendant’s Motion to Correct
Judgment & Sentence,” specifying that the judgment “should reflect that the no
contact [order] was for (10) TEN years.” The order added, “However, even the 10
years has passed, Department of Corrections has terminated supervision and any
[no contact order] in the judgment is hereby expired.” Hamilton timely appealed
this order.
In September 2019, Hamilton filed a notice of appeal of the 1990 judgment
and sentence. He moved to extend the time to file his appeal, which this court
granted because he had not been informed of his limited right to appeal in 1990.
In February 2020, we consolidated Hamilton’s two appeals.
In July 2020, Hamilton filed a motion to reverse his conviction, alleging there
was an insufficient record of the 1990 proceedings for effective direct review.
Pursuant to RAP 17.4(f), Hamilton provided a series of declarations establishing
that the court reporter’s notes from the May 29, 1990 hearing had been lost and
that Hamilton’s attorney in that case had no memory of the proceedings. Hamilton
also attached his own declaration, dated May 22, 2020, in which he stated he did
not understand the proceedings of his 1990 plea hearing, he had limited
opportunity to review the case with his appointed attorney, and he simply followed
the attorney’s advice to plead guilty and answer all of the court’s questions with
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“yes.” We denied this motion and Hamilton filed a motion for discretionary review
with the Supreme Court. 4
The Supreme Court commissioner stayed Hamilton’s appeal pending its
decision in State v. Jenks, No. 98496-4. The Court issued its opinion in May 2021,
holding that ESSB 5288, which amended the persistent offender statute in 2019 to
eliminate second degree robbery from the list of “strike” offenses, did not apply
retroactively. 197 Wn.2d 708, 727, 487 P.3d 482 (2021). Shortly thereafter, the
Supreme Court denied discretionary review of Hamilton’s motion to reverse, noting
that the legislature had, after Jenks, amended the persistent offender statute to
make the statutory amendment retroactive, and acknowledging that Hamilton will
be resentenced regardless of the outcome of this appeal. 5 The Supreme Court
4 Supreme Court No. 99162-6.
5 See Laws of 2021 ch. 141, § 1, codified at RCW 9.94A.647, which now provides:
(1) In any criminal case wherein an offender has been sentenced as a persistent
offender, the offender must have a resentencing hearing if a current or past conviction
for robbery in the second degree was used as a basis for the finding that the offender
was a persistent offender. The prosecuting attorney for the county in which any offender
was sentenced as a persistent offender shall review each sentencing document. If a
current or past conviction for robbery in the second degree was used as a basis for a
finding that an offender was a persistent offender, the prosecuting attorney shall, or the
offender may, make a motion for relief from sentence to the original sentencing court.
(2) The sentencing court shall grant the motion if it finds that a current or past
conviction for robbery in the second degree was used as a basis for a finding that the
offender was a persistent offender and shall immediately set an expedited date for
resentencing. At resentencing, the court shall sentence the offender as if robbery in the
second degree was not a most serious offense at the time the original sentence was
imposed.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 9.94A.345, for purposes of
resentencing under this section or sentencing any person as a persistent offender after
July 25, 2021, robbery in the second degree shall not be considered a most serious
offense regardless of whether the offense was committed before, on, or after the effective
date of chapter 187, Laws of 2019 [July 28, 2019].
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lifted the stay in Hamilton’s case in October 2021 and it is now before us to address
his consolidated appeal on the merits.
ANALYSIS
A. Legal Adequacy of the Information
Hamilton challenges the legal adequacy of his 1990 information. He argues
that the information failed to include the element of second degree robbery that
“force or fear must be used to obtain or retain possession of the property, or to
prevent or overcome resistance to the taking.” We disagree.
The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section
22 of the Washington Constitution require that a charging document allege all
essential elements of a crime, statutory and nonstatutory, to inform the defendant
of the charges against him and to allow him to prepare his defense. State v.
