PEOPLE OF MI V RAYMOND LATURNO
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
UNPUBLISHED
November 30, 1999
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 219012
St. Clair Circuit Court
LC No. 98-004107 FC
RAYMOND LATURNO,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: Jansen, P.J., and Hoekstra and J.R. Cooper*, JJ.
MEMORANDUM.
Defendant appeals as of right from his sentences for his plea-based convictions of one count of
criminal sexual conduct in the first degree (CSC I), MCL 750.520b; MSA 28.788(2), and one count of
criminal sexual conduct in the third degree (CSC III), MCL 750.520d; MSA 28.788(4). We affirm.
This appeal is being decided without oral argument pursuant to MCR 7.214(E).
Defendant pleaded guilty in return for dismissal of five other charges of CSC I. The victim was
his daughter. At the plea hearing, defendant admitted to committing acts involving penile and digital
penetration, and other sexual contact. The trial court sentenced defendant to concurrent prison terms of
ten to twenty years and eight to fifteen years, with credit for two days, for the convictions of CSC I and
CSC III, respectively. The minimum term of ten years for the conviction of CSC I, the more serious
offense, was within the guidelines. In imposing sentence, the court remarked that defendant’s positive
factors did not outweigh the psychological damage his actions had done to the victim.
Defendant argues that his sentence is disproportionate and was not individualized. In particular,
defendant asserts that the trial court failed to consider his lack of a prior record, his steady employment
history, and his current poor health. We disagree and affirm. Sentence length is reviewed pursuant to
the principle of proportionality. A sentence must be “proportionate to the seriousness of the
circumstances surrounding the offense and the offender.” People v Milbourn, 435 Mich 630, 636;
461 NW2d 1 (1990). The key test of the proportionality of a sentence is whether it reflects the
* Circuit judge, sitting on the Court of Appeals by assignment.
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seriousness of the matter. People v Houston, 448 Mich 312, 320; 532 NW2d 508 (1995).
Defendant’s minimum term of ten years was within the guidelines, and thus is presumed to be
proportionate. People v Hogan, 225 Mich App 431, 437; 571 NW2d 737 (1997). The court’s
acknowledgment of the guidelines and imposition of a sentence within the guidelines satisfied the
requirement that the court articulate its reasons for imposing sentence. People v Bailey (On Remand),
218 Mich App 645, 646-647; 554 NW2d 391 (1996). The evidence showed that defendant
repeatedly engaged in forced penetration of and contact with his daughter. The victim indicated that
defendant had threatened to kill her if she told anyone about his actions. The factors cited by defendant,
i.e., his lack of a prior record, his steady work history, and his poor health, do not overcome the
presumption that his minimum term of ten years is proportionate. People v Daniel, 207 Mich App 47,
54; 523 NW2d 830 (1994).
Affirmed.
/s/ Kathleen Jansen
/s/ Joel P. Hoekstra
/s/ Jessica R. Cooper
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