State v. Wu

This opinion was
IN CLERK* OFFICE X
filed for record
rCOURT,SCVE OF WASNtNSTQN
at"on I^
17k OEC I
—C*^ —- -
A X Susan L. Carlson
CHIBF rice
Supreme Court Clerk
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
STATE OF WASHINGTON,
No. 96747-4
Respondent,
V.
En Banc
KENV. WU,
Petitioner. Filed DEC 1 2 2019
J
MADSEN,J.—In this case, we clarify the required elements for felony DUI
(driving under the influence) and who must determine whether such required elements
are met, a judge or a jury. We hold that the essential elements of felony DUI are set forth
in ROW 46.61.5055(14)(a), and resolving conflicting case law, we hold that following a
trial court's determination of admissibility, a jury should determine whether the essential
elements of felony DUI have been met based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt
provided by the State. Accordingly, we affirm defendant's conviction.
No. 96747-4
FACTS
The State charged Ken Wu with "felony DUI"(driving under the influence of
alcohol or drugs), violating an ignition interlock requirement, and first degree driving
with a suspended license. Clerk's Papers(CP)at 1-2. The felony DUI charge was based
on Wu having, within 10 years of his present arrest, four "prior offenses" as defined by
former RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii)(2016). Id. at 1. The court granted Wu's motion to
bifurcate the trial so that the jury would consider his conduct on the date of arrest before
discovering his criminal history.
The jury first considered the elements of gross misdemeanor DUI and convicted
Wu of that charge; that conviction is not challenged. After convicting Wu of DUI,the
jury then heard evidence regarding Wu's four prior offenses, along with the suspended
license charge. The State presented documentary evidence that Wu had four prior
offenses within the past 10 years: one conviction for DUI, one conviction for first degree
negligent driving, and two convictions for reckless driving. The reckless driving and first
degree negligent driving convictions were each originally charged as DUI and
subsequently amended.
Wu moved to dismiss the felony DUI after the State rested, arguing in part that the
prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence that his reckless driving convictions
"involved alcohol." Verbatim Report of Proceeding(VRP)(June 1, 2017) at 672-76.
The court noted that it had already admitted the prior offenses into evidence; the court
assessed each of the prior convictions on the record, determined there was sufficient
No. 96747-4
evidence to proceed, and denied Wu's motion. The court refused to instruct the jury that
it needed to find each prior offense involved alcohol.
The jury found by special verdict that Wu had four prior offenses and also
convicted him of driving with a suspended license (the interlock violation was dismissed
at trial). The court sentenced Wu within the standard range on the felony DUI and
imposed 90 days' confinement on the suspended license conviction. Wu appealed,
arguing that the State failed to present sufficient evidence that his two prior reckless
driving convictions involved alcohol, that the determination of alcohol involvement for
prior offenses was a jury question, and that the trial court erred by declining to instruct
the jury to decide if each prior offense was alcohol related.
Division One of the Court of Appeals affirmed Wu's conviction in a split decision.
State V. Wu,6 Wash. App. 2d 679,431 P.3d 1070 (2018). The majority opinion held that
whether Wu's prior convictions qualified as predicate offenses for felony DUI was a
question of law for the court,' leaving to the jury the issue of whether the prior
convictions existed. M at 687-89. This court granted Wu's petition for review. 193
Wash. 2d 1002.
'The majority's holding included the determination of whether Wu's prior reckless driving
convictions involved alcohol. Wu,6 Wash. App. 2d at 688.
No. 96747-4
ANALYSIS^
DUI Felony Statutes and Their Requirements
Under former RCW 46.61.502(6)(a)(2016), driving under the influence is
elevated from a gross misdemeanor to a felony if the defendant has "four or more prior
offenses within ten years as defined in RCW 46.61.5055."^ Former RCW
46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii) defines "prior offenses" for purposes ofthe felony DUI statute as
including "[a] conviction for a violation ofRCW 46.61.5249 [negligent driving],
46.61.500 [reckless driving], or 9A.36.050 [reckless endangerment] or an equivalent
local ordinance, ifthe conviction is the result ofa charge that was originallyfiled as a
violation o/RCW 46.61.502 [DUI\ or 46.61.504 [physical control of vehicle under the
influence], or an equivalent local ordinance, or of RCW 46.61.520 [vehicular homicide]
or 46.61.522 [vehicular assault]." (Emphasis added.) Restated, for present purposes,
under RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii),'^ a qualifying "prior offense" includes a conviction
for reckless driving "if the conviction is the result of a charge that was originally filed as
a [DUI]."5
Conflicting Case Law
As an initial matter, this case came to the court on the basis of a conflict between
Division One's decision below and its acknowledged disagreement with Division Two's
^ The primary issue in this ease is, what are the required elements for felony DUI?
