State Of Louisiana v. Jimmy Dean Shaffer

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL

FIRST CIRCUIT

NO. 2020 KA 0393

STATE OF LOUISIANA

VERSUS

JIMMY DEAN SHAFFER

Judgment Rendered:
FEB 1 9 2021

On Appeal from the
201h Judicial District Court
In and for the Parish of East Feliciana
State of Louisiana
Trial Court No. 17676

Honorable William G. Carmichael, Judge Presiding

Samuel C. D' Aquilla Attorneys for Plaintiff A
- ppellee,
District Attorney State of Louisiana
Tiffany B. Ashley
Assistant District Attorney
Clinton, LA

Gwendolyn K. Brown Attorney for Defendant -Appellant,
Baton Rouge, LA Jimmy Dean Shaffer

BEFORE: THERIOT, WOLFE, AND HESTER, JJ.

HESTER, I

The defendant, Jimmy Dean Shaffer, was charged by grand jury indictment

with indecent behavior with juveniles (victim under the age of thirteen), a violation

of La. R. S. 14: 81( H)(2), and pled not guilty. He waived his right to a jury trial and,

following a bench trial, was found guilty as charged. The defendant was sentenced

to fifteen years imprisonment at hard labor, five years suspended, two years without

the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, and five years of

probation to begin upon discharge from custody. He moved for reconsideration of

sentence, but the motion was denied. The defendant now appeals, challenging his

sentence as excessive and challenging the denial of the motion to reconsider

sentence. For the following reasons, we affirm the conviction and sentence.

FACTS

The victim, A.K.,' was nine years old at the time of trial and seven years old at

the time of the incident in 2017. According to the victim, the defendant made her touch

him " in his penis." The victim told her mother that the defendant had taken her hand

and " put it in his pants on his private part."

The victim and her mother lived with G.C., who had " been with" the victim' s

mother since 2011 or 2012 and had " been raising" the victim since she was two or

three years old. After G.C. was laid off in Florida, he and the victim' s mother were

having a hard time." Thereafter, G.C., the victim, and her mother moved to Norwood

to live with G.C.' s aunt and uncle. Following an argument between G.C. and his uncle,

G.C. moved into the defendant' s trailer in Norwood, Louisiana in East Feliciana

Parish. The defendant is the brother of G.C.' s uncle. Subsequently, the victim and her

mother moved from G.C.' s aunt and uncle' s home to the defendant' s trailer.

The victim is referenced herein only by her initials. See La. R.S. 46: 1844( W).
FA

The incident occurred on May 3, 2017 at the defendant' s trailer. Approximately

one week before that date, G.C. and the defendant had argued because the defendant

refused to comply with the victim' s mother' s request that the defendant not lie down

on the couch with the victim to watch television.

On the day of the incident, the victim' s mother left to run an errand, and G.C.

went outside with the defendant to cut a watermelon. Shortly thereafter, the defendant

disappeared." G.C. went into the trailer and saw the defendant " in the bed[,] laying

down with [the victim]." G.C. told the defendant, "[ d] ude, this ain' t cool, you know.

The victim' s mother] is upset about it already." The defendant got out of bed and

went back outside with G.C.

Later, the defendant went back into the trailer to change his pants and shorts,

but then came back outside. However, G.C. then noticed that the defendant was " gone

again." G.C. went into the trailer and " the door was shut and [the defendant] was under

the covers with [ the victim]." G.C. grabbed the defendant and " threw him out of his

own room."

The defendant denied that he put the victim' s hand " down his pants" or touched

her in an inappropriate manner. He claimed the accusations against him were made

after he told the victim' s family "to get out" because they owed him money for rent.

EXCESSIVE SENTENCE

In assignment of error number 1, the defendant contends the district court erred

by imposing an excessive sentence. In assignment of error number 2, the defendant

contends the district court erred in denying the motion to reconsider sentence. The

defendant combines the assignments of error for argument, contending the district

court failed to give adequate consideration to the factors designated in Louisiana Code

of Criminal Procedure article 894. 1 as appropriate for consideration when tailoring a

sentence.

