Arhelger v. State

714 N.E.2d 659, 1999 Ind. App. LEXIS 1015, 1999 WL 410378
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 22, 1999
Docket82A01-9901-CR-30
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 714 N.E.2d 659 (Arhelger v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arhelger v. State, 714 N.E.2d 659, 1999 Ind. App. LEXIS 1015, 1999 WL 410378 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

BROOK, Judge

Case Summary

Defendant-appellant Henry August Arhel-ger, Jr. (“Arhelger”) appeals from his conviction for pointing a loaded firearm, a Class D Felony, 1 and his subsequent entry of judgment of conviction as a habitual offender. 2 We affirm.

*661 Issues

Arhelger raises three issues in his appeal, which we restate as

(1) whether the testimony of Jonathan H. Souba (“Suba”) 3 was so inherently unbelievable, inherently improbable, and incredibly dubious that the jury’s guilty verdicts cannot be sustained;
(2) whether it was error for the court to restrict Arhelger’s cross-examination of Suba after Arhelger attempted to make an offer of proof; and
(3) whether it was error for the court not to grant a continuance during the trial when a witness could not be located.

Facts and Procedural History

Our review of the record reveals the following relevant facts favorable to the judgment. At approximately 7:30 p.m. on February 27, 1997, Suba was walking on Franklin Street in Evansville. A white Honda automobile, which he recognized as one regularly driven by Arhelger, slowed down and pulled alongside him. Arhelger and his live-in girlfriend, Sonya Price (“Price”) were in the car. Suba knew both Arhelger and Price; Price had previously lived next door to Suba in his apartment building, and they were “fairly good friends,” but they had never dated romantically. Arhelger asked Suba how he was doing. Suba, who did not wish to speak to or associate with Arhelger, said only, “Hi,” and kept walking. Arhelger, however, repeated his inquiry, to which Suba replied, “Fine,” but kept walking; at that point, Ar-helger and Price drove on. Suba continued toward his home, several blocks away, and again saw Arhelger and Price, who had pulled into the parking lot of a laundromat on Franklin Street. Suba decided to approach Arhelger. He explained at trial, “I wanted to tell [Arhelger] that I wanted to exercise my right to not associate with someone that I don’t want to associate with....” Upon Suba’s telling Arhelger that he did not want to be friends, Arhelger became very angry and called Suba a “bitch” and a homosexual. Suba retorted that he was not a homosexual, but that Arhelger was. During the exchange, which lasted for about a minute, the two stood about three to four feet apart; Suba testified that he did not see Price during the exchange. Suba turned away and began walking toward his apartment. He then realized that Arhelger might be following him and headed past his apartment building and toward a public bar.

Arhelger had gotten back in his car and pulled into the parking lot directly to the west of the apartment building, blocking Suba’s path. Suba started to walk around the car on the passenger side, but Arhelger quickly got out of his car and blocked Suba’s way. He verbally accosted Suba, who did not respond; when Suba tried to go around him, Arhelger stepped in front of him, coming closer in what Suba perceived to be “like in an attempt at starting a fight or intimidation, at least, and then he stepped very close to me.” Arhelger continued to verbally accost Suba, whose only response was to try to get around him from time to time; each time Arhelger would step in front of him. Ultimately, Arhelger shoved him.

In response to the shove, Suba sprayed red pepper spray into Arhelger’s eyes. Ar-helger then reached in his pocket, quickly pulled out a small, black, revolver-type handgun, and pointed it directly at Suba’s abdomen. Suba, afraid of being shot, immediately turned around and ran. He ran in an arc, first to his right, then to his left, around the corner of a building in which a “Movies to Go” store was located. As he ran around the corner, he heard a noise that was “clearly a gunshot.” Reasoning that he would be safer among people and that Arhelger would be less likely to shoot him if other witnesses were present, he ran into the Movies to Go store.

Two Movies to Go employees, Brandi Delaney (“Delaney”) and Carman [sic] Rhodes (“Rhodes”), had heard the loud noise outside and remarked to each other that somebody had just been shot, or that perhaps a car had backfired. Immediately after they made *662 these comments, Suba ran in and asked them to call the police because someone was shooting at him. Fearing that Arhelger might be angry or irrational enough to follow him into the store and shoot, he went into the store’s restroom to hide, to avoid endangering any of the other customers.

Rhodes called the police, who arrived only minutes later. 4 Officer Tony Mayhue (“Officer Mayhue”) of the Evansville Police Department was dispatched to the Movies to Go store, where he found Suba “in the bathroom squatted down,” and appearing frightened. Suba told Officer Mayhue that “a gun was pulled on him by Mr. Arhelger and also a round was fired off.” Officer Mayhue then went to Arhelger’s address; Arhelger arrived approximately thirty minutes later and was arrested. To Officer Mayhue’s knowledge, Arhelger’s hand was not tested for powder, as is sometimes done to determine if a suspect has recently fired a gun. He also testified that no gun, bullet, or bullet casings were found at or near the crime scene, nor were any of those items found in Arhelger’s apartment, car, or on his person. However, Officer Mayhue testified, he would not expect to find a shell casing if a revolver had been used.

Arhelger was tried by a jury on January 2, 1998. The State had listed Price as a witness and had attempted to subpoena her. Arhelger had listed her as a witness but did not attempt to subpoena her. At the conclusion of Suba’s testimony, a colloquy was held outside the presence of the jury regarding the fact that although the sheriff had gone to two addresses given for Price, she had not been found. The State expressed a desire to continue the trial regardless of her availability; however, Arhelger’s counsel stated, “She is crucial to our defense.” At the conclusion of the State’s case and outside the presence of the jury, the parties again discussed the unavailability of Price and the effect it would have on Arhelger’s defense. Arhelger’s counsel asked for a continuance to “see if we can come up with her whereabouts.” When asked by the court whether he had issued a subpoena for Price, counsel responded in the negative, explaining, “[s]he was listed as a State’s witness and I had indicated that I intended to call all the witnesses that the State had listed as witnesses.” After taking Arhelger’s oral motion for continuance under advisement, then ascertaining' from the sheriffs deputy that all the possible addresses for Price had been checked, the trial court denied the oral motion for continuance. Arhel-ger then rested, without presenting any evidence or calling any witnesses. 5 He was convicted that day of the offense of pointing a firearm; he then pleaded guilty to the habitual offender count against him.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
714 N.E.2d 659, 1999 Ind. App. LEXIS 1015, 1999 WL 410378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arhelger-v-state-indctapp-1999.