WPC &IթJaRZЀ60wdz*9Ln>p+B +ĝAD^+1hP/k5sk"W.- ؛dǡ@Ä"V@y+Æb5 HO<ГUF0KAW{<[|hg92F䡉~Zs[$%@"Dz<-*r5嚫 3oyTKE>՘fa^8WQ.# )l}FsShW+C`^?$WJoܡL bR܅*%u5s&/v7{#Xo5O[)Ms}BOZhUx+;Yj])XsEDvG٩ t~k#JhH^Ba魧gb %\UNb 0UN8^ w4 z$   m #   k 1N U:IEaU@c 0Db 0 B 0 D3 D- 0K ASf 0 0D# Ag(hH  Z6Times New Roman Regular(`$.8dd8    ("  Z6Times New Roman Regular( q\;'Y؃ C:\PROGRA~1\COREL\WORDPE~1\TEMPLATE\CUSTOM~1\REVISE~1.WPTC:\Program Files\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2000\Template\Custom WP Templates\revised standard opinion.wpt3|xUHP LaserJet 4,,,,,,0Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5  ,yAZ"Arial Regular  R$      1  XX  _ԀAsthetrialcourtnoted,thedefendantwasstatutorilyeligiblefordiversion.SeeTenn.  CodeAnn.4035313.(uH Z(Times New Roman (#$  0    R$      2  XX  _ԀForexample,thedefendanthadbeendivorced,doesnotvoluntarilypaychildsupport,and  haddroppedoutofhighschool. - -(|G2$ !.8Ddd8         0  XX d(|3$ !.8Ddd8     VVVV'dxd)!dxdx( $ Figure  1  ^_X`YE<<CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(|3$ !.8Ddd8     ($$   1  X[Z&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK !.8Ddd8     _D8XXdd8OY@HHINTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE  @$ATKNOXVILLE  XXD  #DXX|#STATEOFTENNESSEEv.IRARAYCROUCHXXD    @@ DirectAppealfromtheCriminalCourtforSullivanCounty  ( @@No.541,590PhyllisH.Miller,TrialJudge   @@*AV) ` dE< ` A    @@QQNo.E199902320CCAR3CDDecidedJuly13,_2000_   AV) ` dE<v` A w     X XXXHavingpledguiltytotwocountsofstatutoryrape,thedefendantnowchallengeshissentence.He v  arguesthatthetrialcourtimproperlydeniedhismotionforjudicialdiversion.Weaffirmhis b  sentenceoffiveyearsonprobation. N #XXXX :##DXX#XXD Tenn.R.App.P.3AppealasofRight;JudgmentoftheCriminalCourtAffirmed  *z Williams,J.#DX#XX.D,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhich_Woodall_andGlenn,JJ.,joined.  Z StephenM.Wallace,DistrictPublicDefender,andRichardA.Tate,AssistantPublicDefender, : _Blountville_,Tennessee,fortheappellant,IraRayCrouch. * PaulG.Summers,AttorneyGeneral&Reporter,MarkA._Fulks_,AssistantAttorneyGeneral,H.   GreeleyWells,Jr.,DistrictAttorneyGeneral,andBarryP._Staubus_,AssistantDistrictAttorney,for  theappellee,StateofTennessee.  @55' OPINION #DXX#XXDԈ j  #DXXӷ #XXDX XXX  Introduction  J"! T   Thedefendant,IraRayCouch,havingpledguiltytotwocountsofstatutoryrape,appealshis "$r# sentence.TheSullivanCountyCriminalCourtsentencedhimtofiveyearsonprobation.Henow %^ $ appeals,arguingthathismotionforjudicialdiversionwasimproperlydenied,andasksthisCourt %J!% tomodifyhissentence.Afterreview,weaffirmthesentenceasimposedbythetrialcourt. &6"&   Facts  ($( r   Afterthedefendantpledguiltytotwocountsofstatutoryrape,thetrialcourtconducteda *%* sentencingandjudicialdiversionhearing.Atthathearing,defensecounselpresentedargument,and +&+ thedefendanttestified.Inresponse,thestaterelieduponthe sexualoffenderevaluationreport n,', submittedtothetrialcourt. Z-(- OY    _  First,defensecounselarguedthatjudicialdiversionwasappropriateinthelightofseveral   facts:   X X ,X(1)Thedefendanthadagenerallyfavorablesexualoffenderevaluation; t 0 4  (2)thedefendanthaddemonstrated,duringtheevaluationprocess,ahighlevelof ` honesty;L 4 4  (3)thevictim,whileyounger,wasnotavirginatthetimeoftheoffense; 8  0 4  (4)thedefendantneverdeniedhisactionsand,infact,maintainsthathe lovesthe $ t victim;and `4 4  0 4  (5)thedefendanthascompliedwithcourtorders,includingtheorderforbidding  L  contactwiththevictim. 8 4 4   XR Xd" X,v"  Second,thedefendanttestified.Hebrieflydescribedmeetingthevictim,hisknowledgeof   herage,andhissocial,educational,andcriminalbackground.     Thethirdpieceofevidencebeforethecourtwasa sexualoffenderevaluationreport.This   reportwascompiledonthebasisofinterviewsandpsychologicaltesting.Thereportstates,inter p alia: \   (1)Thedefendantisa lowrisktoreoffend; H   (2)thedefendantisa goodcandidatefortreatment; 4   (3)communitybasedoutpatienttreatmentispreferableforthedefendant;and  p   (4)thedefendantshouldhavenocontactwithfemalesofageseleventhroughseventeen.  \ Generally,asnotedbythetrialcourt,thisreportwas,inthecontextofsuchreports,rather H  favorable. 