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Adam Phillip Ives v. State of Alaska (10/13/2023) ap-2761

Adam Phillip Ives v. State of Alaska (10/13/2023) ap-2761

                                                                    NOTICE
  

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            errors to the attention of the Clerk of the Appellate Courts:  



                                             303 K Street, Anchorage, Alaska  99501
  

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                      IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF ALASKA  



ADAM PHILLIP IVES,  

                                                                                        Court of Appeals No. A-13900  

                                               Petitioner,                          Trial Court No. 3AN-21-06756 CR  



                                   v.  

                                                                                                    O P I N I O N 

 STATE OF ALASKA,  



                                               Respondent.                            No. 2761 - October 13, 2023  



                        Petition  for  Review  from  the  District  Court,  Third  Judicial  

                                                                      

                        District, Anchorage, David Nesbett, Judge.  



                        Appearances:  Tristan Bordon, Assistant Public Defender, and  

                                                 

                        Samantha           Cherot,         Public   Defender,               Anchorage,             for     the  

                        Petitioner. Heather Stenson, Assistant Attorney General, Office  

                                                                                                       

                        of Criminal Appeals, Anchorage, and Treg R. Taylor, Attorney  

                             

                        General, Juneau, for the Respondent.  



                        Before:   Allard, Chief Judge, and Wollenberg and Harbison,  

                                                               

                        Judges.  



                        Judge HARBISON.  



                        On January 15, 2020, Adam Phillip Ives was arrested on a fugitive from                                                 



justice warrant based on information that he had committed a crime in the state of                                                                 


----------------------- Page 2-----------------------

                                                                                                                                     1  

Washington and had fled to Alaska.                                                                                                        The case was dismissed ninety-one days later,                                                                                                             



when Washington failed to secure a governor's warrant.  But in September 2021, Ives   



was again arrested and charged with being a fugitive based on the same Washington                                                                                                                                                                                          



arrest warrant.                                       The district court found that Ives's first case had no bearing on whether                                                                                                                                                           



he could be committed in the second fugitive case, and the court ordered Ives to post                                                                                                                                                                                                                   



bond in order to be released from custody.                                                                                



                                                Ives filed a bail appeal, arguing that the bail set by the district court was                                                                                                                                                                            



excessive.    Ives also argued that AS 12.70.140 and AS 12.70.160 limit an accused                                                                                                                                                                                                       



person's detention without a governor's warrant to a single ninety-day period at most,   



not   renewable   ninety-day   periods   accomplished   by   re-arresting   and   re-charging   a  



previously discharged prisoner.                                                   



                                                While Ives's bail appeal was pending before this Court, the district court   



reduced Ives's bail and Ives was released from custody.                                                                                                                                                       We declined to exercise our                                                                  



discretion to review the district court's bail order.                                                                                                        



                                                However, we recognized that Ives's appeal raised an important question of                                                                                                                                                                                       



law that justified immediate review:                                                                                                    whether the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act                                                                                                                     



(UCEA) authorizes the commitment of a defendant on a fugitive from justice warrant                                                                                                                                                                                                         



after   the   defendant   was   previously   committed   for   ninety  days  based   on   the   same  



                                       2  

allegation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                               We accordingly converted the bail appeal into a petition for review and  



                                                                                                                                                                                             3  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

accepted the petition in order to address this question.                                                                                                                                           Approximately two months after  



             1          See AS 12.70.120 (authorizing the issuance of  an Alaska arrest warrant for a fugitive  



from another state).  



            2           Alaska R. App. P. 402(b)(4).  



            3           Ives v. State , 2021 WL 4963601 (Alaska App. Oct. 22, 2021) (unpublished bail order).  



                                                                                                                                                   - 2 -                                                                                                                                                2761
  


----------------------- Page 3-----------------------

we granted Ives's petition, before the briefing was complete, a governor's warrant was                                                                         



issued and Ives was extradited to Washington.                    



                          Although Ives's case is moot because he was extradited to Washington                                                 



                                                             4  

                                                                                  

while this petition was pending,                                we have determined that his case raises an important  

                                                                                                                                  5    For  the reasons  

                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                  

question  of law that is capable of repetition  but evading  review. 



explained in this opinion, we conclude that, under Alaska law, a fugitive from justice  

                                                                                                                                                          



may be committed without a governor's warrant for a maximum of a single ninety-day  

                                                                                                                                                  



period and that such a "commitment" includes both incarceration and bail restraint.  

