## I N T H E C O U R T O F C R I M I N A L A P P E A L S

O F T E X A S

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. P D

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S E A N A N D E R S O N

, A p p e l l a n t

v

.

T H E S T A T E O F T E X A S

O N A P P E L L A N T ’ S P E T I T I O N F O R D I S C R E T I O N A R Y R E V I E W

F R O M T H E T H I R T E E N T H C O U R T O F A P P E A L S

N U E C E S C O U N T Y

C O C H R A N

, J

. , d e l i v e r e d t h e o p i n i o n o f t h e u n a n i m o u s C o u r t

.

O P I N I O N

A j u r y c o n v i c t e d a p p e l l a n t o f t h r e e c o u n t s o f s e x u a l a s s a u l t a n d o n e c o u n t o f

u n a u t h o r i z e d u s e o f a m o t o r v e h i c l e

. A t s e n t e n c i n g

, t h e t r i a l j u d g e r u l e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t ’ s 2 0 0 4

N o r t h C a r o l i n a c o n v i c t i o n f o r “ T a k i n g I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s W i t h C h i l d r e n ” h a d “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y 1

s i m i l a r ” e l e m e n t s t o t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d

. ” B e c a u s e o f t h a t p r i o r 2

N.C. G E N

. S T A T

. § 14-202.1. 1

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 21.11. 2Ander son Pag e 2

N o r t h C a r o l i n a c o n v i c t i o n

, t h e t r i a l j u d g e s e n t e n c e d a p p e l l a n t t o t h e s t a t u t o r i l y r e q u i r e d l i f e

s e n t e n c e f

o r e a c h c o u n t o f s e x u a l a s s a u l t

. 3

O n a p p e a l

, a p p e l l a n t c l a i m e d

, i n t e r a l i a

, t h a t t h e t r i a l j u d g e e r r e d i n f i n d i n g

“ s u b s t a n t i a l s i m i l a r i t y ” b e t w e e n t h e T e x a s a n d N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e s

, b u t t h e c o u r t r e

j e c t e d

a p p e l l a n t ’ s c l a i m a n d a f f i r m e d h i s t h r e e l i f

e s e n t e n c e s

. W e g r a n t e d a p p e l l a n t ’ s p e t i t i o n f o r 4

d i s c r e t i o n a r y r e v i e w t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e l o w e r c o u r t ’ s a n a l y s i s u n d e r P r u d h o l m v

. 5

S t a t e w a s ( 1 ) i n c o m p l e t e b e c a u s e i t d i d n o t e x p l i c i t l y i n c l u d e a c o m p a r i s o n o f t h e “ i m p a c t 6

o f t h e e l e m e n t s o n t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f f e n s e s

, ” o r ( 2 ) m i s t a k e n b e c a u s e t h e N o r t h

C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e e n c o m p a s s e s a m a r k e d l y d i f f e r e n t r a n g e o f c o n d u c t

. W e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e

t w o o f f e n s e s d o n o t c o n t a i n e l e m e n t s t h a t a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

.

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 12.42(c) (2)( B) (v) ( “a de fenda nt shall be punished by

imprisonment 3

. . . for life if . . . the def

endant ha s been pr eviously convicted of

an off ense . . . unde r the law s of

another state conta ining e lements that are substantially simil ar to the e lements of an of fense

listed” in an ea

rlier se ction of the statute, including indece ncy with a child).

Anderson v. State , No. 13-10-00654- CR, 2012 W L 2470002, * 4–5 (Tex. App.—Corpus 4

Christi J une 28, 2012) ( not desig nated f or publication).

Appellant’s g rounds for r eview a re a s follows: 5

1. Whether a Prudholm analy sis pursuant to Penal Code 12.42(c) (2)( B) (v) r equire s the

revie wing court to compa re the rang es of punishment to deter mine the impact of the

elements on the se riousness of the of fense

. 2. Whether the Thirte enth Court of Appe als err ed in af firming Petitioner’s automatic life

sentenc e under

Texas Penal Code 12.42(c) (2)( B) (v) be cause the North Car olina law that

proscr ibes photog raphing a nake d child, masturbation within a child’s sig ht, and a va riety

of other a cts not proscribe d by Texas Penal Code § 22.11 is not substantially simil ar to

Texas Penal Code § 22.11.

333 S.W .3d 590 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011). 6Ander son Pag e 3

I

.

A p p e l l a n t w a s c h a r g e d w i t h t h r e e c o u n t s o f s e x u a l a s s a u l t a n d o n e c o u n t o f

u n a u t h o r i z e d u s e o f a m o t o r v e h i c l e

. T h e e v i d e n c e s h o w e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t a n d J

. K

. w e r e

f e l l o w e m p l o y e e s

, t h o u g h “ n o t g o o d f r i e n d s

, ” a t t h e B e a c h G a t e C o n d o S u i t e s & H o t e l

. O n e

d a y

, a p p e l l a n t

, J

. K

. , a n d t w o h o t e l g u e s t s g a t h e r e d i n t h e g u e s t s ’ r o o m t o c e l e b r a t e

a p p e l l a n t ’ s b i r t h d a y

. B e f o r e j o i n i n g t h e o t h e r s

, J

. K

. h a d “ s e v e r a l s h o t s ” o f v o d k a a l o n e i n

h e r r o o m

. A p p e l l a n t l a t e r g a v e h e r s o m e X a n a x

, a n d s h e c o n t i n u e d t o d r i n k a l c o h o l

, s m o k e

m a r i j u a n a

, a n d t a k e X a n a x d u r i n g t h e e v e n i n g

. B y a l l a c c o u n t s

, s h e w a s h i g h l y i n t o x i c a t e d

.

J

. K

. a d m i t t e d t h a t s h e d i d n o t r e c a l l m u c h o f w h a t h a p p e n e d t h a t n i g h t a t t h e p a r t y

a f t e r s h e t o o k t h e X a n a x a n d h a d t w o d r i n k s

. H e r n e x t m e m o r y w a s w a k i n g u p i n a p p e l l a n t ’ s

r o o m t h e f

o l l o w i n g m o r n i n g w i t h “ s o r e n e s s o n [ h e r ] i n n e r t h i g h s

, ” a f e e l i n g t h a t J

. K

. “ w o u l d

o f t e n g e t i f [ s h e ] h a d h a d s e x t h e p r e v i o u s n i g h t

. ” S h e a l s o n o t i c e d a c o n d o m o n t h e n i g h t

s t a n d

. A t f

i r s t s h e c o u l d n ’ t f

i n d h e r w a l l e t

, b u t s h e l a t e r l o c a t e d i t i n a p l a s t i c b a g i n t h e

b a t h r o o m g a r b a g e c a n

. I t w a s m i s s i n g $ 4 0 0

. A s s h e l e f t

, s h e n o t i c e d t h a t h e r c a r w a s n o t

p a r k e d i n i t s u s u a l s p o t a n d t h a t s o m e o n e h a d “ y a n k e d o r c u t o r m e s s e d w i t h ” s o m e w i r e s

u n d e r t h e d r i v e r ’ s s i d e d a s h b o a r d

. T h e d e f e n s e ’ s p o s i t i o n w a s t h a t a p p e l l a n t h a d h a d

c o n s e n s u a l s e x w i t h J

. K

. a n d s h e h a d g i v e n h i m p e r m i s s i o n t o u s e h e r c a r

. T h e j u r y f o u n d

a p p e l l a n t g u i l t y o n a l l c o u n t s

.

