State v. McKeethState v. McKeeth
- Reporters:
- , ,
- Before:
- Perry
William McKeeth appeals from his judgments of conviction and sentences for six counts of sexual exploitation by a medical care provider. McKeeth also appeals from the restitution order. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and reverse in part.
I.
BACKGROUND
On August 24, 1999, McKeeth, a licensed professional counselor, was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation by a medical care provider (Counts I-III).
On January 10, 2000, a stipulation and consent order was finalized between McKeeth and the Idaho State Counselor Licensing Board (ISCLB). Pursuant to the stipulation, the ISCLB agreed not to proceed with formal disciplinary action regarding allegations identical to those in the amended criminal complaint and McKeeth agreed to “the imposition of discipline” against his professional license. Specifically, McKeeth agreed to: (1) a five-year suspension of his professional license; (2) not practice professional counseling in Idaho; (3) pay “an ad
ministrative
In his criminal case, McKeeth filed a motion to declare
II.
ANALYSIS
A. Double Jeopardy
McKeeth argues that the district court erred in denying his motion to dismiss the charges against him on the ground that his criminal prosecution violated his constitutional right against double jeopardy. McKeeth contends that he was criminally punished for double jeopardy purposes when the ISCLB imposed a fine of $3000 2 and that his subsequent criminal prosecution constituted a second punishment in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and A-ticle I, Section 13 of the Idaho Constitution.
1. Federal Constitution
The Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution provides that no person shall “be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” The Double Jeopardy Clause protects against three abuses: a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal, a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction, and multiple criminal punishments for the same offense. United States v. Halper, 490 U.S. 435, 441, 109 S.Ct. 1892, 1898, 104 L.Ed.2d 487, 497 (1989); State v. Talavera, 127 Idaho 700, 703, 905 P.2d 633, 636 (1995). It is the third of these protections at issue in the instant case. We must determine whether the sanctions imposed by the ISCLB constituted a criminal punishment within the meaning of the Double Jeopardy Clause so as to foreclose McKeeth’s subsequent criminal prosecution based upon the identical allegations.
A determination of whether a particular punishment is criminal or civil is a two-step process. This Court must first inquire whether the legislature indicated either expressly or impliedly a preference that the punishment be labeled as criminal or civil.
Hudson v. United States,
522 U.S. 93, 99, 118 S.Ct. 488, 493, 139 L.Ed.2d 450, 459 (1997);
United States v. Ward,
448 U.S. 242, 248, 100 S.Ct. 2636, 2641, 65 L.Ed.2d 742, 749 (1980);
see also Berglund v. Potlatch Corp.,
129 Idaho 752, 756, 932 P.2d 875, 879 (1996). Even in those cases where the legislature has indicated an intention to establish a civil penalty, this Court must next inquire whether the statutory scheme was so punitive either in purpose or effect as to transform what was clearly intended as a civil remedy into a criminal penalty.
Hudson,
522 U.S. at 99, 118 S.Ct. at 493, 139 L.Ed.2d at 459;
see also Berglund,
129 Idaho at 757, 932 P.2d at 880. In making this later inquiry, the following factors provide useful guideposts: (1) whether the sanction involves an affirmative disability or restraint; (2) whether it has historically been regarded as a punishment; (3)
Our first inquiry is whether the legislature indicated either expressly or impliedly a preference that the fine of $3000 imposed upon McKeeth be labeled as criminal or civil. The power to regulate the practice of licensed counselors and licensed professional counselors in the state of Idaho is conferred upon the ISCLB.
Pursuant to authority delegated by
Nevertheless, we must also inquire whether the statutory scheme governing the fine imposed upon McKeeth was so punitive either in purpose or effect as to transform what was clearly intended as a civil remedy into a criminal penalty. First, the fine imposed by the ISCLB does not involve “an affirmative disability or restraint” as that term is normally understood. See Hudson, 522 U.S. at 104, 118 S.Ct. at 496, 139 L.Ed.2d at 462. Second, money penalties have not historically been viewed as punishment. Hudson, 522 U.S. at 104, 118 S.Ct. at 495, 139 L.Ed.2d at 462. The “payment of fixed or variable sums of money [is a] sanetion[ ] which has been recognized as enforceable by civil proceedings since the original revenue law of 1789.” Helvering v. Mitchell, 303 U.S. 391, 400, 58 S.Ct. 630, 633, 82 L.Ed. 917, 922 (1938); see also Hudson, 522 U.S. at 104, 118 S.Ct. at 496, 139 L.Ed.2d at 462.
Third, the stipulation provided that McKeeth had violated certain provisions of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, which had been adopted by the ISCLB.
