Opinion ID: 2600184
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Varga Sentencings

Text: On July 19, 2002, Leslie Varga pleaded guilty to two felonies, second degree theft, and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, which arose from events that occurred on June 13, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Varga's offender score as an eight for his attempting to elude offense and a six for his second degree theft offense. The court included Varga's previously washed out 1990 class C felony conviction when calculating his offender score. On December 30, 2002, Jeffrey Cleator pleaded guilty to two counts of third degree assault, which arose from events that occurred on November 1, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Cleator's offender score as a six for each offense. The court included Cleator's three previously washed out 1983 and 1984 class B and C felony convictions when calculating his offender score. On February 13, 2003, Jason Castle pleaded guilty to unlawful storage of anhydrous ammonia and possession of stolen property in the second degree, which arose from events that occurred on September 4, 2002. At sentencing, the court calculated Castle's offender score as a seven for each offense. The court included Castle's three previously washed out 1991 and 1994 juvenile felony convictions when calculating his offender score. On February 4, 2003, Nicholas Rafvino pleaded guilty to two counts of custodial assault, which arose from events that occurred on December 16, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Rafvino's offender score as a 12 for each offense. The court included Rafvino's three previously washed out 1995 juvenile felony convictions when calculating his offender score. On December 16, 2002, after a stipulated facts bench trial, the trial court convicted Frederick Tucker of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, which arose from events that occurred on October 1, 2002. The trial court calculated Tucker's offender score as a five. The court included Tucker's previously washed out 1975 and 1981 class B felony convictions when calculating his offender score. On January 10, 2003, Raven Brealan pleaded guilty to taking a motor vehicle without permission in the second degree, which arose from events that occurred on July 25, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Brealan's offender score as a nine. The court included Brealan's four previously washed out 1991 juvenile felony convictions when calculating his offender score. On October 8, 2002, a jury found James Foy guilty of second degree burglary, which arose from events that occurred on August 2, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Foy's offender score as an eight. The court included Foy's three previously washed out 1988 and 1989 juvenile felony convictions when calculating Foy's offender score. [1] On January 22, 2003, a jury found William Dennis guilty of possession of stolen property in the first degree, which arose from events that occurred on December 4, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Dennis's score as a five although the State argued that his score should be a seven. The court declined to include Dennis's four previously washed out 1995 juvenile felony convictions. On October 21, 2002, Christopher Straub pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to elude a police officer, which arose from events that occurred on July 14, 2002. At sentencing, the trial court calculated Straub's offender score as an eight. The court included Straub's six previously washed out 1985 juvenile felony convictions when calculating Straub's offender score. Varga, Cleator, Castle, Rafvino, Tucker, Brealan, Foy, and Straub (hereinafter Varga) appealed the trial courts' rulings that the 2002 SRA amendments require courts to include previously washed out prior convictions when determining criminal histories and offender scores at sentencing for crimes committed after the amendments' effective date. The State appealed Dennis's trial court's ruling that the 2002 SRA amendments impermissibly contravened this court's decisions in Smith and Cruz. Division One of the Court of Appeals consolidated and certified Varga's and the State's appeals requesting that this court address whether the 2002 SRA amendments may require that sentencing courts include previously washed out prior convictions when determining defendants' criminal histories and offender scores for crimes committed after the amendments' effective date in light of this court's decisions in Smith and Cruz. We accepted review and transferred the appeals to this court for a determination of the merits.