Cook v. State

403 N.E.2d 860, 75 Ind. Dec. 446, 1980 Ind. App. LEXIS 1644
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 22, 1980
Docket1-1079A286
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 403 N.E.2d 860 (Cook 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
Cook v. State, 403 N.E.2d 860, 75 Ind. Dec. 446, 1980 Ind. App. LEXIS 1644 (Ind. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

NEAL, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Defendant-appellant Charles Thomas Cook, Jr., was convicted following a trial by jury of the offense of burglary, Ind.Code 35-43-2-1 (Supp.1979), and sentenced to the Indiana Department of Corrections for five years. Following his conviction, defendant requested that the trial court appoint an attorney to prepare his appeal. *863 We find no reversible error and, accordingly, affirm the judgment of the trial court.

FACTS

The facts of this' case most favorable to the State are as follows: Ellis Dyer (Dyer) and his son operate a general store in Glendale, Indiana. A burglar alarm is connected between the store and Dyer’s home about 115 feet away. On May 13, 1978, at 1:15 a. m., the alarm sounded in Dyer’s home. Dyer dressed, picked up a broom, and proceeded to the store, arriving approximately five minutes after hearing the alarm. There he encountered the defendant who was some 15 feet outside the store’s open door and 15 feet from Dyer. The area in front of the store was illuminated by a security light and several lighted soft drink machines. Dyer cried out at the defendant who then dropped several objects he was carrying. These were later identified as wristwatches taken from the store. At this point, Dyer fell. The defendant headed for an occupied car that was parked at the side of the store. Dyer got up from the ground, went to the parked car, and told the defendant not to get into the car, lest he would hit the defendant with the broom. Dyer was “half a car length” away from the defendant at this time. The defendant backed away from the car, crossed the road, and hesitated for some time. He was then 22 feet away from Dyer. Defendant then proceeded east on Glendale Road on foot.

The occupant of the parked car, who is unidentified, got out and asked Dyer what was going on. Dyer told him of the burglary and asked him to go to the home of Dyer’s son nearby and have him call the sheriff. Declining, the unidentified man drove off. Dyer went to his son’s home. His son then called the sheriff, reporting the burglary and that the burglar, a young white male, was last seen proceeding afoot east on Glendale Road. Dyer had examined the store’s door and noticed marks indicating that it had been pried open with a rounded tool.

Deputy Sheriff Steven Riney received the report of the burlary at 1:34 a. m., while he was patrolling an area approximately ten miles from the scene of the crime. He was apprised that the burglar had fled east on Glendale Road, and he approached the Dyer store on that road in a westerly direction. At approximately 1:55 a. m., Officer Riney noticed the defendant walking east on Glendale Road about a mile and a half to two miles from the Dyer store. Officer Riney stopped, had the defendant identify himself, and asked him if he wanted a ride. Officer Riney explained that he had a stop to make and then, if everything worked out, he would help defendant get on his way. 1 They then drove to the store. Officer Ri-ney asked defendant to accompany him into the store. The defendant bought a soft drink and entered the store, followed closely by Officer Riney. Upon their entrance, Dyer, who was inside the store, stated spontaneously, “That is the s.o.b. right there.” Officer Riney asked Dyer several times if he was sure and Dyer responded affirmatively. Officer Riney then arrested the defendant and gave him the Miranda warnings.

ISSUES

The defendant assigns the following allegations of error for our review:

I. Whether the trial court erred in overruling defendant’s motion to suppress evidence relating to the pretrial identifica-' tion of defendant by Ellis Dyer, the prosecuting witness.
II. Whether the trial court erred in allowing Dyer to make an in-court identification of the defendant.
III. Whether the trial court erred in admitting into evidence a photograph allegedly containing hearsay evidence.
IV. Whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence obtained by the State as a result of the allegedly illegal arrest of the defendant.
*864 V. Whether the trial court erred in not properly admonishing the jury after sustaining defendant’s motion to exclude certain testimony.
VI. Whether defendant was denied a fair trial because of the alleged incompetence of his trial attorney. 2
VII. Whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain the verdict of the jury.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

ISSUE I

Defendant argues that the trial court erred in overruling his motion to suppress testimony relating to his pretrial identification by Dyer. He urges that: the confrontation was unnecessarily suggestive and likely to lead to a mistaken identification; Officer Riney could have used less suggestive means to obtain the identification; and Dyer did not have sufficient opportunity to clearly observe the suspect he encountered outside the store.

We find no error here. An on-the-scene identification of a suspect which is “unnecessarily suggestive and conducive to irreparable mistaken identification” is a denial of due process. Stovall v. Denno, (1967) 388 U.S. 293, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199. Whether the confrontation at issue is to be so characterized is determined by considering the total circumstances. Stovall, supra; Hampton v. State, (1977) Ind.App., 359 N.E.2d 276. Pretrial confrontations occurring immediately after the commission of an offense and upon the apprehension of an accused are not per se unduly suggestive even though the accused is the only suspect present. Wright v. State, (1972) 259 Ind. 197, 285 N.E.2d 650; Hampton, supra. In Dillard v. State, (1971) 257 Ind. 282, 274 N.E.2d 387, 389, the Indiana Supreme Court stated that the test in Stovall, supra, focuses attention on two different sets of facts:

“(1) The facts bearing on whether the confrontation was conducted in such a fashion as to lead the witness to make a mistaken identification, e. g., how the police asked the witness to attempt the identification, what the witness thought he was doing, the displayed attitude of the police towards the suspect, etc. (2) The facts bearing on how good a chance the witness had to observe the perpetrator of the crime such that any suggestiveness in the conduct of the confrontation could be resisted by the witness and he could make an accurate decision as to whether the man presented was the man who committed the crime.

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Bluebook (online)
403 N.E.2d 860, 75 Ind. Dec. 446, 1980 Ind. App. LEXIS 1644, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cook-v-state-indctapp-1980.