State Of Washington v. William Allen Repp, Sr. ( 2014 )


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  •                                                                                                                  COURT OF APPEA! S
    fGr+ 11
    Z014 SEP - 9
    PH 9: 22
    IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGtO                                                                          IS7' i' TON
    DIVISION II
    STATE OF WASHIGNTON,                                                                    No. 44876 -9 -II
    Respondent,
    v.
    WILLIAM ALLEN REPP SR.,                                                        UNPUBLISHED OPINION
    Appellant.
    MELNICK, J. —     After a bench trial on stipulated facts, the trial court found William Allen
    Repp Sr. guilty of possession of methamphetamine and obstructing a law enforcement officer.
    Repp appeals his convictions. First, Repp argues that the trial court erred by finding that there was
    probable cause   to   support      his   arrest   for obstructing   a   law   enforcement officer.       Repp is incorrect
    and we affirm the trial court' s finding that there was sufficient probable cause for his arrest. Repp
    also argues that his conviction for obstructing was entered in error because the trial court never
    made   findings that he   committed          the   crime of   obstructing      a   law   enforcement officer.    The State
    concedes that the trial court improperly entered a finding that Repp was guilty of obstructing a law
    enforcement officer.      We accept the State' s concession and remand for the trial court to vacate
    Repp' s conviction for obstructing a law enforcement officer.
    We    affirm    the        methamphetamine          possession        conviction,      reverse    the   obstructing
    conviction, and remand        to   the trial   court.
    44876 -9 -II
    FACTS
    On August 13, 2012, Longview Police Officer Chris Trevino was detaining a suspect in a
    stolen vehicle         investigation.         During   the    procedure,   Repp   entered     the alleyway.   He approached
    the   officer while          yelling   at   him.   Repp   also shined a    flashlight   at   Trevino.   Trevino ordered Repp
    to turn off the flashlight two separate times, and Repp failed to comply. Trevino, distracted by the
    light, had to decide whether to continue detaining the suspect or to direct his attention to Repp.
    Trevino disengaged from the suspect and directed his attention to Repp. Trevino approached Repp
    and placed him under arrest for obstructing a law enforcement officer. After a search incident to
    arrest,       Trevino        located    a   pouch    of   a   white   crystalline   substance,      later determined to be
    methamphetamine, in Repp' s sock.
    The State      charged    Repp with possession of a controlled            substance — methamphetamine and
    obstructing        a   law     enforcement officer.        Repp filed a motion to suppress the evidence seized as a
    result of his arrest because Trevino did not have probable cause to arrest him for obstructing a law
    enforcement officer. After a hearing, the trial court entered written findings of fact and conclusions
    of law. The trial court made the following three conclusions:
    Officer Trevino was in the midst of discharging his official duties when
    1.
    he came into contact with [Repp].
    2. [ Repp' s] actions did not hinder Officer Trevino' s ability to arrest the
    suspect. Due to presumably enough ambient light, Officer Trevino could see and
    identify [Repp]. Officer Trevino was not blinded by [ Repp' s] flashlight; rather he
    was distracted.
    3.     However, under these circumstances, the fact that Officer Trevino had
    to   decide      whether to delay his arrest of his suspect and neutralize [ Repp]
    immediately or to proceed with the arrest of his suspect did in fact delay Officer
    Trevino in the discharge of his official duties.
    4. [    Repp' s] motion to suppress is denied and the evidence is admissible.
    Clerk'    s   Papers    at     2.
    44876 -9 -II
    After the trial court denied his motion to suppress, Repp waived his right to a jury trial and
    proceeded      to   a   bench trial    on   stipulated     facts.       The trial court' s written findings of fact and
    conclusions of law state that Repp was guilty of possession of methamphetamine but the findings
    of fact, conclusions of law, and the verdict do not reference the charge for obstructing a law
    enforcement officer.           However, the judgment and sentence states that Repp was guilty of both
    possession of methamphetamine and obstructing a law enforcement officer. Repp appeals.
    ANALYSIS
    I.       MOTION TO SUPPRESS
    Repp argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress evidence of the
    search incident to arrest because Trevino lacked probable cause to arrest him. Probable cause to
    arrest exists where an officer knows of facts and circumstances that would lead a person of
    reasonable caution to believe that a crime has been or is being committed. State v. Terrovona, 
    105 Wn.2d 632
    , 643, 
    716 P. 2d 295
     ( 1986). The officer need not possess facts to establish guilt beyond
    a reasonable        doubt in   order   to   meet   the   standard       for   probable cause.   State v. Scott, 
    93 Wn.2d 7
    ,
    11, 
    604 P. 2d 943
     ( 1980).
    Under RCW 10. 31. 100 a law enforcement officer may arrest a person for a misdemeanor
    or gross misdemeanor without a warrant when the crime is being committed in the officer' s
    presence. "     A person is guilty of obstructing a law enforcement officer if the person willfully
    hinders, delays, or obstructs any law enforcement officer in the discharge of his or her official
    powers    or    duties."       RCW 9A.76. 020( 1).            Obstructing a law enforcement officer is a gross
    misdemeanor. RCW 9A.76. 020( 3).
    3
    44876 -9 -II
    Repp argues that although his behavior distracted Trevino, a reasonable police officer
    would not believe that Repp committed a crime. He alleges that because the trial court concluded
    Trevino could have finished arresting the suspect, even while Repp was shining the light at him,
    he did not hinder, delay, or obstruct Trevino. But the facts are clear that while arresting a suspect,
    Trevino was delayed or obstructed when Repp entered the alleyway, yelled at the officer, and
    illuminated him         with a   flashlight.   Repp distracted Trevino to the point that he disengaged from
    the arrest   of   the   suspect and    had to focus   on
    Repp. Trevino had to determine what role, if any,
    Repp played in the initial criminal investigation. He posed a possible threat to the officer. Under
    the standard for establishing probable cause, the trial court did not err by determining that.Trevino
    had probable cause to arrest Repp for obstructing a law enforcement officer. See Scott, 
    93 Wn.2d at 11
    . Accordingly, the trial court did not err by denying Repp' s motion to suppress.
    II.      CONVICTION FOR OBSTRUCTING A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
    Repp also argues that the trial court erred by entering the obstructing a law enforcement
    officer conviction because there is nothing in the record demonstrating the trial court entered a
    guilty   verdict   for this      charge.   The State concedes that the judgment and sentence improperly
    includes a conviction for the obstructing a law enforcement officer charge. Because the trial court
    never entered a verdict finding Repp guilty of obstructing a law enforcement officer, the judgment
    and``sentence is incorrect. Accordingly, we accept the State' s concession and remand to the trial
    court to vacate the obstructing a law enforcement officer conviction.
    4
    44876 -9 -II
    We     affirm   the   methamphetamine possession conviction ( count    1),   reverse the obstructing
    conviction ( count      2),   and remand to the trial court to remove the obstructing conviction from the
    judgment and 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:
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 44876-9

Filed Date: 9/9/2014

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 4/18/2021