T h e t r i a l j u d g e c o n d u c t e d s e n t e n c i n g a n d a d m i t t e d t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a j u d g m e n t f o r

“ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s

. ” H e n o t e d t h a t t h i s p r i o r f e l o n y c o n v i c t i o n w o u l d a t l e a s t e n h a n c e t h eAnder son Pag e 4

p u n i s h m e n t f

o r a p p e l l a n t ’ s s e c o n d

- d e g r e e s e x u a l

- a s s a u l t f e l o n i e s t o f

i r s t

- d e g r e e f

e l o n i e s a n d

7

p o t e n t i a l l y r e q u i r e a u t o m a t i c l i f e s e n t e n c e s

. T h a t d e t e r m i n a t i o n h i n g e d o n w h e t h e r t h e

e l e m e n t s o f t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e w e r e “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r ” t o t h e e l e m e n t s o f a n y

o f t h e s e x o f

f e n s e s l i s t e d i n T e x a s P e n a l C o d e § 1 2

. 4 2 ( c ) ( 2 ) ( B )

. T h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a

j u d g m e n t s t a t e s t h a t “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” i s a C l a s s F F e l o n y a n d t h a t a p p e l l a n t w a s

s e n t e n c e d t o 1 3

– 1 6 m o n t h s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t

. H o w e v e r

, t h e j u d g m e n t d i d n o t s e t o u t a n y 8

e l e m e n t s o f t h e o f

f e n s e

.

T h e S t a t e a r g u e d t h a t a p p e l l a n t ’ s “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” c o n v i c t i o n h a d e l e m e n t s t h a t

w e r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r t o t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d

. ” T h e r e f o r e

,

u n d e r S e c t i o n 1 2

. 4 2 ( c ) ( 2 )

, a p p e l l a n t ’ s s e n t e n c e w a s f i x e d b y s t a t u t e a t l i f

e i m p r i s o n m e n t f

o r

e a c h c o u n t

. A p p e l l a n t a r g u e d t h a t t h e t w o s t a t u t e s d i d n o t c o n t a i n s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

e l e m e n t s ; t h e r e f

o r e

, a p p e l l a n t ’ s p u n i s h m e n t f o r e a c h c o u n t w a s e n h a n c e d t o t h a t o f a f i r s t

d e g r e e f e l o n y w i t h a p u n i s h m e n t r a n g e b e t w e e n 5

– 9 9 y e a r s o r l i f e u n d e r S e c t i o n 1 2

. 4 2 ( b )

.

T h e p a r t i e s a g r e e d t h a t t h e r e w e r e n o T e x a s c a s e s c o m p a r i n g t h e t w o s t a t u t e s a n d t h a t t h e

i s s u e o f w h e t h e r t h e e l e m e n t s w e r e “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r ” w a s a q u e s t i o n o f p u r e l a w

. T h e

t r i a l j u d g e r e c e s s e d t h e h e a r i n g t o c o n s i d e r t h e i s s u e “ b e c a u s e i t m a k e s t h e d i f f e r e n c e

b e t w e e n a n a u t o m a t i c l i f e s e n t e n c e o r 5 y e a r s t o 9 9

. ” A f t e r a o n e

- m o n t h r e c e s s

, t h e t r i a l

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E §12.42(b). 7

The minimum rang e of punishment for “I ndece nt L iberties” f

or first off

ender s was, at 8

the time of appe llant’s conviction, 10–20 months’ imprisonment, with a corre sponding

maxi mum rang e of 12–24 months. See note 45, infra

.Ander son Pag e 5

j u d g e h e l d t h a t t h e s t a t u t e s ’ e l e m e n t s w e r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r a n d a s s e s s e d p u n i s h m e n t f o r

a p p e l l a n t ’ s s e x u a l

- a s s a u l t o f f e n s e s a t t h r e e c o n c u r r e n t l i f e s e n t e n c e s

.

O n d i r e c t a p p e a l

, a p p e l l a n t c l a i m e d t h a t t h e t r i a l j u d g e e r r e d a s a m a t t e r o f l a w i n

r u l i n g t h a t t h e s t a t u t o r y e l e m e n t s w e r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

. T h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s

, a p p l y i n g

a d e n o v o s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w

, s e t f o r t h t h e p r o p e r a n a l y t i c a l f r a m e w o r k :

[ T ] o c o n c l u d e t h a t t w o o f f e n s e s c o n t a i n s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r e l e m e n t s

, w e f i r s t

d e t e r m i n e i f t h e e l e m e n t s b e i n g c o m p a r e d “ d i s p l a y a h i g h d e g r e e o f l i k e n e s s

. ”

W e t h e n m u s t d e c i d e w h e t h e r t h e e l e m e n t s a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r w i t h

r e s p e c t t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r p u b l i c i n t e r e s t s p r o t e c t e d a n d t h e i m p a c t o f t h e

e l e m e n t s o n t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f f e n s e

. T h e o f

f e n s e s m a y b e l e s s t h a n

i d e n t i c a l

. T h e r e f

o r e

, “ o n e o f

f e n s e n e e d n o t h a v e e v e r y e l e m e n t o f t h e o t h e r

. ” 9

T h e c o u r t l o o k e d t o N o r t h C a r o l i n a c a s e l a w t h a t d e t a i l e d s o m e o f t h e c o n d u c t f a l l i n g

u n d e r t h e “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” s t a t u t e a n d n o t e d

,

A l t h o u g h t h e e l e m e n t s o f b o t h s t a t u t e s a r e n o t i d e n t i c a l

. . . a n d t h e N o r t h

C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e c r i m i n a l i z e s b e h a v i o r n o t c o n t e m p l a t e d b y t h e T e x a s s t a t u t e

,

w e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e y a r e s i m i l a r e n o u g h t o i n d i c a t e a h i g h d e g r e e o f l i k e n e s s

,

a n d t h u s

, s a t i s f

y t h e f i r s t p a r t o f t h e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r t e s t

. 1 0

T h e c o u r t t h e n s t a t e d t h a t b o t h s t a t u t e s s e e k t o “ s a f e g u a r d c h i l d r e n f

r o m i m p r o p e r s e x u a l

t o u c h i n g a n d / o r s e x u a l e x p o s u r e ” b y “ p u n i s h [ i n g ] t h e s e x u a l l y

- m o t i v a t e d t o u c h i n g o f

c h i l d r e n o r s e x u a l l y

- m o t i v a t e d e x p o s u r e

. . . t o c h i l d r e n

, ” a n d c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e s t a t u t e s 1 1

t h e r e f o r e c o n t a i n e d s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r e l e m e n t s

. T h e c o u r t a f f i r m e d a p p e l l a n t ’ s c o n v i c t i o n

Anderson , 2012 WL 2470002, at *4 (c itations omi tted). 9

Id. at *4–5. 1 0

Id. at *5. 1 1Ander son Pag e 6

a n d s e n t e n c e

.

I I

.