4   Havingbeenpresentedthisevidence,thetrialcourtdeniedthedefendantsrequestfor   judicialdiversionandplacedthedefendantonprobation.Asaspecialconditionofthatprobation,  thetrialcourtorderedthedefendanttohavenocontactwiththevictim.      Analysis  l $  Thedefendantssoleargumentisthatthetrialcourterredindenyinghismotionforjudicial D! diversion.Aftercarefulreview,weaffirmthesentenceasimposedbythetrialcourt. 0"    #XXXX 5 #X XXXWhenadefendantcontendsthatthetrialcourtcommittederrorinrefusingtoimposea $X" sentencepursuanttoTenn.CodeAnn.4035313,commonlyreferredtoas judicialdiversion, $D # thisCourtmustdeterminewhetherthetrialcourtabuseditsdiscretioninfailingtosentencepursuant %0!$ tothestatute.SeeStatev.Cutshaw,967S.W.2d332,344(Tenn.Crim.App.1997);Statev. &"% Bonestel,871S.W.2d163,167(Tenn.Crim.App.1993);Statev.Anderson,857S.W.2d571,572 '#& (Tenn.Crim.App.1992).Judicialdiversionissimilartopretrialdiversion;however,judicial (#' diversionfollowsadeterminationofguilt,andthedecisiontograntjudicialdiversionrestswiththe )$( trialcourt,nottheprosecutor.SeeAnderson,857S.W.2dat572.Whenadefendantchallengesthe |*%) trialcourtsdenialofjudicialdiversion,wemaynotrevisittheissueiftherecordcontainsany h+&* substantialevidencesupportingthetrialcourtsdecision.SeeCutshaw,967S.W.2dat344;State  v.Parker,932S.W.2d945,958(Tenn.Crim.App.1996).AsthisCourtsaidinAnderson:   X XWeconcludethatjudicialdiversionissimilarinpurposetopretrialdiversionandis  tobeimposedwithinthediscretionofthetrialcourtsubjectonlytothesame t constraintsapplicabletoprosecutorsinapplyingpretrialdiversionunderT.C.A.40 ` 15105.Therefore,uponreview,if anysubstantialevidencetosupporttherefusal L  existsintherecord,wewillgivethetrialcourtthebenefitofitsdiscretion.Statev. 8  Hammersley,650S.W.2d352,356(Tenn.1983).Onlyanabuseofthatdiscretion $ t willallowustooverturnthetrialcourt.  `  X X857S.W.2dat572.  L   XThecriteriathatmustbeconsideredindeterminingwhetheraneligibleaccusedshouldbe $  grantedjudicialdiversioninclude:(a)thedefendantsamenabilitytocorrection;(b)the   circumstancesoftheoffense;(c)thedefendantscriminalrecord;(d)thedefendantssocialhistory;   (e)thedefendantsphysicalandmentalhealth;and(f)thedeterrencevaluetothedefendantaswell   astoothers.SeeCutshaw,967S.W.2dat34344;Parker,932S.W.2dat958.Anadditional   considerationiswhetherjudicialdiversionwillservetheendsofjustice,i.e.,theinterestsofthe p public,aswellasthedefendant.SeeCutshaw,967S.W.2dat344;Parker,932S.W.2dat958.#XXXX Ȃ#Xn XXX \ Ѐ#XX XXn%#X XXX#~ XX  #X X ~ H Inthiscase,thequestionisnotwhetherthedefendantwaseligibleforjudicialdiversion, #  1      ׀but .~ ratherwhetherthetrialcourtabuseditsdiscretionbydenyingdiversion.Asgoodcauseforits j denial,thetrialcourthadseveralvalidbasesintherecordforitsdecision: V  X X X ,,X0 4  (1)Thedefendantplannedthesexualactivityandeventookthevictimtoamotel B roomforthatpurpose;.4 4  0 4  (2)theoffensewascommittedafterthedefendanthadquitesometimetoconsider  hisactionsandtheirimplications;4 4  (3)theoffensewasserious;  (4)thedefendantssocialhistory,whilenotpoor,wasnotstrong.p #  2         X( X%(" X,,3(" X ( XHowever,alsointherecord,thetrialcourthadatleasttwofactorswhichpointedtodiversion: z  X*(1)The sexualoffenderevaluationreportwasfavorable;and f (2)thedefendantwashonestwithinvestigatorsandthecourt. R   >! Therefore,thedecision,asnotedbythetrialcourt,wasa difficultone.Nevertheless, *"z  weighingthebalance,thetrialcourtconcludedthatjudicialdiversionwasnottheappropriatechoice #f! andthereforedeniedthedefendantsrequest. $R"  $> # Weacknowledgethatthechoiceisindeed difficult;however,itiscleartothisCourtthat %*!$ thedecisiontodenydiversiondoesnotconstituteanabuseofdiscretion.Instead,withample  evidencetodenydiversionandwithampleevidencetograntit,thetrialcourt,actingsoundly,  weighedthatbalanceandreachedaconclusion.Ultimately,thatconclusionwaspremisedupon  appropriatefactors,suchasthecircumstancesoftheoffenseandthedefendantssocialbackground, t andwasreachedonlyafterconsiderationofotherrelevantfactors,thedefendantsamenabilityto ` correctionandhishonesty.Thedecisionwas,therefore,asoundexerciseofdiscretion. L   8    XConclusion  $ t  X00Forthesereasons,weaffirmthesentenceasimposedbythetrialcourt.  L  Ѐ#XXXX %##DXX3&#XXD