Justin Scruggs v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

• Court: Indiana Court of Appeals
• Decided: May 29, 2020
• Docket: 19A-CR-2409
• Status: Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED regarded as precedent or cited before any May 29 2020, 10:44 am court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals estoppel, or the law of the case. and Tax Court

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE Denise L. Turner Tina L. Mann Indianapolis, Indiana Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Justin Scruggs, May 29, 2020 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No. 19A-CR-2409 v. Appeal from the Madison Circuit Court State of Indiana, The Honorable Angela Warner Appellee-Plaintiff. Sims, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 48C01-1605-FA-1040

Riley, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 1 of 13 STATEMENT OF THE CASE [1] Appellant-Defendant, Justin Scruggs (Scruggs), appeals the sentence imposed

by the trial court following his conviction for child molesting, a Class A felony,

Ind. Code § 35-42-4-3(a)(1) (2007); two Counts of child molesting, Level 1

felonies, I.C. § 35-42-4-3(a)(1); and child molesting, a Class C felony, I.C. § 35-

42-4-3(b) (2007).

[2] We affirm.

ISSUES [3] Scruggs presents the court with two issues, which we restate as the following:

(1) Whether the trial court abused its discretion when it imposed consecutive sentences; and

(2) Whether his sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of his offenses and his character.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY [4] T.S. was born in August 2006, and her older brother, Z.E., was born in

September 2005. In 2011, T.S. and Z.E.’s father (Father) could not provide

adequate care for them. Father entered into an agreement with the children’s

paternal great-aunt, Christine Rinker (Rinker), granting temporary guardianship

of the children to Rinker. In 2012, Rinker relocated from South Dakota to

Anderson, Indiana. From March 2012 to March 2016, Rinker, T.S., and Z.E.

lived in several homes in Anderson. Rinker’s son, Scruggs, also lived with

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 2 of 13 Rinker, T.S., and Z.E. Scruggs has a mild learning disability and has received

SSI since he was four years old. Scruggs has an IQ of 85, which is slightly less

than average intelligence. Scruggs does not qualify as mentally retarded, which

is indicated by an IQ of 70 or less. Scruggs graduated from high school in

South Dakota.

[5] Soon after their move to Indiana, Scruggs began molesting T.S. The

molestation was so frequent that T.S. could not remember how many times it

had occurred. The first time Scruggs molested her, T.S. had just turned six

years old, and Scruggs was twenty-two years old. He, T.S., and Z.E. were

passengers in the backseat of a car on the way home from T.S.’s birthday party.

T.S. was tired from the party and was falling asleep. Scruggs grabbed and

squeezed T.S.’s vagina outside of her clothing, which caused her pain. Over the

next three years, Scruggs touched T.S.’s chest and vagina above and below her

clothing on at least ten occasions. On at least one occasion, Scruggs inserted

his fingers inside T.S.’s vagina.

[6] Scruggs also began having sexual intercourse with T.S. when she was six years

old. On one occasion, Rinker, Scruggs, T.S., and Z.E. watched a movie

together. Rinker fell asleep. Scruggs picked up T.S. and carried her to the

laundry room of the home. T.S. called out to Z.E., who tried to follow them to

the laundry room. Scruggs told Z.E. to go away. In the laundry room, Scruggs

subjected T.S. to sexual intercourse until he ejaculated. Rinker walked into the

laundry room and saw Scruggs on top of T.S. Rinker slapped Scruggs, told him

to stop what he was doing, and told T.S. to stay away from Scruggs. Rinker did

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 3 of 13 not report what she had seen to the authorities. Scruggs subjected T.S. to

sexual intercourse on at least ten occasions during the period when she was six

through eight years old. During these years, T.S. suffered from recurring yeast

and urinary tract infections. At times she experienced painful urination and

blood in her urine. T.S. told Rinker several times about what Scruggs was

doing to her, but Rinker did not believe T.S.

[7] In March 2016, Father retrieved T.S. and Z.E. from Rinker’s care in order to

take them back to his home in South Dakota. During the trip to South Dakota,

T.S. told Father what Scruggs had done. Father reported the offenses to the

police in South Dakota, who, in turn, alerted the Madison County Sheriff’s

Department. T.S. and Z.E. were forensically interviewed in South Dakota.

T.S. reported the offenses during the interview and stated that when Scruggs

subjected her to sexual intercourse, it felt like “somebody was like just hitting

me constantly in my private.” (Exh. Vol., p. 43). T.S. and Z.E. also reported

physical abuse by Rinker. Investigators attempted to speak with Rinker, but she

declined to meet with them. Rinker also refused to allow investigators to speak

with Scruggs.

