PEOPLE OF MI V FRANCZISEK JOSEF OSSOWSKI
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
UNPUBLISHED
October 12, 2004
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 246667
Genesee Circuit Court
LC No. 01-009070-FC
FRANCZISEK JOSEF OSSOWSKI II,
Defendant-Appellant.
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 246668
Genesee Circuit Court
LC Nos. 00-006954-FH;
00-006967-FH
FRANCZISEK JOSEF OSSOWSKI,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: Griffin, P.J., and Saad and O’Connell, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
In Docket No. 246667, defendant1 appeals by delayed leave granted his habitual third
sentence of 5 to 20 years in prison imposed for his conviction of larceny from a person, MCL
750.357; MCL 769.11. In Docket No. 246668, defendant appeals by delayed leave granted his
sentences of 5 to 10 years for receiving or concealing stolen firearms, MCL 750.535b, and 5 to
15 years for second-degree home invasion, MCL 750.110a(3), imposed after he was convicted of
violating the probation he was serving for these crimes. We affirm in Docket No. 246667 and
vacate defendant’s sentences and remand for resentencing in Docket No. 246668. These appeals
are being decided without oral argument pursuant to MCR 7.214(E).
1
There is only one defendant in these appeals, even though the names in the captions are
different.
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Defendant was charged with armed robbery, MCL 750.529, after he entered a gas station,
confronted the cashier, and took money from the cash register. He agreed to plead guilty to
unarmed robbery, MCL 750.530, in exchange for dismissal of another charge, but pleaded guilty
to larceny from a person after the trial court concluded that he had not supplied a sufficient
factual basis to support a conviction of unarmed robbery.
The statutory sentencing guidelines recommended a minimum term range of 0 to 25
months. The trial court sentenced defendant to 5 to 20 years in prison, citing his rapid violation
of probation, unauthorized departure from a rehabilitation program, and receipt of a favorable
plea bargain as substantial and compelling reasons for exceeding the guidelines. The court also
explained that his prison sentences in other cases effectively eliminated probation as an option.
Subsequently, the trial court sentenced defendant to 5 to 15 years for second-degree home
invasion and 5 to 10 years for receiving or concealing stolen firearms upon revocation of
probation. The statutory sentencing guidelines for the underlying offenses recommended
minimum term ranges of 12 to 24 months and 0 to 11 months, respectively. The trial court did
not refer to the sentencing guidelines when imposing sentence in these cases and did not
articulate reasons for imposing the sentences.
Analysis in Docket No. 246667
A trial court must impose a minimum term within the applicable statutory sentencing
guidelines unless a substantial and compelling reason exists to depart from the guidelines. A
substantial and compelling reason for departing from the guidelines must be objective and
verifiable, must irresistibly attract the attention of the court, and must be of considerable worth in
deciding the length of the sentence. The reason for the departure must be articulated by the trial
court on the record. A substantial and compelling reason articulated by a trial court must justify
the particular departure at issue. People v Babcock, 469 Mich 247, 257-261; 666 NW2d 231
(2003).
We review the determination of the existence of a factor for departing from the guidelines
for clear error, the determination that a factor is objective and verifiable for error, and the
determination that objective and verifiable factors merited departure from the guidelines for an
abuse of discretion. Babcock, supra, at 264-265. An abuse of discretion exists when the
sentence imposed is not within the range of principled outcomes. Id. at 269. In determining
whether substantial and compelling reasons existed to merit departure from the sentencing
guidelines, we give appropriate deference to the trial court’s sentencing determination. Id. at
270. A trial court may depart from the guidelines for nondiscriminatory reasons based on an
offense or offender characteristic which was already considered in calculating the guidelines if
the trial court concludes that the characteristic was given inadequate or disproportionate weight.
MCL 769.34(3)(b).
Defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion by exceeding the guidelines and
imposing a minimum term of five years for his plea-based conviction of larceny from a person.
We disagree. Prior Record Variable (PRV) 6, MCL 777.56, regarding defendant’s relationship
to the criminal justice system, accounted for the fact that defendant committed the instant offense
while on probation, but not for the short time he was on probation before lapsing back into
criminal activity. The guidelines did not account for the fact that defendant left a rehabilitation
program in which he had been ordered to participate as a condition of his probation, or the fact
-2-
that he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense. People v Coulter (After Remand), 205 Mich App 453,
456; 517 NW2d 827 (1994). Defendant’s rapid violation of his probation and his unauthorized
departure from a court-ordered rehabilitation program were objective and verifiable indications
of defendant’s unwillingness to appreciate his wrongdoing and modify his behavior. He showed
no remorse for his actions. His receipt of a favorable plea bargain impaired the guidelines’
ability to account for the severity of his crime, so these were also proper considerations. These
factors irresistibly attracted the attention of the trial court, and, taken together, constituted
substantial and compelling reasons for exceeding the guidelines.
Therefore, the trial court did not abuse its discretion. Defendant’s sentence was
proportionate to his circumstances and those of the offense. Babcock, supra, at 262-264. He is
not entitled to resentencing. Defendant is not entitled to relief as a result of the holding in
Blakely v Washington, 542 US ___; 124 S Ct 2531; ___ L Ed 2d ___ (2004). People v Claypool,
470 Mich 715, 730 n 14; 684 NW2d 278 (2004).
Analysis in Docket No. 246668
If a probation order is revoked, the trial court may sentence the defendant in the same
manner and to the same penalty as it might have done had the order of probation never been
entered. MCL 771.4. The statutory sentencing guidelines apply to a post-probation violation
sentencing. MCL 769.34(2); People v Hendrick, 261 Mich App 673, 679-680; ___ NW2d ___
(2004). Defendant’s minimum terms of 5 years exceeded the recommended guidelines ranges of
0 to 11 months and 12 to 24 months for receiving or concealing stolen firearms and seconddegree home invasion, respectively. Upon revoking defendant’s probation in each case, the trial
court was entitled to sentence defendant as if a term of probation had never been imposed, but
was required to do so pursuant to the guidelines.
We affirm defendant’s sentence in Docket No. 246667 but vacate his sentences and
remanded for resentencing in Docket No. 246668. We do not retain jurisdiction.
/s/ Richard Allen Griffin
/s/ Henry William Saad
/s/ Peter D. O’Connell
-3-
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