Hopper, 118 Wn.2d 151, 155, 822 P.2d 775 (1992); State v. Kjorsvik, 117 Wn.2d
93, 101-02, 812 P.2d 86 (1991); State v. Ralph, 85 Wn. App. 82, 84, 930 P.2d
1235 (1997).
The sufficiency of an information is an issue of constitutional magnitude that
may be raised for the first time on appeal. RAP 2.5(a)(3); Kjorsvik, 117 Wn.2d at
102. Because Hamilton challenges the charging document for the first time after
the verdict was rendered, we construe the information liberally and ask (1) whether
the necessary elements of the offense do not appear in any form, or by fair
construction cannot be found, in the charging document; and (2) whether he was
actually prejudiced by the faulty information. Id. at 105-06. We review the
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constitutional sufficiency of an information de novo. State v. Johnson, 180 Wn. 2d
295, 300, 325 P.3d 135 (2014).
“A person is guilty of robbery in the second degree if he or she commits
robbery.” RCW 9A.56.210(1). RCW 9A.56.190 provides
A person commits robbery when he or she unlawfully takes personal
property from the person of another or in his or her presence against
his or her will by the use or threatened use of immediate force,
violence, or fear of injury to that person or his or her property or the
person or property of anyone. Such force or fear must be used to
obtain or retain possession of the property, or to prevent or overcome
resistance to the taking; in either of which cases the degree of force
is immaterial. Such taking constitutes robbery whenever it appears
that, although the taking was fully completed without the knowledge
of the person from whom taken, such knowledge was prevented by
the use of force or fear.
The charging information alleged:
That the defendant Anthony Enrico Hamilton in King County,
Washington, on or about April 27, 1990, did unlawfully take personal
property, to-wit: lawful money of the United States from the person
and in the presence of Dannielle Johnson against her will, by the use
or threatened use of immediate force, violence and fear of injury to
such person or her property.
This language is verbatim to the first sentence of RCW 9A.56.190.
Hamilton contends that the information is deficient because it did not include
the language of the second sentence of RCW 9A.56.190, that “force or fear must
be used to obtain or retain possession of the property, or to prevent or overcome
resistance to the taking.” But this court rejected the same argument in State v.
Phillips, 9 Wn. App. 2d 368, 444 P.3d 51, review denied, 194 Wn.2d 1007 (2019).
In that case, we held that the first sentence of RCW 9A.56.190 sets forth the
essential elements of robbery, while the second and third sentences are merely
definitional. Id. at 377. We adhere to that ruling here.
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Hamilton cites State v. Todd, 200 Wn. App. 879, 885-86, 403 P.3d 867(2017), in which Division Three of this court held that the second sentence of RCW
9A.56.190 constituted a statutory element of the crime of robbery. But, as we
explained in Phillips,
The Todd opinion is best understood in light of its assertion that the
Supreme Court has identified force or fear being used to obtain or
retain possession of property as an element of robbery. See 200 Wn.
App. at 885-86, 403 P.3d 867. In fact, the Supreme Court opinion to
which the Todd opinion cited for this proposition, State v. Allen, 159
Wn.2d 1, 147 P.3d 581 (2006), did not so hold.
Phillips, 9 Wn. App. 2d at 379 (emphasis in original). In Allen, the defendant
challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for first degree
murder with an aggravating circumstance of robbery. Allen, 159 Wn.2d at 7. It
held that,
to establish the aggravating factor of robbery in this case, the State
had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Allen: (1) took the
cashbox from his mother's person or in her presence, (2) against her
will, and (3) used force or fear to take the cashbox or to prevent his
mother from resisting the taking.
Id. at 9. Thus,
the Allen court was not engaged in announcing a new statutory
element of robbery. Rather, it was discussing what the State—in that
case, as the case had been tried—had to establish to prove guilt of
the charge. There are no statutory elements of robbery requiring
proof of “cashboxes” or “mothers.” Instead, the court was
referencing the State's theory of the case at hand—and the court was
evaluating whether the evidence adduced actually proved that
theory. The Allen opinion did not purport to add to the statutory
elements of robbery.
