Hale v. State

888 N.E.2d 314, 2008 Ind. App. LEXIS 1252, 2008 WL 2390435
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 13, 2008
Docket18A02-0709-CR-813
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 888 N.E.2d 314 (Hale 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
Hale v. State, 888 N.E.2d 314, 2008 Ind. App. LEXIS 1252, 2008 WL 2390435 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

KIRSCH, Judge.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Roger L. Hale, Jr. pled guilty to causing death while operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent (“ACE”) of at *316 least. 15, 1 as a Class B felony. The trial court sentenced him to twenty years, with ten years executed and ten years suspended to probation. As a term of probation, the trial court also prohibited Hale from driving for ten years. On appeal, Hale raises the following two issues:

I. Whether his sentence was inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and his character.
II. Whether the trial court abused its discretion in prohibiting Hale from operating a motor vehicle as a term of probation.

We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Hale and his girlfriend, Bonnie, had been involved in a relationship for approximately five years, and were the parents of a child. On December 23, 2006, the couple attended a Christmas party in Muncie, Indiana, during which Hale used marijuana and drank alcohol. After leaving the party, Hale drove, with Bonnie as his passenger, through residential areas of Mun-cie at speeds approaching eighty miles per hour. At some point, Hale crashed through a fence and struck a tree. Bonnie died at the scene of the accident.

On March 30, 2007, the State charged Hale with Count 1, causing death while operating a motor vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance in the blood, a Class B felony; Count 2, causing death while operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more, a Class B felony; and Count 3, possession of marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor. At his initial hearing, Hale entered a plea of not guilty as to each count. Thereafter, on July 23, 2007, Hale entered a written plea of guilty to Count 2, and in exchange, the State agreed to dismiss Counts 1 and 3. Appellant’s App. at 29-30. Hale’s sentence was left to the discretion of the trial court, but his sentence was not to exceed ten years. Later, the plea agreement was modified in court to reflect that the sentence would not exceed ten years executed. Tr. at 28. Hale agreed that the trial court would determine the aggravating factors.

The trial court accepted Hale’s plea, held a sentencing hearing, and sentenced Hale to twenty years, with ten years executed and ten years suspended to probation. As a term of his probation, Hale was ordered to refrain from operating any type of motor vehicle during his ten years of probation. Hale now appeals.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

I. Appropriateness of Sentence

Hale first contends that his sentence is inappropriate. Specifically, he contends that based on the nature of the offense and his character he should have received a six-year sentence — the minimum mandatory sentence for a Class B felony.

In imposing the sentence, the trial court found as aggravating circumstances that: (1) Hale has “a long history of contact with the criminal justice system, dating back to 1998, consisting of a prior felony conviction *317 and five (5) misdemeanor convictions;” (2) of these five prior misdemeanors, three are for operating while intoxicated (“OWF); (3) Hale was on probation out of the State of Florida at the time of this offense; and (4) he has been placed on probation at least four times in the past, which the court noted had “not been effective.” Appellant’s App. at 113. The trial court found as mitigating factors: (1) Hale entered a guilty plea and accepted responsibility for his actions; (2) he still enjoys family support, which should aid in his rehabilitation; (3) long-term incarceration will be a hardship on his child; and (4) he has attempted to maintain some employment to help meet his family responsibilities. Id. Prior to imposing Hale’s sentence, the trial court made the following statement, “In imposing a sentence, the Court has considered [Hale’s] past record, the fact [he] was on probation at the time of the offense, and a pattern of offenses regarding vehicle violations.” Id. The trial court sentenced Hale to twenty years, of which ten years were suspended.

The legislature has established the parameters for all sentencing decisions. Each class of crimes sets forth punishment as a range of years with a stated advisory sentence. Recognizing that he was convicted of a Class B felony, Hale cites the pertinent language of IC 35-50-2-5: “A person who commits a Class B felony shall be imprisoned for a fixed term of between six (6) and twenty (20) years, with the advisory sentence being ten (10) years.” Hale acknowledges that his twenty-year sentence was authorized under IC 35-50-2-5, but argues it was inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and his character.

Indiana Appellate Rule 7(B) provides that we “may revise a sentence authorized by statute if, after due consideration of the trial court’s decision, [we find] that the sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and the character of the offender.” Our Supreme Court has observed that the language of this rule was designed to place “central focus on the role of the trial judge, while reserving for the appellate court the chance to review the matter in a climate more distant from local clamor.” Serino v. State, 798 N.E.2d 852, 856-57 (Ind.2003). However, the burden remains with the defendant to persuade the appellate court that his or her sentence has met the inappropriateness standard of review. Anglemyer v. State, 868 N.E.2d 482, 494 (Ind.2007) (citing Childress v. State, 848 N.E.2d 1073, 1080 (Ind.2006)).

In regard to the nature of the offense, the trial court noted that on the evening of December 23, 2006, Hale and Bonnie attended a Christmas party hosted by Bonnie’s employer and stayed for four hours. During that time, Hale drank six to ten beers and smoked marijuana. Tr. at 63. He then got into his car with the intent of driving Bonnie from the Muncie party to her home in Hartford City. At his sentencing hearing, Hale testified that he could not remember getting into the car, and could not remember anything about driving through the residential streets of Mun-cie at speeds up to eighty miles per hour. Hale also did not remember crashing through a fence and into a tree, which resulted in Bonnie’s death at the scene. A toxicology report prepared from a blood draw taken from Hale revealed that his ACE after the accident was .24. Tr. at 21.

While IC 9-30-5-5, in pertinent part, provides that a person who causes the death of another person by operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .15 commits a Class B felony, here, Hale’s ACE was .24 — well over the amount contemplated to trigger the Class B felony sentencing range. Further, Hale tested “presumptive *318 positive for Opiates” and had varying levels of marijuana in his system.

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Bluebook (online)
888 N.E.2d 314, 2008 Ind. App. LEXIS 1252, 2008 WL 2390435, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hale-v-state-indctapp-2008.