FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
AMY L. DELL KAREN M. FREEMAN-WILSON
Dell & Dell, P.C. Attorney General of Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
TIMOTHY W. BEAM
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
JAMES STEPHENS, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 49A02-0003-CR-136
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
APPEAL FROM THE MARION SUPERIOR COURT
The Honorable Robyn Moberly, Judge
Cause No. 49G02-9805-CF-86001
September 18, 2000
OPINION FOR PUBLICATION
KIRSCH, Judge
A jury convicted James Stephens of burglary,
See footnote
a Class B felony, and theft,
See footnote
a Class D felony. Stephens presents for our review the following three
restated issues:
I. Whether the trial court abused its discretion when it admitted evidence obtained in
a warrantless search of Stephenss vehicle.
II. Whether the trial court erred when it admitted evidence of other crimes in
which Stephens was allegedly involved.
III. Whether the trial court correctly calculated credit time for days Stephens served in
jail.
We affirm.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
The facts most favorable to the judgment reveal that on May 5, 1998,
Lois McDonald returned to her home on 7638 East Michigan Street in Indianapolis
to find that it had been burglarized. She reported as missing her
television, wallet, a gold bracelet, and two social security checks. Detective Sergeant
Belle McAtee of the Marion County Sheriffs Department was assigned to investigate the
incident.
A week later, on May 12, 1998, Jean Cox reported to the Marion
County Sheriffs Department suspicious activity occurring in the 900 block of North Belmar
Avenue, involving a van parked facing the wrong way in the street, and
a man traversing back and forth between various houses and the van.
Deputy Sheriff Henry Rendleman responded to the call, found Stephens in the
residence of 942 North Belmar and arrested him for burglary.
Rendleman ordered the van impounded, and McAtee and Lieutenant Mike Koons conducted an
inventory search of Stephenss van for valuables. McAtee found a wallet and
two social security checks in the van, and recognized McDonalds name in the
wallet and on the checks as that of the victim in the May
5 burglary that she had been assigned to investigate. McAtee ran a
computer pawn check and learned that on May 5, 1998, Stephens had pawned
McDonalds television.
After receiving his Miranda rights, Stephens confessed to taking the checks, a gold
chain and television from a house on east Michigan Street. The
State charged Stephens with class B felony burglary and Class D felony theft.
Stephens, after waiving his right to counsel, moved to suppress the wallet
and checks seized during the inventory search of his vehicle. The trial
court denied the motion. Additionally, Stephens filed a motion in limine to
exclude evidence of prior bad acts or other alleged crimes, which the trial
court granted. On October 12, 1999, a jury convicted Stephens as
charged. On November 17, 1999, the trial court sentenced him to fourteen
years imprisonment, ordering that he serve the sentence consecutively with a previous Marion
County burglary conviction. The trial court assigned Stephens fifteen days of credit
time for days he served in jail pending sentencing. Stephens now appeals.
DISCUSSION AND DECISION
I. Inventory Search
Stephens appeals from the trial courts admission of the wallet and social security
checks seized during the warrantless search of his van, arguing that the search
was not a lawful inventory search and therefore violated his Fourth Amendment protection
from unreasonable search and seizure. At the outset, we note that Stephens
failed to object when the State offered the evidence at trial. Failure
to object at trial to the admission of evidence results in waiver
of the issue on appeal. Woods v. State, 677 N.E.2d 499, 504
(Ind. 1998). We nonetheless reach the issue on its merits and conclude
that the search of the van and subsequent admission of the wallet and
checks was proper.
See footnote
The trial court has broad discretion in ruling on the admissibility of evidence.
We will not disturb its decision absent a showing of abuse of
that discretion.
Moore v. State, 637 N.E.2d 816, 818 (Ind. Ct. App.
1994), trans. denied, cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1165, 115 S. Ct. 1132 (1995).
Here, Stephens argues that the admission of the evidence was erroneous because the
search of the van was not a lawful inventory search, and instead constituted
a pretext for a criminal investigation.
Article I, section 11 of the Indiana Constitution and the Fourth Amendment to
the United States Constitution protect against unreasonable searches and seizures and, as a
general rule, require a search warrant as a condition precedent to a lawful
search. Moore, 637 N.E.2d at 818. However, the warrant
requirement is subject to a few well-delineated exceptions. Id. The State
bears the burden of proving that a warrantless search falls within one of
the exceptions to the warrant requirement. Id. One such recognized
exception is a valid inventory search. Id. at 818-19.
In determining the propriety of an inventory search, the initial inquiry is whether
the impoundment was proper. Id. at 819. The State must
demonstrate that: (1) the belief that the vehicle posed some threat or harm
to the community or was itself imperiled was consistent with objective standards of
sound policing, and (2) the decision to combat that threat by impoundment was
in keeping with established departmental routine or regulation. Id. The
question is not whether there was an absolute need to dispose of the
vehicle, but whether the decision to do so was reasonable in light of
the applicable standard. Fair v. State, 627 N.E.2d 427, 433 (Ind. 1993).