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Phillips, 9 Wn. App. 2d at 380. 6 We reject Hamilton’s challenge to the legal
sufficiency of his information for the reasons set out in Phillips.
B. Voluntariness of Hamilton’s Guilty Plea
Hamilton next argues he is entitled to withdraw his guilty plea to second
degree robbery for several reasons. First, he argues, the record below is
insufficient to determine that his plea was in fact knowing, intelligent, and voluntary.
Second, he maintains he did not understand the nature of the Alford plea he
entered or the consequences of the plea.
1. Sufficiency of Record for Review
Hamilton contends that his conviction must be reversed because the
absence of a report of proceedings on the May 29, 1990, hearing renders the
record insufficient to permit effective appellate review. We disagree.
A criminal defendant is “constitutionally entitled to a ‘record of sufficient
completeness' to permit effective appellate review of his or her claims.” State v.
Tilton, 149 Wn.2d 775, 781, 72 P.3d 735 (2003) (quoting State v. Thomas, 70 Wn.
App. 296, 298, 852 P.2d 1130 (1993)). “A ‘record of sufficient completeness' does
not translate automatically into a complete verbatim transcript.” Mayer v. City of
Chicago, 404 U.S. 189, 194, 92 S. Ct. 410, 30 L. Ed. 2d 372 (1971). Other
methods of reporting trial proceedings may be constitutionally permissible if they
permit effective review. Tilton, 149 Wn.2d at 781. “[W]here the affidavits are
6 Our Supreme Court has granted review of this issue in State v. Derri, 17 Wn. App. 2d 376, 486
P.3d 901, review granted, 198 Wn.2d 1017 (2021). Unless and until the Supreme Court instructs
otherwise, we will continue to follow the well-reasoned analysis in Phillips. Hamilton’s motion to
stay this case pending the resolution of Derri is thus denied.
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unable to produce a record which satisfactorily recounts the events material to the
issues on appeal, the appellate court must order a new trial.” Id. at 783.
RAP 9.3 and 9.4 establish the procedure for reconstructing a record when
the tape recording of the proceedings has been lost. State v. Waits, No. 37894-2-
III, slip op. at 6 (January 20, 2022). 7 These rules authorize the parties to give a
“fair and accurate” non-verbatim summary of testimony and events in the event of
a lost report of proceedings. Id.Although Hamilton tried to comply with these procedures, the age of the
case made it impossible to create a narrative report of proceedings for May 29,
1990. Thirty years have passed since that hearing and, as Hamilton has noted,
both the prosecutor and judge have since passed away and Hamilton’s attorney
cannot recall the proceeding. The State does not dispute these facts.
Hamilton argues that remand for a new trial is required by the Supreme
Court’s decision in State v. Larson, 62 Wn.2d 64, 381 P.2d 120 (1963). In that
case, the defendant was convicted of attempted burglary after a jury trial. Id. On
appeal, the parties determined that the court reporter's notes of the trial had been
lost and that a verbatim statement of proceedings could not be furnished. Id. at
65. The State asked the trial court to furnish the defendant with a narrative
statement of proceedings based on the trial court's own notes, but the defendant's
appellate counsel contended he was unable to test the sufficiency of this narrative
statement of proceedings since he did not participate in the trial. The Supreme
Court agreed and concluded that the defendant was unable to test the sufficiency
7 https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/378942_pub.pdf.
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No. 80473-1-I/10
of completeness of the narrative statement of proceedings for an adequate review
by this court or to determine what errors to assign for the purpose of obtaining an
adequate review on appeal. Id. at 67.
Larson is distinguishable. The report of proceedings for Larson’s entire jury
trial was lost. We confront a completely different situation; the lost report of
proceedings consists of a single hearing originally scheduled for the entry of a plea,
but during which the court continued the plea hearing to the following day. We
have a complete transcript of Hamilton’s May 30, 1990 plea hearing, during which
Hamilton was notified of his rights, questioned about his understanding of them,
and discussed the consequences of his plea in open court.
