Title: D. A. v. Oklahoma ex rel. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Citation: 2018 OK 102
Docket Number: 
State: Oklahoma
Issuer: Oklahoma Supreme Court
Date: December 18, 2018

D. A. v. Oklahoma ex rel. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Annotate this Case Justia Opinion Summary In 2008, the Purcell, Oklahoma Police Department arrested the petitioner-appellee, D. A. for Larceny of CDS (a controlled dangerous substance), unlawful possession of CDS and obtaining CDS by forgery/fraud. The State charged her with three felonies. Upon the State's request, the trial court dismissed the larceny and obtaining CDS by forgery/fraud; subsequently, the court entered a five year deferred sentence for the remaining count of possession of CDS. Then in October 2010, the McClain County Sheriff arrested D.A. for two counts of obtaining (or attempted) CDS by forgery/fraud. A plea deal provided that, upon successful completion of drug court, the latest two counts would be dismissed. However, if she did not successfully complete drug court, then she would receive fifteen years with the Department of Corrections. In 2013, D.A. was accepted into a drug court in McClain County. She successfully completed drug court, and the trial.court dismissed D.A.' two nonviolent felony counts in 2015. In 2017, D.A. filed a petition for expungement of both of her arrests, charges, and court dispositions pursuant to 22 O.S. Supp 2016 section 18(7). The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) entered an appearance and objected, arguing that a drug court's dismissal of charges upon the successful completion of the program was statutorily exempt from eligibility for expungement. The trial court denied the OSBI's objection and granted the petition for expungement. The OSBI appealed. The Oklahoma Supreme Court held a drug court's dismissal following successful conclusion of the drug court program was not excluded from expungement under 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 section 18, and may be expunged immediately, after successful completion of the program and the charges have been dismissed. Read more Want to stay in the know about new opinions from the Oklahoma Supreme Court? Sign up for free summaries delivered directly to your inbox. Learn More › You already receive new opinion summaries from Oklahoma Supreme Court. Did you know we offer summary newsletters for even more practice areas and jurisdictions? Explore them here . D. A. v. STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 2018 OK 102 Case Number: 116434 Decided: 12/18/2018 THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA NOTICE: THIS OPINION HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION. UNTIL RELEASED, IT IS SUBJECT TO REVISION OR WITHDRAWAL. D. A., Petitioner/Appellee, v. STATE OF OKLAHOMA, ex rel. OKLAHOMA STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, Respondent/Appellant. APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF MCCLAIN COUNTY Honorable Leland Shilling, Trial Judge ¶0 After two separate arrests, the petitioner/appellee, D. A., successfully completed drug court in McClain County, Oklahoma. Subsequently, she filed a petition in the McClain County District Court to expunge her arrest records pursuant to 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §18. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) entered an appearance and objected. It argued that a drug court's dismissal of charges upon the successful completion of the program is statutorily exempt from eligibility for expungement. The trial court denied the OSBI's objection and granted the petition for expungement. The OSBI appealed, and we retained the cause. We hold that a drug court's dismissal following successful conclusion of the drug court program is not excluded from expungement under 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §18 and may be expunged immediately, after successful completion of the program and the charges have been dismissed. APPEAL PREVIOUSLY RETAINED; TRIAL COURT AFFIRMED. Riley W. Mulinix, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Samuel L. Talley, Eugene Bertman, Norman, Oklahoma, for Petitioner/Appellee, John Justin Wolf, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Respondent/Appellant. KAUGER, J.: ¶1 We retained this cause to address the dispositive issue of whether a drug court's dismissal of charges upon the successful completion of the drug court program is statutorily exempt from expungement. We hold that a drug court's dismissal following successful conclusion of the drug court program is not excluded from expungement under 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §181 and may be expunged immediately, after successful completion of the program and the charges have been dismissed. FACTS ¶2 In August of 2008, the Purcell Police Department arrested the petitioner/appellee, D. A. (D.A./petitioner) for Larceny of CDS (a controlled dangerous substance), unlawful possession of CDS and obtaining CDS by forgery/fraud. The State charged her with three felonies in McClain County District Court. Upon the State's request, the trial court dismissed the larceny and obtaining CDS by forgery/fraud on July 14, 2009. Subsequently, the court entered a five year deferred sentence for the remaining count of possession of CDS against the petitioner. ¶3 In October of 2010, the McClain County Sheriff arrested D.A. for two counts of obtaining (or attempted) CDS by forgery/fraud. A plea deal provided that, upon successful completion of drug court, the latest two counts would be dismissed. However, if she did not successfully complete drug court, then she would receive fifteen years with the Department of Corrections. On October 3, 2013, D.A. was accepted into a drug court in McClain County. ¶4 After successful completion of drug court, the