Here, Stephenss parked van faced the wrong way on a residential street fifteen
to twenty feet wide located near an intersection with very high motor vehicle
traffic, thereby creating a public motor hazard. Record at 166. Further,
because Stephens was placed under arrest, no one was present to take control
of the vehicle. Since the van would have been left unattended in
a public thoroughfare after Stephenss arrest, the decision to impound was reasonable and
lawful.
Having decided that Rendleman was justified in ordering the van impounded, we next
examine the reasonableness of the search. The search must be conducted pursuant
to standard police procedures, as evidenced by the circumstances surrounding the search. Moore,
637 N.E.2d at 820; id. at 435. Mere testimony of an
officer is insufficient. Rabadi v. State, 541 N.E.2d 271, 275 (Ind. 1989).
In this case, pursuant to standard procedure, Rendleman telephoned the Sheriffs
Department Central Records Vehicle Section (Central Records) and provided it with the pertinent
incident information, with which Central Records completed a tow card, explaining the reason
for the tow and identifying the investigator and the tow service that transported
the vehicle. McAtee and Koons conducted, in Rendlemans presence, an inventory search
of the vehicle for any valuable contents. McAtee found McDonalds wallet and
social security checks, which she inventoried and took into custody. Rendleman took
custody of the remainder of the recovered items, completed a property sheet, and
placed the evidence in the Sheriffs Department Property Room.
We conclude the inventory search was proper, and the trial court did not
abuse its discretion in admitting the evidence seized during the search.
II. Evidence of Other Crimes
Stephenss motion in limine sought to exclude evidence of prior bad acts, namely
other burglaries in which Stephens allegedly was involved. The trial court
granted the motion. Yet, at trial both parties presented evidence related
to other alleged crimes.
Specifically, Stephens cross-examined Detective Jerold Schemenaur, who was present during Stephenss confession, about
statements that Schemenaur had made to Stephens during the interrogation:
Q: Isnt it true, Detective Schemenaur that you stated to me during questioning: Okay,
I mean, we got to have, weve got ways of getting to the
truth by polygraph or whatever. We want the truth on this and
its got to be a truthful and accurate statement. Didnt you state
that?
A: Yes, I did.
Record at 249. By his question, and several to follow,
Stephens intended to imply that the police coerced his confession. The State
objected on the grounds that Stephens was taking the questions out of context,
and sought to elicit from the witness additional portions of the confession transcript.
Stephens did not object. In fact, on two more occasions, Stephens questioned
Schemenaur about statements he made to Stephens during the confession, and Stephens did
not object to the State eliciting additional portions of the transcript on its
re-direct of Schemenaur. Each of Stephenss questions to Schemenaur related to
other crimes about which the police were questioning Stephens. He now argues
that the trial court should not have admitted the evidence of other crimes,
pursuant to Ind. Rule Evid. 404(b).
See footnote We disagree.
First, Stephens failed to object to the admission of the evidence at trial.
Failure to raise the objection at trial waives appellate review.
Abdul-Musawwir v.
State, 674 N.E.2d 972, 975 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996), trans. denied (1997).
Second, the State did not present the evidence of other crimes to show
that Stephens acted in conformity therewith, as prohibited by Rule Evid. 404(b).
Rather, it offered the testimony to attempt to rebut Stephenss implication that his
confession was not voluntary. Third, whether Stephens opened the door to the
evidence is an admissibility of evidence determination, rulings that we reverse only upon
a showing of abuse of discretion. See Roth v. State, 550 N.E.2d
104, 106 (Ind. Ct. App. 1990), trans. denied, appeal after remand, 585 N.E.2d
717 (Ind. Ct. App. 1992); Fultz v. State, 439 N.E.2d 659, 662 (Ind.
Ct. App. 1982). We find no abuse of discretion here.
Finally, any alleged error in admitting the evidence would have been harmless in
light of the other evidence presented, including McDonalds checks and wallet found in
Stephenss van, and her television that he pawned. Berry v. State, 715
N.E.2d 864, 867 (Ind. 1999) (an error in admitting evidence will be found
harmless if its probable impact on the jury, in light of all the
evidence in the case, is sufficiently minor so as not to affect the
substantial rights of the parties); Barker v. State, 695 N.E.2d 925, 931 (Ind.
1998) (if defendants conviction is supported by substantial independent evidence of guilt, then
there is no substantial likelihood that the questioned evidence contributed to the conviction).
We therefore find no error in the admission of the evidence of other
crimes.
III. Credit for Time Served
A person imprisoned for a crime or confined awaiting trial or sentencing earns
one day of credit time for each day he is imprisoned for a
crime or confined awaiting trial or sentencing. IC 35-50-6-3. Determination of
a defendants pretrial credit is dependent upon (1) pretrial confinement, and (2) the
pretrial confinement being a result of the criminal charge for which sentence is
being imposed. IC 35-50-6-3; Bischoff v. State, 704 N.E.2d 129, 130
(Ind. Ct. App. 1998), trans. denied (1999).