Hamilton has not demonstrated how the contents of the transcript of the
May 29, 1990 hearing would be material to this appeal. Hamilton is challenging
the validity of his plea. The plea was not entered on May 29; his plea hearing took
place on May 30. The record contains the complete verbatim report of proceedings
for that hearing. We have an adequate record with which to review Hamilton’s
claims of error.
2. Voluntariness of Guilty Plea
Hamilton contends he is entitled to withdraw his guilty plea because he did
not understand the nature and consequences of the plea. We reject this argument.
Generally, a party may raise on appeal only those issues raised at the trial
court. In re Det. of Brown, 154 Wn. App. 116, 121, 225 P.3d 1028 (2010). But a
defendant may raise the voluntariness of a plea for the first time on appeal if the
defendant establishes a manifest error affecting a constitutional right. RAP
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2.5(a)(3); State v. Walsh, 143 Wn.2d 1, 7, 17 P.3d 591 (2001). Given the
fundamental constitutional rights of an accused which are implicated when a
defendant pleads guilty, a claim that a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement
was involuntary is the kind of constitutional error that RAP 2.5(a) encompasses.
Walsh, 143 Wn.2d at 7.
But we first preview the merits of the claimed constitutional error to
determine whether the argument is likely to succeed. Id. at 8. Only if an error did
occur do we address whether the error caused actual prejudice and was therefore
manifest. State v. Kirkman, 159 Wn.2d 918, 935, 155 P.3d 125 (2007).
Under CrR 4.2(f), “[t]he court shall allow a defendant to withdraw the
defendant's plea of guilty whenever it appears that the withdrawal is necessary to
correct a manifest injustice.” A manifest injustice is one that is obvious, directly
observable, overt, and not obscure. State v. Wilson, 162 Wn. App. 409, 414, 253
P.3d 1143 (2011). A plea must be knowing, voluntary, and intelligent to be valid.
State v. Mendoza, 157 Wn. 2d 582, 587, 141 P.3d 49 (2006). For purposes of CrR
4.2(f), an involuntary plea is a per se instance where a manifest injustice exists.
Wilson, 162 Wn. App. at 414. The defendant bears the burden of proving a
manifest injustice required for withdrawal of a guilty plea. State v. Ross, 129 Wn.2d
279, 283-84, 916 P.2d 405 (1996).
When a defendant completes a plea statement and admits to reading,
understanding, and signing it, this creates a strong presumption that the plea is
voluntary. State v. Smith, 134 Wn.2d 849, 852, 953 P.2d 810 (1998). A judge’s
on-the-record inquiry of a defendant who signs a plea agreement strengthens the
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inference of voluntariness. In re Det. of Scott, 150 Wn. App. 414, 427, 208 P.3d
1211 (2009). Indeed, “[w]hen the judge goes on to inquire orally of the defendant
and satisfies himself on the record of the existence of the various criteria of
voluntariness, the presumption of voluntariness is well nigh irrefutable.” State v.
Branch, 129 Wn.2d 635, 642 n.2, 919 P.2d 1228 (1996) (quoting State v. Perez,
33 Wn. App. 258, 261-62, 654 P.2d 708 (1982)). To overcome this presumption,
the defendant must present some evidence of involuntariness beyond his self-
serving allegations. Scott, 150 Wn. App. at 427.
Hamilton first contends the record does not demonstrate that he understood
the elements of the charged crime. The record does not support this argument.
A defendant must understand the facts of his case in relation to the
elements of the crime charged, protecting the defendant from pleading guilty
without understanding that the alleged conduct falls within the charged crime.
State v. Codiga, 162 Wn.2d 912, 923-24, 175 P.3d 1082 (2008).
On May 23, 1990, Hamilton signed a plea agreement with the State in which
he agreed to plead guilty as charged in exchange for the State’s recommendation
of a three-month jail sentence. He then appeared with counsel for a plea hearing
on May 30, 1990. On that day, he signed a written “Statement of Defendant on
Plea of Guilty.” In this document, Hamilton stated “I have been informed and fully
understand that I am charged with the crime(s) of robbery in the second degree.”
