Opinion ID: 1154947
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: State v. Myers and Stevens

Text: In April 1991, Daniel Myers, Brandon Stevens, and several other teenagers were at a party at one of the teenagers' homes. Conversation at the party turned to Chris Elion, an African-American classmate of the boys. The group decided to burn a cross in the Elion family's yard because some of the boys felt that Chris had been acting too cool at school. The teens fabricated a cross, which they planted in the Elions' front yard, and attempted to set it on fire. Mr. and Mrs. Elion had just returned from church when Mrs. Elion noticed the group of teenagers outside. She thought they were friends of her son so she flashed the porch lights on and off, opened the door and called out. The group fled. Mrs. Elion saw the cross and screamed to her husband. Mr. Elion ran outside and found the smoldering 8-foot cross. Only the base of the cross had burned, singeing some nearby shrubbery. The State charged Myers and Stevens each with one count of malicious harassment. King County Superior Court Judge Marsha J. Pechman concurred with Judge Aitken regarding subsection (2)(a), but held that subsection (1)(b) was unconstitutionally overbroad because its vague language carried it into constitutionally treacherous waters. The State appealed to this court and the three cases were joined to determine the constitutionality of Washington's malicious harassment statute.