S e c t i o n 1 2

. 4 2 o f t h e T e x a s P e n a l C o d e p r o v i d e s f o r e n h a n c e d p u n i s h m e n t s f o r t h o s e

w h o a r e c o n v i c t e d o f f

i r s t

- , s e c o n d

- , o r t h i r d

- d e g r e e f e l o n y o f f e n s e s a n d w h o h a v e p r i o r n o n

s t a t e

- j a i l f e l o n y c o n v i c t i o n s

. T h e e n h a n c e m e n t s t a t u t e i n c r e a s e s t h e p u n i s h m e n t r a n g e f r o m 1 2

a t h i r d

- d e g r e e f

e l o n y t o a s e c o n d

- d e g r e e f e l o n y o r a s e c o n d

- d e g r e e f e l o n y t o f

i r s t

- d e g r e e

f e l o n y f o r o n e p r i o r f

e l o n y c o n v i c t i o n

. I t a l s o e n h a n c e s a f i r s t

- d e g r e e f

e l o n y ( 5

– 9 9 y e a r s o r

l i f e ) t o a n e n h a n c e d f

i r s t

- d e g r e e ( 1 5

– 9 9 y e a r s o r l i f e )

, i f t h e d e f

e n d a n t h a s o n e p r i o r f

e l o n y

c o n v i c t i o n

. I f a d e f

e n d a n t c o n v i c t e d o f a n y n o n

- s t a t e

- j a i l f e l o n y h a s t w o p r i o r

, s e q u e n t i a l

f e l o n y c o n v i c t i o n s

, t h e m i n i m u m s e n t e n c e i s 2 5 y e a r s a n d t h e m a x i m u m i s 9 9 y e a r s o r l i f e ;

t h i s i s t h e T e x a s “ t h r e e s t r i k e s ” l a w

. H o w e v e r

, i f a d e f e n d a n t i s c o n v i c t e d o f

c e r t a i n s e x u a l

o f f e n s e s a n d h e h a s a p r i o r c o n v i c t i o n f o r o n e o f t h e s e x u a l o f f e n s e s l i s t e d i n S e c t i o n

1 2

. 4 2 ( c ) ( 2 ) ( B )

, t h e p u n i s h m e n t i s a n a u t o m a t i c l i f e s e n t e n c e

. T h e e n h a n c e m e n t s t a t u t e

“ e f f e c t i v e l y c r e a t e s a ‘ t w o

- s t r i k e s p o l i c y ’ f o r r e p e a t s e x o f

f e n d e r s i n T e x a s

, e m b o d y i n g t h e

l e g i s l a t u r e ’ s i n t e n t t o t r e a t r e p e a t s e x o f f e n d e r s m o r e h a r s h l y t h a n o t h e r r e p e a t o f f e n d e r s

. ” 1 3

The e nhance ment statute does not per mit any enhanc ement if the pr ior conviction is for 1 2

a state- jail felony . A state-ja il felony is punishable by

“not more tha

n two y ear s or less than 180

day s” conf

inement. T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 12.35(a)

.

Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 592 (quoting Griffit h v. State , 113 S.W .3d 782, 786 (Tex. 1 3

Crim. App. 2003)); see also Duran v. State , 363 S.W .3d 719, 724 (Tex. App.—Houston [1s t

Dist.] 2011, pet. re f’d) (“The L eg islature has de termined that a sever e pena lty

is warr anted . . .

when the e vidence shows the def endant ha s committed indecenc y with a child or sexually

assaulted a

child afte r pre viously

being convicted of

indece ncy

with a child.”) ; W

illiams v. State

, 10 S.W .3d 370, 372–73 (Tex. App.—Ty ler 1999, pe t. ref’ d) (“ The leg islature has a n interest inAnder son Pag e 7

T h e l e g i s l a t u r e a l s o m a n d a t e d t h e a u t o m a t i c “ t w o s t r i k e s ” e n h a n c e m e n t t o l i f e i m p r i s o n m e n t

i f t h e “ d e f e n d a n t h a s p r e v i o u s l y b e e n c o n v i c t e d o f a n o f f e n s e

. . . u n d e r t h e l a w s o f a n o t h e r

s t a t e c o n t a i n i n g e l e m e n t s t h a t a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r t o t h e e l e m e n t s o f a n [ e n u m e r a t e d

T e x a s ] o f

f e n s e

. ” 1 4

I n P r u d h o l m

, w e e x p l a i n e d t h e p r o c e s s f o r d e t e r m i n i n g i f a n o u t

- o f

- s t a t e s e x u a l

o f f e n s e c o n t a i n s “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r ” e l e m e n t s t o a l i s t e d T e x a s s e x u a l o f f e n s e

.

F i r s t

, “ t h e e l e m e n t s b e i n g c o m p a r e d

. . . m u s t d i s p l a y a h i g h d e g r e e o f l i k e n e s s

. ” B u t 1 5

t h e e l e m e n t s “ m a y b e l e s s t h a n i d e n t i c a l ” a n d n e e d n o t p a r a l l e l o n e a n o t h e r p r e c i s e l y

. I t 1 6 1 7

i s n o t e s s e n t i a l t h a t a p e r s o n w h o i s g u i l t y o f a n o u t

- o f

- s t a t e s e x u a l o f

f e n s e w o u l d n e c e s s a r i l y

removing habitual sexual predator s of childre n from socie ty and in protec ting the c hildren of this

State.”).

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E §12.42(c) (2); see Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 592.

1 4

Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 594. 1 5

See id. at 593–96 (holding that two offe nses ca n be “substantially

simil ar” when the 1 6

victim-ag e ele ment of ea ch off ense w as diffe rent by

one y ear ) (discussing Ex parte W hite , 277

S.W .3d 316, 318 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007)).

I t may be helpf ul to envision a Venn diag ram to illustrate the ne cessa ry deg ree of 1 7

simil arity . The two c ircles ne ed not form a perf ect ove rlap, but they

must overlap sig nificantly

and shar e a la

rg e interse ction are a. F or example, if one state ’s statute sets the a g e for child rape at

16 while another

sets it at 17, the statutory overla p is significa

nt, though not pre cise. Prudholm

, 333 S.W .3d at 593–94. I f one statute r equire s proof that the r ape vic tim is not the spouse of the

actor , while a se cond statute doe s not contain that eleme nt, but all other eleme nts are the same,

the over lap is signific ant. Id. at 594. On the other hand, if one statute punishes any “intimate”

touching of a c hild, while a sec ond statute punishes only the touching of the a

nus or g enitals, the

statutes are not substantially simil ar. See Tex as Dep’t of Public Safety v. Anony mous Adult Texas

Resident , 382 S.W .3d 531, 536, 538 (Tex. App.—Austin 2012, n.p.h.) (Massac husetts “indece nt

assault” law

punished any

improper touching of private are as, including the abdomen, buttocks,

or thig hs, as well as “ unwanted kissing ” whe n coupled with improper sexual overtones; bec ause

of its broade r re ach, it wa s not substantially simil ar to Te x as off

ense of sexual assault).Ander son Pag e 8

b e g u i l t y o f a T e x a s s e x u a l o f f e n s e a s t h e r e i s n o r e q u i r e m e n t o f a t o t a l o v e r l a p

, b u t t h e o u t

o f

- s t a t e o f f e n s e c a n n o t b e m a r k e d l y b r o a d e r t h a n o r d i s t i n c t f r o m t h e T e x a s p r o h i b i t e d

c o n d u c t

. F o r i n s t a n c e

, i n P r u d h o l m

, t h e C a l i f o r n i a o f f e n s e p r o h i b i t e d “ t o u c h i n g ” o f a n

“ i n t i m a t e p a r t

, ” w h e r e a s t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e p r o s c r i b e d t h e “ p e n e t r a t i o n o r c o n t a c t ” o f a

p e r s o n ’ s “ a n u s ” o r “ s e x u a l o r g a n

. ” W e h e l d t h a t t h e t w o s t a t u t e s “ e n c o m p a s s [ e d ] a 1 8

m a r k e d l y d i f

f e r e n t r a n g e o f c o n d u c t

, ” a n d “ [ w ] h i l e t h e e l e m e n t s

. . . m a y b e s i m i l a r i n a

g e n e r a l s e n s e

, t h e y d o n o t d i s p l a y t h e h i g h d e g r e e o f l i k e n e s s r e q u i r e d t o b e s u b s t a n t i a l l y

s i m i l a r

. ” T h e r e a r e m a n y m o r e “ i n t i m a t e p a r t s ” c o v e r e d u n d e r t h e C a l i f o r n i a s t a t u t e t h a n 1 9

t h e s p e c i f

i c s u b s e t o f “ i n t i m a t e p a r t s ”

