Opinion ID: 2442841
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State v. Clarke

Text: In September 2008, a Somerset County grand jury indicted defendant Richard Clarke for third-degree theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4(a). Clarke admitted that from January 2008 to June 2008, while employed by Staples, Inc., he entered fraudulent returns of merchandise and removed money from the store's safe. The amount of the fraudulent returns ranged from fifteen to several hundred dollars. Clarke claimed he did this as often as six times per week. On October 24, 2008, Clarke applied for admission into the Somerset County Drug Court program. He was interviewed by the substance abuse evaluator for the Drug Court. Clarke revealed that he smoked $200 worth of crack cocaine daily for a year-and-a-half period, but ended his drug abuse without the assistance of any treatment in July 2008. He said that although he had been married for six months, his wife knew nothing of his addiction. The evaluator noted that [t]here is a high likelihood that Mr. Clarke will relapse to [the] use of drugs without close outpatient monitoring and structured therapeutic services[.] She recommended that Clarke complete a Level II.5Partial hospitalization treatment program to continue abstinence and begin a program of recovery. In a Level II.5 program, Mr. Clarke should be able to obtain access to physicians that may be able to help stabilize his medical conditions. Additionally, following a meeting with Clarke's wife, the evaluator made a progress note, outlining the wife's comments that she was unaware of her husband's drug usage. On January 15, 2009, the prosecutor submitted a written objection to Clarke's admission into Drug Court, noting that Clarke's prior convictions for second-degree theft in 1999 and 2003, and his federal conviction for wire fraud in 1999, rendered him ineligible for the Drug Court program. The prosecutor asserted that defendant's claimed drug history did not match the facts of his life and he seriously questioned the veracity of Clarke's alleged drug use. On February 1, 2009, Clarke responded to the prosecutor's objection letter, contesting each one of the claims. Clarke next filed an appeal to the prosecutor's rejection of his Drug Court application. A hearing before the Drug Court was held on April 6, 2009. In a written decision, the Drug Court judge began his analysis by setting forth the criteria for admission to the Drug Court program. The judge noted that defendant's multiple prior convictions for second-degree offenses required the prosecutor's approval for admission under the first track. Further, the judge explained that Drug Court is reserved for those defendants who are drug dependent at the time of sentencing and if Defendant is no longer drug dependent, a probationary sentence is not appropriate for him. Thus, this Court finds that the prosecutor's decision to object to Defendant's application for Drug Court was not a patent and gross abuse of discretion. Further, Defendant is also ineligible for Drug Court under the second track which also requires substance abuse as a prerequisite for admission. Additionally, the Drug Court judge weighed the aggravating and mitigating factors, finding three applicable aggravating factors and no mitigating factors. As a result, the judge concluded that a probationary sentence would not be appropriate for defendant. The judge specifically noted that these issues were addressed in the Drug Court Team Conference where the participants voiced their support of the Prosecutor's decision concerning the applicant. Clarke filed a motion for leave to appeal. The Appellate Division temporarily remanded for the Drug Court judge to hold a plenary hearing as to whether ... Clarke, is in need of drug treatment and whether he otherwise meets the criteria of the second track[.] The remand order also instructed the Drug Court judge to make findings of fact and evaluate the credibility of the witnesses. We granted the State's motion for leave to appeal. 200 N.J. 204, 976 A. 2d 381 (2009).