See
IDAPA 24.15.01.360. Provision A.7.a of the ACA Code of Ethics provides that counselors “do not have any type of sexual intimacies with clients.” Provision C.5.e provides that counselors “do not use
Fourth, we note that the conduct sanctioned in the instant case by the ISCLB is also criminalized by
Fifth, we recognize that the imposition of monetary penalties will have a deterrent effect, which is a traditional goal of criminal punishment. However, the mere presence of this purpose is insufficient to render a sanction criminal, as deterrence may serve civil as well as criminal goals.
Hudson,
522 U.S. at 105, 118 S.Ct. at 496, 139 L.Ed.2d at 463. Although the fines imposed by the ISCLB may be intended to deter future wrongdoing, the fines are deposited directly into the bureau of occupational licensing account in order to fund the ISCLB in its efforts to promote the integrity of the counseling profession as a whole.
See
Based upon the factors discussed above, McKeeth has failed to show by clearest proof that the fine imposed by the ISCLB was sufficiently punitive to override the legislative intent that the fine constituted a civil remedy. We hold, therefore, that the imposition of the $3000 fine upon McKeeth was not a criminal punishment. Consequently, McKeeth’s subsequent criminal prosecution did not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause of the federal constitution.
2. State Constitution
The Idaho Constitution’s Double Jeopardy Clause declares that “[n]o person shall be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense.” IDAHO CONST. art. I, § 13. The Idaho Supreme Court and this Court have held on a number of occasions that Idaho’s constitutional double jeopardy provision is co-extensive with the federal constitution’s double jeopardy clause. See Berglund, 129 Idaho at 757, 932 P.2d at 880; State v. Reichenberg, 128 Idaho 452, 457-58, 915 P.2d 14, 19-20 (1996); State v. Sharp, 104 Idaho 691, 693, 662 P.2d 1135, 1137 (1983); State v. Randles, 115 Idaho 611, 615, 768 P.2d 1344, 1348 (Ct.App.1989). Because we have held that the fine imposed by the ISCLB did not violate the federal Double Jeopardy Clause, we further hold that it does not violate the Idaho Double Jeopardy Clause. Consequently, the district court did not err in denying McKeeth’s motion to dismiss, which was based on the double jeopardy clauses of the federal and state constitutions.
B. Constitutionality of Idaho Code
McKeeth next argues that
There is a strong presumption that legislative enactments are constitutional. State v. Leferink, 133 Idaho 780, 784, 992 P.2d 775, 779 (1999). The overbreadth doctrine is aimed at statutes which, though designed to prohibit legitimately regulated conduct, include within their prohibitions constitutionally protected freedoms. Id; State v. Richards, 127 Idaho 31, 35, 896 P.2d 357, 361 (Ct.App.1995). The strength of an overbroad challenge diminishes where the statutory proscription is directed at behavior other than pure speech. Broadrick v. Oklahoma, 413 U.S. 601, 615, 93 S.Ct. 2908, 2917-18, 37 L.Ed.2d 830, 842 (1973); Richards, 127 Idaho at 35, 896 P.2d at 361.
Although there is no express right of privacy in any specific provision of the federal constitution, the United States Supreme Court has held that the right of privacy is based upon a person’s “interest in independence in making certain kinds of important decisions.” Whalen v. Roe, 429 U.S. 589, 599-600, 97 S.Ct. 869, 876, 51 L.Ed.2d 64, 73 (1977). As a result, the Supreme Court has long recognized that there are certain activities which are constitutionally protected as fundamental rights under the label of constitutional privacy. These activities include the decision to marry, Zablocki v. Redhail, 434 U.S. 374, 384-86, 98 S.Ct. 673, 679-81, 54 L.Ed.2d 618, 629-31 (1978); the decision to live with relatives, Moore v. East Cleveland, 431 U.S. 494, 498-99, 97 S.Ct. 1932, 1935-36, 52 L.Ed.2d 531, 536-37 (1977); decisions relating to child rearing and education, Moore, 431 U.S. at 499-500, 97 S.Ct. at 1935-36, 52 L.Ed.2d at 537-38; Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510, 535, 45 S.Ct. 571, 573, 69 L.Ed. 1070, 1078 (1925); decisions regarding the use of contraception by unmarried persons, Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438, 453-54, 92 S.Ct. 1029, 1038-39, 31 L.Ed.2d 349, 362-63 (1972); and the decision to possess obscene matter in one’s own home. Stanley v. Georgia, 394 U.S. 557, 568, 89 S.Ct. 1243, 1249-50, 22 L.Ed.2d 542, 551 (1969). Notwithstanding the elevated constitutional status accorded certain privacy interests, the Supreme Court has emphasized that there is no open-ended immunity for consenting adults to engage in any and all types of sexual behavior. Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S. 186, 191, 106 S.Ct. 2841, 2844, 92 L.Ed.2d 140, 146 (1986).