                                                                                                                                               



             The extradition procedure set out by Alaska's UCEA  

                                                                                                       



                          Under the extradition clause of the United States Constitution, when a state  

                                                                                                                                                             



locates a fugitive from justice within its jurisdiction, the locating state must deliver the  

                                                                                                                                                                 



fugitive to the state from which the fugitive fled upon request of the executive authority  

                                                                                                                                                     



                                                    6  

                                                                                                                                                                

of the requisitioning state.                             Alaska, like a majority of other states, has adopted the  

                                          



                                                                                                                                             

UCEA, which sets out a mechanism by which states may comply with this constitutional  



                   

mandate.  



                                                                                                                                                                        

                          The UCEA is codified in Alaska as AS 12.70.010 through AS 12.70.290.  



                                                                                                                                                         

Under these statutes, a fugitive from justice may be arrested and detained in Alaska  



                                                                                                                                                              

based on information fromthe requisitioning state that the fugitivehas been charged with  



      4      See Fairbanks Fire Fighters  Ass'n, Loc. 1324 v. Fairbanks ,   48 P.3d 1165, 1167  



(Alaska 2002) (explaining that a claim is moot if  it no longer presents a live controversy).  



       5     State v. Roberts, 999 P.2d 151, 153 (Alaska App. 2000) (holding that, under the public  



interest exception  to the mootness doctrine, a court may  resolve an otherwise moot issue  

"when the issue is one of public interest which is capable of  repetition and may repeatedly  

circumvent review").  



       6     U.S. Const. art. IV, § 2.  



                                                                              - 3 -                                                                          2761
  


----------------------- Page 4-----------------------

                                                                                                                                 7  

a crime, has escaped, or has broken the terms of bail, probation, or parole.                                                         The warrant   



                                                                                                                                          8  

used to effectuate the fugitive's initial arrest is known as a "fugitive warrant."                                                                   

                                                                                                                                             But the  



                                                                                                                                             

fugitive cannot be extradited to the requisitioning state until that state formally submits  



                                                                                                                                                      

a demand to the governor of Alaska, and the governor of Alaska signs a warrant of  



           9                                                                                                                      10  

                                                                                                                  

arrest.        This warrant is commonly referred to as a "governor's warrant." 



                                                                                                                                                        

                        Because a fugitive may not be released to the requisitioning state until a  



                                                                                                                                                  

governor's warrant has been issued and served, there is necessarily a lapse in time  



                                                                                                                                                   

between when a fugitive is arrested on a fugitive warrant and when the fugitive may  



                                                                                                                             

lawfully be released to a representative of the requisitioning state for extradition.  The  



                                                                                                                                                        

UCEA thus requires that, upon arrest, the fugitive must be committed "to jail" for a  



                                                                                                                                             

period of up to thirty days during which the requisitioning state may perfect the process  



                                                             11  

                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                 This commitment may be extended for, at most, an  

for securing a governor's warrant. 



                                                                                                                                       

additional sixty days if the requisitioning state has been unable to obtain a governor's  



                                                                             12  

                                                                                               

                                                                                 Under the UCEA a fugitive is entitled to  

warrant within the initial thirty-day period. 



      7     AS 12.70.120; see also Ford v. Moses                               , 606 P.2d 795, 795 (Alaska 1980).   Under  



Alaska law, a fugitive from justice is defined as "a person who, having committed or been  

charged with a crime in one state, has left its jurisdiction and is found within the territory of   

another when it is sought to subject him to the criminal process of the former state."                                                         Brown  

v. State, 518 P.2d 770, 773 (Alaska 1974).  



      8     See Laverty v. State, 963 P.2d 1076,                                                                                  

                                                                            1077-78 (Alaska App. 1998).  Alaska Statute  

 12.70.130 also authorizes the warrantless ar                                              fugitive in limited circumstances not  

                                                                            rest of a  

applicable to Ives's appeal.  