Determination ofthat issue disposes of all other contentions.
^ RCW 46.61.502(6)(a) was amended in 2017 to require only three such prior offenses to elevate
a DUI to a felony. See Laws of 2017, eh. 335, § 1.
^ The 2016 version of RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii) and the current version of this definitional
statute are identical.
^ Wu challenges only the inclusion of his two prior convictions for reckless driving.
No. 96747-4
decision in State v. Mullen, 186 Wash. App. 321, 345 P.3d 26 (2015). Both are split
decisions, and the courts take opposite views about who should decide prior conviction
qualification issues and what elements are required in the felony DUI context.
Mullen extrapolated this court's decision in City of Walla Walla v. Greene, 154
Wash. 2d 722, 116 P.3d 1008 (2005), and held that "after Greene, the involvement of
alcohol or drugs in the prior conviction is an essential element offelony DUI that must
be proved beyond a reasonable doubt and to a jury." Mullen, 186 Wash. App. at 328
(emphasis added). Accordingly, Mullen held that "the State must prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that [defendant's] prior reckless driving conviction involved alcohol or
drugs in order to elevate the misdemeanor DUI to a felony DUI." Id.
Division One below disagreed with the Mullen majority about Greene'?, meaning
and whether the felony DUI prior conviction matters should be decided as a question of
fact or law. In Wu, Division One, citing with approval the Mullen dissent, states:
[Cjontrary to the majority opinion in Mullen, nothing in Greene altered the
legislature's definition of the essential elements of the crime of felony DUI.
As the dissent in Mullen summarized:
While the fact that a person has four prior DUI
offenses is an essential element of the crime of felony DUI
under ROW 46.61.502(6) that must be proved to the jury
beyond a reasonable doubt, whether a prior offense meets the
statutory definition in RCW 46.61.5055[]... is not an
essential element of the crime. Rather, the question of
whether a prior offense meets the statutory definition is a
threshold question of law to be decided by the trial court
before admitting a prior offense into evidence at trial.
6 Wash. App. 2d at 687-88 (quoting Mullen, 186 Wn. App. at 339(Melnick, J.,
dissenting)).
No. 96747-4
To understand Mullen and its conflict with the present case, we must consider
Greene. There, this court considered a prior negligent driving conviction, explained how
the felony DUI statute is to be applied, and upheld the constitutionality ofthe same
definitional provision at issue here (overruling State v. Shaffer, 113 Wash. App. 812, 55
P.3d 668 (2002)).® In Greene, on direct review, this court reversed a district court's
decision sentencing Greene as a first time DUI offender even though she had a qualifying
prior offense under RCW 46.61.5055. The district court relied on Shaffer, in which
Division One declared unconstitutional the same provision ofRCW 46.61.5055 defining
prior offenses at issue here and specifically addressed the "reckless driving" prior
conviction also at issue in Wu's case. See Shaffer, 113 Wash. App. at 818("The predicate
at issue here is a prior conviction for reckless driving, but only when such a conviction
results from a charge originally filed as a DUI offense."). The Shaffer court held that the
statute defining prior offenses did not pass "constitutional muster" for two reasons. First,
"the effect ofthe statute is to elevate a prior reckless driving conviction to a DUI
conviction without any proof. This is so because the mandatory enhancement applies
only to those prior reckless driving convictions where the charge, but not the conviction,
was DUI." Id. Shaffer's, second articulated reason was that "because the statute does not
require any proof of the charge of DUI, it fails to set the minimum constitutional standard
required for criminal conviction. That standard is for proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
Id. at 819.
® At the time of the Greene decision, the statute defining "prior offenses" appeared in former
RCW 46.61.5055(12)(a)(v)(2003).