In Ferguson v. People, 824 P.2d 803 (1992) (en banc), the Supreme Court of Colorado considered the constitutionality of a statute prohibiting consensual and nonconsensual sexual contact between a psychotherapist and a client. The Supreme Court of Colorado acknowledged that certain private activities and intimate relationships qualify for the elevated status of fundamental constitutional rights. However, the court concluded that “it has never been the law that consenting adults, solely by virtue of their adulthood and consent, have a constitutionally protected privacy or associational right to engage in any type of sexual behavior of their choice under any circumstances.” Id at 808. The court recognized that treatment may cause a client to develop a deep emotional dependence upon the psychotherapist and that the professional community nearly unanimously considers the mismanagement of this dependence to be malpractice. The court held that it had “no hesitation in concluding that neither the treating psychotherapist nor the psychotherapy client has a fundamental constitutional right to engage in sexual intercourse with each other during the existence of a psychotherapist-client relations.” Id. at 810.
Likewise, we are persuaded that any privacy interest created by a counselor-patient relationship does not give rise to any fundamental right on the part of the professional counselor or the patient to engage in sexual conduct during the course of the professional relationship. The record reveals that the misconduct in the instant case occurred
during
treatment sessions rather than as part of a romantic relationship. Many of the victims were visiting McKeeth for marriage counseling and attempting to work through issues regarding past sexual
C. Speedy Trial
MeKeeth argues on appeal that his speedy trial rights under
Idaho Code
The court, unless good cause to the contrary is shown, must order the prosecution or indictment to be dismissed, in the following cases:
1. When a person has been held to answer for a public offense, if an indictment or information is not found against him and filed with the court within six (6) months from the date of his arrest.
2. If a defendant, whose trial has not been postponed upon his application, is not brought to ti’ial within six (6) months from the date that the indictment or information is filed with the court.
3. If a defendant, charged with a misdemeanor offense, whose trial has not been postponed upon his application, is not brought to trial within six (6) months from the date that the defendant enters a plea of not guilty with the court.
Under
MeKeeth pled not guilty on August 25, 1999, to Counts I-III, and a trial date was immediately set by a magistrate for April 10, 2000. On August 27, 1999, MeKeeth filed an objection to the trial date because it was set beyond the six-month time limit. On September 8, 1999, the state filed a “Notice of Setting Outside Time Period,” advising that the trial date was “outside the time period allocated by the Constitution of the State of Idaho,
Following a hearing, the district court denied MeKeeth’s motion to dismiss on two alternative grounds. First, the district court concluded that court congestion constituted good cause for the delay in McKeeth’s trial. However, the Idaho Supreme Court thereafter clarified that court congestion may
In the alternative, the district court concluded that the six-mgnth period began to run from the plea of not guilty to the charges contained in the amended complaint. That plea of not guilty to the amended charges, which added three counts, was entered on October 29, 1999. Thus, the district court concluded that the six-month period had not yet expired. However, the time limitation is not renewed absent a formal dismissal and refiling of the original charges.
See State v. Horsley,
117 Idaho 920, 926, 792 P.2d 945, 951 (1990);
State v. Goodmiller,
86 Idaho 233, 235, 386 P.2d 365, 367 (1963). The mere amendment of a misdemeanor complaint does not restart the time limitation in
D. Conditional Plea Agreement
In light of our holding regarding Counts I-III, McKeeth argues that he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas to Counts IV-VI pursuant to his conditional plea agreement with the state. Idaho Criminal Rule 11(a)(2) provides that a defendant “may enter a conditional plea of guilty reserving in writing the right, on appeal from the judgment, to review any specified adverse ruling [and if] the defendant prevails on appeal, the defendant shall be allowed to withdraw defendant’s plea.” Pursuant to Rule 11(a)(2), McKeeth entered into a conditional plea agreement with the state. The written plea agreement provided the following:
William McKeeth, defendant herein, agrees to enter a conditional plea of guilty pursuant to ICR 11(a)(2) to the six counts ofI.C. § 18-919 as alleged in the Second Amended Complaint. Defendant thereby reserves the right to appeal from the Court’s denial of all pre-trial motions. The State of Idaho hereby consents to this reservation of rights. If the defendant prevails on appeal, he will be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea to the charge.