In the section of the statement reserved for the elements of the crime, Hamilton
wrote “see attached information.” Although Hamilton argues that no information
was attached to this document, on the next page he certified that “I have been
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given a copy of the information.” The information laid out the elements of second
degree robbery.
Moreover, the documents Hamilton signed made it clear that he did not
believe he was guilty of the charged crime, but recognized he would probably be
found guilty, and wanted to take advantage of the plea deal to avoid a longer prison
sentence:
I am not guilty of robbery, however, I want to plead guilty in order to
take advantage of the prosecutor’s recommendation, and to avoid
possibly more serious consequences if this case went to trial. I have
reviewed the . . . case materials with my lawyer, and I agree that
there is a substantial likelihood I would be found guilty at a trial.
At the May 30 hearing, the court conducted an on-record inquiry and asked
Hamilton if he had reviewed the entire plea form with his attorney, to which
Hamilton responded “Yes ma’am.” The court asked if Hamilton understood his trial
rights, understood that by pleading guilty he waived those rights, and if all of
Hamilton’s questions had been answered. Hamilton responded “Yes” to each
inquiry.
The court explicitly discussed with Hamilton that he agreed that the court
could review the determination of probable cause to verify that there was a factual
basis for the plea and to determine the appropriate sentence, but that he was not
agreeing that it could be relied on as a basis for imposing an exceptional sentence.
Hamilton indicated that he understood this part of the agreement. Id. Hamilton
reaffirmed that he had read his entire plea statement, that he understood his
sentence, and had no questions about the process.
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Following this inquiry, the trial court found that Hamilton’s decision to plead
guilty was knowing, intelligent, and voluntary and it accepted his guilty plea.
Because the record shows Hamilton acknowledged in writing and orally at the plea
hearing that he understood the charge against him, including the elements of the
crime, there is an extremely strong presumption that Hamilton’s plea was
voluntary.
Next, Hamilton argues that the record does not demonstrate that he
understood the nature of his Alford plea. Again, we disagree.
An Alford plea is inherently equivocal in the sense that it requires a
defendant to plead guilty without admitting guilt. In re Pers. Restraint of Montoya,
109 Wn.2d 270, 280, 744 P.2d 340 (1987) (abrogated on other grounds by State
v. Buckman, 190 Wn. 2d 51, 61, 409 P.3d 193 (2018)). This alone, however, does
not render an otherwise voluntary and intelligent guilty plea invalid. Id. “An Alford
plea is valid when it ʻrepresents a voluntary and intelligent choice among the
alternative courses of action open to the defendant.’ ” State v. Stowe, 71 Wn. App.
182, 187, 858 P.2d 267 (1993) (quoting Montoya, 109 Wn.2d at 280).
In the context of an Alford plea, the accused must understand the nature
and consequences of the plea bargain and must decide that pleading guilty is in
his best interest. In re Pers. Restraint of Barr, 102 Wn.2d 265, 270, 684 P.2d 712(1984).
For the trial court to make the proper evaluation, the plea bargain
must be fully disclosed. The trial court must find a factual basis to
support the original charge, and determine that defendant
understands the relationship of his conduct to that charge.
Defendant must be aware that the evidence available to the State on
the original offense is sufficient to convince a jury of his guilt.
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Id.These criteria were satisfied here. The record convinces us that Hamilton
chose to plead guilty to obtain the benefit of a recommended three-month
sentence. He understood that the probable cause certification was sufficient to
establish a factual basis for the second degree robbery charge and that he was
likely to be found guilty if he went to trial on that charge.
