Court Opinion

ID: 9956597
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-02 16:16:04.759422+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:17:38.493309
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                      APRIL 2, 2024
                                                              In the Office of the Clerk of Court
                                                             WA State Court of Appeals Division III

            IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
                               DIVISION THREE

STATE OF WASHINGTON,                         )
                                             )        No. 39387-9-III
                    Respondent,              )
                                             )
       v.                                    )
                                             )
RAYMOND COLIN WETMORE-                       )        UNPUBLISHED OPINION
TINNEY,                                      )
                                             )
                    Appellant.               )

       FEARING, C.J. — Raymond Wetmore-Tinney requests a new trial in his

prosecution for possessing a stolen vehicle. He argues, among other contentions, that the

State’s attorney engaged in misconduct when violating an order in limine by reason of

asking him about earlier convictions. We agree, reverse his conviction, and remand for a

new trial.

                                        FACTS

       The prosecution arises from Raymond Wetmore-Tinney’s commandeering of a

dump truck. On August 9, 2022, Andrew Lee Bohn parked his 1996 Ford dump truck
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

outside the A&B grocery store in Lewiston, Idaho. Bohn owns and uses the dump truck

for his tree service business. Bohn exited the truck and went inside the store to use the

ATM and to buy a drink. As part of his usual practice, he left the keys in the truck’s cup

holder.

          While walking into the store, Andrew Bohn passed appellant Raymond Wetmore-

Tinney. Bohn had never seen him before. When Bohn exited the store, he saw his dump

truck being driven away. He watched Wetmore-Tinney drive the dump truck through a

nearby cemetery and then head north toward Lewis-Clark State College.

          Andrew Bohn could not call police because his cellphone remained inside the

dump truck. He flagged down a college security car and asked the driver to call the

police.

          Across the Snake River and the Washington State border, Asotin County Sheriff’s

Deputy Nathan Conley heard a dispatch about the theft of a white dump truck. Conley

then espied a large white dump truck slowly perform an illegal U-turn across a double

yellow line in the roadway. Deputy Conley followed the dump truck but lost its location

near an off-ramp. Conley later re-observed the dump truck.

          Raymond Wetmore-Tinney stopped the dump truck in a residential “turnaround

gravel loop driveway” and then exited the truck. Report of Proceedings (RP) at 23.

Deputy Nathan Conley arrested Wetmore-Tinney.

                                              2
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

                                      PROCEDURE

       The State of Washington charged Raymond Wetmore-Tinney with possession of a

stolen vehicle.

       Raymond Wetmore-Tinney’s criminal history consisted of fifteen convictions

between 1988 and 2021. Before trial, Raymond Wetmore-Tinney sought to preclude

introduction of evidence of the crimes. Conversely, during motions in limine, the State

proposed to introduce three earlier convictions to impeach Wetmore-Tinney if he

testified: (1) a 2014 conviction for tampering with a witness, (2) a 2014 possession of a

stolen firearm conviction, and (3) a 1993 forgery conviction. Wetmore-Tinney objected

to the forgery conviction from 1993 because of its age and lack of relevancy. The State

agreed not to introduce the 1993 forgery but argued that the 2014 witness-tampering and

possession of a stolen firearm convictions were admissible under ER 609 as crimes of

dishonesty. The trial court agreed with the State and ruled that the State could question

Wetmore-Tinney about the two 2014 convictions if he testified.

       At trial, while testifying, Raymond Wetmore-Tinney admitted he took the dump

truck. He claimed that he thought the dump truck belonged to an acquaintance. During

direct examination, Wetmore-Tinney conceded he had earlier convictions for possession

of a stolen firearm and tampering with a witness. He avowed that “both” of his

convictions were from 2014.

       During cross-examination of Raymond Wetmore-Tinney, the prosecutor asked:

                                             3
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

            Mr. Wetmore-Tinney, you—those aren’t the only things in your
      criminal history, are they?

RP at 176. Defense counsel objected, and Wetmore-Tinney did not answer the

prosecuting attorney’s question. The prosecutor commented with the jury still in the

courtroom:

              Your Honor, the intimation was made that these were the only ones
      and that they were 2014 and no history since. I’d like to make the record
      clear that that’s not accurate.

RP at 176.

      The trial court excused the jury to discuss the matter with the parties. Outside the

presence of the jury, the prosecutor remarked:

               Your Honor, had Mr. Wetmore-Tinney simply testified that he’d
      been convicted of these two crimes, I would have let it go. But, the fact
      that he made a point of saying that they were 2014, to give the jury the
      impression that he has been crime free since 2014 is not accurate. In fact,
      he drew an 84 month sentence for those two crimes. So, we’ve got a
      significant amount of time that he was crime free because he was in prison.
      He was just convicted last year [2021] of unlawful possession of a firearm
      in Spokane. He testified that he had been spending time in Spokane and
      that he had been working and so forth. He’s misleading the jury. He was
      in jail in Spokane last year.