[8] On May 20, 2016, the State filed an Information, charging Scruggs with Class

A felony child molesting by sexual intercourse or deviate sexual conduct, Level

1 felony child molesting by sexual intercourse, Level 1 felony child molesting

by digital penetration, and Class C felony child molesting by fondling. Scruggs

was evaluated by two court-appointed physicians charged with rendering their

opinion regarding Scruggs’s mental fitness to stand trial. Both physicians

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 4 of 13 concluded that Scruggs did not suffer from a mental defect and that, at the time

of the offenses, he was capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his conduct.

[9] On August 14, 2019, the trial court convened Scruggs’s three-day jury trial.

T.S. testified at trial, and her forensic interview was admitted into evidence.

During his testimony, Father related that T.S. and Z.E. had been in therapy for

two years after the offenses and that Z.E. still suffered from night terrors as the

result of things that he had seen. At the conclusion of the evidence, the jury

found Scruggs guilty as charged.

[10] On October 2, 2019, the Madison County Probation Department filed its

presentence investigation report which provided the following facts. Scruggs

had no criminal history prior to the instant offenses. Scruggs worked for two

years as a janitor, and he reported doing sporadic, part-time farm work prior to

his arrest for the instant offenses. The victim impact statement appended to the

report indicated that T.S. suffered from anxiety, depression, fear of strangers,

and a desire to isolate as a result of the offenses. The Probation Department

recommended that Scruggs receive an aggregate sentence of sixty-two years.

[11] The trial court held Scruggs’s sentencing hearings on October 1 and October 4,

2019. The trial court found as aggravating circumstances that Scruggs was in a

position of trust, care and control over T.S. and that T.S. was of the tender

years of six through eight years old when Scruggs committed the offenses. The

trial court recognized Scruggs’s lack of criminal history and his mental health as

mitigating circumstances. The trial court found that there was

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 5 of 13 significant mitigation that would outweigh that of aggravation to warrant a sentence that [is] below the advisory sentence in this case. The [c]ourt does though further find with respect to concurrent and/or consecutive sentence that this was multiple acts that occurred over a period of time to this child. And in—as a result of that, the [c]ourt does find that consecutive sentences at least to a couple of the counts is warranted and appropriate.

(Transcript Vol. IV, pp. 23-24). The trial court sentenced Scruggs to twenty-five

years for each of his Class A and Level 1 felony child molesting convictions and

to three years for his Class C felony child molesting conviction. The trial court

ordered Scruggs to serve his Class A felony and one of his Level 1 felony

sentences consecutively, with all other sentences to be served concurrently, for

an aggregate sentence of fifty years.

[12] Scruggs now appeals. Additional facts will be provided as necessary.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION I. Abuse of Discretion

[13] Scruggs contends that the trial court abused its discretion when it imposed

consecutive sentences for his Class A felony conviction and one of his Level 1

felony convictions. So long as a sentence imposed by a trial court is within the

statutory range for the offense, it is subject to review only for an abuse of

discretion. Anglemyer v. State, 868 N.E.2d 482, 490 (Ind. 2007), clarified on reh’g,

875 N.E.2d 218 (Ind. 2007). An abuse of the trial court’s sentencing discretion

occurs if its decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and

circumstances before the court, or the reasonable, probable, and actual

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 6 of 13 deductions to be drawn therefrom. 868 N.E.2d at 490. A trial court abuses its

discretion when it fails to enter a sentencing statement at all, its stated reasons

for imposing sentence are not supported by the record, its sentencing statement

omits reasons that are clearly supported by the record and advanced for

consideration, or its reasons for imposing sentence are improper as a matter of

law. Id. at 490-91.

[14] Scruggs argues that the trial court’s statement of its reason for imposing

consecutive sentences was not sufficiently specific. We agree with Scruggs’s

general proposition that a trial court abuses its discretion when it does not enter

a sufficiently specific sentencing statement. See id. at 491 (“The trial court must

enter a statement including reasonably detailed reasons or circumstances for

imposing a particular sentence.”). However, we disagree with Scruggs that

Lindsey v. State, 485 N.E.2d 102 (Ind. 1985), supports his argument that the trial

court’s sentencing statement failed the specificity requirement. Lindsey raped

the same victim twice over the course of a few hours and was later convicted of

two counts of rape as Class A felonies. Id. at 103. At sentencing, the trial court

found no aggravating circumstances justifying the imposition of enhanced

sentences, and it imposed the presumptive sentence of thirty years for each

Class A felony. Id. at 103, 108. The trial court ordered these sentences to be

served consecutively, stating as its rationale that there “were two separate and

distinct incidences of rape.” Id. at 108. Our supreme court found this to be an

abuse of the trial court’s discretion, concisely explaining that “[t]his offered

justification does not satisfy the specificity requirement.” Id.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 7 of 13 [15] Here, the trial court did not simply state that separate offenses had occurred.