– t h e “ a n u s ” a n d “ s e x u a l o r g a n ”

– l i s t e d i n t h e T e x a s

s t a t u t e

. W e a l s o f

o u n d i t r e l e v a n t t h a t t h e C a l i f o r n i a o f f e n s e “ s p e c i f

i c a l l y e x c l u d e s ” m o r e

s e r i o u s s e x u a l c o n d u c t t h a t t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e i n c l u d e s

. G e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g

, t h e f o c u s o f t h e 2 0

P r u d h o l m i n q u i r y i s o n t h e e l e m e n t s o f t h e o f

f e n s e

, n o t t h e s p e c i f

i c c o n d u c t t h a t w a s

a l l e g e d

. 2 1

Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 599 1 8

Id. 1 9

Id. 2 0

But sometimes, the spec ific conduc t, as well as the e lements, must be considere d. For 2 1

example, in Texas De

p’t of Public Safety v. G arcia , 327 S.W .3d 898 (Tex. App.—Austin 2010,

pet. denied) , the cour

t found that the ele ments of Ore g on’s statutory -ra pe statute we re

“substantially

simil ar” to elements of the c orre sponding Te x as statute. The y wer e, except that in

Ore g on the statute applied to those unde r ag e 18, while the T exas statute applied only to those

under a g e 17. Nor

mally , that would not make the statutes dissimilar. But be cause it was

undisputed that the defe ndant in the Ore g on case had conse nsual sex with hi s 17 y ear -old

g irlfriend a

nd that is leg al conduc t in Tex as, the c ourt of appe als held that, in that particula r

situation, the two statutes were not “substantially simil ar.” Id. at 906–07.Ander son Pag e 9

T h e s e c o n d p r o n g o f t h e P r u d h o l m a n a l y s i s r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e “ e l e m e n t s m u s t b e

s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r p u b l i c i n t e r e s t s p r o t e c t e d a n d t h e

i m p a c t o f t h e e l e m e n t s o n t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f f e n s e s

. ” T h i s i s i t s e l f a t w o

- s t e p a n a l y s i s

.

2 2

C o u r t s m u s t f

i r s t d e t e r m i n e i f t h e r e i s a “ s i m i l a r d a n g e r t o s o c i e t y ” t h a t t h e s t a t u t e i s t r y i n g

t o p r e v e n t

. T h e c o u r t m u s t t h e n d e t e r m i n e i f t h e c l a s s

, d e g r e e

, a n d p u n i s h m e n t r a n g e o f t h e

2 3

t w o o f f e n s e s a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

. A n d

, a s P r u d h o l m t e a c h e s

, i f a n o t h e r o u t

- o f

- s t a t e 2 4

o f f e n s e ( r a p e

, f

o r e x a m p l e ) m o r e c l o s e l y m i r r o r s t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e ( s e x u a l a s s a u l t

, f

o r

e x a m p l e )

, b u t “ s p e c i f

i c a l l y e x c l u d e s ” t h e c o m p a r e d o u t

- o f

- s t a t e o f f e n s e ( s e x u a l b a t t e r y

, f

o r

e x a m p l e )

, t h i s i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e o t h e r o u t

- o f

- s t a t e o f f e n s e ( r a p e )

, n o t t h e c o m p a r e d o n e

( s e x u a l b a t t e r y )

, i s s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r t o t h e T e x a s o n e

. 2 5

N o s i n g l e f

a c t o r i n t h e a n a l y s i s i s d i s p o s i t i v e

, s o a c o u r t m u s t w e i g h a l l f a c t o r s b e f

o r e

m a k i n g a d e t e r m i n a t i o n

. T h a t d e t e r m i n a t i o n m u s t b e m a d e w i t h s e n s i t i v i t y b e c a u s e t h e

d e f e n d a n t i s s u b

j e c t t o a n a u t o m a t i c l i f e s e n t e n c e

. T h i s “ t w o s t r i k e s ” l a w r e f l e c t s “ t h e

Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 595 (e mphasis added)

. 2 2

Id. at 595 n.21. 2 3

For instance, in Prudholm , the California of fense of sexual battery

was a misdemeanor 2 4

offe nse unless it involved unlawful re straint, and eve n then the maximum punishment was four

y ear s’ imprisonment. I n compar ison, the Texas offense of sexual assault is a second- deg ree

felony with a maxim um punishment of twenty y ear s’ imprisonment. Id. at 596–99.

Id. at 599 (noting that California off ense of “sexual battery ” spec ifically excludes the 2 5

crimes of rape and sexual penetra

tion from its scope, while the Te x as sexual-assault statute

includes them).Ander son Pag e 10

l e g i s l a t u r e ’ s i n t e n t t o t r e a t r e p e a t s e x o f f e n d e r s m o r e h a r s h l y t h a n o t h e r r e p e a t o f f e n d e r s

, ” 2 6

b u t t h i s a u t o m a t i c e n h a n c e m e n t a p p l i e s o n l y t o s p e c i f i c a l l y l i s t e d s e r i o u s s e x o f f e n s e s

, s o

c o u r t s m u s t b e c a r e f

u l t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e o u t

- o f

- s t a t e o f f e n s e t r u l y i s “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r ”

t o t h o s e s e r i o u s T e x a s s e x o f f e n s e s t h a t c a l l f

o r a n a u t o m a t i c l i f

e

- i m p r i s o n m e n t

e n h a n c e m e n t

.

I I I

.

I n t h e p r e s e n t c a s e

, a p p e l l a n t h a d b e e n c o n v i c t e d o f “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s

. ” T h e N o r t h

C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e r e a d s a s f o l l o w s :

( a ) A p e r s o n i s g u i l t y o f t a k i n g i n d e c e n t l i b e r t i e s w i t h c h i l d r e n i f

, b e i n g 1 6 y e a r s o f

a g e

o r m o r e a n d a t l e a s t f

i v e y e a r s o l d e r t h a n t h e c h i l d i n q u e s t i o n

, h e e i t h e r :

( 1 ) W i l l f

u l l y t a k e s o r a t t e m p t s t o t a k e a n y i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r i n d e c e n t

l i b e r t i e s w i t h a n y c h i l d o f e i t h e r s e x u n d e r t h e a g e o f 1 6 y e a r s f o r t h e

p u r p o s e o f a r o u s i n g o r g r a t i f y i n g s e x u a l d e s i r e ; o r

( 2 ) W i l l f

u l l y c o m m i t s o r a t t e m p t s t o c o m m i t a n y l e w d o r l a s c i v i o u s a c t

u p o n o r w i t h t h e b o d y o r a n y p a r t o r m e m b e r o f t h e b o d y o f a n y c h i l d

o f e i t h e r s e x u n d e r t h e a g e o f 1 6 y e a r s

. 2 7

T h e S t a t e c o n t e n d s t h a t t h e e l e m e n t s o f t h i s o f f e n s e a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r t o t h o s e o f t h e

T e x a s o f f e n s e “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d

, ” w h i c h r e a d s :

( a ) A p e r s o n c o m m i t s a n o f f e n s e i f

, w i t h a c h i l d y o u n g e r t h a n 1 7 y e a r s o f a g e

, w h e t h e r

t h e c h i l d i s o f t h e s a m e o r o p p o s i t e s e x

, t h e p e r s o n :

( 1 ) e n g a g e s i n s e x u a l c o n t a c t w i t h t h e c h i l d o r c a u s e s t h e c h i l d t o e n g a g e

Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 592 (quoting Griffit h v. State , 113 S.W .3d 782, 786 (Tex. 2 6

Crim. App. 2003)).

