Mears v. State

533 N.E.2d 140, 1989 Ind. LEXIS 26, 1989 WL 7845
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 31, 1989
Docket49S00-8709-CR-886
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 533 N.E.2d 140 (Mears v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mears v. State, 533 N.E.2d 140, 1989 Ind. LEXIS 26, 1989 WL 7845 (Ind. 1989).

Opinion

GIVAN, Justice.

A jury trial resulted in a conviction of appellant of Burglary, a Class C felony, for which he received a sentence of five (5) years, and Theft, a Class D felony, for which he received a sentence of two (2) years, which was enhanced by twenty (20) years by reason of his status as an habitual offender, the sentences to run concurrently-

The facts are: Kern Lankford owned the West Indies Gem Trading Company on the gallery level of the City Market in Indianapolis. Adjoining the gem trading company was Warren Tailors where appellant was employed. Lankford and appellant were acquainted. On December 9,. 1986, appellant entered Lankford’s shop and examined some gold chains, indicating he was interested in making a purchase. That night, at the close of business, Lankford locked his shop. He testified that appellant did not have permission to enter his shop after it was closed.

The following morning, at approximately 7:30, Lawrence Spector was in the process of opening Libby’s Delicatessen on the lower level of the market. His attention was called to the West Indies Gem Trading Company on the upper level where he saw appellant behind the display counter. As Spector watched, appellant came around the counter and dropped down on the floor by the security gate which protected the business. Terry Sanchez, who was also watching appellant, heard the gate rattling as appellant forced it up sufficiently to allow him to roll beneath it.

When Lankford arrived, he discovered that some gold chains were missing. Detective Bolinger arrived to investigate, and after hearing the above facts, he obtained the address of appellant. He went to appellant’s home, knocked on the door, and a female who, evidence later disclosed, was fourteen years of age, answered the door. Bolinger asked if Mears were present, and the girl opened the door wider and gestured toward appellant who was sitting on a couch.

Bolinger entered and as he engaged appellant in conversation he noticed six gold chains lying on the coffee table directly in front of appellant. Appellant’s girl friend, who was the mother of the fourteen-year-old girl who answered the door, also gave Detective Bolinger a gold chain which she was wearing around her neck. Bolinger then arrested appellant.

Appellant first claims he was subjected to double jeopardy by reason of the fact the trial court had sustained his motion for a new trial when a prosecutor’s intern, in closing argument to the jury, stated that the State had the responsibility of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant was guilty. He further stated that the State had done so, and the defendant had not done anything to rebut the State’s proof of guilt whereupon defendant made a motion for mistrial which was granted by the trial court.

Appellant cites Crim v. State (1973), 156 Ind.App. 66, 294 N.E.2d 822 for the propo *142 sition that when the cause of the mistrial is prosecutorial error, jeopardy will attach. This type of Situation was recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States in Oregon v. Kennedy (1982), 456 U.S. 667, 102 S.Ct. 2083, 72 L.Ed.2d 416. However, the attachment of jeopardy was limited to those cases where it was apparent the prosecuting attorney deliberately provoked the defendant into moving for a mistrial in order to obtain a new trial when things had not gone well for the State in the first instance.

This proposition of law also was recognized by this Court in Woods v. State (1985), Ind., 484 N.E.2d 3. This matter was placed squarely before the trial court at the commencement of the prosecution in the instant case. However, the trial court, after hearing argument of counsel, denied the motion for discharge on the ground of double jeopardy. There is nothing in this record to indicate that the State had encountered any difficulty in the prosecution of appellant to warrant any supposition that the State was deliberately attempting to create error to gain a new trial. The remark of the intern at most was a poor choice of words which justified the trial court in ordering a new trial upon appellant’s motion.

We see nothing in this record which brings the case within the parameter of deliberate provocation on the part of the State in order to gain a new trial. We find no error in the trial court’s denying the motion for discharge on grounds of former jeopardy.

Appellant claims the trial court erred in denying him his motion to suppress evidence obtained when Detective Bolinger entered his home. He claims that inasmuch as Bolinger had neither an arrest warrant for him or a warrant to search his home, his entry and subsequent seizure of the contraband goods was illegal; thus, all of such evidence should have been suppressed. He takes the position that a fourteen-year-old girl could not consent to a search of the premises. Although he concedes that a third person with common authority over the premises may consent to a search, citing Brooks v. State (1986), Ind., 497 N.E.2d 210, he takes the position that the fourteen-year-old girl, although a resident of the home, was not of sufficient age to give consent for the search.

We would point out, however, that no search occurred in this case nor was one requested. Detective Bolinger merely knocked on the door and asked if appellant were present. In fact, Detective Bolinger was only in the preliminary stages of his investigation and at the time was seeking to discuss what facts he did have with appellant. Although it was the fourteen-year-old girl who opened the door for appellant, she did so in the presence of her mother and appellant. When Bolinger inquired as to the presence of appellant, the girl merely gestured toward appellant who was in plain view, and Bolinger entered without any objection from either appellant or the girl’s mother. No search was conducted, the necklaces were in plain view on a coffee table directly in front of appellant who was seated on a couch. The girl’s mother voluntarily removed a gold chain from her neck and gave it to Detective Bolinger.

We see nothing from the facts in this case which would require Detective Bolinger to have either an arrest warrant or a search warrant. Bolinger made no request to search the premises nor was any such permission given by the girl. The facts in this case merely demonstrate a consensual entry into the home and the recovery of contraband goods which were in plain view when the detective entered the room. Objects which are in plain view of an officer when seized are not the product of a search. Gann v. State of Indiana (1988), Ind., 521 N.E.2d 330.

The trial court did not err in refusing to suppress the evidence.

Appellant claims the jury verdict finding him guilty of both burglary and theft was not supported by sufficient evidence. He first claims there was no proof that anyone broke into and entered the West Indies Gem Trading Company. We cannot agree with appellant’s observation in this regard. There was direct evidence *143

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
533 N.E.2d 140, 1989 Ind. LEXIS 26, 1989 WL 7845, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mears-v-state-ind-1989.