No. 96747-4
As noted, the district court in Greene relied on Shaffer, so this court addressed
Shaffer at length. This court noted,"As in Shaffer, RCW 46.61.5055 is the statute at
issue here which incorporates particular driving-related convictions that were originally
charged as DUI." Greene, 154 Wash. 2d at 726-27. This court stated,"The {Shaffer'] court
reasoned that since the statute does not require any proof that an earlier DUI was
committed, it violates due process." Id. at 726 (citing Shaffer, 113 Wash. App. at 818-19).
This court reasoned that the Shaffer court had assumed "that the legislature only included
a prior offense 'where DUI was involved,'" id. at 727 (quoting Shaffer, 113 Wash. App. at
818), and that the problem with the Shaffer court's analysis was that "the definition of
prior offense does not contain [any such] language." Id. The Greene court then
explained at length as follows:
The statutory list of prior offenses contains more than merely a DUI
conviction. RCW 46.61.5055(12)(a)(v)[now RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii)]
lists specific convictions that constitute a prior offense under the statutory
definition. The statute then limits applicability to those convictions where
DUI was the predicate charge, thus requiring alcohol or drugs to be
involved with the convicted driving offense. No parties dispute the statute
is constitutional without this limiting DUI element. It follows that with the
limiting element, the legislature is simply clarifying those alcohol or drug-
related prior offenses to be considered. While the Shaffer court might be
correct if the statutory definition of prior offenses listed only unproven
charges, here, the statute specifies the prior convictions being applied to
impose an enhanced punishment for a later offense. Subject only to the
constraints of the constitution, the legislature may define and punish
criminal conduct. In re Pers. Restraint ofDavis, 142 Wash. 2d 165, 172, 12
P.3d 603 (2000).
The statutory definition requires a conviction for negligent driving,
or other listed offense, originating from a DUI charge. RCW
46.61.5055(12)(a)(v). Accordingly, the statute requires the State to
establish that a prior driving conviction involved use of intoxicating liquor
or drugs. Thus, due process is satisfied for the purposes of this mandatory
enhancement if the prior conviction exists and the prosecution can
No. 96747-4
establish that intoxicating liquor or drugs were involved in that prior
offense.
154 Wash. 2d at 727-28 (emphasis added)(footnote omitted). Holding that former RCW
46.61.5055(12)(a)(v)(now RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii)) survives constitutional
challenge, this court concluded,"For Greene, the fact that she was convicted of first
degree negligent driving is sufficient to satisfy her due process protections because all
elements ofthat offense are established by virtue ofthe conviction itself" Id. at 728
(emphasis added).
Turning back to Mullen, that case addressed a prior reckless driving conviction.
As noted, Greene addressed a prior negligent driving conviction. Negligent driving
includes as an express element that the person "exhibits the effects of having consumed
liquor." RCW 46.61.5249. Reckless driving contains an alternative but not a similarly
required alcohol effects element. See RCW 46.61.500. Based on this difference, Mullen
construed the above emphasized language in Greene to impose a new "essential element
of felony DUI" as "involvement of alcohol or drugs." 186 Wash. App. at 328. But that is
the same "DUI involvement" that the Shaffer court assumed and required, and that this
court expressly rejected in Greene. As Greene indicated in rejecting Shaffer, the absence
of any such language in the statute defining prior offenses is dispositive. Further, none of
the above language quoted from Greene can be reasonably construed to add a judicially
imposed new element to the felony DUI statute. Greene did just the opposite by adhering
to the plain language ofRCW 46.61.5055's "prior offenses" definitional statute and
determining that the constitution requires no additions to the plain language of that
No. 96747-4
statute. Accordingly, wc reject Mw/Zen's addition of language to the felony DUI statute's
requirements that are based on Mullen's incorrect reading of Greene.
Division One, in the present case, rejected Mullen, stating,"While Greene
recognized that due process is satisfied if'the prosecution can establish that intoxicating
liquor or drugs were involved in that prior offense,' the court did not elevate the
involvement of liquor [or] drugs to an aggravating factor. Nor did the court conclude that
the involvement of liquor or drugs was an essential element ofthe crime." Wu,6 Wn.
App. 2d at 688 n.4 (citation omitted)(quoting Greene, 154 Wash. 2d at 727-28). Division
One correctly concluded that Greene did not create an additional felony DUI element.
