Opinion ID: 885231
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Dangerous Offender

Text: ¶ 71 Petitioner contends that the District Court erred when it designated him a dangerous offender for purposes of parole eligibility because its designation was unsupported. The District Court designated Petitioner a dangerous offender for parole eligibility purposes, stating that he represents a substantial danger to other persons or society by reason of his participation in this brutal criminal episode and for the reasons stated in paragraph 11 of the Findings of Fact. In paragraph 11, the court found that Petitioner is a recovering alcoholic and has been alcohol-free since his incarceration and that several certified chemical dependency counselors testified that they believe he is likely to remain sober. The court noted, however, that these counselors also testified that there can be no guarantee of continued sobriety. The court stated that [i]n the absence of any assurance in this regard and in view of the nature of the conduct for which [Petitioner] has been convicted, he represents a substantial danger to other persons or society. ¶ 72 We conclude that the District Court's dangerous offender designation was adequately supported. We review a district court's dangerous offender designation to determine whether the court abused its discretion. State v. Eichenlaub (1995), 272 Mont. 332, 338, 901 P.2d, 90, 94. The court determined that Petitioner represented a substantial danger to other persons or society, thus making him ineligible for nondangerous offender status pursuant to § 46-18-404(1)(b), MCA (1987). The court cited to specific facts taken from the record when giving its reasons why Petitioner represented a substantial danger. See State v. Collier (1996), 277 Mont. 46, 58, 919 P.2d 376, 384 (stating that a district court must give specific facts taken from the record of the case as reasons for making its decision). The facts taken from the record in support of the court's designation are not clearly erroneous. Petitioner does not contest the fact that he participated in a brutal criminal episode, that he is an alcoholic, that alcohol played a role in the offenses, and that there is no guarantee of his continued sobriety.
¶ 73 Petitioner contends that the District Court violated the principles of inter and intra case proportionality when it sentenced him to the maximum allowable sentence for each conviction and ordered the sentences to run consecutively. The District Court sentenced Petitioner to 40 years for robbery, life imprisonment for aggravated kidnaping, and life imprisonment for deliberate homicide, with the sentences to run consecutively. ¶ 74 As stated above, we review sentences for legality only. Montoya, ¶ 15. The District Court did not exceed its statutory authority in sentencing Petitioner. Petitioner's sentences all fall within the applicable statutory parameters. See § 45-5-401(2), MCA (1987) (robbery punishable by up to a 40-year term of imprisonment); § 45-5-303(2), MCA (1987) (aggravated kidnaping punishable by death, life imprisonment, or up to 100 years imprisonment); § 45-5-102(2), MCA (1987) (deliberate murder punishable by death, life imprisonment, or up to 100 years imprisonment). Accordingly, we hold that the court lawfully sentenced Petitioner. To the extent Petitioner's complaints relate to the equity of his sentence, those complaints are properly addressed to the Sentence Review Division of this Court. See State v. Gordon, 1999 MT 169, ¶ 54, 295 Mont. 183, ¶ 54, 983 P.2d 377, ¶ 54. ¶ 75 Affirmed. J.A. TURNAGE, C.J., JAMES C. NELSON, and W. WILLIAM LEAPHART, JJ., concur.