court dismissed D.A.' two nonviolent felony counts on May 5, 2015. On July 18, 2017, she filed a petition for expungement of both of her arrests, charges, and court dispositions pursuant to 22 O.S. Supp 2016 §18(7) which provides that a person is authorized to file for expungement if: A. Persons authorized to file a motion for expungement, as provided herein, must be within one of the following categories: . . . (7) The person was charged with one or more misdemeanor or felony crimes, all charges have been dismissed, the person has never been convicted of a felony, no misdemeanor or felony charges are pending against the person, and the statute of limitations for refiling the charge or charges has expired or the prosecuting agency confirms that the charge or charges will not be refiled; provided, however, this category shall not apply to charges that have been dismissed following the completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence; (Emphasis supplied.) ¶5 On August 14, 2017, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) filed an entry of appearance and objection to the petition to expunge the petitioner's record. The OSBI argued that D.A. did not qualify for expungement because her plea deal, participation in the drug court program, and subsequent dismissal constituted a "completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence" pursuant to 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §§18(7) and 18(9).2 Additionally, pursuant to §18(9), the applicant must wait five years to pass since nonviolent felony charges are dismissed to qualify for expungement. Thus, the petitioner would not qualify for expungement until May of 2020. ¶6 The trial court held a hearing on September 13, 2017, and entered a summary order the same day denying the OSBI's objection and granting the petition for expungement. The court determined that a dismissal after the successful completion of drug court is not the same as a "dismissal following the completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence" within the meaning of 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §18,3 thus the Drug Court dismissal was not excluded from eligibility for expungement. Because 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §194 operates in tandem with §18, the trial court also included instructions that the record be sealed pursuant to §19. On October 11, 2017, the OSBI appealed. We retained the cause on October 18, 2017, and it was assigned on August 14, 2018, after the briefing cycle was completed. A DRUG COURT'S DISMISSAL FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE DRUG PROGRAM IS NOT EXCLUDED FROM EXPUNGEMENT UNDER 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §18, AND MAY BE EXPUNGED IMMEDIATELY. ¶7 The OSBI argues that, insofar as the expungement statute, 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §18,5 is concerned, any dismissal following the completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence is expressly excluded from expungement, unless the charge was a nonviolent felony offense and five (5) years have passed since the dismissal. D.A. argues that the term "completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence" as used in the statute does not apply to the drug court process because it was not her sentence which was deferred but, rather, in lieu of incarceration, she committed to the drug court program and successfully completed it. We agree. ¶8 The Oklahoma Drug Court Act was established by the Legislature in 1997.6 Drug and mental health courts formally and explicitly establish highly structured judicial intervention processes for treatment of eligible offenders.7 While these programs are based in the district courts, the drug court holds regular hearings to review progress, relapses and restarts.8 A drug court judge has to recognize relapses and restarts as part of the rehabilitation process, and monitor and hold offenders accountable by ordering progressively increasing sanctions (or providing incentives), rather than removing an offender from the program when the relapse occurs. Although there may be circumstances where an offender's conduct warrants expulsion from the program.9 ¶9 Any criminal case which has been filed and processed in the traditional manner is cross-referenced to a drug court case file by the court clerk if the case is subsequently assigned to the drug court program. While in the program, the originating criminal case file remains open for public inspection, but the drug court case file is closed for public inspection.10 The eligibility form for the program requires an explanation of the participant's criminal record retention and disposition following successful completion of the program.11 ¶10 We recognize that diversionary programs, such as drug court and mental health court, have been compared to the situation wherein a defendant's sentence is deferred pending the successful completion of certain terms of probation.12 While they may be comparable, they are not identical. Drug courts are an anomaly, and different from the general district court. Drug court programs require a separate judicial processing system differing in practice and design from the traditional adversarial criminal prosecution and trial systems. The drug court statutes expressly recognize the distinction from the "traditional" criminal prosecution.13 Eligible offences are restricted by the rules of the specific drug court program.14 ¶11 The sealing and expungement of drug court records are addressed within the drug court statutory framework. Title 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §471.9(B) sets forth a somewhat automatic expungement, providing: B. The final disposition order for a drug court case shall be filed with the judge assigned to the case, and shall indicate the sentence specified in the written