Emmons v. State

847 N.E.2d 1035, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 992, 2006 WL 1451529
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 26, 2006
DocketNo. 49A02-0506-CR-527
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 847 N.E.2d 1035 (Emmons 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.

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Emmons v. State, 847 N.E.2d 1035, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 992, 2006 WL 1451529 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

MAY, Judge.

William Emmons appeals the denial of his motion to dismiss misdemeanor charges against him. He raises one restated issue: whether the State subjected him to double jeopardy when it filed [1037]*1037charges against him after a prior proceeding against him had terminated.

We affirm and remand.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On April 5, 2003, and May 9, 2008, Emmons was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor,1 operating a vehicle with a BAC above 0.15, a Class A misdemeanor,2 driving while suspended, a Class A misdemeanor,3 and public intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor.4 A bench trial on all charges was scheduled for March 2004. After the witnesses were sworn but before testimony was given, Emmons moved to dismiss the charges against him. He argued the trial court lacked jurisdiction because the charging documents had not been file-stamped as required by Ind.Code § 35-34-1-1.5 The trial court granted Emmons' motion.6

The State filed charges against Emmons in July 2004 for the May 2003 incident and in August 2004 for the April 2003 incident.7 At a pre-trial conference on April 19, 2005, Emmons moved to dismiss the charges against him on double jeopardy grounds. The trial court denied Emmons' motion and then granted his motion for interlocutory appeal. We accepted jurisdiction of this appeal on July 15, 2005.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

We review for an abuse of discretion the denial of a motion to dismiss. Murphy v. State, 837 N.E.2d 591, 593 (Ind.Ct.App. 2005). An abuse of discretion occurs where the decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances, id., or when the trial court has misinterpreted the law. Howard v. State, 818 N.E.2d 469, 474 (Ind.Ct.App.2004), trans. denied 831 N.E.2d 735 (Ind.2005).

The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that no person shall "be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb." The Indiana Constitution, Article 1, § 14 provides: "No person shall be put in jeopardy twice for the same offense."

Before a defendant can be subjected to double jeopardy, he must be subjected to jeopardy. Accordingly, our initial inquiry is whether jeopardy attached in the first proceeding so as to bar a subsequent prosecution. It did not.

In a bench trial, jeopardy attaches when the court begins to hear evidence. Serfass v. United States, 420 U.S. 377, 388, 95 S.Ct. 1055, 43 L.Ed.2d 265 (1975); State v. Proctor, 471 N.E.2d 707, 707 (Ind.Ct.App.1984) (citing Serfass ). Under Indiana statute, jeopardy will also attach in a bench trial when witnesses are [1038]*1038sworn. See Ind.Code § 35-41-4-8(a)(@2) (barring re-prosecution if former prosecution terminated after first witness sworn in bench trial); State v. Erlewein, 755 N.E.2d 700, 707 (Ind.Ct.App.2001) (citing Ind.Code § 35-41-4-3). At Emmons' first proceeding, the witnesses were sworn but no evidence was heard. Thus, under Serfass and Proctor, jeopardy had not yet attached. Although under the statute jeopardy attached because witnesses had been sworn, "the conclusion that jeopardy has attached begins, rather than ends, the inquiry as to whether the Double Jeopardy Clause bars retrial." Illinois v. Somerville, 410 U.S. 458, 467, 93 S.Ct. 1066, 35 L.Ed.2d 425 (1973). See also Ind.Code § 35-41-4-3(a)(2) (listing six exceptions to rule barring re-prosecution after first witness sworn in bench trial).

If a defendant moves for or consents to the termination of the proceeding after jeopardy has attached, he forfeits his right to raise double jeopardy in further proceedings unless the motion was necessitated by governmental conduct, which conduct was intended to provoke or goad the defendant into seeking to terminate the proceedings. United States v. Jorn, 400 U.S. 470, 485, 91 S.Ct. 547, 27 L.Ed.2d 548 (1971); Whitehead v. State, 444 N.E.2d 1253, 1254 (Ind.Ct.App.1983). See also Ind.Code § -8(b) (permitting re-prosecution if defendant filed motion to dismiss in former prosecution unless prosecutor brought about cireum-stances prompting motion with intent to cause termination of prosecution). Em-mons forfeited his right to raise double jeopardy when he moved to dismiss the improperly filed charges in the first proceeding. Nevertheless, he argues the State is the source of the error (i.e., the defective filing), and is therefore barred under Crim v. State, 156 Ind.App. 66, 294 N.E.2d 822 (1973), from re-filing the charges.

In Crim, we noted "prosecutorial error which causes or constitutes the termination of the first trial" will bar a second trial. Id. at 77, 294 NE.2d at 829. Em-mons, in essence, asserts the failure to properly file-stamp the charging information is prosecutorial error rather than clerical error. We disagree. See Owens v. State, 263 Ind. 487, 495, 333 N.E.2d 745, 749 (1975) (failure to file-stamp charging information is clerical error correctable by nune pro tune entry). There is no indication the State failed to have the clerk file-stamp the charging information with the intent to goad Emmons into seeking dismissal of the charges against him. Em-mons' argument under Crim thus fails.

A defendant may also be retried if the prior proceeding was terminated because a legal defect in the proceedings would make any resulting judgment reversible as a matter of law. Somerville, 410 U.S. at 464, 98 S.Ct. 1066; Phillippe v. State, 458 N.E.2d 1159, 1164 (Ind.Ct.App. 1984). See also Ind.Code § 35-41-4S(a)(2)(iii) (prosecution not barred if former prosecution terminated due to "legal defect in proceedings that would make any judgment entered upon a verdict reversible as a matter of law"). We have explained: _

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847 N.E.2d 1035, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 992, 2006 WL 1451529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/emmons-v-state-indctapp-2006.