Opinion ID: 883343
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the District Court err in designating defendant Lorenz a dangerous offender for the purpose of parole eligibility?

Text: On the evening of December 12, 1991, Wing telephoned the victim, an 18-year-old high school senior, and asked if she wanted to attend a party with him that evening. The party was to be held for the occasion of Wing's brother's return to Sidney, Montana after a two-year absence. Although Wing would not tell the victim where the party was to be held, she nonetheless agreed to accompany him. Instead of going directly to the party, Wing took the victim out of town to a location described as the Lost Highway where the two engaged in consensual sexual intercourse and then returned to town. Wing then drove to his parents' home to determine whether his brother had arrived home. The victim waited in the car while Wing went indoors for a short time. Two other men, Mike and Scott Sheehan, were also parked outside the Wing home, waiting to pick up Wing's brother. Wing took the victim to a house where defendant Lorenz lived with Mike and Scott Sheehan. The two Sheehans and Gary Wing arrived at Lorenz' and the Sheehans' house at approximately the same time as Wing and the victim. Lorenz was already there. Although most of the others at the party were drinking alcoholic beverages, the victim testified that she only consumed a few sips of Lorenz' drink. Other testimony also indicated that she did not drink much alcohol that evening. The victim was the only woman present for most of the evening. Testimony was presented that some of the men played a drinking game known as quarters for approximately thirty minutes. After a time, Scott and Mike Sheehan and Gary Wing went to buy more beer, leaving the victim in the house with Wing, Lorenz, and another individual, Donald Buxbaum. Testimony was presented that the four of them were in the living room and that both Wing and Lorenz attempted to sexually arouse the victim so that she would engage in consensual sex with them at that time. The victim testified that she indicated she did not wish to go into the bedroom with Lorenz and Wing, but that they had forced her into the bedroom, one pulling on each of her arms. She testified that she was crying and told them she did not want to. According to the victim, Lorenz pushed her on the bed, despite her resistance, and then held her arms above her head while Wing pulled off her sweat pants and underwear. She testified that Wing then penetrated her vaginally while Lorenz attempted to insert his penis in her mouth, and that when Wing completed vaginal intercourse, he held the victim's arms down while Lorenz had vaginal intercourse without her consent. About the time Lorenz and Wing finished with the victim, the other three men returned from their jaunt to buy beer and came into the bedroom either at or soon after the time Lorenz and Wing left the room. The victim testified that she struggled with the three men, still crying, and told them she wanted to go home, but Gary Wing, Scott Sheehan and Mike Sheehan then performed oral and vaginal intercourse without her consent. After the sexual acts, the victim asked Wing to take her home; Wing refused. Buxbaum, who had not taken part in any of the sexual acts committed upon the victim, followed her out of the house and gave her a ride home. Eight days later, on December 20, 1991, two girls at school asked the victim if it was true that she had had sex with five guys at one time. Following that incident and at the urging of two of her friends, the victim reported the episode to a school counselor. Later the same day, she gave a detailed statement to Sidney Police Officer David Schettine (Schettine). Schettine initially interviewed and took tape-recorded statements from both Wing and Lorenz. Wing initially told Schettine that he asked the victim to go to a party and that nothing happened at the party. He later stated that the party essentially ended up in the bedroom with the victim and the other four men, but he denied having sexual intercourse with her on that day  either consensually or nonconsensually. He later changed his story again and advised Schettine that he and the victim had engaged in consensual sex prior to the party and later at Lorenz' house where the three of them engaged in various acts of consensual sex. He testified at trial that after the sexual activity when the victim came out of the bedroom, she smoked a cigarette and then asked for a ride home. He further testified that he ignored her and that Lorenz said, Well, boys, let's have a big round of applause for [the victim]. He acknowledged lying to Officer Schettine, claiming to have done so because he had a girl friend at the time and he did not want her to find out that he had had sex with someone else. Lorenz also later changed his initial description of the events of December 12, 1991. His initial statement was similar to Wing's first recount which denied sexual conduct had occurred. Lorenz later stated that he and Wing and the victim engaged in consensual sexual acts. He also testified that the subsequent sexual acts with the other three men were also consensual. At trial, he admitted that he lied to Officer Schettine on two prior occasions, as had Wing, but claimed to have lied because he did not want to discuss the group sex as he thought it might be considered an unnatural sex act and he did not know what his rights were as far as sex. He also admitted that he had previously denied on four separate occasions that he had ever had sex with the victim. At trial, the victim testified that she had engaged in consensual sexual activities in the past with both Wing and Lorenz. Further testimony was introduced by Lorenz that the victim had engaged in sexual activity on one occasion which involved seven men, one being Lorenz. The victim also admitted this conduct. Lorenz and Wing both testified at trial as to numerous sexual acts engaged in with the victim while others were present and which had occurred prior to the December 12, 1991 party at Lorenz' house. The jury convicted Wing of one count of sexual intercourse without consent. The District Court sentenced him to eight years in prison with four years suspended, designated him a nondangerous offender for purposes of parole eligibility, and ordered him to complete a sexual offender treatment program. The jury convicted Lorenz of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and one count of sexual intercourse without consent by accountability. The court sentenced Lorenz to concurrent eight year prison terms on each of the three counts. The court also determined that Lorenz was a persistent felony offender and sentenced him to an additional consecutive ten year term and ordered him to complete the sexual offender treatment program. Lorenz was designated a dangerous offender for purposes of parole eligibility.