The Wu court went on to hold,"Whether a prior offense meets the statutory
definition in ROW 46.61.5055(14)(a) is not an essential element ofthe crime. Instead,
whether a prior offense meets the statutory definition is a threshold question of law to be
decided by the trial court prior to admitting the evidence to the jury." Id. To the extent
Wu can be read to mean that admissibility of the prior convictions is a legal question
properly for the trial court, we approve such approach. "Whether a prior conviction
qualifies as a predicate offense is a threshold question of law for the court, and not an
essential element of the crime of felony DUI." State v. Bird, 187 Wash. App. 942, 945, 352
P.3d 215(2015)(citing State v. Chambers, 157 Wash. App. 465, 479, 237 P.3d 352(2010);
State V. Cochrane, 160 Wash. App. 18, 20, 253 P.3d 95 (2011)). As always, the trial court
decides admissibility of evidence, a legal determination; then the jury decides whether
the essential elements of the crime have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, a
question of fact. As the Bird court explained,"Only prior offenses that meet the statutory
No. 96747-4
definition are admissible as predicate offenses elevating a DUI to a felony." Id.(citing
Chambers, 157 Wash. App. at 479). "Once determined that a prior offense is admissible,
the State can introduce the crime into evidence at the present trial." Id.-, see also State v.
Roswell, 165 Wash. 2d 186, 189, 196 P.3d 705 (2008)("Washington has enacted certain
criminal statutes that raise the level of a crime from a misdemeanor to a felony based
upon the defendant's prior criminal convictions. These prior convictions are elements of
the charged crime that the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt."). Here, the trial
court admitted exhibit 9 containing the State's documentary evidence concerning Wu's
prior convictions. The jury assessed those documents and found by special verdict that
"defendant [has] four or more prior offenses within ten years of August 1, 2016." CP at
119. This was not error.
Plain Language
The State effectively contends that both Wu and Mullen misconstrue RCW
46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii) by imposing an element not mentioned in the statute. Indeed, the
plain language of the statute requires only that a reckless driving conviction be originally
filed as a DUI within the preceding 10 years to qualify as a prior offense. The statutory
language does not require any additional showing that the reckless driving conviction
involved alcohol or drugs. See State v. Miller, 156 Wash. 2d 23, 31, 123 P.3d 827(2005)
(where the term in question does not appear in the statute, "[it] is not a statutory element
of the crime"); State v. Delgado, 148 Wash. 2d 723, 727, 63 P.3d 792(2003)(courts cannot
add words or clauses to an unambiguous statute when the legislature has chosen not to
include that language; instead the court assumes the legislature means exactly what it
10
No. 96747-4
says). Here, when the legislature enacted the felony DUI statute, it created a new crime
with different elements. It may do so. "Subject only to the constraints of the
constitution, the legislature may define and punish criminal conduct." Greene, 154
Wash. 2d at 727 (citing Davis, 142 Wash. 2d at 172); see also Roswell, 165 Wash. 2d at 192
(legislature may define the elements of a crime when it enacts a criminal statute and each
element must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt). Here, the statutory language
suggests that the legislature intended to enhance penalties for conduct that is initially
charged as a DUI, even if the charges are ultimately reduced or plea bargained to reckless
or negligent driving. The legislature is free to focus on a subset of convictions most
likely to enhance the relevant public safety goal. See State v. Law, 154 Wash. 2d 85, 92,
110 P.3d 111(2005)(power of the legislature to establish penalties for criminal offenses
is plenary and subject only to constitutional provisions).
Thus, all the State needs to establish here for felony DUI purposes is what the
statute expressly requires: that Wu has four "prior offenses" within the preceding 10
years (former RCW 46.61.502(6)(a)) defined to include "[a] conviction for a violation of
. . . 46.61.500 [reckless driving], ... or an equivalent local ordinance, ifthe conviction is
the result ofa charge that was originallyfiled as a violation o/RCW 46.61.502 [DC/7]."
Former RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii)(emphasis added). In other words, the State must
prove only that Wu has a prior reckless driving conviction that was originally charged as
a DUI, which can be done with documentation as the State did here. This is what the
plain language of the statute requires, nothing more.