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Article I, Section 20 of the Louisiana Constitution prohibits the imposition of

excessive punishment. Although a sentence may be within statutory limits, it may

violate a defendant' s constitutional right against excessive punishment and is subject

to appellate review. State v. Sepulvado, 367 So. 2d 762, 767 ( La. 1979). A sentence

is constitutionally excessive if it is grossly disproportionate to the severity of the

offense or is nothing more than a purposeless and needless imposition of pain and

suffering. A sentence is grossly disproportionate if, when the crime and punishment

are considered in light of the harm done to society, it shocks the sense of justice. A

district court is given wide discretion in the imposition of sentences within statutory

limits, and the sentence imposed by it should not be set aside as excessive in the

absence of manifest abuse of discretion. State v. Lobato, 603 So.2d 739, 751 ( La.

1992); State v. Eason, 2019- 0614 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 12/ 27/ 19), 293 So. 3d 61, 73.

The Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure sets forth items that must be

considered by the district court before imposing sentence. See La. Code Crim. P. art.

894. 1. The district court need not recite the entire checklist of Article 894. 1, but the

record must reflect that it adequately considered the guidelines. In light of the criteria

expressed by Article 894. 1, a review for individual excessiveness should consider the

circumstances of the crime and the district court' s stated reasons and factual basis for

its sentencing decision. Remand for full compliance with Article 894. 1 is

unnecessary when a sufficient factual basis for the sentence is shown. Eason, 293

So. 3d at 73.

Whoever commits the crime of indecent behavior with juveniles on a victim

under the age of thirteen when the offender is seventeen years of age or older,2 shall

be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not less than two nor more than twenty-

five years. At least two years of the sentence imposed shall be served without benefit

2 At sentencing, the defendant indicated he was fifty-five years old.

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of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. La. R. S. 14: 81( H)(2). The defendant

was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment at hard labor, five years suspended, two

years without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, and five

years of probation to begin upon discharge from custody.

In sentencing the defendant, the district court noted it had considered " all the

aggravating and mitigating factors in Article 894. 1 of the Code of Criminal

Procedure." The court found the evidence indicated the defendant had been on a bed

with the seven- year- old victim' on more than one occasion after being told that the

victim' s mother objected to him being in bed with the victim. Thereafter, the

defendant placed the victim' s hand on his genitals. The court found there was

nothing to justify or excuse [ the defendant' s] conduct." The court noted three

aggravating factors. ( R. 87, 227). First, the victim was " vulnerable because of her

youth."
Second, the court found the defendant' s repeated lying on a bed with the

victim " reveal[ ed] a disturbing pattern of behavior which [ could] be considered as

grooming of the victim." Third, the court noted the defendant' s criminal history

revealed a felony conviction as well as misdemeanor arrests.

Additionally, the court found that all three Article 894. 1( A) sentencing

guidelines for imposing imprisonment applied to the defendant. First, the court

found that there was an undue risk that during the period of a suspended sentence or

probation the defendant would commit another crime. The court noted the

defendant' s actions leading to the event resulting in his conviction suggested " a

propensity for inappropriate interest in young children." Second, the court found the

defendant was in need of correctional treatment or a custodial environment that

could be provided most effectively by his commitment to an institution. The court

stated there was no evidence that the offense was justified and the defendant was " in

3 The district court initially stated that the victim was seventeen years old but subsequently
corrected itself to note that the victim was seven years old.

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need of correctional treatment provided by commitment to an institution." Third,

the court found that a lesser sentence than the sentence imposed would deprecate the

seriousness of the defendant' s crime. The court noted "[ a] n innocent child was

victimized."

A thorough review of the record reveals the district court adequately

considered the criteria of Article 894. 1 and did not manifestly abuse its discretion in

imposing the sentence herein. See La. Code Crim. P. art. 894. 1( A)( 1), ( A)(2),

A)(3), ( B)( 2), ( B)( 6), and ( B)( 21). Further, the sentence imposed was not grossly

disproportionate to the severity of the offense, and thus, was not unconstitutionally

excessive.
Additionally, the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the

defendant' s motion for reconsideration. The defendant' s assignments of error are

without merit.

CONVICTION AND SENTENCE AFFIRMED.

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