Hamilton contends that, in the Alford plea context, the trial court’s colloquy
was not sufficiently probing to ensure he understood he was pleading guilty to a
crime he did not commit. He relies on In Pers. Restraint of Cross, 178 Wn.2d 519,
309 P.3d 1186 (2013), in which our Supreme Court upheld a death sentence based
on an Alford plea. In doing so, the court relied on the fact that the trial court had
painstakingly walked Cross through the elements of the crimes of
which he was charged, his potential defenses, the rights he was
relinquishing, and the punishment he faced. On the issues of
premeditation and common scheme or plan, the judge had Cross
state in his own words his understanding of the meaning of those
concepts.
Id. at 530.
But Cross does not stand for the proposition that an Alford plea is only valid
if a trial court engages in the extensive inquiry that occurred in Cross’s case. The
issue there was whether a death sentence could be predicated on an Alford plea.
Id. at 529. The trial court engaged in an in-depth inquiry with Cross because he
was facing the very serious risk of being sentenced to death. We simply cannot
equate Cross to this case.
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Hamilton also relies on State v. S.M., 100 Wn. App. 401, 996 P.2d 1111(2000), in which Division Two of this court reversed the conviction of a 12-year-old
defendant for three counts of first degree rape of a child, concluding that the
defendant’s plea agreement was not voluntary. But that case is also
distinguishable. S.M.’s counsel was not present when he signed the plea form and
his only contact with appointed counsel was a brief meeting immediately before
the plea hearing, during which counsel did not discuss the substance of the plea
with S.M. Id. at 403-04. On appeal, the court concluded that this colloquy was
inadequate because “the record does not show that S.M. understood the law in
relation to the facts.” Id. at 414-15.
At the plea hearing, the trial court asked S.M. whether he knew the
meaning of “sexual intercourse” but it did not ask what he thought it
meant or inquire into his understanding of the nature of the charges.
...
S.M.'s plea statement does not provide the necessary factual basis
for the charge of rape of a child. It states only that “[i]n Cowlitz County
in the Spring of 1994, I had sexual contact with my Brother who is
age 10 in 1994. It happened three times.” This statement lacks any
indication that S.M. understood that the crime of rape of a child
required penetration. Nor does S.M.'s simple “yes” response to the
court's oral question about the meaning of sexual intercourse cure
this deficiency.
The plea statement is a critical indicator of S.M.'s understanding
about the nature of the charges, especially under the circumstances
here where the record shows that S.M. did not have the full
assistance of counsel before entering his plea.
Id. at 415.
Unlike S.M., there is no indication that Hamilton lacked the full assistance
of counsel before entering his plea. And while Hamilton may have been a youthful
offender at the age of 20, he certainly was not 12, as was the case in S.M. The
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legal meaning to the phrase “sexual intercourse” may be difficult for a 12-year-old
to understand. We cannot say the same for the phrase “robbery,” particularly as
laid out in the information and as detailed in the accompanying probable cause
certification. Hamilton affirmed in his plea that he had reviewed the case materials,
including the charging information, with counsel and was voluntarily pleading guilty
to a crime he did not believe he committed to gain a clear benefit. The court
repeatedly inquired into Hamilton’s understanding of the consequences of his plea,
specifically the sentencing range of 3 to 9 months, and the waiver of his trial rights
and asked if he had any questions concerning the process. None of this occurred
in S.M.
Despite Hamilton’s suggestion to the contrary, there is no due process
requirement that the court orally question a defendant to ascertain whether he
understands the consequences of the plea and the nature of the offense. In re
Pers. Restraint of Keene, 95 Wn.2d 203, 206-07, 622 P.2d 360 (1980). In Keene,
our Supreme Court upheld a defendant’s forgery conviction where the plea was
prepared with the help of an attorney, the defendant verbally informed the court
that his plea statement was truthful, and the defendant acknowledged receiving a
copy of the charging information containing the facts and elements of the crime.
Id. at 206-08. We reach the same conclusion here. Hamilton argues Keene is
distinguishable because the defendant in that case did not enter an Alford plea.