11
No. 96747-4
In light of this determination, Wu's various arguments, which presume that
"involvement of drugs or alcohol" is a required element, fail. Wu contends,"The State
must prove involvement ofalcohol or drugs as part of a 'prior offense' originally charged
as a DUI but amended to another charge." Suppl. Br. of Pet'r at 3(emphasis added). Wu
cites Mullen, Greene, and Shaffer as support, but as discussed above, there is no such
additional element.
Wu next contends that because involvement ofdrugs or alcohol in the prior
offense of reckless driving is a factual finding that elevates the DUI to a felony, the right
to a jury trial under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution mandates that
the jury, not the court, make that finding. Id. at 9. Wu cites, as support, Blakely v.
Washington, 542 U.S. 296, 301-05, 124 S. Ct. 2531, 159 L. Ed. 2d 403 (2004). As
discussed above, because no such element exists, Wu's contention fails.
Wu also argues there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that his prior
reckless driving offenses "involved drugs or alcohol." Suppl. Br. ofPet'r at 18. Again,
there is no such requirement. We note that when the State rested in the second part ofthe
bifurcated trial, Wu moved for dismissal, arguing there was insufficient evidence to
sustain a felony DUI conviction. The trial court went through the documentation
submitted by the State in exhibit 9 concerning Wu's prior convictions, noting the dates
when charging documents, citations, and judgment and sentence documents were filed
12
No. 96747-4
and noting details on the record concerning each of Wu's prior convictions.'^ VRP at
684-91. The record shows that both of Wu's prior reckless driving convictions and his
negligent driving conviction were initially charged as DUIs and that his fourth prior
conviction was a DUI. Ex.9. That is all the felony DUI statute required. Wu's
insufficient evidence argument fails.^
Finally, Wu's assertion that the trial court erred in declining to give his proposed
instruction also fails. "Relying on Mullen,'' defense counsel proposed a jury instruction
that modified 11 Washington Practice: Washington Pattern Jury Instructions: Criminal
92.27 (4th ed. 2016)(WPIC), which tracks the language offormer RCW
46.61.5055(14)(a), by adding the phrase "and the State has proven beyond a reasonable
doubt that the prior incident was alcohol or drug related" to the definition of"prior
offense." Suppl. Br. ofPet'r at 20; CP at 121 (emphasis added). As discussed above,
there is no such element. The trial court did not err in declining Wu's proposed modified
instruction and giving instead the State's proposed instruction, which tracked WPIC
92.27 and former RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii).
^ The trial court's review on the record additionally noted information such as recorded BAG
(blood alcohol concentration) numbers and other information concerning alcohol involvement.
While this information was not required, the court seemingly included it in an abundance of
caution, as Wu's dismissal motion was based in part on his assertion that the State's evidence did
not show "involvement of drugs or alcohol." The trial court noted it found the dissent in Mullen
persuasive, as well as Division One's decision in Bird, which rejected Mullen. VRP at 684, 690.
The trial court nevertheless noted such information as an additional basis for denying Wu's
midtrial dismissal motion. Id. at 690.
^Addressing Wu's sufficiency challenge, the majority below held that "[t]he trial court did not
err in concluding that [each of Wu's two reckless driving convictions] was originally charged as
a DUI and involved alcohol." Wu,6 Wash. App. 2d at 689(emphasis added). As discussed herein,
any purported involved alcohol determination by the trial court conceming Wu's prior reckless
driving convictions is not required.
13
No. 96747-4
For these reasons, we affirm Wu's eonviction for felony DUI.
CONCLUSION
We reject Mw//en's addition of an "involvement of alcohol or drugs" essential
element to felony DUI based on Greene. We clarify that Greene did not alter the
essential elements of felony DUI as set forth in the relevant "prior offenses" definitional
statute, currently ROW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii). We hold that following a trial court's
determination of admissibility, the essential elements of felony DUI should be decided by
a jury upon proof by the State beyond a reasonable doubt. We affirm Wu's felony DUI
conviction for the reasons stated herein.
14
No. 96747-4
WE CONCUR:
7
15
State V. Wu
No. 96747-4
JOHNSON, J.(dissenting)—A criminal charge proves nothing of the
underlying facts. A charge can be defeated in a number of ways: actual innocence,
lack of proof, or a trial decision. In City of Walla Walla v. Greene, we analyzed
former ROW 46.61.5055(12)(a)(v)(2005)' and held that
the statute requires the State to establish that a prior driving
conviction involved use of intoxicating liquor or drugs. Thus, due
process is satisfied for the purposes of this mandatory enhancement if
the prior conviction exists and the prosecution can establish that
intoxicating liquor or drugs were involved in that prior offense.
