Title: State v. Putvain

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

State v. Putvain  (2005-039); 179 Vt. 619; 895 A.2d 200

2006 VT 20

[Filed 22-Feb-2006]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                                 2006 VT 20

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2005-059

                             DECEMBER TERM, 2005

  State of Vermont               }     APPEALED FROM:
                                 }
                                 }     District Court of Vermont,
       v.                        }     Unit No. 3, Lamoille Circuit
                                 }     
  Pamela Putvain                 }
                                 }     DOCKET NO. 588-10-03LeCr

                                       Trial Judge: Howard E. Van Benthuysen

       In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       ¶ 1.     Defendant Pamela Putvain appeals from the district court's
  denial of a motion to expunge her record after successful completion of a
  deferred sentence.  Defendant claims that since she fulfilled the terms of
  probation and of the deferred sentence agreement, her record should be
  expunged upon discharge under 13 V.S.A. § 7041(b).  She argues that the
  district court erred in denying her motion and in requiring an additional
  two-year "good behavior" period under 33 V.S.A. § 5538 before allowing
  expungement.  The State concurs with defendant's position on appeal. 
  Because the district court erred in interpreting § 7041(b) to require a
  two-year waiting period before expungement, we reverse.

       ¶ 2.     Defendant pled guilty to domestic assault on April 6, 2004,
  in exchange for a seven-month deferred sentence.  Defendant fulfilled the
  terms of her deferred sentence agreement, and the district court granted
  her petition for discharge from probation on November 11, 2004.  On
  November 19, 2004, defendant filed a motion to expunge her record under 13
  V.S.A. § 7041(b).(FN1)  The district court denied the motion, finding that
  "section 7041 requires a 2 year 'good behavior' period before the
  probationer can receive an expungement, since it adopts the requirements of
  an application and wait found in 33 V.S.A. § 5538."  Defendant filed a
  petition for reconsideration of her request to expunge on January 25, 2005. 
  The district court denied the petition on January 31, 2005, but shortened
  the waiting period.  Defendant appeals from this denial.

       ¶ 3.     A deferred sentence is "not a sentence at all, but rather a
  postponement of sentence that offers the defendant an opportunity to have
  an adjudication of guilt expunged."  State v. Pierce, 163 Vt. 192, 196,