Court Opinion

ID: 9635619
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 13:56:48.663615+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:31.004461
License: Public Domain

JOHNSON, J.
¶ 1 Frank Lee Krouse appeals from the judgment of sentence following his conviction for indecent assault and the trial court’s determination that he is a “sexually violent predator” (“SVP”) pursuant to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law II, 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 9791-9799. Megan’s Law II requires inter alia registration of an SVP’s address with the Pennsylvania State Police and community notification of the SVP’s ad*836dress for potentially the rest of the SVP’s life. Krouse asserts that the Commonwealth failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that Krouse was an SVP. He also challenges the constitutionality of various aspects of Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law II. After review of the entire record, we conclude that the Commonwealth failed to produce clear and convincing evidence sufficient to support the trial court’s determination of Krouse as an SVP. Therefore, we reverse the trial court as to the SVP determination and all requirements that would follow from such a determination under Megan’s Law II. The judgment of sentence is otherwise affirmed.
¶ 2 In May 2000, the District Attorney of Indiana County charged Krouse with sexual offenses related to allegations of oral sex in June 1999 involving a ten-year-old boy in whose house Krouse was then residing. In July 2000, Krouse pled guilty to the indecent assault charge, see 18 Pa. C.S. § 3126, a few days after Megan’s Law II became effective. The court then ordered the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders .Assessment Board (“Assessment Board”) to determine whether Krouse should be classified as an SVP. Mr. William Allen-baugh, an Assessment Board Member, found that Krouse met the criteria for an SVP under Megan’s Law II. The District Attorney praeeiped the court to designate Krouse an SVP.
¶ 3 Krouse then filed a motion to challenge the constitutionality of the SVP determination. under Megan’s Law II and various amicus curiae groups filed briefs regarding the constitutional challenge. The trial court heard argument on the issue and, in December 2000, denied the motion. In March 2001, the court held a hearing pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(e) in which a defense expert testified that Krouse did not fit the criteria for an SVP. Additionally, Assessment Board Member Allenbaugh, who had not interviewed Krouse, testified that Krouse should be adjudicated an SVP. The court then determined that Allenbaugh was credible and that Krouse was an SVP under Megan’s Law II. The court did not however make specific findings regarding the factors detailed in Megan’s Law II, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(b), supporting the SVP classification nor did the court specifically set forth findings regarding the necessary elements of an SVP as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9792. Krouse timely appealed.
¶ 4 Krouse presents the following issues for our review.
1. Was the evidence sufficient to support the finding that defendant is a sexually violent predator?
2. (A) Do not the provisions of the amended Megan’s Law inflict “punishment” by requiring a trial court at the time of sentence to impose upon an adjudicated defendant the unalterable requirement of life-long reporting on a quarterly basis to the State Police, accompanied by a mandate that the defendant pay for and participate in an “at least monthly” counseling program designated and “monitored” by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, and verified quarterly to the State Police, while he is subjected simultaneously to an aggressive campaign of public notification through the use of leaflets, notices and the Internet that are used to publicize the judicial fact that he has been declared by a court to be a “sexually violent predator,” and with the defendant subject to a penalty of imprisonment throughout his life should he fail to report or verify his compliant status?
(B) Do not the Sexually Violent Predator provisions of Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law, which provide for the *837adjudication of appellant as a “sexually violent predator” and the enhanced penalties attending that status, deprive appellant of his rights to procedural due process, including a standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, a right to trial by jury, and the protection of an information or indictment?
(C) Are not the “sexually violent predator” provisions of Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law unconstitutionally vague, and do they not render adjudicatory proceedings unavoidably arbitrary and capricious by conferring impermissible discretion upon assessors and judges in violation of the Due Process Clause of the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions?
(D) Does not the Megan’s Law subject the appellant to cruel and unusual punishment and violate his right to substantive due process, as protected by our state and federal constitutions, by punishing appellant for his mental status and a highly speculative prediction of future dangerousness?
(E) If appellant’s predicate offense is the actus reas of the charge of SVP, does not an adjudication subject appellant to separate criminal proceedings on a greater included offense, in violation of his state and federal double jeopardy rights?
