Evans v. State

460 N.E.2d 1232, 1984 Ind. App. LEXIS 2447
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 28, 1984
DocketNo. 4-1182A334
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 460 N.E.2d 1232 (Evans 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
Evans v. State, 460 N.E.2d 1232, 1984 Ind. App. LEXIS 2447 (Ind. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinions

MILLER, Judge.

Gary Evans was convicted of burglary-breaking and entering with intent to commit felony criminal mischief; that is, destruction of property in excess of $2500 (a class C felony, IND.CODE 35-48-2-1)1 in connection with a break-in at the United [1233]*1233Methodist Church in Rising Sun, Indiana. He was sentenced to five years. On appeal, Evans claims a number of errors justify reversal. We agree with one-that the facts, including Evans' intoxicated condition, the lack of any serious damage to the church and other surrounding circumstane-es fail to establish he in fact intended to commit massive destruction (in excess of $2500) of the church property. Because of our disposition of the case, we limit our discussion to the single issue of the sufficiency of the evidence.

DECISION

At the outset, however, before discussing the facts, we direct the readers' attention to the criminal mischief statute in effect at the time this crime was committed (IND.CODE 835-48-1-2).2 That law had three degrees and provided that a person who recklessly, knowingly or intentionally damaged the property of another person committed criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor. The offense became a Class A misdemeanor if pecuniary loss amounted to $250 and to a Class D felony when either (1) the pecuniary loss amounted to $2500 (2) the damage caused substantial interruption or impairment of public utility service, or (8) the damage was to a public record.

About 9 P.M. Saturday, February 6, 1982, Reverend and Mrs. Russell Lloyd Van Sciver travelled to the United Methodist Church in Rising Sun, Indiana in order to check on the heat in the building in anticipation of the next day's church service. They did not enter the building, however, after Mrs. Van Sciter noted that a glass door at the front of the church had been broken. Instead, Mrs. Van Sciver proceeded to the police station located next door to the church and reported the incident while Reverend Van Sciver waited outside. Police Chief Dick Powell was on patrol in the area and answered the call. He and the Van Scivers then returned to ' the church, where they found the defendant Evans in the church basement in an intoxicated state with blood on his face, hands and arms. Evans had his pants pulled down around his knees and had apparently urinated on a small table located in the room used for Sunday school. Window panes had been broken out of the glass doors on both the north and south sides of the church, and there was broken glass on the floor. A few metal chairs were overturned, a table had been displaced from its ordinary location and a cross and a pair of candlesticks kept on the table had been knocked to the floor. In an adjacent kitchen area, they found two coats Evans had been wearing and observed blood on the floor and fixtures.

Evidence at trial disclosed that Evans had consumed a number of beers with a ~ friend during the day, and had then drunk approximately twenty Bloody Mary mixed drinks in the space of an hour at the local American Legion Hall bar, leaving at about 8 P.M. in a highly intoxicated state. Some time after 8:80 P.M., Evans arrived at the "Fork & Spoon" coffeeshop (also in Rising Sun) with blood all over his face which apparently stemmed from a cut over one of his eyes. He remarked to Wyona Mosier, a coffeeshop employee, that it was raining outside (it was a dry night), and that he didn't know how he had injured his head. He then left, telling Mosier he was going to the police station across the street to get a ride home. Mosier watched him as he trav-elled down the street, noting he could not walk in a straight line. A short time later, she saw lights come on in the church next door to the police station.

Evans testified at trial he had no recollection of the evening's events after arriving at the American Legion Hall. Psychiatric reports filed with the trial court revealed Evans had a lengthy history of drug and alcohol abuse and antisocial behavior. Also entered into evidence at the trial was a report from Dr. J.J. Kelly, one of the psychiatrists who examined Evans, who in[1234]*1234dicated it was possible Evans had experienced an alcoholic blackout on the night in question which led to his inability to clearly recollect the time in question.

Evans was charged by information with three counts: Count I, burglary (breaking and entering with intent to commit theft); Count II, burglary (breaking and entering with intent to commit felony criminal mischief)}; Count III, Class A misdemeanor criminal mischief. At trial, the State agreed to lower the criminal mischief charge to a Class B misdemeanor because there was no evidence introduced of the amount of pecuniary damage. After trial by the court, Evans was found not guilty of Count I and guilty of Counts II and III. The conviction under Count III (criminal mischief) was later vacated, and Evans was sentenced to a five-year term on the remaining burglary count.

Evans asserts there was insufficient evidence that he intended to commit felony criminal mischief when he entered the church. We agree.

As previously noted, Evans was originally charged with two counts of burglary, the first alleging he intended to commit theft and the second alleging he intended to commit felony criminal mischief. The court found him not guilty on the charge based on the underlying felony of theft and guilty of that based on criminal mischief. Evans correctly points out the State offered no proof as to the specific dollar amount of damage (a fact conceded by the State at trial) and further urges there was no evidence to show his intention to inflict $2500 damage on the church's property. He also points to evidence of his extreme intoxication on the night in question and argues the evidence proved he was incapable of forming a specific intent to commit a felony.

The State, in support of the conviction, argues there was proof Evans had a hostile attitude earlier in the evening as shown by testimony of his drinking companion, Brian Colen, who said he left Evans at about 7:80 P.M. on the night in question because Evans was "getting rowdy," and he was afraid he was going to end up in a fight with him. The State urges this general hostile intent supports an inference that Evans, in drunken hostility, had specific intent to damage and desecrate a church in excess of $2500.

In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we will neither reweigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of the witnesses, but will consider the evidence most favorable to the State with all reasonable inferences therefrom. McDowell v. State, (1983) Ind., 456 N.E.2d 713; Newton v. State, (1983) Ind.App., 456 N.E.2d 736. We further note that in a burglary prosecution, the necessary intent to commit a felony may be inferred from the circumstances, including the time, force and manner of entry. Turpin v. State, (1982) Ind., 435 N.E.2d 1; Vaughan v. State, (1983) Ind.App., 446 N.E.2d 1; Sluss v. State, (1982) Ind.App., 486 N.E.2d 907.

In order to sustain a burglary conviction against Evans, the State had to prove he had the intent to commit a felony at the time he entered the building. See Luckett v. State, (1972) 259 Ind. 174, 284 N.E.2d 738.

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Johnson v. State
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Bluebook (online)
460 N.E.2d 1232, 1984 Ind. App. LEXIS 2447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evans-v-state-indctapp-1984.