This argument is unpersuasive. As in Keene, the record here demonstrates that
Hamilton was apprised of the nature of his offense multiple times. He
acknowledged in his plea statement that he received this information, went over it
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with his attorney, and understood it. The trial court then explicitly had Hamilton
confirm that he understood that he was pleading guilty to a crime he did not commit
to take advantage of a plea offer from the State and that the court would review
the probable cause determination to ensure there was a factual basis for the plea.
The plea documentation and colloquy were adequate to ensure Hamilton’s
Alford plea was voluntary.
Finally, in his statement of additional grounds, Hamilton argues that his plea
was invalid because he was not informed that his conviction could be used as a
strike offense. He also contends he was affirmatively misinformed that the
maximum sentence for his crime was 5, rather than 10 years.
Before a trial court accepts a guilty plea, the defendant must be informed of
all direct consequences of the plea. Mendoza, 157 Wn.2d at 588 Whether a
consequence is direct turns on whether “the result represents a definite, immediate
and largely automatic effect on the range of the defendant's punishment.” State v.
Ross, 129 Wn.2d 279, 284, 916 P.2d 405 (1996) (quotation marks omitted).
Failing to inform a defendant of, or misinforming the defendant about, collateral
consequences of a plea does not render that plea involuntary. State v. Gregg, 196
Wn.2d 473, 485, 474 P.3d 539 (2020).
Hamilton argues he did not know that his conviction could be used as a
strike offense under the persistent offender statute. First, no one knew in 1990
that Washington voters would pass a “three strikes” law in 1993. Second, the fact
that his robbery conviction would become a strike offense is not a direct
consequence of his plea. In order to trigger the persistent offender statute,
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Hamilton needed to commit additional qualifying strike offenses. “The potential for
the crime to count as a strike at some later time rests only on the possibility that
the defendant will commit future crimes.” State v. Lewis, 141 Wn. App. 367, 395,
166 P.3d 786 (2007). Future possible eligibility for persistent offender status is not
a direct consequence of a guilty plea about which a defendant must be informed
before pleading guilty to a crime. Id.Hamilton also argues that his plea agreement incorrectly informed him that
the statutory maximum for second degree robbery was five years, when it is in fact
ten years. Although the plea agreement did incorrectly state that the relevant
maximum sentence was five years, this error was corrected at the plea hearing
where the court stated, and Hamilton acknowledged, that robbery in the second
degree “carries with it a maximum sentence of ten years.”
Hamilton has not overcome the presumption that his plea was knowing,
intelligent, and voluntary. Because he is unlikely to succeed in a motion to
withdraw his plea, he has not established the existence of a manifest error affecting
a constitutional right under RAP 2.5(a)(3). Remand to allow Hamilton to obtain a
trial court ruling on a CrR 7.8 motion to withdraw his plea is unnecessary.
C. Order Correcting Judgment and Sentence
Hamilton next argues that the trial court violated his due process rights by
entering a 2018 “ex parte” order specifying that the no contact order in his 1990
judgment and sentence expired in 2000. We disagree.
On June 21, 2018, Hamilton filed a motion to correct his judgment and
sentence, indicating that while the judgment ordered that he have no contact with
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his two victims, it did not specify the duration of this no contact order. He
submitted, with the motion, a form entitled “Note for Criminal Motion,” setting the
motion for consideration by Judge Laura Inveen on July 17, 2018. The motion
does not appear to have been properly noted because the form itself indicates that
all criminal motions are to be heard by the Assistant Chief Criminal Judge. Judge
Inveen was not the Assistant Chief Criminal Judge at that time.
Hamilton refiled the motion on September 13, 2018, and used a different
form, entitled “Notice of Court Date,” setting the motion for consideration by Judge
Nicole Phelps without oral argument on October 19, 2018, “or earliest
convenience.”
Judge Phelps addressed this motion on October 15, 2018 by entering a
handwritten order that recognized the original judgment and sentence left the term
of the no contact provision blank. The court ordered that “the judgment should
reflect that the no contact [order] was for (10) ten years. However, even the 10
years has passed. Department of Corrections has terminated supervision and any
NCO in judgment is hereby expired.”
