State v. Taylor Norton - Felony Sentence Appeal
Summary
The Washington Court of Appeals has issued a decision in State v. Taylor Norton, addressing errors in a felony sentence. The court, with the State conceding the errors, will reduce the sentence for identity theft convictions and modify a no-contact order to comply with statutory maximums. This action corrects sentencing discrepancies that exceeded legal limits.
What changed
This court opinion addresses an appeal by Taylor Norton concerning his felony judgment and sentence for 23 crimes, including identity theft. The State has conceded three errors in the original sentence. Specifically, the court will reduce Norton's community custody term to three months to ensure the combined sentence does not exceed the 60-month statutory maximum for class C felonies. Additionally, a 10-year no-contact order for four named victims will be reduced to five years, aligning with the statutory maximum for the underlying class C felonies.
Compliance officers should note that this ruling mandates a correction to the judgment and sentence. The specific actions required involve recalculating and amending the community custody term and the duration of the no-contact order for the identified victims. The judgment and sentence also contained an incorrect statement regarding the maximum term and fine for second-degree identity theft, which will also be corrected. This case highlights the importance of precise adherence to statutory sentencing limits.
What to do next
- Review judgment and sentence for similar errors in identity theft cases.
- Ensure community custody terms do not exceed statutory maximums when combined with confinement.
- Verify no-contact order durations align with statutory maximums for the underlying offenses.
Source document (simplified)
Jump To
Support FLP
CourtListener is a project of Free
Law Project, a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit. Members help support our work and get special access to features.
Please become a member today.
March 23, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note
State Of Washington, V. Taylor Norton
Court of Appeals of Washington
- Citations: None known
- Docket Number: 87879-4
Precedential Status: Non-Precedential
Lead Opinion
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF WASHINGTON
No. 87879-4-I
Respondent,
DIVISION ONE
v.
UNPUBLISHED OPINION
TAYLOR JACOB NORTON,
Appellant.
PER CURIAM — Taylor Norton appeals the felony judgement and sentence
entered after he pleaded guilty to 23 crimes, including identity theft in the second
degree. For ten counts of identity theft in the second degree, the court imposed a
sentence of 57 months of confinement followed by 12 months of community custody.
The court also imposed a no-contact order for a maximum term of 10 years for named
victims of Norton’s crimes. Norton argues that the judgment and sentence contains
three errors; the State concedes all three.
First, Norton argues that the combined term of confinement and community
custody for the identity theft in the second-degree convictions, class C felonies, exceeds
the statutory maximum term of confinement. Second-degree identity theft is a class C
felony, RCW 9.35.020(3), and the statutory maximum term of confinement for class C
felonies is 60 months, RCW 9A.20.021(1)(c). The court’s combined sentence of 57
months of confinement followed by 12 months of community custody exceeds the
statutory maximum by nine months. Norton’s term of community custody must be
No. 87879-4-I/2
reduced to three months to bring the combined term to the statutory maximum. See
RCW 9.94A.701(10) (providing that the term of community custody shall be reduced
when, combined with the term of confinement, it exceeds the statutory maximum).
Second, Norton argues that the 10-year no-contact term in paragraph 4.5 of the
judgment and sentence exceeded the statutory maximum as to named victims Mehgan
Sichel, Stephen Sichel, Leonil Lelis and Patrick Bello. Those four individuals were
victims of Norton’s class C felonies, which carry a statutory maximum of five years.
RCW 9A.20.021(1)(c). A no-contact order may not exceed the statutory maximum of the
crime. State v. Nielsen, 14 Wn. App. 2d 466, 453, 471 P.3d 257 (2020). The no-contact
term as to these four individuals must be reduced to five years.
Last, Norton notes that the judgment and sentence incorrectly states in
paragraph 2.4 that the maximum term and fine for second-degree identity theft is 10
years and $20,000. The correct maximum term and fine is five years and $10,000. RCW
9.35.020(3); RCW 9A.20.021(1)(c). The judgment and sentence must be corrected
accordingly.
We accept the State’s concessions and remand to the superior court solely to
correct the identified errors in the judgment and sentence.
FOR THE COURT:
-2-
Named provisions
Related changes
Source
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get Courts & Legal alerts
Weekly digest. AI-summarized, no noise.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Washington Court of Appeals Opinions (CourtListener) publishes new changes.