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Clayton Andrew Charlie v. State of Alaska (12/27/2024) ap-2793

Clayton Andrew Charlie v. State of Alaska (12/27/2024) ap-2793

                                                          NOTICE  

          The text of this opinion can be corrected before the opinion is published in the  

          Pacific Reporter. Readers are encouraged to bring typographical or other formal  

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

            

                                      303 K Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99501  

                                                  Fax: (907) 264-0878  

                                         E-mail: corrections@akcourts.gov  

                                                                  

                                                                  

                  IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF ALASKA  

  

  

CLAYTON ANDREW CHARLIE,                                                

                                                                            Court of Appeals No. A-13962  

                                       Appellant,                        Trial Court No. 3AN- 18-10952 CR  

                                                                       

  

                             v.                                        

                                                                                         O P I N I O N  

STATE OF ALASKA,                                                       

  

                                                                       

                                       Appellee.                           No. 2793 - December 27, 2024  

  

                                                                       

  

                    Appeal  from  the   Superior  Court,   Third  Judicial  District,  

                    Anchorage, Andrew Peterson, Judge.  

                      

                    Appearances: Claire De Witte, Assistant Public Defender, and  

                    Terrence Haas, Public Defender, Anchorage, for the Appellant.  

                    Seneca Theno Freitag, Assistant Attorney General, Office of  

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

                    General, Juneau, for the Appellee.  

                      

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

                    Judges.  

                      

                    Judge ALLARD.  

                      



                    Clayton Andrew Charlie, who has schizophrenia, repeatedly stabbed an  



Alaska Zoo employee and then ran him over with a car, killing him in a random attack.  



Charlie  was  initially  found  incompetent  to  stand  trial,  but  was  later  restored  to  



competency. Charlie then pleaded guilty to second-degree murder  and was  sentenced  


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

                                                                                                                 1 

to  75  years  with  20  years  suspended  (55  years  to  serve)  and  10 years'  probation.   



Among  the  probation  conditions  imposed was  a  condition  requiring  Charlie  to  take  



prescribed   antipsychotic   medication   and   providing   for   judicial   review   of   that  



requirement if Charlie refused to take the medication.   



                  Charlie now challenges the condition on various grounds that he failed to  



raise at sentencing. For the reasons explained here, we conclude that the condition  is  



adequate and survives plain error review with one small modification to ensure that the  



State, and not Charlie, is responsible for scheduling the prerelease hearing.  



                    



         Factual background and prior proceedings    



                  Since  June  2012,  Charlie  has  been  admitted  to  the  Alaska  Psychiatric  



Institute  on  thirteen  separate  occasions.  Charlie's  diagnoses  include  schizoaffective  



disorder and he has been prescribed several antipsychotic medications over the years to  



manage this condition. Charlie has a history of increasingly violent behavior, and he  



has   accrued   a   significant   history  of  police   contacts,  criminal   convictions,   and  



institutional violations.  



                  In  November  2018,  Charlie  randomly  attacked  Michael  Greco,  an  



employee of the Alaska Zoo, who was working as the night watchman. Greco's body  



was not discovered until the next morning. Greco had been stabbed multiple times in  



the chest, head, back, and legs. He had multiple rib fractures that perforated his lung,  



and had what appeared to be defensive injuries on his hands. Bloody tire marks in the  



snow indicated that Greco had also been run over by a vehicle and then dragged to the  



location where his body was found. Greco's wallet and cell phone were missing.   



                  Charlie was apprehended in his stepfather's car, which had been reported  



stolen. Charlie initially refused to stop  and  engaged  the police in a high-speed chase  



                                     

     1   AS 11.41.110(a)(2).  



                                                      - 2 -                                                   2793  


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

that only ended after two of his tires were deflated by a police device. Charlie was later  



determined to have used Greco's debit card, which was found in the stepfather's car.  



