State v. Chavez-Romero
285 P.3d 195
Wash. Ct. App.2012Background
- February 22, 2009 911 hang-up in Pasco led police to Chavez-Romero, 21, with a 13-year-old girl; charged with second degree rape of a child.
- April 21, 2009 pretrial: State sought release on own recognizance and a 90-day extension, aware of potential ICE detention.
- Court released Chavez-Romero, who was then detained by ICE and missed the next court date; trial date reset.
- April 28 pretrial: Chavez-Romero failed to appear due to federal detention; bench warrant issued and trial date struck.
- May 15–19: Chavez-Romero reappeared; bail reinstated; trial dates reset to July 15; he objected and moved to dismiss under CrR 3.3.
- June 30 trial court denied speedy-trial motion; July 22 trial commenced and July 24 jury convicted Chavez-Romero of third degree rape of a child; conviction dismissed with prejudice on appeal.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether release to extend CrR 3.3 time was proper. | Chavez-Romero argues release violated CrR 3.3 by effectively resetting outside the time. | State contends release to extend time is permissible under CrR 3.3(b)(3). | No; the majority held the clock was not properly reset to satisfy CrR 3.3 in this context. |
| Whether time detained in federal custody is excluded from CrR 3.3 calculations. | CrR 3.3(e)(6) excludes time in federal custody from the trial-time calculation. | State argued the reset was independent of custody; no error in extending time. | Yes; CrR 3.3(e)(6) excludes the period of federal detention from the speedy-trial calculation. |
| Whether Chavez-Romero sufficiently objected to the revised trial date to preserve error. | Oral objection and a written motion to dismiss alerted the court to a CrR 3.3 violation. | Objection procedures were not properly followed to preserve the issue. | Sufficient objection; waiver did not bar review under CrR 3.3(d)(3) and (d)(4). |
| Whether the overall handling violated CrR 3.3 and required dismissal with prejudice. | The State and court mismanaged the timeline, leading to a denial of timely trial. | Time management complied with rule, or any delay was properly tolled. | Yes; the conviction was dismissed with prejudice for failing to commence trial within CrR 3.3. |
Key Cases Cited
- State v. George, 160 Wn.2d 727 (2007) (duty of due diligence; CrR 3.3(e)(2) exclusion; reset provisions)
- State v. Carson, 128 Wn.2d 805 (1996) (timeliness objections; timely motion required to fix date)
- State v. Rose, 110 Wn. App. 878 (2002) (timeliness objections; proper motion to set date within limits)
- State v. Austin, 59 Wn. App. 186 (1990) (timeliness objections; invalid late requests)
- State v. Harris, 130 Wn.2d 35 (1996) (requirement of timely objection; motion to set date within limits)
- State v. Farnsworth, 133 Wn. App. 1 (2006) (objection sufficiency under CrR 3.3(d)(3))
- State v. Wilks, 85 Wn. App. 303 (1997) (due diligence concept in speedy-trial context)
