Opinion ID: 1835190
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Lack of Factual Basis

Text: Bailey claims the trial court lacked a sufficient factual basis for accepting his January 18 guilty plea and his October 30 guilty but mentally ill plea. See SDCL 23A-7-14. The burden is on Bailey to demonstrate this, Spirit Track v. State, 272 N.W.2d 803, 804 (S.D.1978), and we may not upset the trial court's factual findings unless they are clearly erroneous. SDCL 15-6-52(a); Spirit Track, at 804. In Spirit Track, we found a lack of factual basis for the trial court's acceptance of the defendant's guilty plea. In that case, however, there was no testimony or evidence suggesting the defendant's guilt except for the defendant's plea, and that plea was contradicted by the defendant's own collateral remarks to the court. Here, there is evidence consistent with Bailey's original plea that he did in fact do damage to the motel room in excess of $200.00. The trial court also had the testimony of two psychiatrists that, consistent with Bailey's amended plea, he was mentally ill at the time of the offense. See SDCL 23A-7-16. In short, the finding of a factual basis for acceptance of the pleas is not clearly erroneous. Bailey's brief suggests that a mentally ill person could not have formed the specific intent to  intentionally injure[ ], damage[ ], or destroy[ ] the motel property (emphasis supplied). SDCL 22-34-1. The simple answer is that SDCL 22-34-1 is not a specific intent crime. State v. Balint, 426 N.W.2d 316 (S.D.1988). See also State v. Huber, 356 N.W.2d 468 (S.D.1984). The crime as defined in the statute calls for intent as opposed to negligence or recklessnessnot specific intent as opposed to general intent. Bailey also claims insufficient evidence in the record to justify the ultimate decision to revoke probation. However, as Bailey concedes, the requisite standard of proof is low: as long as the court is reasonably satisfied that Bailey's probation conditions were violated, and the evidence is adequate to support that minimal level of certainty, the court has not abused its discretion in revoking probation and its decision will be upheld. State v. Herrlein, 424 N.W.2d 376, 377 (S.D.1988); State v. Burkman, 281 N.W.2d 442, 443 (S.D.1978). Although conviction of a collateral offense is not a prerequisite to revocation, Herrlein, 424 N.W.2d at 378 (Henderson, J., concurring in result), in this case the revocation was based on the allegation that Bailey had violated his probation by breaking a law. Therefore, the court had to be reasonably satisfied that Bailey committed aggravated assault. In view of the extenuating circumstance of Bailey's attempts to get the medication he required and the psychiatric testimony about his degree of contact with reality, it is not a foregone conclusion that he would have been convicted of aggravated assault. See, e.g., Robinson v. Solem, 432 N.W.2d 246, 250 (S.D.1988). Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence in the record to reasonably satisfy the trial court of Bailey's guilt. Therefore, its decision to revoke probation was not an abuse of discretion.