Ditchley v. State

542 N.E.2d 996, 1989 Ind. LEXIS 265, 1989 WL 100761
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 31, 1989
Docket49S00-8810-CR-898
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 542 N.E.2d 996 (Ditchley 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
Ditchley v. State, 542 N.E.2d 996, 1989 Ind. LEXIS 265, 1989 WL 100761 (Ind. 1989).

Opinions

PIVARNIK, Justice.

Defendant-Appellant David Bruce Ditch ley was found guilty following a jury trial in the Marion Superior Court Criminal Division of two counts of Child Molesting and one count of Incest. He was also determined to be an habitual offender. The trial court subsequently sentenced Ditchley to a term of eight (8) years on Count I, Child Molesting, enhanced by thirty (80) years pursuant to the habitual offender finding, a term of two (2) years on Count II, Child Molesting, and a term of two (2) years on Count III, Incest. The terms on all three counts were ordered to be served concurrently.

Four issues are presented for our review in this direct appeal as follows:

1. trial court error in excluding testimony pursuant to the rape shield statute;
2. the giving of final instructions 38, 34, and 35;
8. refusal to inform the jury during the habitual offender phase of the trial of the penalties; and
4. sufficiency of the evidence.

The victim, LD., was born on July 13, 1975, and is Defendant-Appellant Ditch-ley's daughter. She testified that on several occasions during the summer and fall of 1987, her father would come to her bed at night when everyone was asleep and would fondle the area of her vagina with his fingers. He also placed his tongue there and performed cunnilingus on her. He would also attempt to have her perform fellatio on him by placing his penis in her mouth.

In November, 1987, Ditchley's sister Diana Rhude and her three children came to live with Ditchley and his family. The six children shared two bedrooms, Ditchley and his wife had their bedroom, and Diana slept on the couch in the living room. Di ana awoke one evening to the sound of one of the children whimpering and went into the children's bedroom to see if anything was wrong. She turned on the light and saw Ditchley on the bed with the victim. The victim's nightgown was pulled up to her waist and her panties (or shorts) were pulled down to her knees. When Diana [998]*998saw this she asked Ditchley what he was doing and he responded, "Nothing," and also told her to turn off the light. Diana went back into the living room and Ditchley shortly joined her there. He said that he "had to figure this out," and Diana agreed with him. She did not make an issue out of what she had seen for fear that Ditchley would make her and her children leave his home and they had nowhere else to go.

In January, 1988, the victim told a social worker at school that her father had been "messing with her." The authorities were contacted and an investigation ensued. Officer Linda Brown spoke with Ditchley and he told Brown that, if the acts had oc curred, it was due to his drinking and he therefore felt he was sick and needed help. Officer Robert Hinde spoke with Ditchley on February 5, 1988, and Ditchley told Hinde he did commit the acts on LD. He at one time would say he did it and at other times would say that whatever LD. said was true because he knew he was not right and was many times under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and needed help.

I

As a part of the investigation, LD. was examined by Dr. Susan Gail Pardieck, a pediatrician presently employed in the Sexual Abuse Clinic at Wishard Hospital. Dr. Pardieck gave LD. a physical examination. The doctor testified her findings were that L.D.'s condition in the vaginal area was consistent with someoné of her pubertal age. There was one interruption in the hymenal tissue which she stated was consistent with the type of abuse L.D. had allegedly suffered. That is, her hymenal opening was of sufficient size to allow digital penetration and that such penetration could be performed on her without undue trauma. Although the interruption could have been due to other causes, its size and location was consistent with digital penetration. She further stated it was impos-gible to determine just when it occurred.

Ditchley attempted to introduce evidence that LD. had complained that one of the neighbors had attempted to molest her about a year before any of these incidents. Her testimony was that this man had put his hand at her vaginal area but it was through her clothing; that is, he did not reach under her clothing and touch her directly. The court granted the State's motion in limine regarding this evidence pursuant to Ind.Code § 35-37-4-4, commonly called the "rape shield statute." This statute limits evidence that may be admitted concerning the past sexual conduct of the victim of a sex crime. Ditchley claims the trial court erred by excluding this evidence, claiming it was pertinent to his defense because the jury had a right to know LD. had had a prior sexual experience that could or might explain the hymenal tear revealed by the medical examination. Without this evidence, the jury would be left to infer that the only explanation of this hymenal tear was Ditchley's sexual abuse of LD. The trial judge indicated she had read all of the reports including L.D.'s deposition recounting the sexual abuse by the neighbor which indicated that the child told the police the neighbor's hands on her vaginal area were on the outside of her clothing. She then found that did not indicate any digital penetration. She therefore denied the motion to present evidence and kept the State's motion in limine in effect.

The trial court is vested with discretion in ruling upon a defendant's request to submit evidence of the victim's prior sexual conduct. The trial court has discretion in weighing the probative value of the evidence against its prejudicial or inflammatory nature. Thomas v. State (1984), Ind., 471 N.E.2d 681, 683. The rape shield statute does allow an inquiry into a victim's past sexual conduct when "a specific instance of sexual activity shows that some person other than the defendant committed the act upon which the prosecution is founded." Ind.Code § 35-37-4-4(b)(2); Thomas, supra. In Thomas, a medical examination revealed semen in the victim's vagina and scratches on her thighs. Defense counsel attempted to question her regarding her sexual conduct with her boyfriend earlier in the day, claiming that evidence could have accounted for the presence of the semen in her vagina and the scratches on her thighs. In Thomas, this [999]*999Court interpreted the statute to provide that any evidence which might be admissible under this exception can be admitted only if the court finds that its prejudicial nature does not outweigh its probative value. "This determination as with other issues on the relevancy of evidence in a criminal proceeding is within the trial court's discretion." Id. at 683 (citing Pearson v. State (1982), Ind., 441 N.E.2d 468; Turpin v. State (1980), 272 Ind. 629, 400 N.E.2d 1119). The evidence in Thomas showed that the police found the victim with defendant and his brother in a car parked in an unlikely place in an alley; that the investigating officer testified he heard the victim scream for help before defendant drove the car away in an effort to escape the police; that when the police finally were able to stop the car, they found the victim was nude, erying and scared and stated she had been raped by both men.

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Related

Seay v. State
698 N.E.2d 732 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1998)
DeMotte v. State
555 N.E.2d 1336 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1990)
Ditchley v. State
542 N.E.2d 996 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1989)

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Bluebook (online)
542 N.E.2d 996, 1989 Ind. LEXIS 265, 1989 WL 100761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ditchley-v-state-ind-1989.