Case Title: State v. Mance

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: hawaii

Court: Hawaii Supreme Court

Date: 2006-04-17T00:00:00Z

Document:
*** NOT FOR PUBLICATION ***

 

No. 25488 3

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HANATER):
2

STATE OF HAWAI'I, Plaintiff-Appellee

Aas

 

vs. =

JULIAN MARCUS NANCE, Defendant-Appellant

 

APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE SECOND CIRCUIT
(CASE NO. LCT2: 10/21/02)

RY DIS! BR
(By: Moon, C.J., Levinson, Nakayama, Acoba, and Duffy, JJ.)

Defendant-Appellant Julian Marcus Mance (*Mance”)
appeals from the denial of his oral motion for judgment of

acquittal on October 21, 2002, and the judgment of the District

Court of the Second Circuit’ (“district court”) filed on

October 21, 2002, in which Mance was found guilty of criminal
contempt of court under Hawai'i Revised Statutes (HRS) § 710-

1077 (2) (g) (1993)? due to (1) failure to appear in Lahaina for a

proof of compliance hearing on May 20, 2002, and (2) failure to
pay an outstanding $25 fine incident to a prior shoplifting

conviction. Mance argues on appeal that court erred in denying

his motion for judgment of acquittal, and that Plaintiff-Appellee

 

‘The Honoreble Douglas Ige presided.

ins § 710-1077(1) (g) (2993) reads in pertinent part

commits the offense of criminal contempt of court if

 

(2) A pers

y discbeys or resists the

 

(g) The person knowin:
process, injunction, oF other randate of @ court
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State of Hawai'i ("prosecution") failed to adduce substantial
evidence that Mance knowingly’ evaded the process of the district
court by presenting himself in Wailuku on May 20, 2002, when the
hearing in question was actually held in Lahaina, such that his
criminal contempt of court conviction must be reversed. Mance
does not challenge the conviction on the basis of his failure to
pay the $25 fine.

Upon carefully reviewing of the record and the briefs

submitted by the parties and having given due consideration to

 

the arguments advanced and the issues raised, we hold as follows:

(2) Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to
the prosecution, a reasonable mind could fairly conclude that the
Lahaina court ordered Mance to appear in Lahaina, not Wailuku, on
May 20, 2002, and that Mance’s appearance at the wrong court
despite an instruction to appear in Lahaina on that date
constituted conscious, knowing disobedience of that order beyond
@ reasonable doubt. See State v. Keawe, 107 Hawai'i 1, 4, 108
P.3d 304, 307 (2005). Consequently, the lower court did not err
in denying Mance’s motion for judgment of acquittal.

(2) By introducing disposition slips from the Lahaina
court stating when Mance was supposed to return to court, in

particular the slip ordering Mance to appear in Lahaina on

 

2 see HRs § 702-206(2) (2) (2993) ("A person acte knowingly with
respect to Nis conduct when he is aware that his conduct is of that nature.”)

 

2
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May 20, 2002, which he signed and adnitted receiving, the
prosecution adduced credible evidence of sufficient quality and
probative value to enable a person of reasonable caution to find
Mance guilty of criminal contempt of court. See State v
Maldonado, 108 Hawai'i 436, 442, 121 P.3d 901, 907 (2005). When
considering the evidence in the strongest light for the
prosecution, the trial judge could rationally infer that Mance
knowingly failed to comply with the court's order to appear in

Lahaina, and thereby conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that

 

Mance was aware that his appearance in Wailuku instead of Lahaina

See State v.

was in disobedience of the Lahaina court's manda|

 

Eastman, 81 Hawai'i 131, 135, 913 P.2d $7, 61 (1996).
Accordingly, Mance’s conviction must be upheld. Therefore,

IT 1S HEREBY ORDERED that the judgment from which the
appeal is taken is affirmed.

DATED: Honolulu, Hawai'i, April 17, 2006.
on the briefs: G
George A. Burke and 7 (
Deborah L. Kim, deputy .

public defenders,
for Defendant-Appellant

Julian Marcus Mance Dae Ouse ane

Artemio C. Baxa, deputy
prosecuting attorney, Ame
for Plaintiff-Appellee ff

State of Hawai'i one Date he