Donald Charles Freeman, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 6, 2017
Docket82A01-1701-CR-19
StatusPublished

This text of Donald Charles Freeman, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Donald Charles Freeman, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)) 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
Donald Charles Freeman, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION FILED Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), 09/06/2017, 10:20 am this Memorandum Decision shall not be CLERK regarded as precedent or cited before any Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals court except for the purpose of establishing and Tax Court

the defense of res judicata, collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Matthew J. McGovern Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Anderson, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana James B. Martin Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Donald Charles Freeman, Jr., September 6, 2017 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No. 82A01-1701-CR-19 v. Appeal from the Vanderburgh Circuit Court State of Indiana, The Honorable David D. Kiely, Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge Trial Court Cause No. 82C01-1601-F3-240

Bailey, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1701-CR-19 | September 6, 2017 Page 1 of 18 Case Summary [1] Donald Charles Freeman, Jr., (“Freeman”) appeals his convictions, following a

jury trial, and his sentence for armed robbery, as a Level 3 felony;1 resisting law

enforcement, as a Level 6 felony;2 and resisting law enforcement, as a Class A

misdemeanor.3

[2] We affirm Freeman’s convictions, and remand for clarification of sentencing.

Issues [3] Freeman raises three issues on appeal which we restate as follows:

I. Whether the trial court abused its discretion when it admitted Exhibit 37, an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (“ATF”) firearms trace summary.

II. Whether Freeman’s two convictions for resisting law enforcement violate the prohibition against double jeopardy under the Indiana Constitution.

III.Whether the trial court should clarify its sentencing order to provide that all sentences in this cause run concurrently to each other and consecutively to cause number 82C01-1301- FB-34.

1 Ind. Code § 35-42-5-1(1) (2016). 2 I.C. § 35-44.1-3-1(b)(1)(B). 3 I.C. § 35-44.1-3-1(a)(3).

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1701-CR-19 | September 6, 2017 Page 2 of 18 Facts and Procedural History [4] In January 2016, Dolton Borders (“Borders”) arranged to deliver three grams of

marijuana to an unknown buyer. Borders drove to a liquor store on Fulton

Avenue in Evansville on the evening of January 8, 2016, to meet the buyer.

[5] Also on the evening of January 8, Trenton Terrell (“Terrell”) was with his

girlfriend, Shelby Carnes (“Carnes”), driving Carnes’ Nissan Juke in Evansville.

Terrell dropped off Carnes at Dick’s Sporting Goods (“Dick’s”) and proceeded

to the South side of Evansville to meet Freeman and another individual named

Isaiah. Freeman and Isaiah got into the vehicle, and Terrell drove the three of

them back to Dick’s to pick up Carnes. At Dick’s, Carnes got into the front

passenger seat, Freeman sat behind her, Isaiah sat in the rear driver’s side seat,

and Terrell continued to drive.

[6] Terrell drove to Fulton Avenue and stopped at the liquor store. Freeman then

exited the vehicle and approached Borders, who had already arrived at the

liquor store and was waiting in his vehicle. Freeman got into Borders’ vehicle,

and Borders showed Freeman the marijuana. Freeman pulled out a scale and

weighed the marijuana. Freeman then pulled out a gun, took the marijuana,

and demanded Borders’ wallet. Borders stated that he did not have his wallet,

and Freeman stated that he wanted Borders to show him that he did not have a

wallet. As Borders rose out of his seat to comply with Freeman’s demand,

Freeman saw that Borders had a holstered handgun. Borders’ handgun was a

nine-millimeter Smith & Wesson. While pointing his own gun at Borders,

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1701-CR-19 | September 6, 2017 Page 3 of 18 Freeman took Borders’ gun from him and exited Borders’ vehicle. Borders then

called 9-1-1 and reported that he had been robbed.

[7] Freeman got back into Carnes’ vehicle and told Terrell, “I got it.” Tr. Vol. III

at 89. Terrell then drove on Fulton Avenue toward downtown Evansville.

Meanwhile, officers with the Evansville Police Department (“EPD”) were

dispatched to Fulton Avenue in response to Borders’ 9-1-1 call. When Terrell

turned from Fulton Avenue onto Riverside Drive, several police cars pulled up

behind him and signaled for him to stop.

