State of Louisiana v. William David Defoor, III AKA William Defoor

NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

12-78

STATE OF LOUISIANA

VERSUS

WILLIAM DAVID DEFOOR, III
AKA WILLIAM DEFOOR

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APPEAL FROM THE
THIRTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
PARISH OF VERNON, NO. 80178
HONORABLE VERNON B. CLARK, DISTRICT JUDGE

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PHYLLIS M. KEATY
JUDGE

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Court composed of John D. Saunders, Billy Howard Ezell, and Phyllis M. Keaty,
Judges.

AFFIRMED.

Asa A. Skinner
District Attorney
Drew W. Mason
Assistant District Attorney
Post Office Box 1188
Leesville, Louisiana 71496-1188
(337) 239-2008
Counsel for Appellee:
State of Louisiana

Douglas Lee Harville
Louisiana Appellate Project
400 Travis Street, Suite 1702
Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
(318) 222-1700
Counsel for Defendant/Appellant:
William David Defoor, III

KEATY, Judge.

Defendant, William D. Defoor, III, aka William Defoor, pled guilty to two

counts of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and was sentenced to four years at

hard labor on each count, to run concurrently, with credit for time served. He was

also ordered to pay a fine and to register as a sex offender. He now appeals,

alleging that his sentence is excessive. For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On November 2, 2010, Defendant was charged by bill of information with

three counts of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, 1 in violation of La.R.S.

14:80. He originally pled not guilty to all counts but later pled guilty to counts one

and two, and the State agreed to dismiss count three. The trial court ordered a pre-

sentence investigation report before sentencing. Defendant was sentenced to four

years at hard labor on each count, to run concurrently, with credit for time served.

He was ordered to pay a fine of $1,200 plus court costs and to register as a sex

offender. The trial court allowed Defendant to have contact with his children and

step-children as an exception to the sex offender restrictions. On November 29,

2011, Defendant filed a motion to reconsider sentence that was subsequently

denied. He now appeals, asserting in his sole assignment of error that his sentence

is excessive.

The following factual basis was read into the record at Defendant’s guilty

plea hearing:

[O]n or about June 10th of 2010; and, then again on June 13th, 2010,
as set forth in count two, the defendant at the time, who was twenty-
nine years of age, engaged in sexual intercourse with a child who was
at that time thirteen years of age. That this occurred in his home and
that home being located within the boundaries of Vernon Parish. . . .

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As will be discussed in the errors patent section of this opinion, in Count 1, the bill
charged Defendant with sexual battery, in violation of La.R.S. 14:43.1, or, in the alternative,
felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, in violation of La.R.S. 14:80.

In the statement of facts contained in his brief to this court, Defendant

explained that he and the victim engaged in consensual sexual intercourse while

the victim was babysitting for him and his wife.

DISCUSSION

Errors Patent

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed by

this court for errors patent on the face of the record. After a thorough review, we

have found one error patent in the bill of information. Relative to Count 1, the bill

charged Defendant with sexual battery, in violation of La.R.S. 14:43.1, or, in the

alternative, felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, in violation of La.R.S. 14:80.

Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Articles 482 and 493 allow for certain offenses

to be joined in an indictment and for certain offenses to be charged in the

alternative. There is no statutory authority allowing carnal knowledge of a juvenile

to be charged as an alternative to sexual battery. However, Defendant failed to file

a motion to quash the bill of information on this basis. Additionally, when

Defendant entered an unqualified guilty plea, he waived review of any pre-plea

non-jurisdictional defects. Thus, any error was waived. See State v. Crosby, 338

So.2d 584 (La.1976).

