Iseton v. State

472 N.E.2d 643, 1984 Ind. App. LEXIS 3173
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 27, 1984
Docket2-883A295
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 472 N.E.2d 643 (Iseton 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
Iseton v. State, 472 N.E.2d 643, 1984 Ind. App. LEXIS 3173 (Ind. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinions

SHIELDS, Judge.

Defendant Todd Iseton appeals his conviction in a jury trial of two counts of theft, class D felonies under Ind.Code § 35-48-4-2(a) (1982).1 He raises the following issues on appeal:

[646]*6461) Whether the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support the con- ~- viction,
2) whether it was error to admit into evidence the deposition of the victim, Miss Geneva Haines, and
3) whether it was error to overrule Ise-ton's objection to trial before a six-person jury.

Facts

In July of 1980, Miss Geneva Haines lived alone in a house owned by her niece and close companion, Velma Thresher. Because Miss Haines, then in her mid-seventies, was a financially conservative person, Mrs. Thresher was shocked when Miss Haines asked her for money. Miss Haines's bank checked its records, at Mrs. Thresher's request, and then contacted the Grant County Sheriff's department.

Upon investigation, Lieutenant Brown concluded sums of money had been taken from Miss Haines for repairs to her home that were not made. Because the person who purportedly made the repairs would call to arrange cash payments for the unmade repairs, Brown installed an electronic recording device on Miss Haines's telephone.

Using information from the recordings to time his observations, Brown watched Miss Haines pay a man, later identified as Ise-ton's son, in marked bills on July 2, 1980. On July 21, Iseton was arrested in Miss Haines's home; at the time of the arrest, Iseton was carrying $1,800.00 in marked bills from the July 2 payment and $280.00 Miss Haines had given him that day.

On July 28, 1980, Iseton was charged by information with two counts of theft involving the July 2 and July 21 payments. The case was tried October 21, 1982; Ise-ton voluntarily waived his right to be present at trial. Iseton's motions to suppress the deposition of Miss Haines were overruled, and the case was tried to a six-person jury over Iseton's objection that a twelve-person jury was constitutionally required. I. Sufficiency of the Evidence

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence

Iseton argues the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions. As to Counts I and II, he argues that after he voluntarily absented himself from the trial, the State failed to identify him (Iseton) as the person who committed the crimes. He also argues that the State failed to establish proper venue. As to Count II Iseton argues the State failed to prove any erimi-nal conduct by him.

In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we neither weigh the evidence nor judge the credibility: of witnesses. If there is substantial evidence of probative value to support the conclusion of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the verdict will not be set aside. Coburn v. State, 461 N.E.2d 1154 (Ind.App.1984); Gatewood v. State, 430 N.E.2d 781 (Ind.1982).

A. Identity of the Perpetrator

A defendant can expressly waive his right to be present at trial, Gilbert v. State, 395 N.E.2d 429 (Ind.App.1979), and the trial may continue in his absence. Taylor v. United States, 414 U.S. 17, 94 S.Ct. 194, 88 L.Ed.2d 174 (1973).

Even when a defendant is present at trial, witnesses need not point to the defendant to establish the requisite identification. State v. Schroeppel, 240 Ind. 185, 162 N.E.2d 683 (1959) (witness referred to [647]*647both "Sehroeppel" and "defendant" and said that the defendant was present in the courtroom); O'Brien v. State, 422 N.E.2d 1266 (Ind. (testimony showed defendant had identified himself by name to arresting officer); Preston v. State, 259 Ind. 858, 287 N.E.2d 347 (1972) (three witnesses referred to "defendant" as the person who committed the crime). Identification by name, for example, is sufficient. Broecker v. State, 168 Ind.App. 231, 342 N.E.2d 886, 890 (1976). See also Martin v. State, 457 N.E.2d 1085 (Ind.1984) (sufficient identification, in defendant's absence, in witnesses' references to defendant's name and to the "person who had been sitting at the defendant's table during voir dire" of the jury); Bullock v. State, 451 N.E.2d 646 (Ind.1983) (identification primarily by photographs, in defendant's absence).

While no witness pointed to Iseton and expressly identified him as the transgressor, known by Miss Haines as Mr. Dor-man, there was sufficient evidence presented at trial from which the fact finder could determine Iseton's identity beyond a reasonable doubt.

The deposition of Miss Haines included the following testimony: "Q. Did they arrest Todd Iseton? A. Yes, 'cause I told who he was. I identified him.

"Q. Did they arrest Todd Iseton?
A. Yes, 'cause I told who he was. I identified him.
Q. And that was the same man that
A. Yes. They'd been looking for him for a good while."

Record at 388-89. Lieutenant Brown, the officer who arrested the man present at the July 21 incident, referred to the person arrested as "the defendant"; Brown noted that when that person was arrested, "hle had identification on him to state that he was Todd Iseton." Record at 842. Anoth-

The evidence on the record is sufficient to support Iseton's identification beyond a reasonable doubt.

B. Sufficiency of Evidence Regarding July 2nd Theft

Iseton claims the State failed to prove he was involved with the July 2nd theft. He admits he was in possession of $1,800 in marked bills that were part of that theft but argues their possession alone was insufficient to support his conviction of Count II under the information.2 The evidence shows his son received the July 2nd payment from Geneva Haines.

Under Ind.Code § 85-41-2-4 (1982), a person who knowingly or intentionally induces or causes another person to commit an offense commits that same offense. This section effectively codifies the common law doctrine that a person who causes a crime to be committed by an agent is responsible for the acts done by the agent. See Ind.Code Ann. § 85-41-2-4 commentary by C. Thompson (West 1978).

The record shows that before the July 2nd payment Miss Haines received a telephone call from Iseton arranging that payment. After the July 2nd payment Miss Haines received a phone call from "those [whom the police] were investigating" (the "Mr. Dorman" Miss Haines later identified as Iseton) indicating that the amount picked up was not enough and that another payment would be necessary. The additional payment was set for July 21; Iseton was arrested in Miss Haines's house when he arrived to take payment on that date. Record at 342.

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Bluebook (online)
472 N.E.2d 643, 1984 Ind. App. LEXIS 3173, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/iseton-v-state-indctapp-1984.