Denzell v. State

935 N.E.2d 1245, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 1965, 2010 WL 4263736
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 29, 2010
Docket49A02-1001-CR-89
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 935 N.E.2d 1245 (Denzell 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
Denzell v. State, 935 N.E.2d 1245, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 1965, 2010 WL 4263736 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

*1246 OPINION

NAJAM, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Douglas Dengzell appeals the trial court's denial of his motion to dismiss a criminal charge against him. Denzell presents a single issue for review: whether the denial of his motion to dismiss violated his due process rights because, due to his incompetence to stand trial, he had already been confined longer than the maximum sentence the trial court could have imposed following a conviction. _

We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On July 17, 2008, a citizen flagged down Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Thomas J. Aguilar near a bar in Broad Ripple. The citizen reported that Denzell had refused several requests to leave the bar. Officer Aguilar also asked Denzell to leave, but Denzell refused. The officer noted that Denzgell's "gait was wobbly, his speech was slurred, [and] his eyes were glassy and bloodshot." Appellant's App. at 52. Officer Aguilar walked up behind Denzell in order to arrest him. When the officer asked Denzell to put his hands behind his back, Denzell turned around, "clenched up his left wrist and began to pull it back into his chest area and turned around with his right hand and threw a cigarette, balled his hand up as if he was going to punch [the officer.]" Id. With the assistance of another officer, Officer Aguilar took Denzell to the ground and, following further struggle, arrested Denzell. The State charged Den-zell with resisting law enforcement, as a Class A misdemeanor, and public intoxication, as a Class B misdemeanor.

On July 31, the court ordered a competency evaluation. On August 21, Dr. Phillip M. Coons, M.D., performed an evaluation of Denzell, and Dr. George F. Parker, M.D., prepared his evaluation on August 25. Both psychiatrists found that Denzell was not capable of assisting counsel in his defense, but Dr. Parker concluded that Denzell could respond to treatment and regain competence to stand trial in the foreseeable future. As a result, on August 28 the trial court ordered Denzell committed to the State Department of Mental Health and Addiction ("DMHA") for competency restoration services. Following acknowledgement by the Family and Social Services Administration ("FSSA") of the State's confinement authority, on September 5 Denzell was transported to La-rue D. Carter Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis.

On September 26, FSSA reported to the trial court that Denzell had been restored to competence and was capable of standing trial. But in October, before Denzell was returned to the custody of the court, FSSA reported that Denzell had decompensated due to failure to comply with his treatment regimen and was no longer competent. On November 25, FSSA reported to the trial court that Denzell had again been restored to competence and was capable of standing trial. Denzell was then returned to the custody of the court.

On December 11, Denzell requested to be placed in the mental health diversion program, and the trial court released him on his own recognizance. And on February 24, 2009, Denzell executed the diversion program agreement. But in June, he became noncompliant with his treatment regimen and failed to show for appointments. And on June 26, he did not appear for a hearing before the trial court. As a result, the court issued an arrest warrant. *1247 Denzell was returned to state custody on August 6.

On August 7, the court ordered another competency evaluation. Dr. Coons and Dr. Stephanie Callaway interviewed Den-zell, and both psychiatrists concluded that he was unable to assist in his defense at trial but could be restored to competence with treatment. On September 9, the court again entered a commitment order. On the same day, Denzell filed a motion to dismiss the charges on the grounds that he had already served, with eredit time earned, more than the maximum possible sentence that the trial court could impose if he were convicted of the charged offense. On September 23, the State filed a response to the motion, opposing dismissal on two grounds: (1) that mental health professionals had determined that Denzell might yet be restored to competency and therefore case law did not require dismissal, and (2) that the State had compelling interests sufficient to overcome Denzell's liberty interest.

On October 8, Denzell was transported to his treatment facility, the Logansport State Hospital. On November 20, the trial court denied his motion to dismiss. On December 9, that court certified the order for interlocutory appeal. 1

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Denzell contends that the trial court abused its discretion when it denied his motion to dismiss. Specifically, he argues that the charges against him should have been dismissed because he has served more time in pre-trial custody than the trial court could have imposed at sentencing. In support, Denzell cites State v. Davis, 898 N.E.2d 281 (Ind.2008). The State counters that Davis does not apply on the present facts and, therefore, dismissal was not required. We conclude that Dengell has not satisfied the test announced in Davis and, therefore, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it denied his motion to dismiss.

In Davis, our supreme court considered whether it was "a violation of fundamental fairness to hold criminal charges over the head of an incompetent defendant who will never be able to stand trial." Id. at 288. The court observed that the defendant had a substantial liberty interest in being free from involuntary commitment. The court further observed:

Justification for the commitment of an incompetent aceused is found in the State's interest in the restoration of the accused to competency because of the right of the public and the defendant to the prompt disposition of eriminal charges pending against him, Strunk v. United States, 412 U.S. 434, 439 n. 2 [93 S.Ct. 2260, 37 L.Ed.2d 56] (1973), and the protection of the accused against being required to answer to charges that she lacks the capacity to understand or to assist her attorney in defending against. Drope[ v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162, 171, 95 S.Ct. 896, 43 L.Ed.2d 103 (1975) ].

Id. at 289.

Significantly, the accused in Davis had been found unlikely ever to regain competency to stand trial, and the court had determined that Davis could not be restored to competency. The court held that under those circumstances the State would have to show "some legitimate interest in determining the guilt or innocence of [the] accused even though the accused, in effect, had already been punished." Id. But the State had offered no legitimate interest in determining the guilt or innocence of the accused that outweighed the accused's sub *1248 stantial liberty interest. Therefore, the court held:

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Related

Denzel v. State
948 N.E.2d 808 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2011)
Matlock v. State
944 N.E.2d 936 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2011)

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Bluebook (online)
935 N.E.2d 1245, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 1965, 2010 WL 4263736, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/denzell-v-state-indctapp-2010.