Kevin L. Simons v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided November 10, 2015·No. 43A04-1501-CR-10·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), Nov 10 2015, 9:02 am this Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as 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 Donald R. Shuler Gregory F. Zoeller Barkes, Kolbus, Rife & Shuler, LLP Attorney General of Indiana Goshen, Indiana George P. Sherman

Deputy Attorney General

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Kevin L. Simons, November 10, 2015 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.

43A04-1501-CR-10

v. Appeal from the Kosciusko Superior Court

State of Indiana, The Honorable Joe V. Sutton, Appellee-Plaintiff Judge Trial Court Cause No.

43D03-1402-FC-134

Altice, Judge.

Case Summary

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 43A04-1501-CR-10 | November 10, 2015 Page 1 of 18

[1] Kevin Simons appeals his convictions and sentence for Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Violator,1 a class C felony; Battery2 as a Class B misdemeanor; Resisting Law Enforcement3 as a Class A misdemeanor; and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated4 as a Class D felony. Simons presents five issues for our review, which we restate as follows:

1. Did the trial court abuse its discretion in denying Simons’s motion to dismiss?

2. Did the trial court abuse its discretion in admitting into evidence the laboratory report of Simons’s blood draw?

3. Does Ind. Code § 35-36-11-1 violate the Confrontation Clause of the United States and Indiana Constitutions?

4. Is the evidence sufficient to establish that Simons was “operating” a vehicle so as to sustain his convictions for operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator and operating a vehicle while intoxicated?

5. Is Simons’s sentence inappropriate?

1 Ind. Code § 9-30-10-17. Effective July 1, 2014, this offense was reclassified as a Level 5 felony. Because Simons committed this offense prior to that date, it retains its prior classification as a Class C felony. 2 Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1.

3 Ind. Code § 35-44.1-3-1(a)(1).

4 I.C. § 9-30-5-1(b); I.C. § 9-30-5-3(a)(1). Effective July 1, 2014, the latter statute was amended and now classifies this offense as a Level 6 felony. Because Simons committed this offense prior to that date, it retains its prior classification as a Class D felony.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 43A04-1501-CR-10 | November 10, 2015 Page 2 of 18

[2] We affirm.

Facts & Procedural History

[3] On the night of February 4, 2014, Steven Fields was driving home from work when he saw a car on top of a snow bank near The Frog, a local tavern in Syracuse. Fields called 911 and reported, “There’s a guy in front of The Frog that just ran his vehicle up on top of a snow embankment.” State’s Exhibit 1. Fields also stated to the 911 operator that the driver appeared to be “very drunk.” Id. Fields passed the scene, but circled back around to wait for a police officer to arrive.

[4] Officer Joseph Keene of the Syracuse Police Department was dispatched around 11:17 p.m. on a report of a vehicle stuck in the snow. Upon arrival at the scene, Officer Keene observed a small green car mostly out of the roadway and stuck on top of a snow bank just as reported. Officer Keene also observed a white truck backed up to the car. Officer Keene activated his emergency lights and pulled his police car in behind the green car. Officer Keene then directed Reserve Officer Mike Barger, who was riding along with Keene, to speak with the individual in the white truck while he went to speak with the driver of the green car.

[5] As Officer Keene approached the green car, he noted that the car’s engine was running and the car was in gear, as he heard the sound of the green car’s tires spinning in the snow. The driver’s side door was open and Officer Keene observed Simons sitting in the driver’s seat of the car. No one else was in the Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 43A04-1501-CR-10 | November 10, 2015 Page 3 of 18 car. Officer Keene first asked Simons if he was okay and Simons indicated he was. Simons then volunteered that he “was trying to get home.” Transcript at 254. Officer Keene noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Simons’s breath. He further observed that Simons’s “speech was very slurred,” he “had [a] terrible time enunciating his words,” and he was not responding to Officer Keene’s requests. Id. at 256. Specifically, it took Simons several attempts to turn the car’s engine off after Officer Keene told him to do so. Simons also fumbled with retrieving his wallet out of his pants pocket so he could access his identification card.

[6] Officer Keene returned to his police car to process Simons’s identification card, at which time he learned that Simons had a lifetime suspension on his record and was classified as a habitual traffic violator. He then returned to the car and asked Simons to participate in field sobriety tests. Simons initially agreed to participate in the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, but ultimately refused to complete it or participate in any further field sobriety tests. Simons also informed Officer Keene that he would not agree to a certified chemical test. Officer Keene then placed Simons under arrest and, believing Simons may have been too intoxicated to be taken to jail, transported him to a local hospital for medical clearance.

[7] Once at the hospital, Simons maintained that he was not the driver of the car and again refused to cooperate by submitting to a chemical test. Officer Keene then prepared a probable cause affidavit and request for a search warrant seeking to obtain a blood sample from Simons. Based upon the information Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 43A04-1501-CR-10 | November 10, 2015 Page 4 of 18

Officer Keene provided in the probable cause affidavit, a judge issued a search warrant to obtain a blood sample from Simons.

[8] At the hospital, Simons was “combative” with the officers and medical staff, especially when they tried to obtain his blood sample pursuant to the search warrant. Id. at 311. Simons was flailing, kicking his legs, and causing such a commotion in the room at the hospital that additional staff entered to help restrain him. In total, it took six individuals to restrain Simons for purposes of the blood draw. Officer Keene described Simons’s demeanor as being “extremely angry.” Id. at 269. During the altercation, Simons kicked Linnia Woods, a phlebotomist who was helping to restrain Simons for the blood draw, in the wrist. An analysis of Simons’s blood revealed that he had a blood alcohol level of .251.

[9] On February 20, 2014, the State charged Simons with operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, a Class C felony; battery as a Class D felony; operating while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor, along with an enhancement for operating while intoxicated as a Class D felony; and resisting law enforcement as a Class A misdemeanor. Contemporaneously with the charging information, the State filed a Notice of Intent to Introduce Lab Report pursuant to Ind. Code § 35-36-11-2.

[10] On January 16, 2015, the State sought to amend the battery charge to a Class B misdemeanor and to allow for a habitual offender enhancement. On the same day, Simons filed a belated motion to dismiss the charges against him based

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 43A04-1501-CR-10 | November 10, 2015 Page 5 of 18 upon the loss or destruction of evidence. Following a hearing, the trial court denied Simons’s motion to dismiss. The court also granted the State’s motion to amend, but informed Simons that as a result, he was entitled to a continuance of the jury trial if he so wished. When Simons requested a continuance, the State moved to dismiss the habitual offender enhancement.

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