                 Charlie was charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of  



second-degree murder, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of second-degree  



theft, one count of third-degree assault, one count of first-degree vehicle theft, one count  



of failure to stop at the direction of an officer, three counts of violation of a protective  



order, seven counts of fraudulent use of an access device, and one count of reckless  



          2 

driving.   



                 Charlie was initially found to be incompetent to stand trial because of his  



mental illness.  But after he received  restoration treatment in South Carolina, Charlie  



was found to be competent to stand trial.  



                 Charlie  pleaded  guilty  to  second-degree  murder  pursuant  to  a  plea  

agreement.3  Under the  terms of the  agreement,  Charlie agreed to admit the facts set  



forth in the complaint, receive a sentence with an active term of imprisonment between  



35 and 55 years, and pay restitution. All other aspects of the sentence were left open, to  



be determined by the court.    



                 A presentence report was submitted prior to sentencing. The  probation  



officer recommended  that the court impose  Special Probation  Condition No.  6. This  



condition, as initially worded by the probation officer, would require Charlie to "ingest,  



take  or  inject  medications  as  prescribed  by  a  licensed  practitioner  who  has  been  



                                    

    2    AS   11.41.100(a)(1)(A),   AS   11.41.110(a)(1)   and   (a)(2),   AS   11.46.300(a)(1),  

AS 11.46.130(a)(7),        AS    11.41.220(a)(5),   AS        11.46.360(a)(1),   AS        28.35.182(a)(1),  

AS 11.56.740(a)(1), AS 11.46.285(b)(3), and AS 28.35.400, respectively.  



    3    AS 11.41.110(a)(2).  



                                                     - 3 -                                                 2793  


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

                                                                            4 

approved by a Probation Officer or by the IDP+ Program"   and "totally abstain from  



use and possession of any drugs not prescribed by a licensed practitioner."  



                 In  his  sentencing  memorandum,  the  prosecutor  proposed  amending  



Special Probation  Condition No. 6  to ensure that certain procedural safeguards were  



complied with. The prosecutor proposed adding the following requirements: (1) that a  



hearing be held before Charlie's release to determine whether he should be required to  



take medications; (2) that Charlie's medical provider be approved by a probation officer  



or by  the IDP+  program; (3)  that Charlie authorize the  release of  his  mental health  



records to the Department of Corrections prior to his release from custody on probation;  



(4) that Charlie provide notification before he discontinues any prescribed medication  



he is required to take once he is released; and (5) that Charlie abstain from possessing  



and using any drugs not prescribed by a licensed practitioner.  



                 In his sentencing memorandum and at sentencing, Charlie agreed that the  



prosecutor's  suggestions  remedied  "most  of  the  constitutional  concerns"  with  the  



probation  condition,  with  one  exception:  the  requirement  that  Charlie's  medical  



provider be approved by a probation officer or the IDP+ program. Charlie argued that  



requiring the Department of Corrections to approve his medical provider infringed on  



his constitutional right to privacy in making independent medical decisions.  



                 In  response,  the  prosecutor  argued  that  the  challenged  provision  was  



narrowly tailored and survived special scrutiny because it did not prevent Charlie from  



selecting his own practitioner. Rather, it simply created an approval process to prevent  



Charlie from picking an inappropriate or unqualified practitioner.  



                 The superior court agreed that  the probation officer might have a valid  



concern with Charlie's selection of a practitioner. The court therefore suggested adding  



                                    

    4    The Institutional Discharge Program Plus ("IDP+") is a Department of Corrections  

program  for  probationers  with  severe  mental  illness.  The  program  includes  release  

planning and medication management.    



                                                    - 4 -                                                 2793  


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

a sentence that allowed for a hearing if the State disagreed with Charlie's selection. The  



court explained that "both parties can present their evidence and he can have a hearing,"  



and "if there's a determination made by a court at that time that the medical provider  



isn't  qualified  or  for  some  reason  isn't  appropriate,  then  Mr. Charlie  can  select  



somebody else."  



                 The prosecutor agreed that such a modification would resolve the issue.  