N.C. G E N

. S T A T

. § 14-202.1. 2 7Ander son Pag e 11

i n s e x u a l c o n t a c t ; o r

( 2 ) w i t h i n t e n t t o a r o u s e o r g r a t i f y t h e s e x u a l d e s i r e o f a n y p e r s o n :

( A ) e x p o s e s t h e p e r s o n ’ s a n u s o r a n y p a r t o f t h e p e r s o n ’ s g e n i t a l s

, k n o w i n g t h e c h i l d i s p r e s e n t ; o r

( B ) c a u s e s t h e c h i l d t o e x p o s e t h e c h i l d ’ s a n u s o r a n y p a r t o f t h e

c h i l d ’ s g e n i t a l s

. 2 8

A f t e r c o n s i d e r i n g a l l o f t h e P r u d h o l m f a c t o r s

, w e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e t w o s t a t u t e s d o n o t

c o n t a i n “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r ” e l e m e n t s

.

A

. “ H i g h d e g r e e o f l i k e n e s s

. ”

T h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e e l e m e n t s o f t h e t w o o f f e n s e s p r e s e n t e d a

“ h i g h d e g r e e o f l i k e n e s s ” a f t e r n o t i n g t h a t “ [ b ] o t h o f t h e s e o f f e n s e s c r i m i n a l i z e

. . . t h e

t o u c h i n g o f t h e c h i l d ’ s g e n i t a l s

, t h e t o u c h i n g b y t h e c h i l d o f t h e o f f e n d e r ’ s g e n i t a l s

, a n d t h e

e x p o s u r e o f t h e o f

f e n d e r ’ s g e n i t a l s w i t h t h e i n t e n t t o a r o u s e o r g r a t i f y a p e r s o n ’ s s e x u a l

d e s i r e

. ” T h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s p r o p e r l y c o n s i d e r e d c o n d u c t t h a t f e l l w i t h i n b o t h s t a t u t e s ; 2 9

h o w e v e r

, i t d i d n o t c o n s i d e r t h e w i d e v a r i e t y o f c o n d u c t c o v e r e d b y t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a

o f f e n s e t h a t i s e x c l u d e d i n t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e

.

T h e T e x a s o f

f e n s e p r o s c r i b e s t w o v e r y s p e c i f i c t y p e s o f c o n d u c t : ( 1 ) “ s e x u a l

c o n t a c t

, ” a n d ( 2 ) t h e e x p o s i n g o f o n e ’ s g e n i t a l s o r a n u s t o a c h i l d ( o r c a u s i n g a c h i l d t o

3 0

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 21.11(a)

. 2 8

Anderson , 2012 WL 2470002, at *5. 2 9

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 21.11(c) define s sexual contact as the f ollowing a cts, “if 3 0

committed with the intent to arouse or g ratify the sexual desire of a

ny person: (1) any

touchingAnder son Pag e 12

e x p o s e h i s g e n i t a l s o r a n u s ) “ w i t h i n t e n t t o a r o u s e o r g r a t i f y t h e s e x u a l d e s i r e o f a n y p e r s o n

. ”

Q u i t e s i m p l y

, i f d e f

e n d a n t ’ s c o n d u c t d o e s n o t r e s u l t i n “ s e x u a l c o n t a c t ” o f v e r y s p e c i f i c p a r t s

o f t h e b o d y o r t h e e x p o s u r e o f v e r y s p e c i f i c p a r t s o f t h e b o d y

, t h e r e i s n o o f f e n s e

— r e g a r d l e s s

o f t h e d e f

e n d a n t ’ s m e n t a l s t a t e

.

T h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e t a k e s a d i f f e r e n t

, m u c h b r o a d e r a p p r o a c h

. I t p r o h i b i t s t h e

t a k i n g ( o r t h e a t t e m p t t o t a k e ) “ a n y i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r i n d e c e n t l i b e r t i e s w i t h a c h i l d ” f o r

t h e p u r p o s e o f s a t i s f

y i n g s e x u a l d e s i r e

. A d d i t i o n a l l y

, t h e s t a t u t e p r o s c r i b e s c o m m i t t i n g ( o r

a t t e m p t i n g t o c o m m i t ) “ a n y l e w d o r l a s c i v i o u s a c t ” o n o r w i t h a c h i l d

. O n e r e c e n t N o r t h

C a r o l i n a c a s e d e s c r i b e d i n d e c e n t l i b e r t i e s a s f o l l o w s :

“ I n d e c e n t l i b e r t i e s ” a r e d e f i n e d a s s u c h l i b e r t i e s a s t h e c o m m o n s e n s e o f

s o c i e t y w o u l d r e g a r d a s i n d e c e n t a n d i m p r o p e r

. I t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y t h a t

d e f e n d a n t t o u c h h i s v i c t i m t o c o m m i t a n i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r i n d e c e n t l i b e r t y

w i t h i n t h e m e a n i n g o f t h e s t a t u t e

. . . . F u r t h e r m o r e

, a v a r i e t y o f a c t s m a y b e

c o n s i d e r e d i n d e c e n t a n d m a y b e p e r f o r m e d t o p r o v i d e s e x u a l g r a t i f i c a t i o n t o

t h e a c t o r

. 3 1

N o t o n l y d o e s t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e p r o h i b i t i n c h o a t e o f f e n s e s t h a t a r e n o t i n c l u d e d i n

t h e T e x a s s t a t u t e

, b u t u n l i k e t h e s p e c i f i c a l l y d e l i n e a t e d c o n d u c t o u t l i n e d i n t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e

,

by a per son, including touc hing thr oug h clothing, of the anus, bre ast, or any

part of the g enitals of

a child; or (2) any

touching of any

part of the body

of a c hild, including touching throug h

clothing, w ith the anus, brea st, or any part of the g enitals of a pe rson.”

State v. Martin , 671 S.E.2d 53, 59 (N.C. Ct. App. 2009) (interna l quotation marks and 3 1

citations omitt ed); see also State v. B eck elheime r , 729 S.E.2d 730, *4 (N.C. Ct. App. 2012) (“An

indece nt liberty

is any immoral, improper or inde cent touching or ac t by the def endant in the

prese nce of

a child for

the purpose of

arousing or g ratify

ing se x ual desire .”) ( not desig nated f or

publication); State v. Ramos , 627 S.E.2d 350, *3 (N.C. Ct. App. 2006) (noting tha t the elements

of “Indece nt L iberties” ma y be met by

showing that defe ndant’s conduc t was “‘ lacking moral

discipline or sexual restraint’ or ‘having no reg ard f

or ac cepte d rules or standa rds’” ) (not

desig nated f

or publication).Ander son Pag e 13

“ i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r i n d e c e n t

, ” a n d “ l e w d a n d l a s c i v i o u s ” a r e n o t s t a t u t o r i l y d e f i n e d o r

l i m i t e d

. I m m o r a l i t y o r i n d e c e n c y i s b e a u t y i n t h e e y e o f t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a j u r y

. T h i s h a s

l e a d t o a m u c h b r o a d e r i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e s t a t u t o r y e l e m e n t s

, r e s u l t i n g i n a w i d e v a r i e t y o f

“ i m p r o p e r ” c o n d u c t b e i n g p u n i s h e d

.

