Greenlee v. State

477 N.E.2d 917, 1985 Ind. App. LEXIS 2401
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided May 15, 1985·No. 1-185A9·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

ROBERTSON, Judge.

Defendant Roger Greenlee (Roger) appeals from a conviction of theft. The issues raised on appeal may be restated as follows:

1) Whether the trial court committed reversible error when it admitted testimony regarding conversations between a police polygraph examiner and Roger during a post-testing interview;
2) Whether the jury verdict and judgment entered thereon were contrary to the evidence and law.

We affirm.

On November 9, 1988, Randy Greenlee (Randy) and John Bender (John) stole approximately 508 pounds of scrap metal from Dumes Brothers Salvage Yard. The *919 next morning, Randy asked his brother Roger to accompany him and John as they went to sell the scrap metal. Roger asked Randy where the scrap metal came from; Randy responded that he and John had collected it. Roger thought that the scrap metal might have been stolen, but he did not question Randy or John further. The three boys drove to A. Silver and Sons junkyard. Roger and John went to the proprietor's office to collect payment for the serap metal. A receipt was made out in the name of Greenlee.

Subsequently, an information for theft was filed against Roger. The jury found Roger guilty of theft, and judgment was entered on the verdict.

ISSUE ONE

During pre-trial plea negotiations, Roger consented to a polygraph examination administered by a qualified police officer. At the conclusion of the examination, the officer informed Roger that the test indicated deception. Roger was given an opportunity to explain why certain answers were bothering him. Roger admitted that he "had a thought it [the serap metal] was stolen but he preferred not to ask because he really didn't want to know what they were up to." The police officer was permitted to testify at trial as to this conversation.

Roger challenges on several grounds the admissibility of the police officer's testimony. Roger first asserts that the testimony arose out of a non-stipulated polygraph examination and was, therefore, inadmissible. In Indiana, the results of a polygraph examination are inadmissible absent waiver or stipulation. Helton v. State, (1980) 273 Ind. 211, 213, 402 N.E.2d 1263, 1265. "Although the results of the polygraph examination were not admissible into evidence, the statements made in response to questioning during the course of the polygraph examination surely would have been." Wyrick v. Fields, (1982), 459 U.S. 42, 103 S.Ct. 394, 396 n. 1, 74 L.Ed.2d 214. Hence, Roger's first assertion is unavailing.

Roger contends in the alternative that the testimony of the police officer violated the attorney-client privilege. Relying on Brown v. State, (1983) Ind., 448 N.E.2d 10, Roger proposes that the police officer was an agent of defense counsel and that the attorney-client privilege at tached to communications between the officer and Roger. The supreme court in Brown extended the attorney-client privilege to an attorney's agent provided the communication at issue involved the subject matter about which the attorney was consulted and the agent was retained to assist the attorney in his role of advisor or advocate. Id. at 14. In the instant case, Roger's attorney did not retain the police officer to assist him in rendering advice or conducting litigation. Defense counsel agreed to the polygraph examination as part of plea negotiations; if Roger had passed the polygraph examination, the charge against him would have been dropped. Therefore, Roger's reliance on Brown is misplaced.

Roger's third argument is that the trial court violated his Fifth Amendment rights by admitting into evidence the statement made by Roger during the post-examination interrogation. The United States Supreme Court addressed a similar argument in Wyrick v. Fields, supra. Fields and his attorney had agreed that Fields should take a polygraph examination. Pri- or to the examination, Fields was informed orally and in writing of his Miranda rights. Fields then signed a waiver of those rights. At the conclusion of the examination, Fields was advised that there had been deception. Fields, attempting to explain his answers made a damaging admission. Subsequently, Fields sought to suppress that testimony.

The Supreme Court noted that Fields had waived his Fifth Amendment rights with regard to the polygraph examination itself. The issue was whether Fields had waived his rights with regard to the post-test interview. The Court suggested that the questions put to Fields after the examination would not have caused him to forget the *920 rights of which he had been informed and which he had understood moments before. The-transition from the polygraph examination to the post-test interview did not represent a serious change of cireumstances which would render Fields' answers involuntary. Therefore, the knowing and intelligent relinquishment of rights continued during the post-examination interrogation. Id., 108 S.Ct. at 396-97.

The Supreme Court's analysis is equally persuasive when applied to the facts in the instant cage. Roger was informed verbally and in writing of his Miranda rights. The examining officer ascertained that Roger understood those rights. Roger then signed a waiver of rights. As in Wyrick v. Fields, this knowing and intelligent waiver continued throughout the polygraph examination and post-test interview. There was, consequently, no violation of Roger's Fifth Amendment rights.

Roger's final contention is that the post-test interrogation and its subsequent admission into evidence impinged upon his Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Under the Sixth Amendment, the accused has a right to counsel at any stage of the prose-ecution (1) where incrimination may occur or (2) where the opportunity for effective defense must be seized or be foregone. Manley v. State, (1980) Ind.App., 410 N.E.2d 1338, 1342. The polygraph examination and the post-test interrogation constituted a critical stage of the proceedings, triggering the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

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

Greenlee v. State, 477 N.E.2d 917, 1985 Ind. App. LEXIS 2401 (Ind. Ct. App. 1985).

477 N.E.2d 917 (Greenlee v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

McVey v. State
863 N.E.2d 434 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2007)
Kochersperger v. State
725 N.E.2d 918 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2000)
Callis v. State
684 N.E.2d 233 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1997)
J.L. v. State
599 N.E.2d 208 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1992)
Matter of JL
599 N.E.2d 208 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1992)
Casada v. State
544 N.E.2d 189 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1989)
Watkins v. State
528 N.E.2d 456 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1988)
Williams v. State
489 N.E.2d 594 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1986)