Charlie  agreed  that  the  proposed  modification  was  consistent  with  caselaw,  but  he  



maintained his objection to the approval requirement.  The court ultimately approved  



the following version of Special Probation Condition No. 6:   



                 Prior  to  release  from  custody  on  probation,  the  defendant  

                 shall request a hearing to determine if he should be required  

                 to  ingest,  take  or  inject  medications  as  prescribed  by  a  

                 licensed practitioner who has been selected by Mr. Charlie  

                 and  approved  of  by  the  Probation  Officer,  or  the  IDP[+]  

                 Program.  If  the  Probation  Officer  or  the  IDP[+]  Program  

                 does not agree with Mr. Charlie's selection of a medi[c]al  

                 practitioner,  they  may  file  a  request  for  a  hearing.  Also,  

                 60 days  prior  to  release  from  custody  on  probation,  the  

                 defendant shall sign a Release of Information allowing the  

                 Department  of  Law  District  [A]ttorney's  Office  access  to  

                 any   mental   health   treatment   records   contained   at   the  

                 Department of Corrections to include medication history. If  

                 [the]  defendant  is  out  on  probation  and  receiving  mental  

                 health  medi[c]ation  under  this  condition  and  wishes  to  

                 terminate taking any medication prescribed by his treatment  

                 providers, he shall provide his probation officer with written  

                 notice  at  least  30  days  prior  to  ceasing  his  medication  to  

                 allow for a hearing to be held and a judge to decide the issue.  

                 The   defendant   shall   totally   abstain   from   the   use   and  

                 possession   of   any  drugs  not   prescribed   by   a   licensed  

                 practitioner.  



                 This appeal followed.   



                   



                                                    - 5 -                                                2793  


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

        Charlie's current challenges to Special Probation Condition No. 6  



               On appeal, Charlie raises  six  challenges to Special  Probation Condition  



No. 6 . Because Charlie failed to raise all but one of these challenges before the superior  

court, he must establish plain error as to those claims.5 Plain error is error that "(1) was  



not the result of intelligent waiver or a tactical decision not to object; (2) was obvious;  

(3) affected substantial rights; and (4) was prejudicial."6 



        1.  Did  the  superior  court  apply  the  correct  level  of  scrutiny  to  the 

           probation condition? 



               Charlie argues first that Special Probation Condition No. 6 is invalid in its  



entirety because the superior court allegedly failed to apply special scrutiny. The State  



argues that the record shows that the court did apply special scrutiny to the condition.  



We agree with the State.   



               As a general matter, probation conditions must be "reasonably related to  



the  rehabilitation  of  the  offender  and  the  protection  of  the  public"  (or  another  



recognized objective of criminal administration) and "must not be unduly restrictive of  

liberty."7   However,   when   a   probation   condition   infringes   on   a   probationer's  



constitutional rights, the condition is subject to "special scrutiny."8 In applying special  



scrutiny, the sentencing  court "must ensure that the condition is narrowly tailored to  



avoid unnecessary interference with the constitutional right at issue, and the court must  



    5  State v. Ranstead, 421 P.3d 15, 23 (Alaska 2018).  



    6  Id. (quoting Adams v. State , 261 P.3d 758, 764 (Alaska 2011)).  



    7  Id. at 19 (quoting Roman v. State, 570 P.2d 1235, 1240 (Alaska 1977)); see also id.  

at 20 (clarifying that probation conditions may be based on any of the objectives of criminal  

administration recognized in the Alaska Const. art. I, § 12).   



    8   Glasgow v. State, 355 P.3d 597, 600 (Alaska App. 2015).  



                                              - 6 -                                         2793  


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

affirmatively  consider,  and  have  good  reason  for  rejecting,  any  less  restrictive  



                  9 

alternatives."   



