State v. Kaus

Oct 29, 1987
No. 20360
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Durham
DURHAM, Justice:

Defendant was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, in violation ‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍of Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-404.1 (Supp.1984). He pleaded guilty to the charge, reserving his right to challenge the sentencing provisions of the statute which he claimed were unconstitutional. ‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍Defendant was sentenced to a minimum mandatory term of three years.

This Court recently upheld sentencing provisions similar to the one challenged in this appeal in State v. ‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍Bishop, 717 P.2d 261 (Utah 1986), and in State v. Egbert, 66 Utah Adv.Rep. 52 (Sept. 28, 1987). There is no substantive difference in the sentencing scheme defendant challenges and ‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍those held constitutional in Bishop and Egbert. Although I dissented from the holding in Eg-bert, it has now become Utah law, and we are constrained to reject defendant’s appeal and affirm his ‍‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍conviction and sentence.

HALL, C.J., STEWART, Associate C.J., and HOWE and ZIMMERMAN, JJ., concur.