Lawrence M. Davis v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided February 21, 2019·No. 18A-CR-1433·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 Feb 21 2019, 8:53 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 ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Donald J. Frew Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Fort Wayne, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana Angela N. Sanchez

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Lawrence M. Davis, February 21, 2019 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.

18A-CR-1433

v. Appeal from the Allen Superior Court

State of Indiana, The Honorable John Surbeck, Jr., Judge

Appellee-Plaintiff.

Trial Court Cause Nos.

02D04-1710-FA-3 & 02D06-1710-

FA-3

Riley, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1433 | February 21, 2019 Page 1 of 18

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

[1] Appellant-Defendant, Lawrence Davis (Davis), appeals his conviction and

sentence for three Counts of child molesting as Class A felonies, Ind. Code § 35-42-4-3(a)(1); two Counts of sexual misconduct with a minor as Class B felonies, I.C. § 35-42-4-9(a)(l); two Counts of sexual misconduct with a minor as Level 4 felonies, I.C. § 35-42-4-9(a); one Count of child molesting, a Class C felony, I.C. § 35-42-4-3(b); one Count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Class C felony; I.C. § 35-42-4-9(b)(l); one Count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 5 felony; I.C. § 35-42-4-9(a); two Counts of child seduction as Level 5 felonies, I.C. § 35-42-4-7(m), (q)(2); one Count of child seduction as a Level 6 felony, I.C. § 35-42-4-7(m), (q)(1); one Count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors, a Class D felony, I.C. § 35-49-3-3(a)(1); one Count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors, a Level 6 felony, I.C. § 35-49-3- 3(a)(1); one Count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor, I.C. § 35-46-1-8(a); and one Count of possession of child pornography, a Level 6 felony, I.C. § 35-42-4-4(c).

[2] We affirm.

ISSUES

[3] Davis presents three issues on appeal, which we restate as the following:

(1) Whether the State proved the offenses beyond a reasonable doubt;

(2) Whether the trial court abused its discretion when it excluded certain evidence;

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1433 | February 21, 2019 Page 2 of 18

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

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY [4] Child was born in February 1999. Mother began dating Davis when Child was

approximately five years old, and Mother married Davis shortly thereafter. Child had no contact with her biological father. Davis and Mother had a son together. Shortly after their son’s birth, Mother had an accident which disabled her and rendered her largely immobile throughout Child’s childhood. Davis was over the age of twenty-one years old the entire period he was a part of Child’s life. The family moved frequently throughout Child’s childhood, although, apart from a brief stint in Texas and a few months spent with Davis’ son in a neighboring county after their return from Texas, the family lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[5] Beginning when Child was five years old and continuing throughout her childhood, Davis showed Child pornography and touched her vagina with his hand. During one specific incident that occurred when Child was in first grade, Davis touched Child’s vagina with his hand and with his mouth. Davis told Child, who did not understand what was occurring, that others would be jealous if they knew what they were doing. Davis made it seem to Child that his conduct was a normal part of family life and that everyone did it. Davis used his hand and mouth on Child’s vagina for a number of years. Davis also touched Child’s chest with his hand and had Child touch his penis with her

hand. Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1433 | February 21, 2019 Page 3 of 18

[6] Starting when Child was in third or fourth grade, Davis began inserting his fingers into Child’s vagina. By this time, Child was aware that Davis’ conduct was not a normal part of family life. Child resisted Davis. In response, Davis would hold Child down and forcefully ram his fingers into her vagina, causing her pain. This conduct continued for years, and Child blamed Davis’ conduct for the early onset of her menses.

[7] By the time Child was in seventh or eighth grade, Davis was supplying her with cigarettes and alcohol. Around this time, Child was living at her Grandmother’s home where tents were set up in the back yard. Child began sleeping in the tents in the hope of avoiding Davis’ sexual attention. One evening after Child had become intoxicated on alcohol Davis had supplied to her, Davis took Child into a tent and inserted his penis into her vagina for the first time. As a result of this incident, Child “snapped” mentally. (Transcript Vol. II, p. 243). Child attempted suicide and was hospitalized at Parkview Behavioral Health (PBH). Child wanted assistance from her mental health providers, but she did not want to report Davis, as he had threatened to harm her, her friends, and her family if she disclosed his abuse. Davis had also told Child that no one would believe her and that her life would be ruined. As a result, Child did not inform the staff at PBH that Davis was molesting her. Instead, she fabricated a report that she had been assaulted by a group of people in a park. After this was reported to law enforcement, Child recanted her report.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1433 | February 21, 2019 Page 4 of 18

[8] Around this period, the family was living at the home of Child’s maternal grandmother (Grandmother). Early one morning, Grandmother was out of bed to use the restroom. She heard a noise in Child’s bedroom and looked in to investigate. Grandmother observed Davis under the covers with Child. This greatly shocked Grandmother, who immediately reported it to Mother. Mother assured Grandmother that nothing untoward had occurred. After Grandmother observed Davis in bed with Child on a second occasion, Davis encouraged Mother to move because Grandmother kept discussing it. The family moved from Grandmother’s home shortly thereafter.

[9] Throughout Child’s childhood, Davis did audio/visual work for a religious ministry and concert hall, Come2Go (C2G), in Fort Wayne. Davis had a key to the premises and the code to disarm the building’s alarm system. Child would accompany Davis to C2G, and he taught her the trade. On one occasion when Child was between the age of fourteen and fifteen, Davis took Child to C2G and provided Child with alcohol. Davis had previously showed Child pornography depicting girls eating feces and engaging in sexual activity with animals, telling Child that he wished to perform those activities with her. Davis took Child into the boy’s restroom at C2G, inserted his finger or penis into her anus, inserted his penis into her vagina, and had Child eat feces.

[10] When Child was thirteen years old, Davis assisted her in procuring birth control. Davis continued to insert his penis into Child’s vagina until after she turned sixteen years old. Late in 2016, Mother and Davis separated. Davis moved out of the home and into a trailer where he lived with a woman who Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1433 | February 21, 2019 Page 5 of 18 had four young children. Child became concerned that Davis would molest the children, so she disclosed the offenses to Mother. Mother did not believe Child initially. On March 27, 2017, Child reported the offenses to law enforcement, and an investigation was launched. Mother allowed Davis to move back into the family home. Child moved out and did not speak to her Mother for months.

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