154 Wash. 2d 722, 727-28, 116 P.3d 1008 (2005)(footnote omitted). Without this
proof, a prior charge fails to satisfy due process requirements. The majority here
abandons that holding without explaining why and establishes a troubling,
unprecedented rule validating enhanced sentences based on nothing more than an
unproven allegation. The majority's decision further violates the United States
The statute has since been recodified as RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii).
State V. Wu, No. 96747-4
(Johnson, J., dissenting)
Supreme Court's holding in In re Winship? The Court of Appeals should be
reversed.
We should adhere to the analysis of RCW 46.61.5055(14)(a)(xii) laid out in
Greene. Greene overruled Division One's holding in State v. Shaffer, 113 Wn.
App. 812, 55 P.3d 668 (2002), that the enhancement statute was unconstitutional.
154 Wash. 2d at 727-28. But Greene did not declare that Shaffer's result was
erroneous. The defendant in Shaffer faced enhanced sentencing for vehicular
homicide because of a prior conviction for reckless driving initially charged as a
DUI(driving under the influence). The Shaffer court reasoned that the statute
violated due process because it essentially elevated a prior reckless driving
conviction to a DUI conviction without any proof ofthe underlying facts or the
DUI charge. 113 Wash. App. at 819. Greene clarified that Shaffer would be correct if
the statute indeed was based only on unproven charges. 154 Wash. 2d at 727. The
majority now abandons this reasoning.
In Greene, we held that "due process is satisfied for the purposes ofthis
mandatory enhancement if the prior conviction exists and the prosecution can
establish that intoxicating liquor or drugs were involved in that prior offense." 154
Wash. 2d at 728 (footnote omitted). The statute requires proof oftwo facts:(1)the
2 In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364, 90 S. Ct. 1068,25 L. Ed. 2d 368 (1970)("[T]he Due
Process Clause protects the accused against conviction except upon proof beyond a reasonable
doubt of every fact necessary to constitute the crime . . . .").
State V. Wu, No. 96747-4
(Johnson, J., dissenting)
existence ofthe prior conviction and (2)the involvement of alcohol or drugs. The
limiting element ofthe prior DUI charge in the statute evinces the legislature's
intent that the enhancement applies to driving offenses involving alcohol or drugs.
To accomplish this purpose, the State must prove that the prior conviction involved
alcohol or drugs as a separate fact. See State v. Mullen, 186 Wash. App. 321, 335,
345 P.3d 26(2015)(interpreting Greene).
The State can satisfy that burden by documentation as a matter of law only
when the involvement of alcohol or drugs is an element ofthe prior crime, as it
was for the defendant in Greene. In that case, the prior conviction was first degree
negligent driving, which requires the State to prove(1)the defendant operated a
motor vehicle (2)in a negligent manner(3)that endangered or was likely to
endanger any person or property (4) while exhibiting the effects ofhaving
consumed alcohol, drugs, or any intoxicating substance. RCW 46.61.5249(l)(a)
(emphasis added); 11A Washington Practice: Washington Pattern Jury
Instructions: Criminal 96.02, at 385 (4th ed. 2016). We recognized Winship's
mandate that due process requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt of"every fact
necessary to constitute the crime." 397 U.S. at 364. Applying that rule, we held
that "the fact that [the defendant] was convicted of first degree negligent driving
[was] sufficient to satisfy [the defendant's] due process protections because all
State V. Wu, No. 96747-4
(Johnson, J., dissenting)
elements [including use of alcohol or drugs] of that offense are established by
virtue of the conviction itself." Greene, 154 Wash. 2d at 728.
Here, unlike first degree negligent driving, reckless driving does not
necessarily involve alcohol or drugs. The crime of reckless driving merely requires
the State to prove that the defendant drove a vehicle with "willful or wanton
disregard for the safety of persons or property." RCW 46.61.500(1). Only facts that
are admitted, stipulated to, or proved beyond a reasonable doubt can be recognized
through the conviction without additional proof. Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S.