[8] When Terrell stopped the vehicle, Freeman exited from the back passenger side

of the vehicle and ran. EPD K-9 Officer Douglas Bueltel commanded Freeman

to stop, but Freeman continued to run. Officer Bueltel then opened the door of

his vehicle and gave his canine, Gero, the command to apprehend Freeman.

EPD Officer Zach Elfreich observed Freeman running from the other officers,

and followed Freeman in his vehicle. Near the “Spudz-N-Stuff” at Vine and

First Streets, Officer Elfreich saw Gero catch up with Freeman and grab onto

Freeman with a bite, but Freeman tried to continue running with Gero holding

onto his leg. Officer Elfreich then got out of his vehicle and ordered Freeman

to get on the ground. When Freeman did not comply with this command,

Officer Elfreich ran after Freeman and tackled him to the ground. Officer

Elfreich told Freeman several times to put his hands behind his back, but

Freeman did not comply and instead swung around and attempted to push

Officer Elfreich off. Freeman then struck Officer Elfreich in the face, causing

injury to Officer Elfreich’s face.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1701-CR-19 | September 6, 2017 Page 4 of 18 [9] The EPD found a .22 caliber handgun under the front passenger seat of Carnes’

vehicle, and the gun was plainly visible from the backseat area. The police also

found a metal fifteen-round Smith and Wesson magazine and a digital scale

lying on the ground next to the passenger’s side of Carnes’ vehicle. The police

found the nine-millimeter Smith & Wesson handgun at Vine and First Streets,

where Freeman had been apprehended, approximately two blocks east of where

the police stopped Carnes’ vehicle.

[10] The State charged Freeman with Count I, armed robbery, as a Level 3 felony;

Count II, battery against a police officer, as a Level 5 felony;4 Count III,

resisting law enforcement, as a Level 6 felony; Count IV, carrying a handgun

without a license, as a Class A misdemeanor;5 Count V, resisting law

enforcement, as a Class A misdemeanor; and Count VI, possession of

marijuana, as a Class B misdemeanor.6 Freeman’s jury trial was held on

November 9 and 10, 2016.

[11] At the trial, Borders testified that Freeman had stolen Borders’ gun on January

8, 2016. Borders described his gun as a “Smith and Wesson SD9 [with] a black

handle on it and the top part of it is silver.” Tr. Vol. III at 114. Borders then

4 I.C. § 35-42-2-1. 5 I.C. § 35-47-2-1. 6 I.C. § 35-48-4-11.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 82A01-1701-CR-19 | September 6, 2017 Page 5 of 18 identified State’s Exhibit 11 as a picture of his gun. Borders testified that his

guardian, Kenneth McElwee, had purchased the gun for Borders.

[12] EPD Officer Aaron Bourland, a crime scene detective, also testified. He stated

that he found the Smith and Wesson handgun at Vine and First Streets, “a

block or two” east of where the police stopped Carnes’ vehicle on January 8,

2016. Id. at 34-35.

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

Related

Hoglund v. State
962 N.E.2d 1230 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2012)
Treadway v. State
924 N.E.2d 621 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2010)
Lee v. State
892 N.E.2d 1231 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2008)
Henderson v. State
769 N.E.2d 172 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2002)
Richardson v. State
717 N.E.2d 32 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1999)
Juan M. Garrett v. State of Indiana
992 N.E.2d 710 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2013)
Speybroeck v. State
875 N.E.2d 813 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2007)
Espinoza v. State
859 N.E.2d 375 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2006)
McCovens v. State
539 N.E.2d 26 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1989)
Williams v. State
755 N.E.2d 1183 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2001)
Alexander v. State
768 N.E.2d 971 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2002)
Arthur v. State
824 N.E.2d 383 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2005)
Ronald Rexroat v. State of Indiana
966 N.E.2d 165 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2012)
Jeremy Ellis v. State of Indiana
29 N.E.3d 792 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2015)
Charles Stephenson v. State of Indiana
29 N.E.3d 111 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2015)
Cornelius Hines v. State of Indiana
30 N.E.3d 1216 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2015)
Brooks Berg v. State of Indiana
45 N.E.3d 506 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2015)
Newland McElfresh v. State of Indiana
51 N.E.3d 103 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2016)
Devon L. Hunter v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
72 N.E.3d 928 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Donald Charles Freeman, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/donald-charles-freeman-jr-v-state-of-indiana-mem-dec-indctapp-2017.