Here, Stephens was arrested for the McDonald burglary on July 20, 1998, and
he was sentenced on November 17, 1999. The trial court ordered that
Stephens serve his sentence consecutively to another Marion County burglary conviction, for which
he was arrested and began accruing credit on August 4, 1998.
The trial court assigned Stephens fifteen days of jail credit time, from July
20, 1998, when he was arrested on the McDonald burglary, to August 4,
1998, when he began receiving credit on the other burglary charge. Stephens
argues on appeal that he is entitled to credit time from July 20,
1998, until November 17, 1999.
In support of his position, Stephens cites Muff v. State, 647 N.E.2d 681
(Ind. Ct. App. 1995), trans. denied. While out on bond on a
prior forgery charge, Muff was arrested on August 24, 1993, for two counts
of battery. Muff remained in custody for six months, from the date
of arrest for the battery charges (August 24, 1993) through the date of
sentencing for the battery charges (February 24, 1994). During that six-month period
of time, on September 8, 1993, Muffs bond on the forgery charge was
revoked and on November 18, 1993, he was sentenced for the forgery offense.
The trial court allocated jail credit time between the two consecutive sentences
for the two separate offenses, such that he received credit time for each
day he spent in jail, but did not receive double credit for any
period of time. On appeal, this court reversed, holding that the defendant
was entitled to full credit for days served for each offense. Muff,
647 N.E.2d at 684. The effect was that he received credit time
both on the forgery offense and the battery offenses for the period of
time from September 8, 1993 through November 18, 1993. We do not
agree with this result.
It is well-settled that where a person incarcerated awaiting trial on more than
one charge is sentenced to concurrent terms for the separate crimes, IC 35-50-6-3
entitles him to receive credit time applied against each separate term. However,
where he receives consecutive terms he is only allowed credit time against the
total or aggregate of the terms. Weaver v. State, 725 N.E.2d 945, 948
(Ind. Ct. App. 2000) (citing Bryant v. State, 446 N.E.2d 364, 365 (Ind.
Ct. App. 1983); Shane v. State, 716 N.E.2d 391, 400 (Ind. 1999); Ragon
v. State, 654 N.E.2d 906, 907 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995).
Subsequent to Muff, our supreme court in Corn v. State, 659 N.E.2d 554,
558-59 (Ind. 1995), denied an inmate serving time on an unrelated charge credit
for days he spent in jail awaiting trial on a subsequent charge.
The Corn court relied upon Emerson v. State, 498 N.E.2d 1301, 1302-03 (Ind.
Ct. App. 1983), which held that Emerson, who escaped from the Indiana State
Reformatory while serving time for robbery, received credit on the aggregate of his
two sentences by receiving credit on his robbery commitment. To additionally award
him credit on the escape sentence would be to award him double or
extra credit, a result the legislature did not intend. Corn, 659 N.E.2d
at 558 (quoting Emerson, 498 N.E.2d at 1302-03); see also Duncan v. State,
412 N.E.2d 770, 774-75 (Ind. 1980) (defendant held for a period of time
on two separate charges allowed only one credit for the time served).
To the extent that Muff permits credit for time served against each separate
sentence rather than against the aggregate of the consecutive sentences, thereby resulting in
double credit, we decline to follow it, and conclude that Corn impliedly overruled
it.
Credit is to be applied for time spent in confinement that is the
result of the charge for which the defendant is being sentenced. Bischoff,
704 N.E.2d at 130; see also Sweeney v. State, 704 N.E.2d 86, 109
(Ind. 1998), cert. denied, 119 S. Ct. 2393 (1999). In this case,
the Record indicates that Stephens was arrested and began accruing credit on August
4, 1998, for pending charges stemming from a prior unrelated case. Because
his confinement from that date forward was not a result of the charge
for which he was being sentenced, namely the McDonald burglary, we conclude that
Stephens was not entitled to credit time from August 4, 1998, to November
17, 1999, as he suggests. If Stephens were granted presentence credit on
the McDonald charge for the time during which he was accruing credit on
the unrelated conviction, he would effectively receive concurrent sentences, rather than consecutive sentences,
as ordered by the trial court in this case. See Corn,
659 N.E.2d at 559; Bischoff, 704 N.E.2d at 130-31.
Affirmed.
FRIEDLANDER, J., and DARDEN, J., concur.
Footnote:
See IC 35-43-2-1.
Footnote:
See IC 35-43-4-2.
Footnote:
Stephens also argues that the television and the Miranda consent were derivative
evidence acquired as an indirect result of the unlawful search. Because we
conclude that the search was lawful, we do not reach this argument.
Footnote:
Rule Evid. 404(b) provides: Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is
not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show
action in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes,
such as proof of motive, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of
mistake or accident, provided that upon request by the accused, the prosecution in
a criminal case shall provide reasonable notice in advance of trial, or during
trial if the court excuses pre-trial notice on good cause shown, of the
general nature of any such evidence it intends to introduce at trial.