Opinion ID: 1804015
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Factor (a)Three or more separate transactions

Text: Appellant argues that because he was found guilty of a second-degree controlled substance offense for the transaction on December 7 and the district court based the upward departure on this conviction, evidence pertaining to transactions on other days for which he was also convicted may not support a departure on the December 7 offense for purposes of factor (a). We agree. Appellant was convicted of a controlled substance offense in the second degree for the sale of 6.1 grams of crack cocaine on December 7. Because evidence of transactions on other dates pertains to separate charged offenses and not the offense of conviction, it cannot support a finding of factor (a) of the major controlled substance departure guidelines. See Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines II. D.2.b(5). In State v. Spaeth we held that the court may not rely on conduct underlying one conviction to support a sentencing departure for a separate conviction. 552 N.W.2d 187, 196 (Minn.1996). We conclude that other transactions on other dates for which appellant was convicted cannot be taken into account to support a departure on the conviction for the December 7 transaction. The district court improperly relied on factor (a) in departing on the sentence for the second-degree conviction.