RP at 177. We wonder why the State did not seek, as part of its motion in limine, to

introduce the 2021 conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm. The trial court

pondered the same question.

      The trial court ruled:

                                            4
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

               [T]his is very concerning to the Court. Because, these are issues that
       needed to be brought to the Court’s attention prior to this point in the trial.
               Now, I thought we had an agreement. And, I don’t think him just
       saying 2014 opens the door for the State to bring in other ones that they
       could have brought in anyway. All right. That’s just not the way this goes.
       I do not get—I do not believe the door was opened by Mr. Wetmore-Tinney
       when he said the convictions were 2014. If he had said I’ve been crime
       free since then or I have been good since then or I’ve been this since then,
       oh yeah, then we have another thing. But, simply stating 2014, no, no. I’m
       not gonna allow that. I’m sorry.

RP at 179.

       Raymond Wetmore-Tinney moved for a mistrial on the basis that the prosecutor’s

statements about his other convictions were prejudicial, but the trial court denied the

motion with no explanation. Wetmore-Tinney declined a curative jury instruction.

       During closing argument, the prosecutor discussed Raymond Wetmore-Tinney’s

claim that he thought the truck belonged to a different person who would have let him

drive it:

              Look around, ladies and gentlemen. We’re adults. This is adult
       court. This is not juvenile court. We’re not talking about a 12 year old
       who shoplifted a candy bar from Walmart. Oh, oh, I though[t] they were
       free candy bars. I thought it was okay to take them. I expect that from a 12
       year old. What’s the other one they always say? I was gonna put it back.
       12 year olds, eight year olds, children. He was not going to put it back. He
       intended to deprive Mr. Bohn, and he did deprive Mr. Bohn.

RP at 231. Wetmore-Tinney did not object to this line of argument.

       In rebuttal argument, the prosecutor stated:

             I agree with defense counsel. He said it and it rings true. It doesn’t
       make sense. It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense that he thought

                                             5
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

      that he knew the guy who he glared at and spit on the ground and mean-
      mugged. He thought that that guy was going to let him drive the truck. He
      thought it was somebody else who it wasn’t who worked for a different
      company than the logo on the door. He thought he had permission. That
      was his story. That’s what he told every single one of the cops. I’ve got
      the number. Call the guy. John Meacham. I’ve got permission. That one
      fell apart.
              So, what does he do? He changes. Oh, no, no, no, it wasn’t that I
      thought I had permission. It’s a lark. It’s a joy ride. Remember, this is
      adult court. We’re not talking about a 16 year old kid who takes his
      grandpa’s truck into town when he’s not supposed to. We’re talking about
      a guy who stole a dump truck. It doesn’t make sense. You can’t hide it.

RP at 244. Defense counsel did not object to these comments.

      In closing, the prosecutor also stated:

              We live in a society that is held together with rules. Rules older than
      us. Rules older than this country. Thou shall not steal. He stole it. He’s
      guilty.

RP at 236. Raymond Wetmore-Tinney did not object to the comment.

      The trial court instructed the jury on the elements the State needed to prove to

convict Raymond Wetmore-Tinney of unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle:

             (1) That on or about the 9th day of August 2022, the Defendant
      knowingly possessed a stolen motor vehicle;
             (2) That the Defendant acted with knowledge that the motor vehicle
      had been stolen;
             (3) That the Defendant withheld or appropriated the property to the
      use of someone other than the true owner or person entitled thereto; and
             (4) That any of these acts occurred in Asotin County, the State of
      Washington.

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 88.

                                                6
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

       The trial court also instructed the jury on the disputed elements: (1) whether the

defendant possessed the vehicle with “knowledge” that it was stolen and (2) whether the

dump truck was “stolen:”

               A person knows or acts knowingly or with knowledge with respect
       to a fact or circumstance when he or she is aware of that fact or
       circumstance. It is not necessary that the person know that the fact or
       circumstance is defined by law as being unlawful or an element of a crime.
               If a person has information which would lead a reasonable person in
       the same situation to believe that a fact exists, the jury is permitted but not
       required to find that he or she acted with knowledge of that fact.

CP at 89.

              Stolen means obtained by theft.
              Theft means to wrongfully obtain or exert unauthorized control over
       the property . . . of another . . . with intent to deprive that person of such
       property.

CP at 91.

       A jury convicted Raymond Wetmore-Tinney with possession of a stolen vehicle.

                                  LAW AND ANALYSIS

       Raymond Wetmore-Tinney contends the State’s attorney committed four instances

of misconduct during trial: (1) violation of a motion in limine by asking him about his

previous criminal convictions, (2) referring to him as a child, (3) calling him a thief when

he was not charged with theft but possession of a stolen vehicle, and (4) uttering personal

opinions on his guilt. He claims these improper comments caused prejudice with the

jury. Similarly, he assigns error to the trial court’s declination of his motion for a mistrial

                                              7
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

after the prosecutor asked whether he had other convictions. We deem the assignment of

error with regard to the questioning about earlier convictions and the motion for mistrial

controlling and do not address other contentions of Wetmore-Tinney.