When a judgment and sentence is missing a term over which there is no
dispute, the appropriate method for correcting the error is a motion to correct a
clerical mistake under CrR 7.8(a). State v. Priest, 100 Wn. App. 451, 455, 997
P.2d 452 (2000). That rule provides:
Clerical mistakes in judgments, orders or other parts of the record
and errors therein arising from oversight or omission may be
corrected by the court at any time of its own initiative or on the motion
of any party and after such notice, if any, as the court orders. Such
mistakes may be so corrected before review is accepted by an
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No. 80473-1-I/21
appellate court, and thereafter may be corrected pursuant to RAP
7.2(e).
The court clearly had the authority to correct Hamilton’s judgment and sentence,
at his request, to reflect the correct duration of his no contact order. It also had the
authority to note, for the record, that the no contact provision had expired and
Hamilton was no longer under DOC supervision for that conviction. Hamilton does
not identify anything erroneous in the court’s ruling.
Hamilton contends that there must have been an ex parte communication
about his motion between the prosecutor and the court because he had no prior
notice that the court’s order would be entered. An ex parte communication is a
communication “made by or to a judge, during a proceeding, regarding that
proceeding, without notice to a party.” State v. Watson, 155 Wn.2d 574, 579, 122
P.3d 903 (2005). While the State may have submitted, as its response to
Hamilton’s motion, a proposed order for the court to sign, and the State may have
neglected to serve a copy of its proposed order on Hamilton, we have no evidence
before us that the judge was aware of any defects in the State’s service on
Hamilton. The court did not abuse its discretion in entering the order proposed by
the State.
And, in any event, the court gave Hamilton the relief he sought—it granted
his motion to amend the judgment and sentence. Only an aggrieved party may
appeal. State v. Taylor, 150 Wn.2d 599, 603, 80 P.3d 605 (2003). An aggrieved
party is one whose personal rights or pecuniary interests have been affected. Id.Hamilton is not an aggrieved party to the 2018 order because it has no effect on
his personal rights or pecuniary interests.
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No. 80473-1-I/22
In his SAG, Hamilton additionally argues that the ex parte order violated his
constitutional right to be present at any stage in the criminal proceeding as well as
his right to assistance of counsel. First, Hamilton himself noted this motion for the
court’s consideration without oral argument at the court’s “earliest convenience.”
He can hardly complain about a process he put into motion. Second, the right to
be present only extends to hearings critical to the outcome of the defendant’s case.
State v. Love, 183 Wn.2d 598, 608, 354 P.3d 841 (2015). Hamilton cites no case
to support his contention that a post-judgment motion to correct a clerical error,
noted for consideration without oral argument, is a hearing critical to the outcome
of Hamilton’s case.
Finally, a criminal defendant has no constitutional right to counsel in post-
conviction proceedings other than first direct appeal of right. State v. Forest, 125
Wn. App. 702, 707, 105 P.3d 1045 (2005) (citing Pennsylvania v. Finley, 481 U.S.
551, 555, 107 S. Ct. 1990, 95 L. Ed. 2d 539 (1987)).
The trial court did not err in correcting the judgment and sentence as
Hamilton asked it to do.
D. Community custody term
Finally, Hamilton argues in his SAG that the court erred in imposing an
“exceptional sentence” beyond the standard range of 3 to 9 months by sentencing
him to 3 months of confinement and 12 months of community custody. He argues
that his sentence “exceeded the standard range sentence, and thus exceeded the
‘relevant’ statutory maximum.” But Hamilton conflates his standard range with the
statutory maximum.
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“The term of community custody . . . shall be reduced by the court whenever
an offender's standard range term of confinement in combination with the term of
community custody exceeds the statutory maximum for the crime as provided in
RCW 9A.20.021.” RCW 9.94A.701(10). The statutory maximum for second
degree robbery, a class B felony, is 10 years. RCW 9A.20.021(1)(b). Hamilton’s
sentence thus did not exceed the statutory maximum.
Affirmed.
WE CONCUR:
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