                  As  the  parties  recognized  at  the  sentencing  hearing,  Special  Probation  



Condition  No. 6  is  subject  to  special  scrutiny  because  it  potentially  infringes  on  



Charlie's  constitutional  rights.  The  United  States  Supreme  Court  has  recognized  a  



"significant   constitutionally   protected   liberty   interest   in   avoiding   the   unwanted  

administration of antipsychotic drugs."10 "The Alaska Supreme Court has gone further  



and has held that given Alaska's more protective constitutional guarantees of liberty  

and  privacy,  the  right  to  refuse  to  take  antipsychotic  drugs  is  'fundamental.'"11  In  



addition to protecting the right to reject unwanted antipsychotic medication, the Alaska  



Constitution's guarantees of liberty and privacy also protect a person's "right to make  

independent medical choices in consultation with a physician" 12 and a person's right to  



privacy in sensitive personal information related to their physical and/or mental health  



       13 

care.       



                                     

     9   Id.   



     10   Sell v. United States, 539 U.S. 166, 178 (2003) (internal quotation marks omitted)  



(quoting Washington v. Harper, 494 U.S. 210, 221 (1990)).  



     11   R.A. v. State, 550 P.3d 594, 597 (Alaska App. 2024) (quoting Myers v. Alaska  



Psychiatric Inst., 138 P.3d 238, 248 (Alaska 2006)).  



     12   Glasgow, 355 P.3d at 600; see also Huffman v. State, 204 P.3d 339, 346 (Alaska  



2009) ("We now hold that the right to make decisions about medical treatments for oneself  

. . . is a fundamental liberty and privacy right in Alaska.").  



     13   See Rollins v. Ulmer, 15 P.3d 749, 752  (Alaska 2001) (recognizing that Alaska's  



constitutional right to privacy includes "the right to avoid public disclosure of personal  

matters  and  the  right  to  privacy  in  consulting  with  a  physician  and  making  medical  

treatment  choices")  (citing  Whalen  v.  Roe,  429  U.S.  589,  599-600  (1977));  Falcon  v.  

Alaska Pub. Offs. Comm'n , 570 P.2d 469, 478 (Alaska 1977) (recognizing that  "certain  

types of information communicated in the context of the physician-patient relationship fall  

within a constitutionally-protected zone of privacy").  



                                                       - 7 -                                                   2793  


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

                  Here, both parties alerted the superior court that it needed to apply special  



scrutiny to the provisions of Special  Probation  Condition No. 6. On appeal, Charlie  



acknowledges that the court addressed his objection to the provision that requires him  



to obtain approval of his chosen medical practitioner. Charlie faults the court, however,  



for failing to make similar express findings with regard to all  of the provisions of the  



probation condition, including those that Charlie did not challenge.  



                  But the caselaw is clear that, absent a specific objection, a court does not  



need  to  make  express  findings  on  the  record  to  support  imposition  of  a  probation  

condition.14  As  the  Alaska  Supreme  Court  explained  in  State  v.  Ranstead,  it  is  the  



sentencing court's obligation to ensure that probation conditions are constitutionally  



imposed and the court "may not delegate this responsibility to the presentence report  

even if the defense does not object."15 But the fact that a sentencing court is required to  



comply with these requirements "does not mean . . . that a sentencing court must make  

express findings for or otherwise justify each condition on the record."16 "Nor does it  



furnish an exception to the well-established principle that 'a defendant must raise an  



                                                                                                 17 

objection in the trial court in order to preserve that argument for appeal.'"                         



                  Here, the record shows that the superior court was well aware that the  



probation  condition  required  special  scrutiny.  The  superior  court  made  extensive  



findings that support the need for the probation condition, detailing Charlie's significant  



mental  health  and  criminal  history,  as  well  as  numerous  instances  of  his  violent  



behavior, especially when unmedicated. The superior court also made findings about  



                                     

     14   State  v.  Ranstead,  421  P.3d  15,  20-21  (Alaska  2018).  Best  practices,  however,  

would be to make express findings on the record, particularly when addressing probation  

conditions that directly infringe on important constitutional rights.  