      9     AS 12.70.020-.070.  



      10    See Ford, 606 P.2d at 796.  



      11    AS 12.70.140.  



      12    AS 12.70.160.  



                                                                         - 4 -                                                                    2761
  


----------------------- Page 5-----------------------

be released on bail during this period, unless the underlying offense of extradition is a                     

capital crime.           13  



                                                                                                                              

            The UCEA allows the court to commit a defendant for a single maximum  

                                                                                                                    

           period of ninety days prior to the service of a governor's warrant  



                                                                                                                                                

                        In  his petition,  Ives  contends that the UCEA only  allows for  a single  



                                                                                                                                                             

commitment  of  up  to  ninety  days  pending  the  service  of  a  governor's  warrant.  



                                                                                                                                         

According to Ives, once that period has been exhausted, a fugitive may not be re-arrested  



                                                                                                                                                        

for  the  same  out-of-state  conduct  unless  the  requisitioning  state  has  obtained  a  



                                                                                                                                                       

governor's warrant.  Ives notes that to allow otherwise would permit a fugitive to be  



                                                                                                                                        

subjected  to  potentially  "indefinite  detention  via  a  continuous  cycle  of  catch-and- 



                                                                                                                                                    

release,"           effectively            circumventing                 the      statutory           time-frame              established             by  



                                                                      

AS 12.70.140  through AS 12.70.160.  



                                                                                                                                                      

                        The State concedes that, prior to the issuance of a governor's warrant, the  



                                                                                                                                            

UCEA prohibits commitment in excess of an aggregate of ninety days, and we conclude  



                                                                  14  

                                                                                                                                                    

                                                                     However, the State contends that a fugitive may  

that this concession is well-founded. 



                                                                                                                                                      

be arrested and detained on the same fugitive warrant multiple times, so long as the  



                                                                                                                                                       

composite total of the various periods of commitment does not exceed ninety days.  As  



                                                                                                                                                

we are about to explain, we reject this contention and conclude that only a single period  



                                                                                                                                                      

of prerequisition commitment for the same out-of-state conduct is authorized by the  



UCEA.  



      13    AS 12.70.150.  



      14    See Marks v. State, 496 P.2d 66, 67-68 (Alaska 1972) (requiring an appellate court to  



independently evaluate any concession of error by the State in a criminal case).  



                                                                         - 5 -                                                                     2761
  


----------------------- Page 6-----------------------

                       When   interpreting   a   statute,   Alaska's   courts   employ   a   "sliding   scale"  



analysis under which a court considers the legislature's intent as well as the language of                                                        



                             15  

the statute itself.               



                                                                                                                                             

                       In  accordance with  this principle,  we first consider  the UCEA's  plain  



                                                                                                                                                 

language, and we conclude that the meaning of the statutory language is clear.   In  



                                                                                                                                                

relevant part, the UCEA states that a judicial officer shall commit a fugitive "for not  



                                                                                 

more than 30 days, as will enable the arrest of the accused to be made under a warrant  



                                16  

                                                                                                                                                   

of  the  governor."                   But  it  also  provides  that,  if  the  fugitive  is  not  served  with  a  



                                                                                                                                    

governor's warrant by the expiration of this initial commitment, the judge or magistrate  



                                                                                                                                                  

may either "discharge the accused or may recommit the accused for a further period of  



                                           17  

                                                                                                                                          

not more than 60 days."                          Thus, under the plain language of the statute, the UCEA  



                                                                                                                                   

provides for an initial thirty-day confinement period pending service of a governor's  



                                                                                                  

warrant, which may be extended for an additional sixty days, but it does not authorize  



                                                                                                                                                

commitment for longer than a total of ninety days, nor does it authorize more than one  



                          

prerequisition commitment.  



