Opinion ID: 2632221
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Is the Amount of Restitution Ordered Supported by Sufficient Evidence?

Text: Stowe concedes that he owes restitution for a portion of the unpaid rental charges in the amount of $2,495.00, but challenges the trial court's determination that the other amounts claimed by Dollar Rent A Car are his responsibility. He also asserts that there is no credible evidence to support that portion of the restitution award. Dollar Rent A Car submitted a victim impact statement to the Department of Corrections, which was incorporated into the Presentence Report. In that statement, Dollar Rent A Car sought restitution for: Unpaid rental charges of $6,266.09; costs of damages, towing and storage totaled $1,571.49; and cost of a missing bench seat in the amount of $950.00. The total amount of restitution sought was $8,787.58. As a part of the sentencing process, the trial court is required to order a defendant to pay restitution, if applicable, and if the defendant has the ability to pay or if there is a reasonable probability that he will have the ability to pay. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-9-102 (LEXIS 1999). Appellate review of ordered restitution is confined to a search for procedural error or a clear abuse of discretion. Aldridge v. State, 956 P.2d 341, 343 (Wyo.1998). The amount of restitution fixed by the trial court should be supported by evidence sufficient to afford a reasonable basis for estimating the loss. Hilterbrand v. State, 930 P.2d 1248, 1250 (Wyo.1997). A challenge to the amount of restitution set by the court must demonstrate an abuse of discretion. Id. Judicial discretion is a composite of many things, among which are conclusions drawn from objective criteria; it means a sound judgment exercised with regard to what is right under the circumstances and without doing so arbitrarily or capriciously. Brock v. State, 967 P.2d 26, 27 (Wyo.1998) ( quoting Vaughn v. State, 962 P.2d 149, 151 (Wyo.1998)). As in Brock, here, Stowe's only complaint is that there was no credible evidence to provide a reasonable basis for ordering restitution. In Brock we held that a victim impact statement, such as that incorporated into the Presentence Report in this case, is credible evidence upon which a trial court may impose a restitution amount. Id. We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion under the circumstances of this case, and that the restitution award is supported by credible evidence. The Judgment and Sentence of the trial court are affirmed in all respects.