     15   Id. at 20 (quoting Beasley v. State, 364 P.3d 1130, 1133 (Alaska App. 2015)).  



     16   Id.  



     17   Id. (quoting Johnson v. State , 328 P.3d 77, 82 (Alaska 2014)).   



                                                      - 8 -                                                   2793  


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

Charlie's      general      resistance      to    taking     medication       and     following       treatment  



recommendations, even though there were some instances of voluntary compliance.  



The superior court found that "when [Charlie] is not medicated, he presents a clear and  



present  danger  to  society"  and  that  "there's  clear  evidence  in  this  case  of  an  



unwillingness to take medication while both in and out of custody."   



                  Given  this  record,  we  reject  Charlie's  contention  on  appeal  that  the  



 superior court failed to apply special scrutiny to the probation condition as a whole.  



                    



         2.  Did the superior court plainly err in requiring Charlie to request a  

             prerelease medication hearing?    



                  Special  Probation  Condition  No.  6  requires,  inter  alia,  that  "[p]rior  to  



release from custody on probation, the defendant shall request a hearing to determine if  



he should be required to ingest, take or inject medications as prescribed by a licensed  



practitioner." As both parties recognize on appeal, this provision was intended to ensure  



that the State complied with this Court's requirement that a judicial hearing be held  



                                                                      18 

prior  to the administration of compelled medication.                     



                  In  Kozevnikoff  v.  State,  we  vacated  a  medication-related  probation  



condition because it did not provide for an independent judicial hearing until after the  



defendant was forced to comply with the probation officer's order to take psychotropic  

drugs  or  face  revocation  of  his  probation  for  failing  to  do  so. 19  We  concluded  that  



providing for a hearing that precedes the administration of psychotropic medication  



                                     

     18   See Love v. State, 436 P.3d 1058, 1061 (Alaska App. 2018) (remanding to provide  



for an independent judicial hearing on the medication probation condition before defendant  

is  required  to  either  take  the  medication  or  face  revocation  for  refusing  to  do  so);  

Kozevnikoff v. State, 433 P.3d 546, 548 (Alaska App. 2018) (holding that an independent  

judicial  hearing  must  occur  prior  to  the  administration  of  compelled  psychotropic  

medication);  Huff  v.  State,  2019  WL  2451009,  at  *3  (Alaska  App.  June  12,  2019)  

(unpublished) (same).   



     19   Kozevnikoff, 433 P.3d at 548.  



                                                      - 9 -                                                   2793  


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

gives the defendant "the opportunity to present his own expert testimony, and to argue  

for alternatives to any medication at all, or to a particular medication."20  Moreover,  



because a  sentencing court cannot know what medication, if any, will be appropriate  



when  a  defendant  is  released  on  probation,  we  directed  the  court  to  provide  for  a  



"hearing  near  the  date  of  the  defendant's  release  if  the  circumstances  at  that  time  



                                                         21 

appeared to justify compelled medication."                    



                  Unlike in Kozevnikoff, Special Probation Condition No. 6 affords Charlie  



the  opportunity  to  request  a  hearing  to  determine  if  he  should  be  required  to  take  



medication before he is actually required to do so. Therefore, the primary concern that  



we noted in Kozevnikoff - that Kozevnikoff was only afforded an independent judicial  

hearing after  he had actually started taking psychotropic drugs22 -  is not present in  



Charlie's  case.  Additionally,  Special  Probation  Condition  No.  6  ensures  Charlie  



receives a prerelease judicial hearing that is near in time to his release on probation and  



therefore alleviates our concern in Kozevnikoff that "the trial court could not know at  



the time of sentencing what medication might be appropriate when the defendant was  

ultimately  released  on  probation."23  This  is  especially  true  here,  since  Charlie  was  



sentenced to 55 years to serve and it will be decades before he is eligible for release on  



probation.  



