Opinion ID: 2094969
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: The Facts of the Case Were Properly Examined to Determine Whether Hilding Committed Aggravated Offenses and Was Therefore Subject to Lifetime Registration and Lifetime Supervision.

Text: Under Nebraska statutes, a defendant is subject to lifetime registration and lifetime supervision when he or she has committed certain aggravated offenses. Hilding asserts that the district court erred when it found, [u]nder the facts of this case, that he committed aggravated offenses as defined by § 29-4005(4) which resulted in the court's ordering that he be subject to lifetime registration pursuant to § 29-4005(2) and that he be subject to lifetime supervision pursuant to § 83-174.03(1)(c). As his sole argument in his brief on appeal, Hilding claims that it was improper to look at the facts of his case to determine that he committed aggravated offenses rather than looking solely to the statutory elements of the offenses of which he stands convicted. We find this assignment of error to be without merit. Hilding notes that § 29-4005(4)(a) requires that to be an aggravated offense, an offense involving a victim age 12 years or older must involve the use of force or the threat of serious violence. Hilding argues that the finding based on the record that the sexual assaults in this case were aggravated offenses was erroneous, because under the first degree sexual assault statute, § 28-319, under which Hilding was convicted, the use of force or the threat of serious violence is not a necessary element. He argues that in making the determination of whether an offense is an aggravated offense, only statutory elements of the offense should be considered. [11] We recently rejected the same argument in State v. Hamilton, 277 Neb. 593, 763 N.W.2d 731 (2009). In Hamilton, we held that a sentencing judge need not consider only the elements of an offense in determining whether an aggravated offense as defined in § 29-4005(4)(a) has been committed. Instead, the court may make this determination based upon information contained in the record, including the factual basis for a plea-based conviction and information contained in the presentence report. 277 Neb. at 602, 763 N.W.2d at 738. In the present case, it was determined from the record that the sexual assaults for which Hilding was convicted were aggravated offenses. Information contained in the record includes the evidence at trial, and the evidence in this case supported a finding that the sexual assaults involved the use of force or the threat of serious violence and were therefore aggravated offenses. See § 29-4005(4)(a). As noted above, in connection with sufficiency of the evidence, testimony by M.S. supported a finding that Hilding used force or the threat of serious violence to carry out the sexual assaults on M.S. Such information supports a finding that the offenses were aggravated offenses, thereby subjecting Hilding to lifetime registration and lifetime supervision. We therefore reject Hilding's argument that the determination of aggravated offenses is limited to an examination of the statutory elements. At oral argument, for the first time, Hilding made additional arguments that were not briefed regarding the orders for lifetime supervision and lifetime registration. An appellate court always reserves the right to note plain error which was not complained of at trial or on appeal. State v. Robinson, 271 Neb. 698, 715 N.W.2d 531 (2006). However, we have examined the record, and we find no plain error with regard to such orders.