Doss v. State

536 N.E.2d 516, 1989 WL 33869
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 3, 1989
Docket49A02-8805-CR-195
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 536 N.E.2d 516 (Doss 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
Doss v. State, 536 N.E.2d 516, 1989 WL 33869 (Ind. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinions

BUCHANAN, Judge.

CASE SUMMARY

Defendant-appellant Phillip L. Doss (Doss) appeals his convictions of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death,1 and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury,2 challenging the sufficiency of the evidence, contending the lower court erred in excluding certain evidence at trial, and that he was improperly sentenced.

We affirm.

FACTS

The facts most favorable to the judgment reveal that on February 17, 1987, at about 5:00 p.m., Doss purchased a fifth of whiskey and began drinking it. At approximately 9:15 p.m., Doss was driving his white Cordoba eastbound on 79th Street in Indianapolis, and another motorist observed Doss weave and cross the center line several times. Various witnesses testified that they saw Doss fail to stop at a red traffic light at the intersection of 79th and Michigan Road, proceed into the intersection and collide with an MG Midget. The MG Midget contained two occupants, Bonnie J. Overpeck (Bonnie) the driver, and Amanda Overpeck (Amanda), her daughter. Bonnie and Amanda had been traveling southbound on Michigan Road and lawfully entered the intersection. The collision resulted in the death of Bonnie. Amanda was unconscious for three weeks, suffered a broken ankle and a broken jaw, and other injuries. When police arrived they observed that Doss slurred his speech and smelled strongly of alcohol. Doss was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital and a blood alcohol test revealed that Doss had a .29 percent blood alcohol level. Doss was arrested, and following a trial by court'on September 29 and 30th, 1987, he was sentenced to 5 years for operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and 3 years for operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, the sentences to run concurrently.

[518]*518ISSUES

1. Whether the evidence is sufficient to support the convictions?

2. Whether the trial court erred in excising a witness’s statement from a police report entered into evidence?

3. Whether the trial court improperly sentenced Doss?

DECISION

ISSUE ONE—Was the evidence sufficient to support the convictions?

PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS—Doss argues the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions. The State responds that it was sufficient.

CONCLUSION—The evidence was sufficient to support the convictions.

Under our standard of review, the evidence sufficiently supported the convictions. To establish the crime of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated resulting in death the State must prove that: (1) defendant was driving while intoxicated and (2) his act of doing so resulted in the death of another person. Rippy v. State (1986), Ind.App., 493 N.E.2d 477 trans. denied; IC 9-11-2-5. To establish the crime of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated resulting in serious bodily injury, the State must prove that the defendant was driving while intoxicated and that he caused serious bodily injury to another person. IC 9-11-2-4.

The evidence is clear that Doss was driving while intoxicated. He was seen to weave his car back and forth across the road. Record at 137. Doss’s speech was slurred, he smelled of alcohol, and he had a blood alcohol level of .29 percent. Record at 206, 222, 223, 311. The evidence also shows that Doss illegally entered the intersection and struck Bonnie’s automobile causing her death and causing Amanda’s serious injuries. Record at 132, 160-165. The evidence overwhelmingly supports the convictions.

ISSUE TWO—Did the court err in excising a witness’s statement from a police report entered into evidence?

PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS—Doss argues that the statement was admissible and should not have been excised. The State responds that the issue is waived because the excluded evidence is not preserved in the record.

CONCLUSION—Any error is waived.

Doss’s second allegation of error, that the trial court erred in excising a witness’s statement from the police report, is not properly before this court. To preserve an exclusion issue, the refused evidence must be placed in the record as an excluded exhibit. Lopez v. State (1988), Ind., 527 N.E.2d 1119; Doerner v. State (1986), Ind., 500 N.E.2d 1178. If the refused evidence is not made part of the record, any alleged error is waived on appeal.

Even if the issue had been properly preserved, there was no reversible error. At trial, Doss sought to introduce a statement of a witness to the accident which was contained in the police report. The statement was not submitted to prove any fact stated therein, but merely to color the police officer’s testimony. The existence of the statement, the fact it contradicted other statements in the report, and the officer’s non-reliance on the statement were all before the court. After discussing its relevancy with the officer, the court concluded the statement was irrelevant and excised it from the report. Record at 323-339. While the evidence may have been admissible, its exclusion constitutes reversible error only if it is demonstrated that the error resulted in such prejudice that the appellant was denied a fair trial. Lopez, supra. Doss has not shown how he was harmed, nor has he shown any prejudicial impact. Therefore, any error in excising the statement from the police report does not warrant reversal.

ISSUE THREE—Did the court improperly sentence Doss?

PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS—Doss argues that the court improperly considered aggravating circumstances when it sentenced him. The State counters that the sentence was not manifestly unreasonable.

CONCLUSION—Doss was properly sentenced.

When a trial court imposes the presumptive sentence, it is under no obligation to explain its reasons for doing so. Finch [519]*519v. State (1987), Ind., 510 N.E.2d 673. Doss was given the presumptive sentence for both charges. When Doss was sentenced, the trial court determined that there were mitigating and aggravating circumstances. At the hearing, the trial court observed, as an aggravating factor, that a lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the offense. It also heard the testimony of many witnesses concerning Doss’s employment record and exemplary lifestyle, and considered those as mitigating circumstances. Record at 717-722. We will only revise a sentence if the sentence imposed is manifestly unreasonable in light of the nature of the offense and the character of the offender. Douglas v. State (1985), Ind., 481 N.E.2d 107; Ind. Rules of Procedure, Appellate Review of Sentences Rule 2. A sentence is not manifestly unreasonable unless no reasonable person could find such sentence appropriate to the particular offense and offender for which such sentence was imposed. A.R.S.R. 2.

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

Related

Singh v. Lyday
889 N.E.2d 342 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)
Payne v. State
658 N.E.2d 635 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1995)
Powell v. State
574 N.E.2d 331 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1991)
Adams v. State
542 N.E.2d 1362 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1989)
Doss v. State
536 N.E.2d 516 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
536 N.E.2d 516, 1989 WL 33869, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doss-v-state-indctapp-1989.