Dickson v. State

354 N.E.2d 157, 265 Ind. 325, 1976 Ind. LEXIS 389
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 20, 1976
Docket1175S351
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 354 N.E.2d 157 (Dickson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dickson v. State, 354 N.E.2d 157, 265 Ind. 325, 1976 Ind. LEXIS 389 (Ind. 1976).

Opinion

DeBruler, J.

Appellant, Robert Lee Dickson, was charged by information with the offenses of commission of a felony *326 while armed, to-wit: robbery, Ind. Code §35-12-1-1 (Burns 1975), and physical injury in the commission of a robbery, Ind. Code § 35-13-4-6 (Burns 1975). After a trial before the court, appellant was found guilty of both counts. However, after reconsideration, the court found appellant guilty of physical injury only, the armed robbery being a lesser included offense merged into the second count. Appellant filed a motion to correct errors which was overruled.

On appeal, he raises several interrelated issues: (1) whether the court committed reversible error in denying appellant a hearing on his motion to suppress the in-court identification as the product of a prior unduly suggestive confrontation; (2) whether it was reversible error to overrule appellant’s objection to the in-court identification; (3) whether the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for judgment on the evidence as to both counts at the conclusion of the State’s evidence, as the State had failed to prove a prima facie case; (4) whether the verdict finding appellant guilty of inflicting physical injury in the commission of a robbery was supported by sufficient material evidence of identity; (5) whether the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for mistrial at the conclusion of the State’s evidence, because of the court’s denial of appellant’s objection to the in-court identification. Separate issues on appeal are: (6) whether the verdict of sanity was supported by sufficient material evidence; (7) whether there was sufficient material evidence that the injury occurred in the commission of a robbery to overrule appellant’s motion for judgment on the evidence and to sustain the verdict.

We consider first the issue of identification. At trial, when the robbery victim was on the stand, the State asked him if the person who robbed and shot him was in the courtroom. He answered that he was and that he was sitting next to defense counsel. Appellant objected:

“Your Honor, I would object to any in-court identification by this man as a product of a complication which occurred on May 10, 1974, which was so unnecessarily suggestive and improper as to deny this Defendant due process of law as set down by Wade v. Gilbert.”

*327 And the following colloquy occurred:

“Court: Has there been any motion filed on that ?
Mr. Conway: No. There hasn’t, Your Honor.
Court: Rule Ten of this Court, under the Rules — Motions for Rules of the Case provides: ‘10a. All motions or petitions for orders fixing rules of the case such as but not limited to suppression or limitation of evidence or argument or available summary judgment procedure shall be filed no later than the case’s second weekday before the first trial date and stand for a hearing on the case’s last weekday before the first trial date.’ Now, ‘If for any reason such motion or petition has not been seasonably filed and hence is not determined before the trial date, the moving party shall, at least twenty four hours before trial time, move for a 8:30 A.M. hearing on trial date and be prepared to complete such hearing by 9:00 A.M. If such hearing requires longer, the Court may, if the failure to seasonably file was the fault of the moving party, treat any time beyond 9:00 A.M. as a late appearance and treat same as prescribed in Rule 2b.’ I’m going to enforce the rules of this Court. And, I will, therefore overrule the motion. Now, you may have a good reversal error. These rules have been in effect for a long time and I’m going to enforce them. Proceed.”

After this, the witness made a more precise identification of appellant by standing in front of him.

At a point perhaps five or ten minutes later in the victim’s testimony, on cross-examination, the following evidence was heard:

“Q. When was the next time you saw this individual after the shooting?
A. In the police station.
Q. Who was in the — whereabouts in the police station?
A. One of the upper floors. I’m not sure what floor.
Q. Were you in the open hallway or in a room?
A. In a room.
Q. Who was in that room?
A. There was the Defendant sitting at a desk with several officers around him.
Q. And, how did you get to that room ?
A. Well, I walked in through the hallway.
Q. Were you summoned to that room ?
A. Yes.
*328 Q. Do you know who summoned you to that room?
A. I received a phone call from a police officer. I don’t recall the name.
Q. And, then, you went to that room.
A. Yes.
Q. Was the Defendant the only — how do you know the others were police officers? Strike the beginning of that. How do you know the others were police officers ?
A. Well, I don’t. I just assume they were because there was guns on their hips. And, they were sitting around the Defendant.
Q. And, everybody was around the Defendant? Did anybody take any statements about the Defendant?
A. No.
Q. Did they ask you if you recognized him ?
A. Yes.
Q. One of the officers asked if you recognized him?
A. Yes.
Q. And, he was all by himself there surrounded by officers ?
A. I assume they were officers.
Q. And, they asked if this was the man who robbed you?
A. Yes.
Q. Nobody else in there. No other group of people. This wasn’t a line-up or anything like that?
A. No.”
Appellant objected at this point:
“Mr. Conway: Your Honor, again, I would renew my motion, suppression of the in-court identification. Court: The Court is going to enforce the rules. That’s what I wrote them for and, if the lawyers don’t find them, that’s just too bad. I — that doesn’t mean that I won’t take into consideration the circumstances.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Remsen v. State
495 N.E.2d 184 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1986)
Clark v. State
379 N.E.2d 987 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1978)
Bruce v. State
375 N.E.2d 1042 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1978)
Dickson v. State
368 N.E.2d 1358 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1977)
Stowers v. State
363 N.E.2d 978 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1977)
Anderson v. State
359 N.E.2d 594 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
354 N.E.2d 157, 265 Ind. 325, 1976 Ind. LEXIS 389, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickson-v-state-ind-1976.