                                                                                                                                                 

                       The legislative history of this statute supports this interpretation. When the  



                                                                                                                                   

legislature adopted the UCEA, it explicitly stated that the act should be "so interpreted  



                                                                                                                                            

and construed as to effectuate the general purposes to make uniform the law of those  



                                  18  

                                                                                                                                                  

states that enact it."                Thus, we must interpret the language of the act as consistently as  



      15    See, e.g., State v. Fyfe, 370 P.3d 1092, 1094-95 (Alaska 2016); Anchorage v. Beezley ,  



435 P.3d 978, 981 (Alaska App. 2018).  



      16    AS 12.70.140.  



      17    AS 12.70.160.  



      18    AS 12.70.270.  



                                                                      - 6 -                                                                  2761
  


----------------------- Page 7-----------------------

                                                                                                                                                     19  

possible   with  the   courts   of   other   adopting   jurisdictions.                                                                                      And   all   of   the   other  



jurisdictions to have considered this question agree that the act allows only for a single                                                                                                           



 commitment of no more than ninety days prior to the service of a governor's warrant.                                                                                                                                



                                 For example, the Minnesota Supreme Court has explained that "the outer                                                                                                  



 limit of time for which a demanded person may be held in custody pending issuance and                                                                                                                       



 service of a governor's rendition warrant is the 90-day limit (initial 30 days, plus further                                                                                                        



                                                                                       20  

 60 days) mandated by the UCEA."                                                                                                              

                                                                                              The West Virginia Supreme Court has similarly  



                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 held that "a defendant incarcerated under a fugitive warrant . . . may not be held solely  



                                                                                                                                                                                     21  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 on  that  warrant for  a period  exceeding  the aggregate of ninety  days."                                                                                                                 Courts in  



                    22                            23                             24                                25                  26                                27                                      28  

 Florida,                                                                                                                                                                     

                          Montana,                      Nebraska,                      New York,                          Ohio,               Oklahoma,                        Pennsylvania, 



          19     See Evans v. State, 820 P.2d 1098, 1100 n.2 (Alaska App. 1991); Laverty v. State , 963  



 P.2d 1076, 1079 n.8 (Alaska App. 1998).  



          20     State v. Phillips, 587 N.W.2d 29, 36 (Minn. 1998).  



          21     State ex rel. Games-Neely v. Sanders, 641 S.E.2d 153, 159 (W. Va. 2006).  



          22     Orton v. State, 431 So. 2d 236, 237 (Fla. Dist. App. 1983).  



          23     State v. Holliman, 805 P.2d 52, 53-54 (Mont. 1991).  



          24     Bell v. Janing, 199 N.W.2d 24, 25 (Neb. 1972).  



          25     People ex rel. Brandolino v. Hastings, 421 N.Y.S.2d 893, 894 (N.Y. App. Div. 1979).  



          26     State v. Haynes, 456 N.E.2d 1279, 1283-84 (Ohio App. 1982).  



          27     Carter v. State, 708 P.2d 1097, 1100 (Okla. 1985).  



          28     Commonwealth ex. rel. Coffman v. Aytch, 361 A.2d 652, 654 (Pa. Super. 1976).  



                                                                                                     - 7 -                                                                                                2761
  


----------------------- Page 8-----------------------

           29                  30                           31  

Texas,         Vermont,           and Wisconsin                have all similarly concluded that the ninety days                           



prescribed by the UCEA is the outer limit of a state's authority to hold a fugitive pending                                          

the issuance of a governor's warrant.                          32  



                                                                                                                           

                       As authority for its claimthat the UCEA authorizes multiple commitments,  



                                                                                                                                          

the State cites only to State ex rel. Games-Neely v. Sanders, a case that arose in West  



               33  

Virginia.                                                                                                                                 

                   In that case, Jason Eric VanMetre was arraigned on criminal charges in West  



                                                                                                                                     

Virginia, given a trial date, and released on bail. After this, he was arrested on a fugitive  



                                                                                                                                 

from justice warrant based on crimes he allegedly committed in Virginia.  VanMetre  



                                                                                                                                

asked to waive extradition proceedings and to be relinquished to the Virginia authorities,  



                                                                                                                

but the West Virginia prosecutor claimed that she had discretion to prevent VanMetre  



                                                                                                                                   

from  being  extradited  to  Virginia  until  after  resolution  of  the  crimes  he  allegedly  



                                                                                                                                               

committed in West Virginia.  The trial court entered an order permitting VanMetre to  



      29   Lanz v. State , 815 S.W.2d 252, 254 (Tex. App. 1991).  



      30   In re Hval , 537 A.2d 135, 139 (Vt. 1987).  



      31   State ex rel. Lykins v. Steinhorst, 541 N.W.2d 234, 238, 240 (Wis. App. 1995).  



      32   The  ninety-day   statutory   time  limit  is  tolled  for  periods  where  the  fugitive's  



confinement is justified by  charges pending in Alaska.  See Paley v. Bieluch, 785 So. 2d 692,  