Excessiveness of Sentence

Defendant contends that his sentence is harsh and unconstitutionally

excessive. He submits that given the minor nature of his criminal record and the

fact that he has young children that he supports by working in the oilfield, the

imposition of two four-year sentences, to be served concurrently, amounts to

―nothing more than purposeless and needless imposition of pain and suffering.‖

In State v. Williams, 02-707, pp. 7-9 (La.App. 3 Cir. 3/5/03), 839 So.2d

1095, 1100-01, we stated:
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La. Const. art. 1, § 20 ensures that ―[n]o law shall subject any
person to . . . cruel, excessive, or unusual punishment.‖ A punishment
is considered constitutionally excessive if it ―(1) makes no measurable
contribution to acceptable penal goals of punishment and hence is
nothing more tha[n] the purposeful and needless imposition of pain
and suffering; or (2) is grossly out of proportion to the severity of the
crime.‖ State v. Wilson, 96-1392, p. 3 (La.12/13/96); 685 So.2d 1063,
1065 (citing Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49
L.Ed.2d 859 (1976)). When reviewing a sentence, the appellate court
must be mindful that the trial court is in the best position to consider
the aggravating and mitigating circumstances of each case and that the
trial court is given broad discretion in sentencing. State v. Cook, 95-
2784 (La.5/31/96); 674 So.2d 957. As such, the reviewing court will
determine whether the trial court abused its broad discretion, not
whether another sentence may have been more appropriate. Id.

The trial court must state for the record the considerations taken
into account and the factual basis for the sentence. La.Code Crim.P.
art. 894.1(C). Although the trial court need not refer to every factor
listed in Article 894.1(A), the record should affirmatively reflect that
adequate consideration was given to codal guidelines in
particularizing the defendant’s sentence. State v. Iron, 00-1238
(La.App. 3 Cir. 2/15/01); 780 So.2d 1123, writ denied, 01-1232
(La.3/15/02); 811 So.2d 898. Yet, when the trial court fails to
adequately address the factors of La.Code Crim.P. art. 894.1, ―the trial
court’s reasoning alone will not necessitate the need for re-sentencing
as long as an adequate factual basis is found within the record.‖ State
v. Butler, 98-1258, p. 7 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/3/99); 734 So.2d 680, 684.

The trial court may also consider other factors not provided by
La.Code Crim.P. art. 894.1. Specifically, when the offense to which
the defendant has pled guilty inadequately describes the entire course
of the defendant’s conduct, the court may consider the benefit
obtained by the defendant through the plea bargain. State v. Lanclos,
419 So.2d 475 (La.1982). The trial court should particularly make
such considerations where the plea bargain results in a significant
reduction in the defendant’s potential exposure to imprisonment.
State v. Robinson, 33,921 (La.App. 2 Cir. 11/1/00); 770 So.2d 868;
State v. Waguespack, 589 So.2d 1079 (La.App. 1 Cir.1991), writ
denied, 596 So.2d 209 (La.1992). In addition, the trial court may
consider other criminal activity which did not result in a conviction.
State v. Texada, 98-1647 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/5/99); 734 So.2d 854, writ
denied, 00-2751 (La.6/29/01); 794 So.2d 824.

―Whoever commits the crime of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile shall

be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned, with or without hard

labor, for not more than ten years, or both, provided that the defendant shall not be

eligible to have his conviction set aside or his prosecution dismissed in accordance

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with the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure Article 893.‖ La.R.S.

14:80(D)(1).

In the instant case, Defendant was sentenced to four years at hard labor on

each of the two counts to which he pled guilty, to run concurrently, with credit for

time served. Accordingly, his sentence was less than half of the maximum he

could have received on each count. In addition, Defendant’s sentence exposure

was significantly reduced in that his plea agreement resulted in the dismissal of the

third count against him.

The record indicates that the trial court ordered a pre-sentence investigation

report to be prepared prior to sentencing. That report showed that Defendant had

only a small criminal record. However, the report also showed that in November

of 2010, during the pendency of these charges, Defendant was found to have

violated his probation by having contact with the victim.

In considering the factors found in La.Code Crim.P. art. 894.1, the trial court

noted the significant emotional harm suffered by Defendant’s young victim and her

family, and the fact that she was undergoing counseling to deal with the problems

caused by Defendant’s actions. With regard to Defendant’s request that he receive

a lenient sentence so as to minimize the harm that his family would suffer by a

lengthy sentence, the trial court noted that Defendant should have thought of his

family before he chose to commit these crimes. Conversely, the trial court noted

the absence of any substantial grounds that would tend to justify or excuse

Defendant’s criminal conduct. The trial court emphasized the age difference

between the Defendant and his victim and the fact that he took advantage of her in

his home while she was babysitting his children. In light of the circumstances, we

conclude that Defendant’s sentences of four years, to run concurrently, are not

excessive.
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DECREE

For the foregoing reasons, Defendant’s sentences are affirmed.

AFFIRMED.

This opinion is NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION.
Uniform Rules—Courts of Appeal, Rule 2–16.3.

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