T h e c r u c i a l d i f

f e r e n c e i s t h a t u n d e r t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e

, a l m o s t a n y c o n d u c t

,

i f p e r f o r m e d t o f

u l f i l l t h e a c t o r ’ s s e x u a l g r a t i f i c a t i o n

, m a y s a t i s f

y t h e “ b a d a c t ” e l e m e n t o f

t h e o f f e n s e

. T h e f

o c u s o f t h e o f

f e n s e i s t h e d e f

e n d a n t ’ s m e n t a l s t a t e ; o t h e r w i s e i n n o c e n t

c o n d u c t m a y r e s u l t i n c r i m i n a l l i a b i l i t y i f t h e a c t o r p o s s e s s e s a n “ i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r

i n d e c e n t ” s t a t e o f m i n d

. F o r e x a m p l e

, N o r t h C a r o l i n a d e f e n d a n t s h a v e b e e n c o n v i c t e d o f

“ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” f

o r k i s s i n g a m i n o r ’ s f

a c e

, f r e n c h k i s s i n g a m i n o r

, a n d h u g g i n g t h e 3 2 3 3

l e g s o f a m i n o r

. S u c h c o n d u c t w o u l d c l e a r l y b e i n s u f f i c i e n t t o m e e t t h e e l e m e n t s o f o u r 3 4

T e x a s “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d ” s t a t u t e

– e v e n i f p e r f o r m e d t o “ a r o u s e o r g r a t i f y t h e s e x u a l

d e s i r e ” o f t h e a c t o r

– b e c a u s e t h e c o n d u c t i n v o l v e s n e i t h e r “ s e x u a l c o n t a c t ” n o r e x p o s u r e

.

3 5

L i k e t h e C a l i f

o r n i a s t a t u t e i n P r u d h o l m

, t h i s N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e e n c o m p a s s e s a

m a r k e d l y d i f

f e r e n t r a n g e o f c o n d u c t t h a n t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e t o w h i c h i t i s c o m p a r e d

. T h e 3 6

See R amos , 627 S.E.2d 350, at *3. 3 2

See State v . Hamme tt , 642 S.E.2d 454, 458 (N.C. Ct. App. 2007). 3 3

See State v . Sims , 720 S.E.2d 398, 400–01 (N.C. Ct. App. 2011). 3 4

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 21.11. 3 5

See also Tex as Dep’t of Public Safety v. Anony mous Adult Texas Resident , 382 S.W .3d 3 6

531, 536–38 (Tex. App.—Austin 2012, n.p.h.) (apply ing Prudholm fac tors and conc luding that

Massac husetts “indece nt assault” law tha t proscribe s a wide va riety of “inde cent” touching wasAnder son Pag e 14

N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f

f e n s e i s m u c h b r o a d e r a n d c o v e r s a s i g n i f i c a n t a m o u n t o f c o n d u c t t h a t t h e

T e x a s o f f e n s e d o e s n o t

. W h i l e t h e e l e m e n t s o f t w o o f f e n s e s n e e d n o t “ p a r a l l e l ” o n e a n o t h e r 3 7

t o b e “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

, ” t h e y m u s t c r i m i n a l i z e a s i m i l a r “ r a n g e o f c o n d u c t

. ” T h e N o r t h 3 8

C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e c r i m i n a l i z e s a g r e a t r a n g e o f c o n d u c t t h a t i s l a w f u l i n T e x a s

.

B

. “ I n d i v i d u a l o r p u b l i c i n t e r e s t s p r o t e c t e d a n d t h e i m p a c t o f t h e e l e m e n t s o n t h e

s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f

f e n s e s

. ”

T h e s e c o n d p a r t o f t h e P r u d h o l m a n a l y s i s c o n s i s t s o f t w o d i s t i n c t r e q u i r e m e n t s : ( 1 )

t h e “ i n d i v i d u a l o r p u b l i c i n t e r e s t s p r o t e c t e d ” a r e s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

, a n d ( 2 ) t h e “ i m p a c t

o f t h e e l e m e n t s o n t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f f e n s e ” i s s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

.

1

. “ I n t e r e s t s p r o t e c t e d

. ”

T h e c o u r t o f

a p p e a l s c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e “ p u b l i c i n t e r e s t p r o t e c t e d b y b o t h s t a t u t e s i s

. . . t o s a f

e g u a r d c h i l d r e n f

r o m i m p r o p e r s e x u a l t o u c h i n g a n d / o r s e x u a l e x p o s u r e

. ” I n

r e a c h i n g t h i s c o n c l u s i o n

, t h e c o u r t n o t e d t h a t “ b o t h s t a t u t e s s e e k t o p u n i s h t h e s e x u a l l y

m o t i v a t e d t o u c h i n g o f c h i l d r e n o r s e x u a l l y

- m o t i v a t e d e x p o s u r e o f c e r t a i n b o d y p a r t s t o

not “substantially

simil ar” to Texas’s sex ual-a ssault statute).

See State v . Etheridge , 352 S.E.2d 673, 682 (N.C. 1987) (“ the leg islature ena cted 3 7

section 14-202.1 to enc ompass more ty pes of de viant behavior , g iving c hildren broa der

protec tion than available unde r other sta tutes proscribing sexual acts.”). The fac t that some

conduct that f

alls within the out-of-state of fense also falls within the Texas offe nse does not

automatically

mandate a

finding that the eleme nts are substantially simil ar. See P rudholm , 333

S.W .3d at 595 (noting that it is not dispositi ve that “a person g uilty

of the [foreig n] l aw would

also be g uilty

under the Texas law”) (interna l quotations omi tted). Nor is it dispositi ve that some

conduct that f

alls within the out-of-state of fense falls outside the Texas statute. I t is the deg ree of

overla p that is crucia l, not the fac t of some over lap. I n the pre sent situation, the differ ence in

cover ed conduc t is significa nt.

See Prudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 599. 3 8Ander son Pag e 15

c h i l d r e n

. ” W h i l e w e a g r e e t h a t

, i n g e n e r a l

, b o t h s t a t u t e s s e e k t o “ s a f e g u a r d c h i l d r e n ” a n d

“ p u n i s h s e x u a l l y

- m o t i v a t e d t o u c h i n g

. . . o r e x p o s u r e

, ” c o u r t s s h o u l d b e d i s c r i m i n a t i n g i n

t h e i r a n a l y s i s o f t h i s f

a c t o r b e c a u s e e v e r y o f f e n s e p r o t e c t s a c e r t a i n c l a s s o f v i c t i m s a n d

p u n i s h e s a c e r t a i n t y p e o f o f f e n d e r

. T h e p r o p e r i n q u i r y u n d e r P r u d h o l m i s m o r e n u a n c e d :

w h a t s p e c i f i c i n t e r e s t i s t h e s t a t u t e a d v a n c i n g ?

T e x a s c o u r t s h a v e r o u t i n e l y n o t e d t h a t t h e p u r p o s e o f t h e “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d ”

o f f e n s e i s t o p r o t e c t c h i l d r e n f r o m s e x u a l a b u s e a n d a s s a u l t

. T h e p l a i n l a n g u a g e o f t h e 3 9

s t a t u t e p r o h i b i t s s p e c i f

i c s e x u a l a b u s e o f c h i l d r e n

— “ s e x u a l c o n t a c t ” a n d s e x u a l l y m o t i v a t e d

e x p o s u r e

. T h e f

o r b i d d e n a c t s a r e c l e a r l y d e l i n e a t e d

.