695 (Fla. Dist. App. 2001) ("Petitioner's allegations indicate that for most of  the time in  

question, he was held on local charges as well as the fugitive warrant.  There is no indication  

that he has been held in excess of  the statutory  period solely  on the fugitive warrant."); In re  

Lane ,  845 P.2d 708, 710 (Kan. App. 1992) ("[T]he district court did not err in allowing Lane  

to be detained for more than 90 days because the filing of  the local charges tolled the running  

of  the 90-day  period for so long as he was held on those  charges.");  State ex rel. Ehlers v.  

Endicott,  523 N.W.2d 189, 193 (Wis. App. 1994) ("[T]he thirty-day  and optional sixty-day  

extension periods for detention only  pertain to those fugitives who are not already  in custody  

pending other charges or serving other sentences.  Ehlers was already  incarcerated, serving  

a sentence for the conviction of  another crime, and therefore the time limits are inapplicable."  

(citation omitted)).  



      33   State ex rel. Games-Neely v. Sanders, 641 S.E.2d 153 (W. Va. 2006).  



                                                                     - 8 -                                                                 2761
  


----------------------- Page 9-----------------------

waive extradition and be released to Virginia, prior to the conclusion of the criminal                                                

proceedings against him.                   34  



                                                                                                                                              

                       On appeal, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals reversed this  



                                                                                                                                     

order.  The supreme court of appeals first held that, under the West Virginia UCEA, a  



                                                                                                                                       

defendant incarcerated under a fugitive warrant may not be held solely on a fugitive  



                                                                            35  

                                                                                                                                         

warrant for a period in excess of ninety days.                                   The court then held that, when a person  



                                                                                                                                                

charged with committing a crime in West Virginia is arrested on a fugitive warrant for  



                                                                                                                                                  

crimes committed in another state, the defendant may waive extradition proceedings in  



                             36  

                                                                                                                                  

the fugitive case.                However, if the defendant executes such a waiver, the prosecutor  



                                                                                                                                                  

then may elect not to enforce the waiver until after the West Virginia criminal case is  



                   37  

concluded.                                                                                                                            

                         Thus,  VanMetre  could  not  voluntarily  turn  himself  over  to  Virginia  



                                                                                        

authorities before being tried on the West Virginia charges.  



                                                                                                                                         

                       The State suggests that this case stands for the proposition that the UCEA  



                                                                                                                                                

authorizes  multiple  prerequisition  commitments,  as  long  as  they  do  not  exceed  an  



                                                                                                                                                      

aggregate of ninety days.  But we do not construe the holding of the case in this way.  



                                                                                                                                     

Indeed, if this were true, the court's second holding - that the prosecutor has authority  



                                                                                                                                            

to delay enforcement of the defendant's waiver of extradition - would have been  



                                                                                                                                   

unnecessary. Ifmorethanoneprerequisitioncommitment werepermitted, theprosecutor  



                                                                                                                              

could have simply dismissed the fugitive case against VanMetre prior to his waiver of  



                                                                                                                                              

extradition and then re-arrested him on the fugitive warrant after the West Virginia case  



      34   Id. at 154-55.  



      35   Id. at 156-59.  



      36   Id. at 159-61.  



      37   Id. at 161-63.  



                                                                      - 9 -                                                                  2761
  


----------------------- Page 10-----------------------

was resolved.                 We accordingly reject the State's suggestion that this case stands for the                                                                    



proposition that multiple prerequisition commitments are authorized by the UCEA.                                                                            



                           We have been unable to locate a single case from any jurisdiction that                                                                         



interprets the UCEA (or other state equivalent) to authorize more than one period of                                                                          



                           38  

                                                                                                                                                                             

commitment.                     Indeed, some jurisdictions go so far as to only allow one extension of up  



                                                                                                              39  

                                                                                                                                                                  

to sixty days beyond the thirty-day initial commitment,                                                           although others permit multiple  



                                                                                                                                                                         

extensions as long as they do not exceed a total of sixty days - i.e., as long as the total  



                                                                                                                                   40  

                                                                                                                                                                       

aggregate  commitment  period  does  not  exceed  ninety  days.                                                                            And,  as  the  State  



                                                                                                                                                                         

acknowledges, at least one jurisdiction has determined that a detention for ninety days  



       38     As we explain later in this opinion, "commitment" under the UCEA refers to court- 



ordered restraint on a defendant's liberty, including both imprisonment and release on bail.  