(F) Do not the assessment and adjudicatory procedures of Megan’s Law compel appellant to give testimony against himself or suffer a negative inference from his silence, in violation of his state and federal self-incrimination privilege?
(G) Do not the assessment and adjudicatory procedures of Megan’s Law violate statutory confidentiality protections afforded appellant and his coextensive right to privacy?
(H) Do not the sexually violent predator provisions of Megan’s Law violate the doctrine of separation of powers as it is embodied in Article V, §§ 1, 2, and 10(c) of the Pennsylvania Constitution by infringing upon the rule making power the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has been granted over judicial procedure and practice?
(I) Did the legislature violate Article III, § 3, by enacting a bill that contains more than one subject?
(J) By subjecting appellant to the broadest form of public notification about his criminal status, identity, and location, and by publicly declaring that he is a “sexually violent predator,” does not the implementation of Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law constitute a gross and unjustifiable violation of appellant’s state and federal constitutional right to privacy?
Supplemental Brief for Appellant at 2-4. As we reverse on the basis of Krouse’s first issue, we need not address the constitutional issues. See In re Fiori, 543 Pa. 592, 673 A.2d 905, 909 (1996) (stating that it is a “sound tenet of jurisprudence that courts should avoid constitutional issues when the issue at hand may be decided upon other grounds”).
¶ 5 A challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is a question of law requiring a plenary scope of review. See Commonwealth v. Weston, 561 Pa. 199, 749 A.2d 458, 460 n. 8 (2000). The appropriate standard of review regarding the sufficiency of the evidence is “whether the evidence admitted at trial and all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom, when viewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth as the verdict winner, is sufficient *838to support all the elements of the offenses.” Commonwealth v. DeJesus, 567 Pa. 415, 787 A.2d 394, 898 (2001). As a reviewing court, we “may not weigh the evidence and substitute our judgment for that of the fact-finder.” Commonwealth v. Vetrini, 734 A.2d 404, 407 (Pa.Super.1999). Furthermore, a fact-finder is free to believe “all, part or none” of the evidence presented. Id.
¶ 6 “At the hearing prior to sentencing the court shall determine whether the Commonwealth has proved by clear and convincing evidence that the individual is a sexually violent predator.” 42 Pa.C.S § 9795.4(e)(3). Accordingly, in reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence regarding the determination of SVP status, we will reverse the trial court only if the Commonwealth has not presented clear and convincing evidence sufficient to enable the trial court to determine that each element required by the statute has been satisfied. In most cases, we will determine whether the record supports the findings of fact made by the trial court and then review the legal conclusions made from them. 'However, in cases such as the present case, where the trial court has stated its legal conclusions but has not provided specific findings of fact, we will review the entire record of the post-conviction SVP hearing as our .scope of review is plenary. Therefore, if it appears based on all of the evidence viewed in a light most favorable to the Commonwealth that an SVP classification can not be made out in a clear and convincing manner, then we will be obliged to reverse the SVP designation.
¶ 7 The statute defines an SVP as follows:
§ 9792. Definitions
‡ ‡
“Sexually violent- predator.” A person who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense as set forth in section 9795.1 (relating to registration) and who is determined to be a sexually violent predator under section 9795.4 (relating to assessments) due to a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.
42 Pa.C.S. § 9792 (emphasis added).
¶ 8 The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and this Court declared that the process of SVP determination in Megan’s Law I unconstitutionally violated a defendant’s due process rights. See Commonwealth v. Williams, 557 Pa. 285, 733 A.2d 593 (1999); Commonwealth v. Halye, 719 A.2d 763 (Pa.Super.1998). Previously, once convicted of a sexual offense, the individual had to rebut the presumption of SVP classification by clear and convincing evidence. See Williams, 733 A.2d at 594. In declaring the process unconstitutional, the Supreme Court stated that the SVP determination process must guarantee to the individual the “full panoply of the relevant protections which due process guarantees.” Id. at 603.