A p l a i n r e a d i n g o f t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e

, h o w e v e r

, s h o w s t h a t i t i s m o r e

c o n c e r n e d w i t h p u n i s h i n g t h e d e f e n d a n t ’ s “ i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, [ ] i n d e c e n t

, ” o r “ l e w d ” s t a t e

o f m i n d

. O f c o u r s e

, a n y o f f e n s e p r o s c r i b i n g c o n d u c t d i r e c t e d a g a i n s t c h i l d r e n i s c o n c e r n e d 4 0

w i t h t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f c h i l d r e n

. H o w e v e r

, t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a l e g i s l a t u r e e n a c t e d t h i s s t a t u t e

See Black v . State , 26 S.W .3d 895, 898–99 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000) (noting tha t, 3 9

beca use of the T exas leg islature’s “ desire to pr otect child victims,” both “I ndece ncy Wit h a

Child” and “I njury

to a Child” do not require the def endant be awa

re of the victim’s ag e); Uribe

v. State , 7 S.W .3d 294, 297 (Tex. App.—Austin 1999, pet. ref ’d) ( “The obvious intent of

indece ncy laws is to protect c hildren.”) ; Sawyer v. State , 655 S.W .2d 226, 228 (Tex.

App.—Houston [14th Dis t.] 1983, no pet.) (“ The seve rity of the pe nalty

[for indece ncy

with a

child] i s obviously

a re sult of the L eg islature’s intent to protec t children.” ).

Sims , 720 S.E.2d at 400–01 (finding sufficie nt evidence to uphold appellant’s 4 0

conviction for T aking L iberties whe n appellant a ttempted to hug the victims’ leg s and “de fenda nt

admitted to having an obsession with women’s le g s.”); State v. Midge tte , 712 S.E.2d 745, *7

(N.C. Ct. App. 2011) (a

ppellant’s convic tion upheld for touching the “butt” of the victims (over

their clothes) and attempting to go dow n their shirts, beca use the c onduct “c rea tes an infe renc e

that he ac ted for the purpose of arousing or g ratify

ing se x ual desire ”) ( not desig nated f or

publication).Ander son Pag e 16

t o e n c o m p a s s g e n e r a l l y “ l e w d o r l a s c i v i o u s ” c o n d u c t

, g i v i n g c h i l d r e n b r o a d e r p r o t e c t i o n t h a n

a v a i l a b l e u n d e r o t h e r s t a t u t e s p r o s c r i b i n g s e x u a l a c t s

. N o r t h C a r o l i n a c o u r t s h a v e h o n e d 4 1

i n o n t h i s d i s t i n c t i o n

, n o t i n g t h a t t h e f o c u s i s p r o p e r l y o n w h e t h e r t h e c o n d u c t “ t e n d e d t o

a r o u s e s e x u a l d e s i r e i n [ t h e ] d e f e n d a n t

, ” r a t h e r t h a n t h e d e f e n d a n t ’ s s p e c i f

i c a c t s

. 4 2

I n s u m

, t h e T e x a s s t a t u t e i s f o c u s e d o n p r o t e c t i n g c h i l d r e n f r o m v e r y s p e c i f

i c s e x u a l

b a d a c t s

, w h i l e t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e i s f o c u s e d o n p u n i s h i n g t h e g u i l t y m i n d o f t h o s e

w h o c o m m i t l e w d a n d l a s c i v i o u s a c t s

.

2

. “ I m p a c t o f t h e e l e m e n t s o n t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f f e n s e

. ”

T h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s d i d n o t a d d r e s s t h i s p o r t i o n o f t h e P r u d h o l m a n a l y s i s

, w h i c h

r e q u i r e s c o u r t s t o d e t e r m i n e i f t h e “ i m p a c t o f t h e e l e m e n t s o n t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f f e n s e ”

i s “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

. ”

T h e T e x a s o f

f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d ” i s c o n s i d e r e d a “ S e x u a l O f f e n s e ” a n d

i s a s e c o n d

- o r t h i r d

- d e g r e e f e l o n y

. I f t h e c o n d u c t i n v o l v e d “ s e x u a l c o n t a c t

, ” t h e o f f e n s e 4 3

i s a s e c o n d

- d e g r e e f

e l o n y

, p u n i s h a b l e b y 2

– 2 0 y e a r s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t

. I f t h e c o n d u c t i n v o l v e d

e x p o s u r e o f

t h e g e n i t a l s o r a n u s “ w i t h i n t e n t t o g r a t i f y t h e s e x u a l d e s i r e o f

a n y p e r s o n

, ” t h e

Etheridge , 352 S.E.2d at 682. 4 1

Hamme tt , 642 S.E.2d at 459; see also State v. Ramos , 627 S.E.2d 350, *3 (N.C. Ct. 4 2

App. 2006) (not de signa ted for publication) (“[A] jury could re asonably

find Def endant’ s

behavior was lustful, leche rous, ‘lac king mor al discipline or sexual restra int’ or lacking ‘re g ard

for a cce pted rules or

standards.’ I ndeed, one could state that ‘de fenda nt’s behavior

was such a s

the common sense of

society would reg ard a s indece nt and improper.’ ”).

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E § 21.11(a) (1), ( a)( 2), (d)

. 4 3Ander son Pag e 17

o f f e n s e i s a t h i r d

- d e g r e e f

e l o n y a n d i s p u n i s h a b l e b y 2

– 1 0 y e a r s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t

. 4 4

T h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e o f “ T a k i n g I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s w i t h C h i l d r e n ” i s

c o n s i d e r e d a n “ O f

f e n s e [ ] a g a i n s t P u b l i c M o r a l i t y a n d D e c e n c y ” a n d i s a C l a s s F F e l o n y

,

p u n i s h a b l e

, a t t h e t i m e o f a p p e l l a n t ’ s c o n v i c t i o n

, b y 1 0

– 3 3 m o n t h s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t

. W h e n 4 5

w e c o m p a r e t h e d e g r e e a n d c l a s s o f t h e o f f e n s e s

, a s w e l l a s t h e i r r e l a t i v e p u n i s h m e n t r a n g e s

,

w e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e t w o d o n o t b e a r a c l o s e r e s e m b l a n c e

. M o r e o v e r

, t h e f a c t t h a t t h e N o r t h

C a r o l i n a L e g i s l a t u r e d i d n o t i n c l u d e “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” i n t h e “ R a p e a n d O t h e r S e x

O f f e n s e s ” s u b s e c t i o n i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e l e g i s l a t u r e d o e s n o t c o n s i d e r t h e o f f e n s e a s e r i o u s s e x

o f f e n s e f o r p u n i s h m e n t p u r p o s e s

. 4 6

W e a l s o n o t e t w o o t h e r N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e s t h a t a r e r e l e v a n t t o t h e P r u d h o l m

a n a l y s i s

. “ S e x u a l O f

f e n s e w i t h a C h i l d ; A d u l t O f f e n d e r ” i s t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a s t a t u t e

T E X

. P E N A L C O D E §§ 21.11(d), 12.34–12.35. 4 4

See N.C. S T A T . § 15A-1340.17 (c ), (d) (1995). Subsec tion (c) se ts out the mini mum 4 5

punishment rang e for

Class F F elonies as 10–20 months’ imprisonment. This rang e includes the

mitigated, pr esumptive, and a g g rava ted minimums . Subsection (d) then se ts out the applicable

maxi mum sentence , which is based on the corr esponding minimum . For instance, f

or an

ag g rava ted sentenc e ( i.e. , a 20–month-minimum sentence) the maxim um punishment is 33

months’ imprisonment. See id. The statute ha s been a mended since 2004, when a ppellant was

convicted.