                  On appeal, Charlie acknowledges that  the  probation condition properly  



provides for a prerelease judicial hearing, but he  argues that  the condition is flawed  



because it requires  Charlie to request the hearing. Charlie argues that the State should  



                                     

    20   Id. ; see also Huff, 2019 WL 2451009, at *3.  



    21   Kozevnikoff,  433  P.3d  at  548  (citing  Kobuk  v.  State,  1987  WL  1357149,  at  *2  



(Alaska App. June 3, 1987 (unpublished)).   



    22   Id. at 548.  



    23   Id. (citing Kobuk, 1987 WL 1357149, at *2).  



                                                     - 10 -                                                   2793  


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

be required to request the hearing because it is the State who bears the burden  at that  



hearing of establishing that compelled medication is necessary to achieve the goals of  



              24 

probation.         



                  We  agree  that  it  is  appropriate  for  the  State  to  be  responsible  for  



scheduling  the  hearing,  especially  given  Charlie's  well-established  mental  health  



issues. Charlie's institutional probation officer will be in the best position to know the  



date of his  projected release, and thus when the hearing should take place, and  may  



inform the State if a hearing should be requested.   



                  We accordingly remand this case to the superior court and direct the court  



to replace the  phrase, "the defendant  shall request a hearing,"  with  the phrase, "the  



defendant  shall be afforded a hearing," with the understanding that the State will be  



responsible  for  requesting  the  hearing.  The  court  shall  also  ensure  that  Charlie  has  



representation for the hearing.  



  



         3.  Did the superior court err in requiring the Department of Corrections'  

             approval  of  Charlie's  selection  of  a  medical  practitioner  given  the  

             availability of judicial review if there is a disagreement as to Charlie's  

             selection ?  



                  Special Probation  Condition No. 6  assigns  the decision of selecting an  



appropriate medical practitioner to Charlie, but subjects his selection to approval by his  



probation  officer  or  the  IDP+  program.  The  condition  further  provides  that  "if  the  



Probation Officer or the IDP[+] Program does not agree with Mr. Charlie's selection of  



a medical practitioner, they may file a request for a hearing."   



                  Charlie  objected  to  this  approval  requirement  at  sentencing  and  now  



renews  his  objection on appeal. Charlie argues that  this requirement  infringes on his  



                                     

    24   See Huff, 2019 WL 2451009, at *3 (explaining that the State has the burden at the  



hearing of establishing "not only that the proposed psychotropic medication is appropriate,  

but  also  that  this  medication  is  the  least  intrusive  method  for  achieving  the  goals  of  

probation").   



                                                      - 11 -                                                   2793  


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

constitutional  right  "to  make  independent  medical  choices  in  consultation  with  a  



physician."  But  a  probation  condition  can  infringe  on  a  defendant's  fundamental  



constitutional rights if it is "narrowly tailored" and the court "affirmatively consider[s]"  



                                                                                          25 

and has "good reason for rejecting any less restrictive alternatives."                         



                  Here,  the  superior  court  affirmatively  considered  deleting  the  approval  



requirement as Charlie requested, but determined that some protection against Charlie  



selecting an inappropriate or unqualified practitioner was necessary. Charlie argues that  



such a fear is speculative because there is nothing in the record to suggest that he will  



select an inappropriate medical practitioner. But there is equally nothing in the record  



to suggest that the Department of Corrections will unreasonably withhold approval of  

an appropriate medical practitioner.26 Moreover, should Charlie select an inappropriate  



practitioner  or  should  the  probation  officer  unreasonably  withhold  approval  of  an  



                                                                                                         27 

appropriate practitioner, the issue will go to the superior court judge to decide.                            



                  Given the availability of judicial review, we conclude that the superior  



                                                                                                              28 

court acted within its discretion when it imposed the modified approval provision.                                



                    



                                      

     25   Glasgow v. State, 355 P.3d 597, 600 (Alaska App. 2015).  



     26   Cf. Diorec v. State, 295 P.3d 409, 418 (Alaska App. 2013) (finding the sentencing  



court's conclusion that defendant's probation officer will exercise appropriate discretion  

reasonable).  