       39     See, e.g.,   Christopher v. Tozer, 263 S.W.2d 864, 865 (Mo. 1954)   (holding that the  



UCEA gives the court "a limited discretionary  power  to  commit the accused for one time  

period   not to exceed thirty   days, and thereafter to order one recommitment for a further  

period of  not to exceed sixty  days."); Treadway v. Heidtman,  284 So. 2d 473, 474 (Fla. Dist.  

App. 1973) (holding that the court may  recommit the fugitive for only   one  period not to  

exceed   sixty   days when the initial period of   commitment expires);  People v. White, 140  

N.W.2d 578, 579 (Mich. App. 1966) (concluding that "the use of  the article 'a' appearing in  

the phrase 'a further period' authorized the lower court to recommit one time while awaiting  

the execution of the governor's warrant").  



       40     See, e.g., Alliey v. Lamm , 711 P.2d 1258, 1259 (Colo. 1986) (holding that the court  



did  not  abuse  its  discretion  when  it  granted  multiple  continuances  because  the  UCEA  

"reposes discretion in the court to extend the initial thirty  day  commitment for an  additional  

sixty  days");  Odom v. State, 524 P.2d 217, 219 (Kan. 1974) (holding that the UCEA does not  

limit  the  court  to  granting  only   one  continuance  and  instead  authorizes  more  than   one  

continuance as long as the sixty-day  statutory  limit is not exceeded); Commonwealth ex rel.  

Colcough v. Aytch, 323 A.2d 359, 364 (Pa. Super. 1974) (holding that "although it is not  

good practice to grant numerous continuances," granting multiple continuances totaling not  

more than sixty days is allowed under the UCEA).  



                                                                                   - 10 -                                                                                2761
  


----------------------- Page 11-----------------------

without rendition in one jurisdiction defeats future detention on the same warrant by any                                                      

other jurisdiction.            41  



                                                                                                                                                 

                       We accordingly join the other courts that have addressed this issue in  



                                                                                                                                             

concluding that, under the UCEA, a fugitive may not be committed for a period of time  



                                                                                                                                                      

greater than ninety days while awaiting the issuance and service of a governor's warrant.  



                                                                                                                                                 

We also conclude that, once this commitment has expired, the fugitive may not again be  



                                                                                                                                                  

committed  based  on  the  same  out-of-state  conduct,  except  upon  the  service  of  a  



                     

governor's warrant.  



                                                                                                                                   

           A  fugitive  is  committed  for  purposes  of  Alaska's  UCEA  if  they  are  

                                                                                                                  

           physically incarcerated or if they are restrained on bail or bond  



                                                                                                                                                 

                       Given that the UCEA allows for only a maximum period of ninety days of  



                                                                                                                                                

"commitment" prior to the service of a governor's warrant, the next question raised by  



                                                                                                                                                 

this case is whether "commitment" refers to both incarceration and release on bail, or  



              

only to incarceration.  



                                                                                                                                  

                       AlaskaStatute12.70.140 provides thatafugitivearrestedon anout-of-state  



                                                                                                                                                

warrant in Alaska shall be committed "to jail for not more than 30 days . . . unless the  



                                                                                                                                        

accused gives bail . . . or until legally discharged."  But under AS 12.70.150, a fugitive  



                                                                                                                   

from justice shall be released on bail during this period unless the underlying crime of  



                                                                                                                                          

extradition is a capital offense.  Furthermore, if the requisitioning state does not obtain  



                                                                                                                                               

a governor's warrant within the initial thirty-day period, the court "may discharge the  



                                                                                                                                                 

accused or may recommit the accused for a further period of not more than 60 days, or  



      41   In re Hval ,  537 A.2d 135, 139 (Vt. 1987).  The record does not indicate that Ives was  



previously  detained as a fugitive in any  other jurisdiction, and we  accordingly  express no  

opinion with regard to this issue.  



