Ishmell Neal Garrett v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided August 11, 2015·No. 45A03-1501-CR-32·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as Aug 11 2015, 6:33 am precedent or cited before any court except for the purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata, collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Kristin A. Mulholland Gregory F. Zoeller Appellate Public Defender Attorney General of Indiana Crown Point, Indiana Jonathan R. Sichtermann

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Ishmell Neal Garrett, August 11, 2015

Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.

45A03-1501-CR-32

v. Appeal from the Lake Superior Court.

The Honorable Samuel L. Cappas, State of Indiana, Judge. Appellee-Plaintiff. Cause No. 45G04-1207-FA-17

Darden, Senior Judge

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1501-CR-32 | August 11, 2015 Page 1 of 18

Statement of the Case

[1] Ishmell Neal Garrett appeals his convictions by jury of three counts of child

1

molesting, two as Class A felonies, one as a Class C felony; and, two counts of

sexual misconduct with a minor, one as a Class B felony and one as a Class C

2

felony. He also appeals the aggregate ninety-year sentence imposed by the trial

court. We affirm.

Issues

[2] Garrett raises two issues, which we restate as:

I. Whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain his convictions.

II. Whether Garrett’s sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and Garrett’s character.

Facts and Procedural History [3] During the course of the trial, the ensuing facts and evidence were revealed.

Garrett married Jessica Brawley, who had a three-year-old daughter, A.G., from a previous relationship. Garrett was A.G.’s primary father figure. He signed A.G.’s birth certificate as her father, and she called him “Dad.” Tr. p. 65. Garrett had three children from a prior relationship, including a daughter,

1 Ind. Code § 35-42-4-3 (1998). The General Assembly amended this statute in 2007, which was within the range of dates in which the State alleged the second count of Class A felony child molestation occurred. The 2007 amendment of the statute is not material to this case. 2 Ind. Code § 35-42-4-9 (2007).

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1501-CR-32 | August 11, 2015 Page 2 of 18

Stephanie. In addition, Garrett and Jessica had four children after they married.

[4] When A.G. was younger, Garrett called her “baby” or “boo,” among other nicknames. Id. at 70. As she got older, Garrett also called her “sexy” or “jugs,” in reference to her breasts. Id. at 70, 205. He did not have nicknames for any of the other children. He also bought her gifts as she got older, including movies and knives. Garrett did not buy similar gifts for his other children. Once, Garrett asked his half-sister, Shannon Lehmann, to tell his children that she had bought a DVD for A.G. when in fact he was the purchaser. Later, Garrett taught A.G. how to drive, but he did not teach any of his other children how to drive.

[5] When A.G. was eleven, the family lived at a home on Colfax Street in Gary, Indiana. Garrett began groping A.G.’s breasts, both over and under her clothes. This happened too many times for A.G. to remember an exact count. Garrett also penetrated her vagina with his fingers numerous times. Eventually, Garrett forced her to submit to him performing oral sex on her. On several occasions during this period of time, A.G. woke up to find Garrett lying next to her, once with his pants down and his penis exposed.

[6] Garrett attempted to joke with A.G. about his sexual activities with her; but, he also threatened her not to tell anyone else. He specifically told A.G. that she should not tell her mother about his molestations because “[her mother] wouldn’t care and she would believe him over [A.G.].” Id. at 33. Garrett also

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1501-CR-32 | August 11, 2015 Page 3 of 18 repeatedly told her that they were not blood relatives “so he was not doing anything wrong.” Id. at 65. A.G. was scared, confused, and hurt because she viewed Garrett as her father.

[7] Lehmann, who considered herself to be A.G.’s aunt, also noticed that A.G.’s parents quit allowing A.G. to visit her during this period of time. Previously, A.G. was allowed to spend the night at Lehmann’s house and go on trips with her. However, Stephanie continued to be allowed to spend the night with Lehmann, unless Lehmann also requested that A.G. be allowed to come over. These events “raised a red flag” to Lehmann. Id. at 148. Stephanie also noticed that A.G. was never allowed to go visit Lehmann or to spend the night at friends’ homes.

[8] When A.G. was twelve, the family moved to Kentucky. Garrett continued to fondle A.G.’s breasts and insert his fingers in her vagina. He also continued to force A.G. to submit to oral sex from him; and, eventually he began requiring her to perform oral sex on him.

[9] In addition, Garrett’s attitude toward A.G. changed. He stopped joking with her about his sexual activities with her. When she objected to engaging in sexual activities with him, he disregarded her objections and continued. A.G. noticed that Garrett became “way more controlling and possessive” as she got older. Id. at 38. Stephanie noticed that Garrett would “get mad” when A.G. attempted to go outside and play with other children, but the other children were allowed to go outside without restrictions. Id. at 183. He wanted to keep

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1501-CR-32 | August 11, 2015 Page 4 of 18 her with him all the time. Garrett would arrange to send Jessica to run errands so that he could be alone with A.G.

[10] On one occasion while they lived in Kentucky, Garrett found a note A.G. had received from a friend at school. The friend stated that a boy thought A.G. was “cute.” Id. at 39. Garrett became upset, and he and A.G. argued about the note. He called her a “slut.” Id. at 40. Garrett had a trucking job at the time, and he took A.G. with him on a trip soon after they argued about the note. During the trip, while they were in the tractor-trailer, Garrett forced A.G. to submit to vaginal sexual intercourse for the first time, despite her repeated protests and crying.

[11] After that incident, A.G. mostly stayed in her room, slept a lot, and ate less and less. She also began cutting her arm with a knife periodically and drinking alcohol. Garrett bought vodka or alcoholic lemonade for her, Jessica, and A.G.’s older siblings on several occasions. He continued to force her to submit to genital touching, oral sex, and “two or three” more incidents of vaginal intercourse in Kentucky. Id. at 92. On her thirteenth birthday, Garrett referred to the day as “our anniversary” and forced her to allow him to perform oral sex on her. Id. at 44.

[12] When A.G. was thirteen, the family moved back to Gary, Indiana, to a small house on Hovie Street. A.G. slept in the front room of the house, and her siblings stayed at a relative’s home nearby. Lehmann visited the house frequently, and she once saw A.G. and Garrett in bed together, with Garrett

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1501-CR-32 | August 11, 2015 Page 5 of 18 embracing A.G. Stephanie also saw A.G. and Garrett in bed together. Garrett did not lie down in bed with any of the other children.

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