       The burden of proving the impropriety of the prosecutor’s comments and their

prejudicial effect rests with the defendant alleging prosecutorial misconduct. State v.

McKenzie, 157 Wn.2d 44, 52, 134 P.3d 221 (2006); State v. Brown, 132 Wn.2d 529, 561,

940 P.2d 546 (1997).

       State v. Stith, 71 Wn. App. 14, 856 P.2d 415 (1993) and State v. Avendano-Lopez,

79 Wn. App. 706, 904 P.2d 324 (1995) provide insight into the kind of errors that

constitute prosecutorial misconduct. In State v. Stith, the State charged the defendant

with drug delivery. The prosecutor commented during closing statements:

             “He was out of jail for a week and he basically was resuming his
       criminal ways. He was just coming back and he was dealing again.”

State v. Stith, 71 Wn. App. 14, 16 (1993). This court ruled the comment was “flagrantly

improper” because it violated a court order excluding such remarks, it directly suggested

to the jury that the defendant had been previously convicted of a drug-related crime,

which had not been presented as evidence during trial, and it suggested the defendant’s

guilt in the case by insinuating the defendant was selling drugs again.

       In State v. Avendano-Lopez, the State charged the defendant with possession of

cocaine with intent to deliver. The prosecutor asked the defendant a question during

                                             8
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

cross-examination: “whether Avendano-Lopez had ever sold drugs before.” State v.

Avendano-Lopez, 79 Wn. App. 706, 712 (1995). The court ruled the question to be

improper because it was not relevant to the case, it suggested to the jury that the

defendant’s current actions echoed with his past behavior, and it implied guilt by

inadmissible conduct.

       Raymond Wetmore-Tinney’s prosecutor breached the court’s directive by asking

about other crimes. This exceeded the scope of the permissible evidence outlined in the

motion in limine. Since the comment implied Wetmore-Tinney had other undisclosed

convictions, the jury could have inferred he had the propensity to commit a crime.

       Next, we assess whether the level of prejudice necessitated a mistrial or reversal

on appeal. To prove prejudice, the defendant must prove a substantial likelihood that

misconduct affected the jury’s verdict. State v. Weber, 159 Wn.2d 252, 270, 149 P.3d

646 (2006); In re Personal Restraint of Pirtle, 136 Wn.2d 467, 481-82, 965 P.2d 593

(1998). Reversal is mandated when, within reasonable probabilities, the outcome of the

trial would have been materially affected had the error not occurred. State v. Tharp, 96

Wn.2d 591, 599, 637 P.2d 961 (1981). The prejudicial impact of a prosecutor’s improper

comments is not assessed by examining the comments alone but by considering them in

the context of the overall argument, the case’s issues, the evidence discussed, and the jury

instructions provided. State v. McKenzie, 157 Wn.2d 44, 52 (2006).

                                              9
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

       In State v. Stith, 71 Wn. App. 14 (1993) despite curative instructions stating that

“‘the jury should totally disregard’” any inference that the appellant was involved in

prior drug activity, the court found the prosecutorial misconduct sufficiently prejudicial

that a jury instruction could not cure it. State v. Stith, 71 Wn. App. 14, 22 (1993). The

prosecutor’s remarks conveyed personal assurances of the defendant’s guilt, which not

only suggested the trial was a mere formality, but also accused the defendant of

additional criminal activity unrelated to the charges.

       We deem State v. Stith and State v. Avendano-Lopez controlling. The prosecutor’s

inquiry into Raymond Wetmore-Tinney’s prior convictions implied to the jury a pattern

of criminal behavior based on irrelevant factors rather than the evidence presented in

court. The prosecuting attorney implied Wetmore-Tinney’s guilt because of earlier

misconduct. Thus, reversible prejudice took place. The trial court should have granted a

mistrial.

       We encourage counsel, when believing that a defendant opened the door such that

counsel may ask questions that otherwise violate an order in limine, to first address the

trial court outside the presence of the jury to gain permission to ask the questions.

                                      CONCLUSION

       We reverse the conviction of Raymond Wetmore-Tinney for possessing a stolen

vehicle and remand for a new trial.

                                             10
No. 39387-9-III,
State v. Wetmore-Tinney

      A majority of the panel has determined this opinion will not be printed in the

Washington Appellate Reports, but it will be filed for public record pursuant to

RCW 2.06.040.

                                             _________________________________
                                             Fearing, C.J.

WE CONCUR:

______________________________
Lawrence-Berrey, J.

______________________________
Cooney, J.

                                            11