¶ 9 Megan’s Law II’s amended procedure became effective in July 2000. The statute specifically details the process by which an individual is determined to be a SVP. After a defendant is convicted of an offense specified in Section 9795.1, such as indecent assault in this case, the trial court must order the Assessment Board to assess the defendant for the appropriateness of an SVP classification. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(a). The administrative officer of the Assessment Board then assigns one of its members to conduct the assessment pursuant to Section 9795.4(b). Section 9795.4(b) specifies that the assessment must include an examination of the following factors:
§ 9795.4. Assessments
^ Hs H* ‡ ‡
*839(b) Assessment.... An assessment shall include, but not be limited to, an examination of the following:
(1) Facts of the current offense, including:
(i) Whether the offense involved multiple victims.
(ii) Whether the individual exceeded the means necessary to achieve the offense.
(iii) The nature of the sexual contact with the victim.
(iv) Relationship of the individual to the victim.
(v) Age of the victim.
(vi) Whether the offense included a display of unusual cruelty by the individual during the commission of the crime.
(vii) The mental capacity of the victim.
(2) Prior offense history, including:
(i) The individual’s prior criminal record.
(ii) Whether the individual completed any prior sentences.
(iii) Whether the individual participated in available programs for sexual offenders.
(3) Characteristics of the individual, including:
(i) Age of the individual.
(ii) Use of illegal drugs by the individual.
(iii) Any mental illness, mental disability or mental abnormality.
(iv) Behavioral characteristics that contribute to the individual’s conduct.
(4) Factors that are supported in a sexual offender assessment filed as criteria reasonably related to the risk of reoffense.
42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(b) (emphasis added).
¶ 10 Following the submission of a written report containing the assessment and a praecipe filed by the district attorney, the trial court must hold a hearing. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(e). During the hearing on the SVP classification, the following procedural protections apply:
The individual and district attorney shall be given notice of the hearing and an opportunity to be heard, the right to call witnesses, the right to call expert witnesses and the right to cross-examine witnesses. In addition, the individual shall have the right to counsel and to have a lawyer appointed to represent him if he cannot afford one. If the individual requests another expert assessment, the individual shall provide a copy of the expert assessment to the district attorney prior to the hearing.
42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4((e)(2)).
¶ 11 The most significant change in the SVP classification procedures was the shift in the burden of proof. Rather than requiring the individual to rebut a presumption of SVP classification, Megan’s Law II requires that “[a]t the hearing prior to sentencing the court shall determine whether the Commonwealth has proved by clear and convincing evidence that the individual is [an SVP].” 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(e)(3) (emphasis added). We note that it is the trial court that has the sole authority to determine a defendant to be an SVP.
¶ 12 In the present case, at the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court provided the following findings of fact:
1. On July 19, 2000, following defendant’s plea to the offense of Indecent Sexual Assault, this court requested the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assess*840ment Board do an evaluation and assessment of defendant.
2. On September 18, 2000, following receipt of the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board’s report, the Commonwealth praeciped this Court to certify the defendant [an SVP].
3. On March 15, 2001, this Court conducted a hearing per the Commonwealth’s praecipe.
4. At hearing, William Allenbaugh, from the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, offered an opinion that the defendant should be certified as [an SVP]. The Court accepts this testimony as credible.
5. The Court finds that the Commonwealth has met its burden of proving, by clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant is [an SVP].
Trial Court Order, March 15, 2001, at 1-2.
¶ 13 These findings do not necessarily support the trial court’s conclusion in Finding 5 that the Commonwealth met its burden of clearly and convincingly proving each element of the SVP classification. The fact that the trial court found the testimony of the Assessment Board Member credible does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that the Commonwealth proved by clear and convincing evidence all the elements of an SVP classification as required by Section 9795.4(e)(3). As our Supreme Court noted in Williams the defendant’s “livelihood, domestic tranquility and personal relationships are unquestionably put in jeopardy by the notification provisions.” Williams, 733 A.2d at 607. Additionally, the Court noted that the SVP classification requires “a subjective assessment of an offender’s potential future dangerousness” which includes a greater risk of error than objective determinations. Id. For this Court to affirm a determination that will have long lasting effects on the individual’s liberty and includes a high risk of error, we must be able to conclude that the fact-finder found clear and convincing evidence that the individual is a sexually violent predator. Because the trial court failed to provide us with findings to support its conclusion, we must look to the entire record and determine whether the evidence in the record can be made out to clearly and convincingly support the trial court’s conclusion.