                                                                     - 11 -                                                                  2761
  


----------------------- Page 12-----------------------

. . . may again take bail . . . but within a period of not more than 60 days after the date            



                                                               42  

of the new bond or undertaking."                                    



                                                                                                                                                      

                         In the briefs submitted to this Court, Ives contends, and the State agrees,  



                                                                                                                                           

that these and other references to "commitment" in the UCEA refer both to incarceration  



                                                                                                                                                             43  

                                                                                                                                   

and to bail release.  We conclude that the State's concession is again well-founded. 



                                                                                                                                                         

                         As the State points out, when AS 12.70.140 is read in isolation, it could  



                                                                                                                                                             

suggest that the thirty-day limit on commitment is only applicable if the fugitive is in jail,  



                                                                                                                                                  

but not if they have been released on bail.   However, when we engage in statutory  



construction, we must, whenever possible, "interpret[] each part or section of a statute  



                                                                                                                                44  

                                                                                                                                                          

with every other part or section, so as to create a harmonious whole."                                                               And as the State  



                                                                                                                                                            

acknowledges,  when  AS  12.70.140  is  read  in  conjunction  with  the  following  two  



                                                                                                                                                           

provisions of the statute, the more compelling interpretation is that the statutory time  



                                                                                                                                                

frame (the mandatory thirty-day commitment and the discretionary sixty-day extension)  



                                                                                                                                        

applies regardless of whether the fugitive is incarcerated or released on bail.  



                                                                                                                                                         

                         This is also the approach taken by the overwhelming majority of other  



                                       45                                                                                                              46  

               

UCEA jurisdictions.                                                                                                                    

                                            Indeed, we have found only a single case to the contrary.                                                        



      42     AS 12.70.160.  



      43     See Marks v. State, 496 P.2d 66, 67-68 (Alaska 1972) (requiring an appellate court to  



independently evaluate any concession of error by the State in a criminal case).  



      44    Kodiak Island Borough v. Exxon Corp., 991 P.2d 757, 761 (Alaska 1999).  



      45     See, e.g.,   Orton v. State, 431 So.   2d  236, 237 (Fla. Dist. App. 1983) (holding that  



UCEA requires discharge of  the accused "from  custody  or bond" after the expiration of  the  

aggregate ninety-day  statutory  time period); Stynchcombe v. Whitley, 242 S.E.2d 720, 721  

(Ga. 1978) ("If  the warrant is not executed during the 90-day  maximum  detention period, the  

accused is clearly  entitled to be discharged from  jail or bail."); State v. Phillips, 587 N.W.2d  

29, 34, 36 (Minn. 1998) ("Under the clear language of  the UCEA and the facts of  this case,  

                                                                                                                                           (continued...)  



                                                                            - 12 -                                                                         2761
  


----------------------- Page 13-----------------------

                             Because the legislature's express intent in adopting the UCEA was that the                                                                            



law should be interpreted as consistently as possible with other jurisdictions, we give                                                                                         



significant weight to the near-unanimity of the approach taken by other jurisdictions.                                                                                                     



Given   that   this   approach   is   in   accord   with   our   interpretation   of   the   statute's  plain  



language, we now hold that "commitment" for purposes of the UCEA refers to both                                                                                                



incarceration and constraint on bail.                               



               Conclusion  



                             For the reasons explained in this opinion, we conclude that, under the  

                                                                                                                                                                                  



UCEA, any commitment to await the issuance and service of a governor's warrant is  

                                                                                                                                                                                     



limited to a single period of up to ninety days.   We also conclude that commitment  

                                                                                                                                                              



includes both incarceration and release on bail or bond.  After such a commitment has  

                                                                                                     



ended, a fugitive may not be again arrested for the same out-of-state conduct, except  

                                                                                                                                                                           



upon the service of a governor's warrant.  