Rather, it reasoned that Scruggs had subjected T.S. to “multiple acts that

occurred over a period of time[.]” (Tr. Vol. IV, p. 24). This statement entailed

consideration of the relatively numerous offenses Scruggs perpetrated on T.S.

and that those offenses were spread out over time, as opposed to being the

result of one instance of lapsed judgment. We conclude that the trial court’s

stated reason for imposing consecutive sentences here was sufficiently specific

to distinguish it from the bare-boned recitation at issue in Lindsey.

[16] Although the argument is not well-developed, inasmuch as Scruggs contends

that the trial court abused its discretion by imposing consecutive sentences after

it found that the mitigators outweighed the aggravators for purposes of

enhancing his individual sentences, we find that argument to be misplaced.

After the General Assembly adopted our present advisory sentencing scheme in

2005, a trial court is no longer obligated to identify and weigh the aggravating

and mitigating circumstances upon rendering its sentence. Anglemyer, 868

N.E.2d at 491. Rather, it may impose any sentence authorized by law once it

has entered its sentencing statement. Id.; see also I.C. § 35-38-1-7.1(d). As a

result, the relative weight ascribed by the trial court to any aggravating and

mitigating circumstances is no longer subject to our review. Anglemyer, 868

N.E.2d at 491. Scruggs’s argument is based on the inaccurate assumption that

the trial court was obligated to find that the aggravators outweighed the

mitigators in order to impose consecutive sentences. Even if it were so

obligated, crediting Scruggs’s argument would entail our consideration of the

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 8 of 13 weight the trial court ascribed to its reason for imposing consecutive sentences,

something we are no longer able to do as part of our review. Id. Accordingly,

we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it imposed

consecutive sentences here.

II. Appropriateness of Consecutive Sentences

[17] Scruggs also argues that his fifty-year sentence is inappropriately harsh and asks

that we order his individual, twenty-five-year sentences to be served

concurrently rather than consecutively. “Even when a trial court imposes a

sentence within its discretion, the Indiana Constitution authorizes independent

appellate review and revision of this sentencing decision.” Hoak v. State, 113

N.E.3d 1209, 1209 (Ind. 2019). Thus, we may revise a sentence if, after due

consideration of the trial court’s decision, we find that the sentence is

inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and the character of the

offender. Id. The principal role of such review is to attempt to leaven the

outliers. Cardwell v. State, 895 N.E.2d 1219, 1225 (Ind. 2008). The defendant

bears the burden to persuade the reviewing court that the sentence imposed is

inappropriate. Robinson v. State, 91 N.E.3d 574, 577 (Ind. 2018).

A. Nature of the Offenses

[18] When assessing the nature of an offense, the advisory sentence is the starting

point that the legislature selected as an appropriate sentence for the particular

crime committed. Perry v. State, 78 N.E.3d 1, 13 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017). Scruggs

was convicted of one Class A felony and two Level 1 felonies, all of which have

an advisory sentence of thirty years and a maximum sentence of fifty years.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 9 of 13 I.C. § 35-50-2-5(a),(b). Scruggs was also convicted of Class C felony child

molesting, which has an advisory sentence of four years and a maximum

sentence of eight years. I.C. § 35-50-2-5(c). Therefore, Scruggs faced a

potential sentence of ninety-eight years. The trial court sentenced Scruggs to

twenty-five years for his Class A and Level 1 felony convictions and to three

years for his Class C felony conviction. The trial court ordered Scruggs to serve

his Class A felony sentence and one of his Level 1 felony sentences

consecutively. Thus, the trial court imposed mitigated sentences and only

imposed one consecutive sentence.

[19] When reviewing the nature of the offense, we look to “the details and

circumstances of the commission of the offense and the defendant’s

participation.” Perry, 78 N.E.3d at 13. Scruggs was T.S.’s cousin who lived in

her household and who occupied a position of trust with T.S., something

Scruggs does not dispute on appeal. Scruggs used this access to T.S. to molest

T.S. so frequently that she lost count of how many times it occurred. T.S. was

extremely young, only six years old, when Scruggs began subjecting her to

fondling and full-scale sexual intercourse. Scruggs’s molestation was ongoing

over the course of almost three years and only ceased when Father took T.S.

out of Scruggs’s proximity. Scruggs was not even deterred after being caught by

Rinker in the act of molesting T.S. Some of the offenses occurred in Z.E.’s

presence as well. T.S. has suffered anxiety, depression, and a desire to self-

isolate, and she and Z.E. were in counseling for two years to attempt to heal.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 10 of 13 Given these circumstances, we find nothing inappropriate about the fifty-year

sentence imposed by the trial court.