¶ 14 Mr. Allenbaugh testified that Krouse satisfied the requirements for an SVP classification- as defined in Section 9792. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 34. Allen-baugh concluded that Krouse had the mental abnormality of a child molester based on his finding of “grooming behavior”. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 26. Allenbaugh also concluded that Krouse had a personality disorder, not otherwise specified, with antisocial features. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 35. Further, Allenbaugh opined that Krouse was a predator and likely to reof-fend based on his findings that Krouse had erections, to males, was relatively young, and had not had stable adult sexual relationships. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, 27-28, 31-32, 46.
¶ 15 Upon review of Allenbaugh’s testimony that the trial court found credible, we cannot conclude that the - Commonwealth proved the necessary elements by clear and convincing evidence. Allen-baugh’s testimony does not clearly and convincingly prove the element of “likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 9792 “Sexually Violent Predator.” Mr. Allenbaugh repeatedly noted the imperfect science of predicting the likelihood of reoffense and that his assessment of Krouse was complicated by his inability to interview Krouse or perform a polygraph test. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 12-13, 33, 42, 49. Therefore, he based his assessment on published studies and specifically on the finding that *841individuals who have erections to males “are more likely to recidivate than others that have erections to young girls.” N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 83. The evidence, however, does not clearly and convincingly indicate that Krouse did have erections to males. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 40-41. The evidence upon which Allenbaugh based his conclusion only indicates that Krouse had oral sex with the victim, which does not necessarily require that Krouse had an erection to the victim. Therefore, Allenbaugh’s testimony does not clearly and convincingly support a conclusion that Krouse is likely to reoffend.
¶ 16 Additionally, Allenbaugh’s conclusion that Krouse has a mental abnormality based on grooming behavior is also not supported by clear and convincing evidence. Allenbaugh describes grooming behavior as follows:
[Y]ou select a potential victim and what you do is over a period of time you get close to them prior to the sexual act... And even though you may not be touching them or acting on them, during a period of time between the onset of the sexual course and the actual behavior there is [sic] usually masturbatory fantasies. This is where you get closer so you begin talking to the person sexually, making them feel special, giving them gifts, wrestle with them, single them out, make them someone extremely special. Then when you have their trust, then you sexually exploit them.
N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 21-22. The evidence that Allenbaugh presented to support his finding of grooming is that Krouse inappropriately spoke to the victim about sexual issues and that the victim and Krouse wrestled during which time Krouse’s arm would brush against the victim’s groin area. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 24. Allenbaugh also emphasized as evidence of grooming that Krouse “got real close to this boy” rather than the two young girls in the family and did not spend much time with the adults in the family. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 25. He further stated that there “was a high probability of masturbatory fantasies to this child.” N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 25. However, there was no evidence of such fantasies. We cannot conclude that these allegations support the finding of grooming when “wrestling behavior” is fairly common between boys and their relatives and that it is not uncommon for family members to spend more time with certain members of the family than others. As the facts cited by Allenbaugh do not support a conclusion of grooming behavior, the finding of a mental abnormality is not based on the necessary clear and convincing evidence.
¶ 17 Furthermore, in regard to the personality disorder element, we note that in Allenbaugh’s.assessment report, he stated, “As mentioned earlier this writer did not meet with Mr. Krouse, and therefore, cannot offer a diagnosis. However, it appears that the behavioral characteristics just mentioned are consistent with the criteria set forth and the DSM IV for adult antisocial personality disorder.” Assessment Report, at 7 (emphasis added). At the hearing, Allenbaugh, however, testified that Krouse had a personality disorder not otherwise specified. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01 at 30. The testimony in fight of the report does not meet the criteria for clear and convincing evidence to sustain a finding of a personality disorder, especially considering the diagnostic tests performed by the defense expert during interviews with Krouse, which do not indicate personality disorders. N-T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 62-69.