                                                                       



       45      (...continued)  



the district court was without the authority  to hold Phillips in custody  and to continue his  

bond beyond 90 days from h                                 is . . . arraignment.  . . .  Demanded persons have the right . . .  

to be confined for only  reasonable periods of tim                                                  e, be it through incarceration or bail."); In  

re Colasanti, 249 A.2d 1, 3 (N.J. Super. App. Div. 1969) ("The sections only  limit the time  

during which one arrested as a fugitive may  be kept in jail (or on bail in lieu thereof) pending  

the  completion  of   extradition  proceedings  and  the  issuance  of   the  governor's  arrest  

warrant.");   Carter v. State, 708 P.2d 1097, 1100 (Okla. 1985) (same);  Lanz  v. State, 815  

 S.W.2d 252, 253 (Tex. App. 1991) ("[Texas's UCEA] outlines the procedure to be utilized  

in the issuance of  a fugitive warrant and provides that an individual arrested pursuant to such  

a warrant shall not be committed or held to bail for a longer time than ninety days.").  



       46     People   v. Williams, 391 N.Y.S.2d 518, 520 (N.Y. Crim. 1977) ("[The dictionary]  



defines 'commitment' as a   'consignment  to  a  penal or mental institution.'").  Contra, e.g.,  

Jones v. People , 404 N.Y.S.2d 525, 526 (N.Y. Cnty. 1978) ("It is apparent that this 90 day  

limit would be the maximum time that the fugitive could be detained or held on bail.").   



                                                                                      - 13 -                                                                                   2761
  


----------------------- Page 14-----------------------

            In the Court of Appeals of the State of Alaska  

  

  

    

                                                                 

  Adam Phillip Ives,                                                  Court of Appeals No. A-13900  

                                    Petitioner,                                              

                                                                                     Order  

                  v.                                                        Petition for Rehearing  

    

                                                                                             

  State of Alaska,  

                                                                                             

                                    Respondent.                          Date of Order: 10/13/2023  



Trial Court No. 3AN-21-06756CR                                 

                                                                    

                   Before:            Allard, Chief Judge, and Wollenberg and Harbison, Judges  

           

                            The State of Alaska seeks rehearing of our decision in Ives v. State ,  



__ P.3d __, 2023 WL 2721359 (Alaska App. Mar. 31, 2023). The State asserts that this  



Court misconceived the State's concession in this case. The State contends that it did  



not concede that, once an initial commitment has expired, a fugitive may not again be  

committed  based  on  the  same  out-of-state  conduct.1  The  State  therefore  asks  us  to  



amend  our  decision  to  remove  our  contrary  conclusion  or,  alternatively,  to  provide  



analysis in support of our holding.  



                   In response, Adam Phillip Ives agrees that the State did not concede this  



point in the briefing to this Court. But he contends that we should issue an amended  



decision that continues to maintain, and indeed further explains, this point of law.  



                                        

          1   See Ives v. State, __ P.3d __, 2023 WL 2721359, at *3 (Alaska App. Mar. 31,  



2023).  


----------------------- Page 15-----------------------

                                                                        Ives v. State - p.  2  

                                                                        File No. A-13900 -  10/13/2023  

                                                                          

                     We agree with the parties that the State did not concede that only a single  



period of prerequisition commitment is authorized by the Uniform Criminal Extradition  



Act. Because our decision could be read to suggest that the State conceded this, and  



because it contains an insufficient analysis of this point of law, we GRANT the petition  



in part.    An amended opinion that does not suggest the State conceded this point of law  



will be issued concurrently with this order. The opinion clarifies the reasons for our  



conclusion that a fugitive may not be subjected to multiple prerequisition commitments  



for the same out-of-state conduct.    



                     IT IS ORDERED:  



                     1.        Opinion No. 2742, issued on 3/31/2023, is WITHDRAWN.  



                     2.        Opinion No. 2761, is issued on this date in its place.  



                     3.        In all other respects, the petition for rehearing is DENIED.  



            



                     Entered at the direction of the Court.  

                                                                       

                                                                       

    

                                                                     Clerk of the Appellate Courts  

                                                                       

    

                                                                     _______________________________  

                                                                     Meredith Montgomery  

                                                                                                      

                                             

    

  cc:       Court of Appeals Judges  

            Judge Nesbett  

                Publishers (Op. No. 2742, 3/31/2023)                                  

  

Distribution:  

                                                                       

                                                                     Bordon, Tristan, Alaska Public Defender Agency  

                                                                     Stenson, Heather, Office of Criminal Appeals  



                                                                          

  

  

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