[20] Scruggs argues that his aggregate sentence is inappropriate given the nature of

his offenses, which he acknowledges were “serious and warrant significant

punishment[.]” (Appellant’s Br. p. 10). Scruggs likens his case to four cases in

which consecutive sentences for child molesting offenses were found to be

inappropriate, Laster v. State, 918 N.E.2d 428 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009); Rivers v.

State, 915 N.E.2d 141 (Ind. 2009); Harris v. State, 897 N.E.2d 927 (Ind. 2008);

and Monroe v. State, 886 N.E.2d 578 (Ind. 2008). Scruggs cites these cases

because each involved some circumstances present in his case, including

exploitation of a position of trust, one victim, molestation occurring over an

extended period, and the absence of excessive force.

[21] However, we find the recent case of Faith v. State, 131 N.E.3d 158 (Ind. 2019),

to be more instructive. Faith was in a position of trust over his twelve-year-old

victim as her teacher. Id. at 159. Faith subjected his victim to sexual

intercourse, digital penetration, and oral sex on countless occasions. Faith was

ultimately charged with thirty-six counts of child molesting, pleaded guilty to

three Counts of Class A felony child molesting, and was sentenced to

consecutive thirty-year terms. This court revised his sentence to concurrent

thirty-year terms. On petition for transfer, our supreme court held that

concurrent advisory terms were “wholly inadequate” for Faith’s offenses. The

court noted that two cases cited by Faith, Harris v. State, 897 N.E.2d 927 (Ind.

2008), and Monroe v. State, 886 N.E.2d 578 (Ind. 2008), did not support his

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 11 of 13 argument that sentence revision was necessary because he only inflicted his

multiple offenses on one victim, as those cases involved enhanced, consecutive

sentences, not the advisory, consecutive sentenced imposed on Faith. Our

supreme court revised Faith’s sentence to two consecutive, advisory terms, for

an aggregate sentence of sixty years.

[22] In light of Faith, we find Scruggs’s proposed twenty-five year aggregate sentence

for his offenses to be wholly inadequate, given his position of trust over T.S.

and the countless acts of molestation he inflicted upon her. As did our supreme

court in Faith, we reject Scruggs’s reliance on Harris and Monroe, as this case

involves less than advisory, consecutive sentences and not the enhanced,

consecutive sentences at issue in those cases. We also reject his argument that

the fact that he did not use excessive force on T.S. militates for a revised

sentence. T.S. testified that Scruggs picked her up and took her against her will

to the laundry room to subject her to sexual intercourse on at least one

occasion, which was a use of force against her. In addition, long-term child

molesting such as that involved in this case rarely involves use by the

perpetrator of excessive physical force or infliction of physical injury, as that

type of conduct leads to discovery of the abuse. Although the absence of

excessive physical force or physical injury is certainly not an aggravating

circumstance, neither does it always support sentence revision, as it is

essentially a circumstance that helps perpetuate the molestation. In short,

Scruggs has failed his burden to convince us that the nature of his offenses

renders his sentence inappropriate. See Robinson, 91 N.E.3d at 577.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 12 of 13 B. Character of the Offender

[23] Scruggs also urges us to revise his sentence in light of his character. Upon

reviewing a sentence for inappropriateness, we look to a defendant’s life and

conduct as illustrative of his character. Morris v. State, 114 N.E.3d 531, 539

(Ind. Ct. App. 2018), trans. denied. Scruggs argues that his lack of criminal

record, his efforts at employment, and his intellectual disabilities and mental

health merit concurrent sentences.

[24] As to his lack of criminal record, his intellectual disabilities, and his mental

health, we note that the trial court already took those factors into account when

it imposed less-than-advisory individual sentences. We also observe that,

despite his mental state, two court-appointed physicians concluded that Scruggs

had the capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of molesting T.S., yet he did it

anyway, even after being caught in the act by Rinker. Although Scruggs’s

efforts at employment reflect positively upon him, we find nothing about his

part-time, sporadic employment that overrides the long-term nature of the

molestation at issue here and what that reflects about his character.

CONCLUSION [25] Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its

discretion when it imposed consecutive sentences and Scruggs’s sentence is not

inappropriate in light of the nature of his offenses and his character.

[26] Affirmed.

Mathias, J. and Tavitas, J. concur Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-2409 | May 29, 2020 Page 13 of 13