Jose Francisco Mancillas v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 3, 2019
Docket19A-CR-59
StatusPublished

This text of Jose Francisco Mancillas v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Jose Francisco Mancillas v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)) 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
Jose Francisco Mancillas v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED regarded as precedent or cited before any Jul 03 2019, 6:55 am

court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals and Tax Court estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Susan D. Rayl Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Horvath Smith & Rayl, LLC Attorney General of Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana Chandra K. Hein Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Jose Francisco Mancillas, July 3, 2019 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No. 19A-CR-59 v. Appeal from the Marion Superior Court State of Indiana, The Honorable Angela D. Davis, Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge The Honorable Patrick Murphy, Magistrate Trial Court Cause No. 49G16-1809-F6-31841

Riley, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-59 | July 3, 2019 Page 1 of 8 STATEMENT OF THE CASE [1] Appellant-Defendant, Jose Francisco Mancillas (Mancillas), appeals his

conviction for invasion of privacy, a Level 6 felony, Ind. Code § 35-46-1-15.1.

[2] We affirm.

ISSUE [3] Mancillas raises one issue on appeal, which we restate as: Whether the State

presented sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to support his

conviction for invasion of privacy.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY [4] Mancillas and Martha Contreras (Contreras), Mancillas’ wife of twenty-eight

years, separated in February 2017. The following month, the trial court issued

a no-contact order, which expired after one year. On January 26, 2018, the no-

contact order was renewed as a condition of Mancillas’ sentence in a different

cause. In February 2018, Contreras and her fifteen-year-old daughter moved in

with her oldest daughter, Myra Lacaro (Myra). Mancillas was granted

visitation with the youngest child on the condition that he would visit when

Contreras was not home or make arrangements to visit at a different location.

[5] On September 18, 2018, Contreras returned home from work. Myra informed

Contreras that Mancillas “was around,” and “that she had seen him.”

(Transcript p. 6). Contreras called 911. Meanwhile, Contreras saw that

Mancillas knocked on the door of the residence but did not enter. Myra made

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-59 | July 3, 2019 Page 2 of 8 Mancillas a sandwich, which he ate outside. When an officer of the

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrived, the officer approached

Mancillas and asked for his name. Mancillas gave his name as ‘Jose Cruz

Herrera.’ After learning that a no-contact order was in place between Mancillas

and Contreras, the officer arrested Mancillas.

[6] On September 20, 2018, the State filed an Information, charging Mancillas with

invasion of privacy, a Level 6 felony. On December 12, 2018, a bench trial was

conducted. At the close of the evidence, the trial court found Mancillas guilty

of invasion of privacy as a Class A misdemeanor. After admitting that he has a

prior conviction for invasion of privacy, the trial court elevated his instant

conviction to a Level 6 felony. Mancillas was sentenced to 910 days in the

Marion County jail with 545 days suspended to probation.

[7] Mancillas now appeals. Additional facts will be provided if necessary.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION [8] Although phrased as a Fourteenth Amendment issue, Mancillas’ argument is

more properly characterized as a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence.

Specifically, Mancillas contends that the State failed to present sufficient

evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to sustain his conviction for invasion of

privacy.

[9] When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, we

consider only the probative evidence and reasonable inferences supporting the

verdict. Jackson v. State, 50 N.E.3d 767, 770 (Ind. 2016). We neither assess Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-59 | July 3, 2019 Page 3 of 8 witness credibility nor weigh the evidence, and we will affirm the conviction

unless no reasonable fact-finder could find the elements of the crime proved

beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.

[10] In order to convict Mancillas, the State was required to establish that Mancillas

knowingly or intentionally violated the no-contact order under I.C. § 35-38-1-

30, which required Mancillas to refrain from any direct or indirect contact with

Contreras. A person who knowingly or intentionally violates a no-contact

order issued as a condition of probation and who has a prior conviction for

invasion of privacy commits Level 6 felony invasion of privacy. I.C. § 35-46-1-

15.1. Knowing conduct occurs when a person “engages in the conduct, he is

aware of a high probability that he is doing so.” I.C. § 35-41-2-2.

[11] Mancillas’ main argument revolves around the State’s lack of introducing the

no-contact order into evidence, as it was “the State’s burden to show the terms

of the no-contact order[.]” (Appellant’s Br. p. 11). While our review of the

record reveals that the no-contact order is not included, we note that the

Chronological Case Summary of the underlying cause indicates that on January

26, 2018, as a condition of his sentence, Mancillas was issued a no-contact

order in open court. Pursuant to I.C. § 35-38-1-30, “[a] sentencing court may

require that, as a condition of a person’s executed sentence, the person shall

refrain from any direct or indirect contact with an individual.” As such, the

statutory provision explicitly defines the conduct Mancillas was prohibited to

engage in.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-59 | July 3, 2019 Page 4 of 8 [12] Here, Mancillas arrived at the residence where Contreras lived without an

invitation and without adhering to the parties’ visitation arrangements.

Contreras was at home and heard him knock on the door. See Eisert v. State, 102

N.E.3d 330, 334 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018) (Invasion of privacy is a crime “that can

be accomplished by telephone calls, emails, letters, or rung doorbells.”) When

law enforcement arrived, Mancillas tried to pass himself off as someone else.

Providing a false name to law enforcement is “evidence of consciousness of

guilt.” Bennett v. State, 883 N.E.2d 888, 892 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008), trans. denied.

Thus, it would be reasonable for the finder of fact to infer that Mancillas was

attempting to evade detection by the officer because he knew of the existence

and violation of the no-contact order.

[13] While Mancillas claims that the trial court violated his due process rights by

convicting him of violating the “spirit” of the no-contact order, he ignores the

entirety of the trial court’s order, stating

With the evidence and the [inferences] are its and it’s not disputed that he is most likely to have visits with his minor children off this location. Going into a house where a person lives, the protected person lives, I think that’s that’s in violation of the no contact spirit, certainly the [n]o [c]ontact [o]rder. Again, there is sufficient evidence to find him guilty of this charge.

(Tr. p. 19).

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

Related

Bennett v. State
883 N.E.2d 888 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)
William Hinesley, III v. State of Indiana
999 N.E.2d 975 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013)
Ashonta Kenya Jackson v. State of Indiana
50 N.E.3d 767 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2016)
Adam Horton v. State of Indiana
51 N.E.3d 1154 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2016)
James R. Eisert v. State of Indiana
102 N.E.3d 330 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Jose Francisco Mancillas v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jose-francisco-mancillas-v-state-of-indiana-mem-dec-indctapp-2019.