Mortell v. State

Keith Anton Mortell pleaded guilty to three counts of second degree vehicle prowl and three counts of third degree theft. Upon conviction, the district court ordered the sentences on all counts to run consecutively for a total of 585 days in county jail. The State appeals the granting of a writ of habeas corpus releasing Mortell from custody and voiding the portion of his sentence that exceeded one year. We hold that RCW 3.66.060, which provides for the criminal jurisdiction of district court, is *848ambiguous as to whether the district court can impose a sentence for longer than one year at a…