plea agreement. A copy of the final disposition order for the drug court case shall also be filed in the original criminal case file under the control of the court clerk which is open to the public for inspection. Original criminal case files which are under the control of the court clerk and which are subsequently assigned to the drug court program shall be marked with a pending notation until a final disposition order is entered in the drug court case. After an offender completes the program, the drug court case file shall be sealed by the judge and may be destroyed after ten (10) years. The district attorney shall have access to sealed drug court case files without a court order. (Emphasis supplied). One obvious purpose of the sealing and destruction of the drug court case file is to protect a successful participant from being denied employment based on their criminal conduct, addiction, and subsequent conquering of the addiction.15 Another obvious purpose is that this process is consistent with the overall purpose of drug court because it allows people who commit to and succeed in the program to move on with their lives, and to remove the stigma such past drug use might cause. It provides a motivation and incentive for completing the program. ¶12 However, the Drug Court Act16 is not the only mechanism a person has for sealing or expunging criminal records. Enacted ten years prior to the Drug Court Act, 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §1817 also allows expungement, and correspondingly, 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §1918 sets forth the procedure for sealing records. Subsection 7 of §18 authorizes a person charged with one or more misdemeanors or felonies in which the charges have been dismissed, to seek expungement if the statute of limitations had expired for refiling charges, or if the prosecuting agency confirms no charges will be refiled.19 Pursuant to subsection 9 of §18, if the person was charged with a nonviolent felony offence, and the charge was dismissed following the successful completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence, the person must wait five years after the charges were dismissed.20 Section 19 of title 22 works in tandem with §18 and allows any person qualified to seek expungement under §18 to also petition for the sealing of arrest records.21 ¶13 One exception to expungement is when the charges have been dismissed following the "completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence."22 The implication being that, if the dismissal follows the completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence, then it is either not authorized for expungement23 or, if the charge involved were certain enumerated nonviolent felony offenses, five years must pass before seeking expungement.24 ¶14 Neither statute specifically mentions drug courts, the unique drug court process, drug court records, or drug court dismissals after successfully completing drug court. Section 18 has been amended sixteen times since its enactment and fourteen times after the Drug Court Act was enacted in 1997, without any express language referring to drug court. Section 19 has been amended five times since its enactment and every amendment was subsequent to the enactment of the Drug Court Act, also without any express language referring to drug court. ¶15 Statutory interpretation is governed by legislative intent, and legislative intent is ascertained from a statute's plain language.25 The plain language of 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §1826 makes no reference to drug court dismissals, even though the Legislature has expressly delineated that drug courts and the drug court programs are unlike the traditional criminal process. The terms of §18 existed before Drug Courts were created. The Legislature has not expressly mentioned drug court dismissals in §18's many amendments, after the Drug Court Act27 was enacted. ¶16 Expungement is consistent with the drug court's goal of allowing successful participants to move on with their lives, and not have past charges, which were successfully dismissed, be used against them by the public. Consequently, we hold the Legislature did not intend to include drug court dismissals within §§18(7)'s and (9)'s terms, which refer to charges that have been "dismissed following the completion of a deferred judgment or delayed sentence" to exclude them from expungement or wait five years after dismissal to seek expungement. Therefore, Drug Court dismissals following successful completion of the Drug Court program may be expunged immediately after the Drug Court determines that the program has been successfully completed and has dismissed the charges.28 CONCLUSION ¶17 Drug courts are an anomaly, and differ from the general district courts. Drug court programs require a separate judicial processing system differing in practice and design from the traditional adversarial criminal prosecution and trial systems. The drug court statutes expressly recognizes this distinction from the "traditional" criminal prosecution.29 Expungement is consistent with the drug court's goal of allowing successful participants to get on with their lives without dismissed past drug charges to be used against them. Because the plain language of 22 O.S. Supp. 2016 §1830 makes no reference to drug court dismissals, evidently, the Legislature did not intend to include drug court dismissals within §18's terms to exclude them from expungement. They may be expunged immediately after the program has been successfully completed, and the charges have been dismissed. APPEAL PREVIOUSLY RETAINED; TRIAL COURT AFFIRMED. GURICH, V.C.J., KAUGER, WINCHESTER, EDMONDSON, COLBERT and REIF, JJ., concur. COMBS, C.J., concurs specially (by separate writing). WYRICK, J., dissent (by separate writing). DARBY, J., not participating. FOOT