     27   Charlie argues that, given the current wording of the probation condition, it is not  



clear that the judge would make the final decision. We agree that the probation condition  

could be worded more artfully, but we conclude that the court's intent to have the judge  

resolve any dispute over Charlie's selection of a practitioner is sufficiently clear.   



     28   Allen v. Municipality of Anchorage , 168 P.3d 890, 895 (Alaska App. 2007) (citing  



Parks v. State, 571 P.2d 1003, 1005 (Alaska 1977)).  



                                                      - 12 -                                                    2793  


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

         4.  Did  the  superior  court  plainly  err  in  requiring  Charlie  to  sign  a  

             p rehearing  release  of  information  of  his  mental  health  treatment  

             records and medication history?    



                  Special Probation Condition No. 6 provides, in relevant part:   



                  60  days  prior  to  release  from  custody  on  probation,  the  

                  defendant shall sign a Release of Information allowing the  

                 Department  of  Law  District  [A]ttorney's  Office  access  to  

                  any   mental   health   treatment   records   contained   at   the  

                 Department of Corrections to include medication history.    



                  Charlie  did  not  object  to  this  provision  at  sentencing  and  is  therefore  

required to establish plain error.29 On appeal, Charlie cites to two unpublished cases in  



which this Court invalidated a probation condition that required the defendant to sign a  



release  of  information  releasing  his  medical  records  to  the  crime  victim 's  medical  

providers.30 He argues that requiring him to sign a prehearing release of information to  



the District Attorney's Office is a similar invasion of his right to privacy. We disagree.   



                 As the State points out, the apparent purpose of this provision is to ensure  



that the State is adequately prepared for the prerelease hearing on compelled medication  



                                                                                                               31 

- a hearing that is mandated by our caselaw and at which the State bears the burden.                               



The  State  also  notes  that  the  release  is  limited  to  Charlie's  mental  health  treatment  



                                     

    29   State v. Ranstead, 421 P.3d 15, 23 (Alaska 2018).  



    30   See Sanchez Rosario v. State, 2021 WL 386939, at *3 (Alaska App. Feb. 3, 2021)  



(unpublished)  (vacating  condition  that  required  defendant  to  sign  a  release  of  medical  

information to the victim's medical providers but upholding the release of information to  

defendant's      medical      providers     and    probation      officer);    Giddings      v.  State,      2018  

WL 3301624, at *5 (Alaska App. July 5, 2018) (unpublished) (same).   



    31   Kozevnikoff v. State, 433 P.3d 546, 547-48 (Alaska App. 2018); Huff v. State, 2019  



WL 2451009, at *3 (Alaska App. June 12, 2019) (unpublished) ("At this hearing, the State  

has  the  burden  of  presenting  expert  medical  testimony  to  establish,  not  only  that  the  

proposed psychotropic medication is appropriate, but also that this medication is the least  

intrusive method of achieving the goals of probation[.]").  



                                                     - 13 -                                                  2793  


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

records and medication history, both of which are relevant to the prerelease hearing.  



Given these limitations and the apparent purpose, we find no plain error.   



                 We note, however, that  a defendant should not be required to provide a  



release of information to the District Attorney's Office in cases where the defendant is  



willing to take their prescribed medication and to be subject to a medication probation  



condition  and  where  the  defendant  (with  the  assistance  of  counsel)  knowingly  and  



intelligently waives their right to a full judicial hearing.   



  



         5.  Did the superior court plainly err in requiring Charlie to give at least  

             thirty  days'  notice  before  stopping  medication  that  he  has  been  

             ordered to take?  



                 Special Probation Condition No. 6 also provides, in relevant part:   



                 If defendant is out on probation and receiving mental health  

                 medi[c]ation under  this  condition  and  wishes  to  terminate  

                 taking any medication prescribed by his treatment providers,  

                 he shall provide his probation officer with written notice at  

                 least 30 days prior to ceasing his medication to allow for a  

                 hearing to be held and a judge to decide the issue.  