Howeve r, the Nor

th Carolina L eg islature allows for sex-offende r re g istration for 4 6

“I ndece nt L iberties.” See N.C. S T A T . § 14-208.6. See Tex as Dep’t of Public Safety v. Anony mous

Adult Texas Resident , 382 S.W .3d 531, 538 (Tex. App.—Austin 2012, n.p.h.) (finding that outof-state offe nse wa s not “substantially simil ar” to Texas offense and noting that, while the

Massac husetts “indece nt assault” statute re quires sex-offe nder r eg istration, as does the Te x as

sexual-assault statute, the latter r equire s life-time re g istration while the forme r re quires re porting

for only twenty y ear s). Reg ardle ss, the fac t that the North Carolina L eg islature does not list or

punish the offe nse as a

sex offense is re levant to both the “public a nd private inter ests” and

“ser iousness of the off

ense” inquiries.Ander son Pag e 18

p r o h i b i t i n g a n a d u l t f

r o m e n g a g i n g i n a “ s e x u a l a c t ” w i t h a c h i l d u n d e r t h e a g e o f 1 3

. I t 4 7 4 8

i s p u n i s h a b l e a s a C l a s s B 1 f e l o n y a n d h a s a m i n i m u m p u n i s h m e n t o f 3 0 0 m o n t h s ’

i m p r i s o n m e n t

. T h i s o f f e n s e i s s i m i l a r t o t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d ” 4 9

i n v o l v i n g “ s e x u a l c o n t a c t

. ” “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” i s n o t a l e s s e r

- i n c l u d e d o f f e n s e o f “ S e x u a l

O f f e n s e w i t h a C h i l d

. ” 5 0

“ I n d e c e n t E x p o s u r e ” i s t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e p r o s c r i b i n g “ w i l l f

u l l y e x p o s [ i n g ]

t h e p r i v a t e p a r t s o f h i s o r h e r p e r s o n

. . . o r [ c a u s i n g ] a n o t h e r t o p e r f o r m s u c h [ a n ] a c t

. ” T h i s 5 1

o f f e n s e i s m o s t l i k e t h e T e x a s “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d ” o f f e n s e i n v o l v i n g e x p o s u r e

. I f t h e

c o n d u c t i s i n t h e “ p r e s e n c e o f a n y p e r s o n l e s s t h a n 1 6 y e a r s o f a g e

, ” t h e o f f e n s e i s a C l a s s

H F e l o n y

, p u n i s h a b l e b y 4

– 1 0 m o n t h s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t

. “ I n d e c e n t E x p o s u r e ” i s n o t a l e s s e r

5 2

i n c l u d e d o f

f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s

. ” 5 3

N o r t h C a r o l i n a h a s d e t e r m i n e d t h a t “ S e x u a l O f f e n s e w i t h a C h i l d ” a n d “ I n d e c e n t

A “se x ual ac t” is defined a s, “cunniling us, fellatio, ana lingus, or a nal interc ourse, but 4 7

does not include va g inal intercour se. Sexual act also means the penetr ation, howeve r slight, by

any object into the g enital or a nal opening of anothe r per son’s body [.] ” N.C. S T A T . § 14-27.1.

N.C. S T A T . § 14-27.4A. 4 8

The off ense ha s a maxim um punishment of life imprisonment if the court finds that 4 9

there was “ eg reg ious ag g rava tion.” N.C. S T A T . § 14-27.4A(b) , (c)

.

See State v . Thomas , 621 S.E.2d 341, *2 (N.C. Ct. App. 2005) (not desig nated f or 5 0

publication).

N.C. S T A T . § 14-190.9. 5 1

N.C. S T A T . § 15A-1340.17 (c ), (d) (1995). 5 2

N.C. S T A T . § 14-190.9(a 1). 5 3Ander son Pag e 19

E x p o s u r e ” a r e o f

f e n s e s d i s t i n c t f

r o m “ T a k i n g I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s w i t h a C h i l d

. ” E a c h o n e

r e p r e s e n t s a s e p a r a t e o f f e n s e

, a n d a d e f

e n d a n t m a y b e c o n v i c t e d o f e a c h

— e v e n i f a l l s t e m

f r o m o n e i n c i d e n t

— w i t h o u t o f f e n d i n g D o u b l e J e o p a r d y p r i n c i p l e s

. T h e c o n d u c t t h a t r e s u l t s 5 4

i n c r i m i n a l l i a b i l i t y u n d e r “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” i s n o t c o v e r e d b y t h e o t h e r t w o o f f e n s e s

. T h e

N o r t h C a r o l i n a L e g i s l a t u r e i n t e n d e d t h e “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” s t a t u t e t o c o v e r c o n d u c t t h a t i s

n o t “ I n d e c e n t E x p o s u r e

, ” n o r “ S e x u a l O f f e n s e [ s ]

, ” b u t r a t h e r “ i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r

i n d e c e n t ” c o n d u c t t h a t a r o u s e s o r g r a t i f i e s t h e a c t o r ’ s s e x u a l d e s i r e

.

I V

.

A f t e r c o n s i d e r i n g e a c h o f t h e P r u d h o l m f a c t o r s

, w e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e e l e m e n t s o f t h e

t w o o f f e n s e s

– t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” a n d t h e T e x a s o f f e n s e o f

“ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d ”

– a r e n o t “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r

. ” H e r e

, e a c h o f t h o s e f a c t o r s w e i g h s

a g a i n s t a f

i n d i n g o f s u b s t a n t i a l s i m i l a r i t y

. F i r s t

, t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e i s m u c h b r o a d e r

t h a n t h e T e x a s o f

f e n s e

, c r i m i n a l i z i n g a s i g n i f i c a n t a m o u n t o f c o n d u c t t h a t i s l a w f u l i n T e x a s

.

S e c o n d

, t h e e l e m e n t s o f t h e t w o o f f e n s e s a r e n o t “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e

i n d i v i d u a l o r p u b l i c i n t e r e s t s p r o t e c t e d

. ” T h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e i s m o r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h

p r e v e n t i n g c h i l d r e n f

r o m b e i n g e x p o s e d t o a n y f o r m o f “ l e w d ” c o n d u c t a n d w i t h p u n i s h i n g

t h e “ i m m o r a l

, i m p r o p e r

, o r i n d e c e n t ” m i n d s o f a d u l t s t h a n w i t h p r o s c r i b i n g s p e c i f i c s e x u a l

a c t s a g a i n s t c h i l d r e n

, w h i c h i s t h e f o c u s o f t h e T e x a s s t a t u t e

. T h i r d

, t h e c l a s s

, d e g r e e

, a n d

r a n g e o f p u n i s h m e n t f

o r “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” i s m u c h l e s s t h a n f o r t h e T e x a s o f

f e n s e o f

See Thomas , 621 S.E.2d 341, at *2. 5 4Ander son Pag e 20

“ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d

. ” M o r e o v e r

, t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a o f f e n s e s m o s t a n a l o g o u s t o t h e 5 5

T e x a s o f f e n s e

– “ S e x u a l O f

f e n s e w i t h a C h i l d

, ” a n d “ I n d e c e n t E x p o s u r e ”

– s p e c i f i c a l l y e x c l u d e

t h e o f f e n s e f o r w h i c h a p p e l l a n t w a s p r e v i o u s l y c o n v i c t e d

.

F o r t h e s e r e a s o n s

, w e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s e r r e d i n f i n d i n g t h a t

a p p e l l a n t ’ s p r i o r N o r t h C a r o l i n a c o n v i c t i o n f o r “ I n d e c e n t L i b e r t i e s ” i s “ s u b s t a n t i a l l y s i m i l a r ”

t o t h e T e x a s o f

f e n s e o f “ I n d e c e n c y w i t h a C h i l d

. ” W e t h e r e f o r e r e v e r s e t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e

c o u r t o f a p p e a l s a n d r e m a n d t h e c a s e t o t h e t r i a l c o u r t f o r a n e w p u n i s h m e n t h e a r i n g

.

D e l i v e r e d : M a r c h 2 7

, 2 0 1 3

P u b l i s h

See P rudholm , 333 S.W .3d at 599.

5 5