296, 303-04, 124 S. Ct. 2531, 159 L. Ed. 2d 403 (2004)(defining the "statutory
maximum" as the maximum sentence the "judge may impose solely on the basis of
thefacts reflected in thejury verdict or admitted by the defendant. . . without any
additional findings. When a judge inflicts punishment that the jury's verdict alone
does not allow, the jury has not found all the facts 'which the law makes essential
to the punishment'"(quoting 1 JOEL PRENTISS BISHOP, CRIMINAL PROCEDURE § 87,
at 55 (2d ed. 1872))); Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 490, 120 S. Ct. 2348,
147 L. Ed. 2d 435 (2000)("Other than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that
increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must
be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt."); Winship, 397
U.S. at 364; State v. Olsen, 180 Wash. 2d 468, 473-74, 325 P.3d 187(2014). When
State V. Wu, No. 96747-4
(Johnson, J., dissenting)
the prior conviction is reckless driving, the additional fact of the involvement of
alcohol or drugs cannot be established by the conviction alone.
The Court of Appeals' dissent in this case applies the correct analysis of
current case law. First, Mullen properly interpreted Greene as applied to a prior
conviction for reckless driving. Mullen held that to satisfy due process, the State
had to prove that the defendant's prior reckless driving conviction involved alcohol
or drugs as an essential element. 186 Wash. App. at 329. The difference from Greene
was that "in Mullen's case ... the State cannot prove that alcohol or drugs were
involved merely by virtue of his conviction for reckless driving." 186 Wash. App. at
334. Thus, where the prior conviction is reckless driving, additional proof is
required to confirm the involvement of alcohol or drugs.
Second, the determination is a matter oflaw only where the record ofthe
prior conviction leaves nothing left to prove, as in State v. Allen, 5 Wash. App. 2d
32,425 P.3d 529(2018), and State v. Bird, 187 Wash. App. 942, 352 P.3d 215
(2015). Both cases assessed RCW 46.61.502(6)(b)(ii), which elevates a
misdemeanor to a felony DUI based on a prior conviction of"[vjehicular assault
while under the influence." Vehicular assault includes three alternative means,
including operating a vehicle "[w]hile under the influence of intoxicating liquor or
any drug." RCW 46.61.522(l)(b). The defendants in Bird dind Allen faced an
enhanced conviction because their prior guilty pleas to vehicular assault included
State V. Wu, No. 96747-4
(Johnson, J., dissenting)
an admission of all three alternative means, including under the influence of
alcohol or drugs. Allen, 5 Wash. App. 2d at 38; Bird, 187 Wash. App. at 946. Similar to
the first degree negligent driving conviction in Greene, the prior conviction
inherently involved alcohol or drugs. A prior DUI conviction would also
necessarily include use of alcohol or drugs. RCW 46.61.502(1); see State v.
Cochrane, 160 Wash. App. 18, 27, 235 P.3d 95 (2011). In those circumstances, the
court's determination as a matter oflaw satisfies due process because the record of
the prior conviction contains the aggravating element. See Allen, 5 Wash. App. 2d at
37-38; Bird, 187 Wash. App. at 945-46.
The majority ignores this critical distinction. Only where the record ofthe
prior conviction contains a stipulation, admission, or finding that alcohol or drugs
were involved can the fact be determined as a matter of law. Otherwise, it must be
established to the fact finder beyond a reasonable doubt. Here, where the prior
conviction is reckless driving, even if initially charged as a DUI,the conviction
does not inherently involve alcohol or drugs. The initial DUI charge cannot prove
that fact. Yet, the majority creates fact out of allegation and undermines the due
process mandate that every element be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
Winship, 397 U.S. at 364.
In this case, there is no stipulation, admission, or proven fact that Wu's prior
reckless driving convictions involved alcohol or drugs. Evidence that the
State V. Wu, No. 96747-4
(Johnson, J., dissenting)
convictions were originally cited as DUIs is insufficient. An initial charge is a
mere accusation, not proof of any facts. As we established in Greene, due process
requires the State to prove as an essential element that alcohol or drugs were
involved in a prior conviction. The Court of Appeals should be reversed and Wu's
felony DUI conviction vacated. The case should be remanded for entry of a
misdemeanor DUI conviction and resentencing.
J
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