                 On  appeal,  Charlie  concedes  that  it  is  reasonable  for  the  probation  



condition to include a notice requirement so that a judicial hearing can be scheduled if  



he decides to stop taking the medication as ordered, but he contends that requiring thirty  



days' notice is "unduly restrictive."   



                 Charlie   argues   specifically   that,   given   the   nature   of   psychotropic  



medication, there could be circumstances when a thirty-day delay before stopping his  



medication could cause long-term health problems. But Charlie ignores the context in  



which the thirty-day notice will be required. If Charlie's long-term health is actually  



endangered by a delay of thirty days, presumably, the medical professionals in charge  



of his care would agree to stop the medication or prescribe alternative medications. In  



such  circumstances,  Charlie  would  indeed  not  be  in  violation  of  the  terms  of  his  



probation because he would be continuing to take his medication as prescribed. In other  



                                                   -  14 -                                               2793  


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

words,  the  thirty-day  delay  applies  only  in  circumstances  where  the  treatment  has  



already  been  determined  to  be  the  least  restrictive  alternative  necessary  to  ensure  



protection  of  the  public  and/or  Charlie's  rehabilitation  and  only  where  Charlie  is  



unilaterally deciding  -  against the advice of his medical practitioner -  that he no  



longer wants to take the prescribed medication.   



                  Given  that  the  thirty-day  notice  only  comes  into  play  when  Charlie  



unilaterally  decides, against medical advice, to stop taking his medication, we do not  



find  plain  error.  We  also  expect  that  the  hearing  will  be  held  as  expeditiously  as  



possible.   



  



         6.  Did the superior court plainly err in requiring Charlie to abstain from  

             drugs that were not prescribed?  



                 The  final  sentence  of  Special  Probation  Condition  No.  6  states:  "The  



defendant shall totally abstain from the use and possession of any drugs not prescribed  



by  a  licensed  practitioner."  Charlie  objects  to  this  provision,  interpreting  the  term  



"drugs" broadly to include "common over-the-counter medications such as cold, cough  



and  allergy  medications;  analgesics;  anti-acids;  laxatives;  and  diarrhea  medication."  



But we agree with the State that the more natural reading of the condition in context is  



that "drugs" means prescription drugs. Accordingly, we find no plain error.   



                   



         Additional guidance to trial courts regarding forced medication probation  

         conditions  



                 By affirming the probation condition in this case as not plainly erroneous,  



we do not intend to suggest that this somewhat complicated probation condition should  



become the template for all future forced medication probation conditions. The most  



important part of the condition is its provision for an independent judicial review prior  



                                                     -  15 -                                                 2793  


----------------------- Page 16-----------------------

to the administration of any forced medication.32  As long as  the probation condition  



allows  for  an  independent  judicial  review  prior  to  the  administration  of  any  forced  



medication (and prior to any revocation for failing to comply with the forced medication  



condition),  it will generally pass constitutional muster, even if the condition does not  



                                                                                                                33 

spell out all of the intricacies of how and when the judicial review should occur.                                   



  



          Conclusion   



                   This  case  is  remanded  to  the  superior  court  so  that  Special  Probation  



Condition No. 6 can be modified to ensure that the State, not Charlie, is responsible for  



scheduling  any  prerelease  judicial  hearing.  The  judgment  of  the  superior  court  is  



otherwise AFFIRMED.   



                     



                                       

     32   See, e.g., Love v. State , 436 P.3d 1058, 1061 (Alaska App. 2018) ("If . . . the superior  

court concludes that the facts justify a probation condition that could potentially require  

Love to take psychotropic medication against her will, this probation condition must be  

written in such a way that Love can seek judicial review before she is required to take the  

medication,  and  before  she  faces  revocation  of  her  probation  for  refusing  to  take  the  

medication.").  



     33   Id.  



                                                         - 16 -                                                      2793  

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