Cesar Chavez v. State of Indiana

988 N.E.2d 1226, 2013 WL 2402304, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 268
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 4, 2013
Docket49A02-1211-CR-892
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 988 N.E.2d 1226 (Cesar Chavez v. State of Indiana) 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
Cesar Chavez v. State of Indiana, 988 N.E.2d 1226, 2013 WL 2402304, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 268 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

NAJAM, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Cesar Chavez appeals his five convictions for child molesting, each as a Class C felony. Chavez raises two issues for our review, which we reorder and state as follows:

1. Whether the State’s five counts against Chavez were in violation of the continuing crime doctrine.
2. Whether the State’s charging information, which stated five identically worded counts against Chavez, denied Chavez due process.

We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On January 6, 2012, E.M.R., Chavez’s wife, babysat eight-year-old K.W. and others at Chavez’s home. At some point, Chavez and K.W. were alone in a computer room. Chavez kissed K.W. on the mouth and inserted his tongue into her mouth. While kissing her, Chavez put his hand underneath K.W.’s shirt and rubbed her nipple. Chavez also held his hand on K.W.’s buttocks. K.W. then left the room.

K.W. later returned to the room. Chavez again kissed K.W. and inserted his tongue into her mouth. While kissing her this time, Chavez placed his hand, over K.W.’s clothes, on her vagina. Chavez told K.W. to keep the occurrences a secret, and K.W. feared Chavez would harm her if she told anyone.

That evening, K.W. told her mother what had happened. K.W.’s mother called the police, and Chavez was arrested.

On January 10, the State charged Chavez with five counts of child molesting, each as a Class C felony. Each count was identically worded and stated as follows:

Cesar Chavez, on or about January 6, 2012, did perform or submit to any fondling or touching with K.W., a child who was then under the age of fourteen (14) years, that is: eight (8) years of age, with intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of K.W. and/or the sexual desires of Cesar Chavez.

Appellant’s App. at 23-24.

The court held Chavez’s jury trial on September 27. Chavez testified in his own *1228 defense and acknowledged that he had kissed K.W., albeit accidentally, but he denied inappropriately touching her. During the State’s closing argument, the prosecutor stated:

Chavez is charged with [five] separate counts of child molest[] because there were [five] separate instances of touching with fondling committed by the defendant that day[,] which I will go over with you in detail.
[[Image here]]
[Y]ou heard [K.W.] describe [five] separate instances of touching and fondling that day, at the defendant’s house, that constitutes the basis [sic] for the [five] different counts. And let’s go over those. The first kiss was the defendant’s tongue in her mouth, and she said that while that kiss was going on is when he had reached up under her shirt and touched her nipple ..., that would be the second count. And the third count is during that same kiss when he was touching her on the butt over the clothes.... The fourth instance was he kissed her again, and she said again it was with his tongue in her mouth. And she said that on that occasion he also touched her on what she called her pee pee, her vaginal area, and that would be number [five]. Those are your [five] different instances of fondling and touching.

Transcript at 144, 150-51. The jury found Chavez guilty as charged, and the trial court ordered Chavez to serve an aggregate term of four years in the Department of Correction. This appeal ensued.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Issue One: Continuing Crime Doctrine

Chavez contends that the State was not permitted to charge him with five counts of child molesting and, instead, his acts were one chargeable crime under the continuing crime doctrine. “The continuing crime doctrine essentially provides that actions that are sufficient in themselves to constitute separate criminal offenses may be so compressed in terms of time, place, singleness of purpose, and continuity of action as to constitute a single transaction.” Riehle v. State, 823 N.E.2d 287, 296 (Ind.Ct.App.2005), trams, denied. “[T]he continuing crime doctrine reflects a category of Indiana’s prohibition against double jeopardy.” Walker v. State, 932 N.E.2d 733, 736 (Ind.Ct.App.2010). As we have explained:

The statutory elements and actual evidence tests [of double jeopardy, as described in Richardson v. State, 717 N.E.2d 32 (Ind.1999),] are designed to assist courts in determining whether two separately] chargeable crimes amount to the “same offense” for double jeopardy purposes. The continuous crime doctrine does not seek to reconcile the double jeopardy implications of two distinct!,] chargeable crimes; rather, it defines those instances where a defendant’s conduct amounts only to a single[,] chargeable crime. In doing so, the continuous crime doctrine prevents the state from charging a defendant twice for the same continuous offense.

Boyd v. State, 766 N.E.2d 396, 400 (Ind.Ct.App.2002) (emphasis original). That is, “while Indiana’s double jeopardy clause prohibits convicting a defendant of two or more distinct!,] chargeable crimes when they constitute the ‘same offense’ ..., it also prohibits” charging a defendant “multiple times for the same continuous offense.” Walker, 932 N.E.2d at 736-37. Although Chavez did not object on these grounds in the trial court, the issue is not waived because, as a category of Indiana’s prohibition against double jeopardy, a violation, if shown, would constitute funda *1229 mental error. See Cossel v. State, 675 N.E.2d 355, 362 (Ind.Ct.App.1996).

On appeal, the State defends its five charges by analogizing the facts of this case to those in Collins v. State, 717 N.E.2d 108 (Ind.1999), and Brown v. State, 459 N.E.2d 376 (Ind.1984). In Collins, the court discussed two convictions for criminal deviate conduct, one based on oral intercourse and one based on anal intercourse. 717 N.E.2d at 110-11. Similarly, in Brown the court discussed multiple convictions for rape and criminal deviate conduct, which “occurred at different times.” 459 N.E.2d at 378. In both cases the court was concerned with whether the State had violated the defendant’s double jeopardy rights when it had obtained multiple convictions for separately chargeable crimes. Collins, 717 N.E.2d at 110-11; Brown, 459 N.E.2d at 378. But that is not the issue Chavez presents.

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Bluebook (online)
988 N.E.2d 1226, 2013 WL 2402304, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 268, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cesar-chavez-v-state-of-indiana-indctapp-2013.