Opinion ID: 2057780
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Terrorizing

Text: The crime of terrorizing occurs when the defendant: in fact communicates to any person a threat to commit or to cause to be committed a crime of violence dangerous to human life, against the person to whom the communication is made or another, and the natural and probable consequence of such a threat, whether or not such consequence in fact occurs, is . . . [t]o place the person to whom the threat is communicated or the person threatened in reasonable fear that the crime will be committed. 17-A M.R.S. § 210(1)(A). In this case, the State produced evidence at trial that Smen communicated to the wife's boyfriend that he intended to kill him. [¶ 10] Smen argues that the evidence is insufficient to prove that he terrorized the boyfriend because the boyfriend never testified that he feared Smen might actually try to kill him. Section 210(1)(A), however, does not require that the State prove actual fear on the part of the victim. The statute expressly requires only that the natural and probable consequence of conveying the threat is to create reasonable fear in the victim, whether or not the victim actually experiences such reasonable fear. 17-A M.R.S. § 210(1)(A). In this case, a fact-finder could and did find that the natural and probable consequence of Smen's threat that he would kill the wife's boyfriend would be to put the boyfriend in reasonable fear that Smen would do so, whether or not the boyfriend actually feared that Smen would kill him. Thus, the evidence supports the court's finding beyond a reasonable doubt that Smen terrorized the boyfriend of his wife. [¶ 11] We do, however, note an error in the court's sentencing of Smen on Count II, the terrorizing count. The court sentenced Smen to nine months incarceration with all but sixty days suspended and one year of probation on his conviction for terrorizing. The Legislature has recently restricted the instances in which probation may be imposed. The imposition of probation following a conviction for terrorizing, a Class D offense, is permitted only when the victim and defendant are household or family members pursuant to 17-A M.R.S. § 1201(1)(A-1)(2) (2005). Because Smen and Smen's wife's boyfriend are not household or family members, the one-year period of probation was improperly imposed by the court as part of the sentence. [¶ 12] Because the terrorizing sentence is identical to Smen's sentence for violation of the protection order and runs concurrently with it in this case, there is little practical effect or consequence to the court's imposition of a period of probation on Smen for terrorizing. Nevertheless, we are required to vacate the sentence the court imposed for Smen's conviction for terrorizing, and remand for the court to resentence on that count. The entry is: Judgments of conviction affirmed. Sentences affirmed, except that the sentence on Count II is vacated, and Count II is remanded to the Superior Court for resentencing.