Opinion ID: 2445590
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Stockstill v. State

Text: In September 1980, Wayne Stockstill was convicted, in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, of first degree rape, first degree sexual offense, assault, and second degree rape. On December 12, 1980, the court imposed sentences of life imprisonment for first degree rape and first degree sexual offense, and twenty years imprisonment for second degree rape to run concurrently with the life sentences. The assault conviction was merged into the other convictions for purposes of sentencing. More than 20 years later, as a result of a proceeding under the Maryland Uniform Postconviction Procedure Act, Maryland Code (2001, 2008 Repl.Vol.), §§ 7-101 through 7-301 of the Criminal Procedure Article, the Circuit Court for Prince George's County allowed Stockstill to file, pursuant to Maryland Rule 4-345, a belated motion for modification of his sentences. The motion for modification was filed and was granted. Stockstill's two life imprisonment sentences were made concurrent, with each sentence having all but forty years suspended, and with five years' supervised probation upon release. One of the conditions of the supervised probation was that Stockstill enroll in a program of the National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma, under the direction of Dr. Fred Berlin who was either a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Stockstill was paroled on May 12, 2005. In November 2006, however, Stockstill was charged both with violating conditions of parole and with violating conditions of probation. The charges were based upon Stockstill's admissions that he had smoked marijuana on one occasion, had solicited a prostitute at three separate times, and had occasionally consumed alcoholic beverages. The admissions were first made during a polygraph examination taken at Dr. Berlin's direction. The polygraph examiner, without Dr. Berlin's or Stockstill's permission, gave the results to Stockstill's probation agent who later reviewed them with Stockstill. Stockstill made the same admissions to the probation agent during that review. In January 2007, the Maryland Parole Commission found that Stockstill was not guilty of violating parole. Nevertheless, in February 2007, the Circuit Court found that Stockstill violated three conditions of probation. The Circuit Court ordered that his probation be revoked, and the court reinstated the previously suspended life sentences with credit for time served. Stockstill filed in the Court of Special Appeals a timely application for leave to appeal from the Circuit Court order revoking his probation. On September 25, 2007, in an order signed only by the Chief Judge of the Court of Special Appeals, that court granted the application for leave to appeal. The issue presented by Stockstill to the Court of Special Appeals was [w]hether the Circuit Court's judgment revoking [Stockstill's] probation should be vacated and probation reinstated because the revocation was based on evidence admitted in violation of the Maryland psychiatrist-patient privilege statute. [2] Prior to any Court of Special Appeals' action concerning the merits of Stockstill's appeal or disposing of the appeal, this Court on May 7, 2008, sua sponte issued a writ of certiorari and set the case for argument during the September 2008 session. Stockstill v. State, 404 Md. 659, 948 A.2d 70 (2008). Like the Stachowski case, the initial briefing and oral argument in this Court dealt with a single issue relating to the merits of the case. That issue was whether Stockstill's probation was revoked based on evidence admitted in violation of the psychiatrist-patient privilege. Again, after briefing and argument, we noticed the same jurisdictional issue presented by the Stachowski case. We issued an order setting the case for reargument and directing the parties to file supplemental briefs on the issue of whether this Court can exercise jurisdiction in light of § 12-202 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article. As previously indicated, this case and Stachowski were reargued on the same day. [3]