Case Title: State v. William J. Church

Citation: 2000 WI 90

Docket Number: 1997AP003140-CR

State: wisconsin

Court: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Date: 2000-07-11T00:00:00Z

Document:
2000 WI 90 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
Case No.: 
97-3140-CR 
 
 
Complete Title 
of Case: 
 
State of Wisconsin,  
 
Plaintiff-Respondent-Petitioner, 
 
v. 
William J. Church,  
 
Defendant-Appellant.  
 
 
REVIEW OF A DECISION OF THE COURT OF APPEALS 
Reported at:  223 Wis. 2d 641, 589 N.W.2d 638 
 
 
(Ct. App. 1998-Published) 
 
 
Opinion Filed: 
July 11, 2000 
Submitted on Briefs: 
      
Oral Argument: 
April 6, 2000 
 
 
Source of APPEAL 
 
COURT: 
Circuit 
 
COUNTY: 
Dane 
 
JUDGE: 
Sarah B. O’Brien 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
Concurred: 
      
 
Dissented: 
      
 
Not Participating:       
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
For the plaintiff-respondent-petitioner the cause 
was argued by Susan M. Crawford, assistant attorney general, with 
whom on the briefs was James E. Doyle, attorney general. 
 
 
For the defendant-appellant there was a brief and 
oral argument by James L. Fullin, assistant state public 
defender. 
 
2000 WI 90 
 
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further editing and 
modification.  The final version will appear 
in the bound volume of the official reports. 
 
 
No. 97-3140-CR  
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN                    :  
  IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
State of Wisconsin,  
 
          Plaintiff-Respondent-Petitioner, 
 
     v. 
 
William J. Church,  
 
          Defendant-Appellant. 
 
 
REVIEW of a decision of the Court of Appeals.  Dismissed. 
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   The State petitioned for review of the 
decision of the court of appeals, State v. Church, 223 Wis. 2d 
641, 589 N.W.2d 638 (Ct. App. 1998), reversing a judgment of 
conviction of the Circuit Court for Dane County, Sarah B. 
O'Brien, Judge.  The conviction was for two counts of child 
enticement, one a violation of Wis. Stat. § 948.07(3) and the 
other a violation of Wis. Stat. § 948.07(6), based on one act of 
causing a child to enter a hotel.   
¶2 
The court of appeals reversed the conviction.  It held 
that the two counts were multiplicitous "because Wis. Stat. 
§ 948.07 does not permit multiple punishments for one act of 
enticement 
simply 
because 
the defendant intended multiple 
FILED 
 
JUL 11, 2000 
 
Cornelia G. Clark 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
Madison, WI 
 
 
 
 
 
No. 
97-3140-CR 
 
 
2 
misdeeds, rather than a single misdeed, with the victim."  223 
Wis. 2d at 645-46. 
¶3 
The State argued in the court of appeals, in its 
petition for review and in its briefs to this court, that Wis. 
Stat. § 948.07 creates multiple offenses that may be punished 
separately.  At oral argument the State departed from its prior 
position.  It argued that its interpretation of the child 
enticement statute advanced in State v. Derango, 2000 WI 89, ___ 
Wis. 2d ___, ___ N.W.2d ___, is correct, namely, that Wis. Stat. 
§ 948.07 creates a single offense with alternative mental states 
that may be submitted to the jury without a requirement of 
unanimity. 
¶4 
The issue framed in the present case has been decided 
by this court in State v. Derango, of even date. 
¶5 
For the reasons set forth, we conclude that review in 
this case was improvidently granted, and we dismiss the petition 
for review. 
By the Court.—The review of the decision of the court of 
appeals is dismissed. 
 
 
 
No. 
97-3140-CR 
 
 
1