Blake John Drapeau v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided February 16, 2016·No. 82A01-1506-CR-616·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be Feb 16 2016, 8:37 am

regarded as precedent or cited before any court except for the purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata, collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Scott L. Barnhart Gregory F. Zoeller Brooke Smith Attorney General of Indiana Keffer Barnhart LLP Indianapolis, Indiana Chandra K. Hein Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Blake John Drapeau, February 16, 2016 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.

82A01-1506-CR-616

v. Appeal from the Vanderburgh Circuit Court

State of Indiana, The Honorable David D. Kiely, Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge

Trial Court Cause No.

82C01-1501-F6-453

Najam, Judge Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1506-CR-616 | February 16, 2016 Page 1 of 19

Statement of the Case

[1] Blake Drapeau appeals his conviction for criminal trespass, as a Class A

misdemeanor, and resisting law enforcement, as a Class A misdemeanor, following a bench trial. Drapeau raises three issues for our review, which we consolidate and restate as follows:

1. Whether the State presented sufficient evidence to support his convictions for criminal trespass and resisting law enforcement.

2. Whether there was a material and fatal variance between the crime of criminal trespass charged and the theory and evidence of criminal trespass presented at trial.

[2] We affirm.1

Facts and Procedural History [3] Sandra Beauchamp, Drapeau’s mother, lived at an apartment complex in

Evansville. She and her boyfriend, Paul, were the only persons listed as the leaseholders of the apartment. However, Drapeau had a key to Beauchamp’s apartment and he periodically stayed there in a bed that was set up for him. He also kept his clothing at his mother’s apartment and used his food stamps to buy food that he sometimes shared with his mother and her boyfriend.

1 We heard oral argument in this case at Vincennes University on January 26, 2016.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1506-CR-616 | February 16, 2016 Page 2 of 19

[4] As of November 4, 2012, the management of the apartment complex and an Evansville police officer had banned Drapeau from the complex where his mother’s apartment was located. That information was placed on an alert system available to the local police, and Drapeau also had personal knowledge of this ban by management. Beauchamp, too, told Drapeau on at least one occasion that he had to leave her apartment, and she asked him to give back his apartment key. She also reminded Drapeau that he had been banned from the apartment by management. However, Drapeau continued to return to the apartment.

[5] On January 18, 2015, Drapeau had been drinking alcohol. At approximately 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., he and some of his friends came to his mother’s apartment, and Drapeau used his key to unlock the apartment door. Upon discovering that a chair had been placed in front of the door to block the entrance, Drapeau forced the door open. He asked Beauchamp for the keys to her car, which she refused. Drapeau’s friends then left and he fell asleep on the mattress in the living room. Beauchamp then called the police to report that Drapeau was trespassing.

[6] Officers Elizabeth McKinney and Nathan Jones from the Evansville Police Department arrived at Beauchamp’s apartment at approximately 5:30 a.m. Before her arrival, Officer McKinney had been given an alert from the police department “system” that Drapeau had been banned from the apartment complex by the property management and another police officer. Tr. at 35. Officer McKinney was wearing a body camera that recorded the entire Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1506-CR-616 | February 16, 2016 Page 3 of 19 interaction from the time she and Officer Jones entered the Beauchamp residence to the time they left.

[7] Drapeau was asleep on a mattress in the living room when the officers entered. Beauchamp informed the officers that she wanted Drapeau to leave, so the officers awoke him and informed him he must leave the apartment. Officer McKinney repeatedly offered to take Drapeau to a shelter or a friend’s house. Drapeau told the officers they “should leave,” gesturing toward the door. State’s Ex. 1 at 5:41:51 a.m. Drapeau then turned toward the door himself, and Officer McKinney grabbed his arm and told him to “come here.” Id. at 5:41:55 a.m. Although it cannot be seen on the video, it is undisputed that Drapeau pulled away from Officer McKinney’s grip and swung his fist at her. Officer McKinney ducked so that Drapeau’s strike never hit her.

[8] Drapeau then backed toward the door and held his hands up as Officer Jones pointed a taser at him. Officer Jones fired his taser at Drapeau while his hands were still up in the air. Drapeau was hit with two taser darts and fell onto his back onto the floor, yelling, “Don’t do it.” Id. at 5:42:02 a.m. Officer McKinney yelled, “Put your hands behind your back” while the taser was cycling. Id. at 5:42:04 a.m. The sound of the taser operating continued while Drapeau was lying on the floor with his hands held up in front of his face, repeatedly screaming, “Stop.” Id. Officer McKinney then told Drapeau to put his hands behind his back or he was “going to get it again.” Id. at 5:42:21. Drapeau continued to yell, “Stop,” and “Stop, please.” Id.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1506-CR-616 | February 16, 2016 Page 4 of 19

[9] Although the video from the body camera is too dark to see what was happening while Drapeau was on the floor, there was the sound of scuffling, which lasted approximately forty seconds. Id. The officers loudly instructed Drapeau to turn over onto his stomach and tried to assist him in doing so as he yelled, “I’m trying.” Id. at 5:42:33 a.m. After an inaudible statement from one of the officers, Drapeau yelled, “I’m trying to, I’m trying to.” Id. at 5:42:35 a.m. One of the officers then said, “let go,” to which Drapeau replied, “I’m trying to.” Id. at 5:42:41 a.m. There was the continued sound of scuffling, then Drapeau yelled, “don’t hurt me.” Id. at 5:42:50 a.m. Officer McKinney shouted “stop” several times, then asked, “Are you done?” Id. at 5:42:59 a.m. Drapeau said, “yes.” Id. at 5:43:00 a.m. The officers handcuffed Drapeau, assisted him in standing up, and removed him from the apartment.

[10] Drapeau was charged with attempted battery against a public safety officer, based on his attempt to strike Officer McKinney. Appellant’s App. at 16-17. He was also charged with forcibly resisting law enforcement, based on his failure to place his hands behind his back as ordered after he had been tased. Id.; Tr. at 52. And Drapeau was charged with criminal trespass for not having a contractual interest in Beachamp’s property, yet knowingly entering that property after having been denied entry by Beauchamp or her agent. Id. at 17. At trial, the video tape from Officer McKinney’s body camera was played for the court and entered into evidence as State’s Exhibit 1.

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