Opinion ID: 842331
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: burns

Text: Similarly, in Burns, we conclude that if any Blakely error is found to have occurred, it would be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. [75] At sentencing on the probation violation, the judge relied on evidence presented at the probation violation hearing to conclude that substantial and compelling reasons existed to depart from the original guidelines sentence. At the hearing, defense counsel did not contest that his client had touched the young woman's buttocks, nor did he contest that his client had used alcohol in violation of his probation order. Burns himself admitted to the officer that the sexual touching had occurred and that he had consumed six beers. The defense presented no evidence and called no witnesses to contest these facts, despite having an opportunity to do so. We thus conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the facts used by the sentencing judge to support Burns's sentence were uncontested and supported by overwhelming evidence, such that a jury would have reached the same result. [76]