¶ 18 Even if we take as true all the Assessment Board Member’s testimony, we further note that a number of the statutory factors weigh against a SVP clas*842sification. For example, in regard to factors relating to the present offense, the offense did not involve multiple victims, and there is no evidence of force or cruelty. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(b)(1). Additionally, this conviction is Krouse’s first sexual offense and his-prior criminal history involves only a conviction for driving under the influence and admitted illegal drug usage. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(b)(2); N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 33-34, 61. The Assessment Board Member noted that alcohol was not a factor in the present case. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 33-34. Additionally, the record does not substantiate any prior incidents involving deviant sexual behavior or mental health issues. N.T. Hearing, 3/15/01, at 60, 61, 67-68.
¶ 19 We therefore conclude that, in this case, the Commonwealth did not present clear and convincing evidence establishing that Krouse is an SVP as defined by Megan’s Law II. Our reversal of the SVP designation does not affect Krouse’s sentence for the underlying conviction of indecent assault. Our conclusion in this case should not suggest that the elements of an SVP designation cannot be met, nor do we even suggest that the elements could not be met in situations where the defendant exercises his or her right to refuse personal evaluation by the Assessment Board. We are cognizant, however, of the fact that the SVP classification does not automatically apply to an individual convicted of a sexual offense or even to individuals who have molested a child. Rather, the SVP classification has been specifically limited by the legislature to those offenders who have a “mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes [them] more likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 9792. Unless the Commonwealth proves all the elements by clear and convincing evidence, we cannot affirm an SVP designation.
¶ 20 Furthermore, in the interest of appellate review, we strongly recommend that trial courts present specific findings of fact regarding the findings necessary for a SVP determination as defined in Section 9792 and the factors specified in Section 9795.4(b) which the legislature has deemed relevant. The Ohio Supreme Court recently detailed what is required in order to provide for meaningful appellate review of a determination based on Ohio’s Megan’s Law:
In a model sexual offender classification hearing, there are essentially three objectives. First, it is critical that a record be created for review. Therefore, the prosecutor and defense counsel should identify on the record those portions of the trial transcript, victim impact statements, presentence report, and other pertinent aspects of the defendant’s criminal and social history that both relate to the factors set forth in R.C. 2950.09(B)(2) and are probative of the issue of whether the offender is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses.... [A] clear and accurate record of what evidence or testimony was considered should be preserved, including any exhibits, for purposes of any potential appeal.
Second, an expert may be required, as discussed above, to assist the trial court in determining whether the offender is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses....
Finally, the trial court should consider the statutory factors listed in R.C. 2950.09(B)(2), and should discuss on the record the particular evidence and factors upon which it relies in making its determination regarding the likelihood of recidivism....
Therefore, we are suggesting standards for the trial courts that will aid the appellate courts in reviewing the *843evidence on appeal and ensure a fair and complete hearing for the offender.
Ohio v. Eppinger, 91 Ohio St.3d 158, 743 N.E.2d 881, 888-889 (2001).
¶21 The provisions of the Ohio statute governing SVP determination are similar to those in Pennsylvania. Ohio’s statute specifies that “the court shall consider” a list of factors similar to those which 42 Pa.C.S. 9795.4(b) requires the Assessment Board include in its report. Id. at 887. It is apparent from the Pennsylvania statute that the factors specified should be the basis for determining the appropriateness of an SVP classification. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9795.4(b). Even though the Pennsylvania statute does not specifically require the court to make findings regarding the factors, we conclude that the trial court should include on the record its reasons for finding the defendant to be an SVP in relation to the statutory factors. See Ohio v. Eppinger, 743 N.E.2d at 888-889.
¶ 22 Judgment of Sentence REVERSED in regard to the Sexually Violent Predator determination and otherwise AFFIRMED.
¶ 23 Judge ORIE MELVIN concurs in result.
¶ 24 Judge BOWES files a Concurring Opinion.
¶ 25 Judge BENDER files a Dissenting Opinion.