Because he has prevailed before this Court on his motion to dismiss, McKeeth argues that he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea as to all six counts to which he pled guilty. In support of his argument, McKeeth cites State v. Schaffer, 133 Idaho 126, 982 P.2d 961 (Ct.App.1999), in which this Court allowed a defendant to withdraw his guilty plea to possession of a controlled substance even though the challenged motion to suppress involved evidence that was unrelated to the possession charge. McKeeth asserts that this Court should allow him to withdraw his guilty pleas to all six counts even though his motion to dismiss for lack of a speedy trial was unrelated to Counts IV-VI.
A careful reading of
Schaffer
reveals, however, that the sole reason the defendant was entitled to withdraw his guilty plea to the possession charge was because the language of his written plea agreement specifically allowed him to do so in the event that he prevailed on appeal as to the motion to suppress.
See Schaffer,
133 Idaho at 129 n. 2, 982 P.2d at 964 n. 2. Thus, we must consider the language of the written plea
agreement in
the instant case. The plea agreement provides that McKeeth is entitled
D. Sentence Review
McKeeth argues that the district court abused its discretion in sentencing him to a one-year term of incarceration for Count IV. McKeeth contends that the one-year term is excessive and that he should have been placed on probation for that count. Our appellate standard of review and the factors to be considered when evaluating the reasonableness of a sentence are well established. State v. Wolfe, 99 Idaho 382, 582 P.2d 728 (1978); State v. Sanchez, 115 Idaho 776, 769 P.2d 1148 (Ct.App.1989); State v. Reinke, 103 Idaho 771, 653 P.2d 1183 (Ct.App.1982); State v. Toohill, 103 Idaho 565, 650 P.2d 707 (Ct.App.1982). Applying these standards and having reviewed the record in this case, we cannot say that the district court abused its discretion in sentencing McKeeth to a one-year term of incarceration for Count IV of sexual exploitation by a medical care provider.
E. Restitution
McKeeth argues that the district court also abused its discretion in awarding restitution to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund and to C.H. for expenses incurred as a result of the criminal conduct alleged in Count II. A restitution order “must be limited to the crime or counts to which a defendant pled guilty or on which he was convicted.”
State v. Aubert,
119 Idaho 868, 870, 811 P.2d 44, 46 (Ct.App.1991). Having held that the judgments of conviction and sentences for Counts I-III must be vacated, we are constrained to hold that the restitution awarded to the alleged victims of Counts I-III must likewise be reversed.
See
McKeeth also argues that the district court abused its discretion in awarding restitution to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund for the future counseling of T.R., the alleged victim in Count IV, in the amount of $1,050.
5
Idaho Code
The argument raised by McKeeth requires that we interpret the language of
Idaho Code
Based upon these definitions,
III.
CONCLUSION
Based upon the foregoing, McKeeth’s judgments of conviction and sentences for Counts I — III of sexual exploitation by a medical care provider are vacated. McKeeth’s judgments of conviction and sentences for Counts IV-VI of sexual exploitation of a medical provider are affirmed. The restitution order for Counts I — III is reversed and $1,050 of the restitution order to the Victims Compensation Fund for Count IV is also reversed. The restitution order for T.R. in the amount of $375.34 is affirmed.
Chief Judge SCHWARTZMAN and Judge Pro Tem SCHILLING, concur.
Notes
. One-half of the fine was stayed. The stay was conditioned upon McKeeth‘s compliance with the terms of the stipulated order.
. McKeeth does not allege that the oilier sanctions imposed by the ISCLB constituted criminal punishment.
. The Bureau of Occupational Licenses and the ISCLB are both created within the Department of Self-governing Agencies.
. See Department of Revenue of Montana v. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. 767, 778, 114 S.Ct. 1937, 1945, 128 L.Ed.2d 767, 778 (1994) (Although a high rate of taxation on illegal drugs is not dispositive as to whether the tax is a form of punishment, it is at least consistent with a punitive character.); Berglund v. Potlatch Corp., 129 Idaho 752, 757, 932 P.2d 875, 880 (1996) (Forfeiture of money unlawfully received is not punitive for double jeopardy purposes because it bears a rational relationship to legitimate legislative purpose.); State v. Ross, 129 Idaho 380, 381, 924 P.2d 1224, 1225 (1996) (Civil forfeitures involving money laundering and drug statutes do not generally constitute punishment for purposes of the Double Jeopardy Clause.).
. McKeeth does not challenge the portion of the restitution order that awards $375.34 to T.R. for out-of-pocket expenses.
. However, we note that the Crime Victims Compensation Fund is not precluded from recovering the amount if and when payment is actually made on T.R.’s behalf. Idaho Code Section