Orsa v. The Police Board of the City of Chicago

2016 IL App (1st) 141904
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided August 12, 2016·No. 1-14-1904·Unpublished·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

2016 IL App (1st) 141904

SIXTH DIVISION

June 30, 2016

Modified upon denial of rehearing August 12, 2016

No. 1-14-1904

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of

Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Cook County.

)

v. ) No. 11 CR 9381 )

KEVIN HUNTER, ) Honorable ) Evelyn B. Clay,

Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge Presiding.

PRESIDING JUSTICE ROCHFORD delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

Justices Hoffman and Hall concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 Following a bench trial, defendant, Kevin Hunter, was convicted of armed robbery, aggravated kidnaping, and aggravated vehicular hijacking, and sentenced to concurrent terms of 21 years’ imprisonment, which included a 15-year enhancement for defendant’s use of a firearm. Defendant, age 16 at the time of the offense, was tried and sentenced as an adult in accordance with the automatic transfer provision set forth in section 5-130 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (Act) (705 ILCS 405/5-130 (West 2010)). On appeal, defendant contends that: (1) the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was armed with a firearm during the charged offenses; (2) the trial court erred in failing to conduct a Krankel inquiry; (3) his case should be remanded for resentencing under new provisions contained in Public Act 99-69, section 10 (eff. Jan. 1, 2016) (adding 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-105), which took effect during the pendency of his appeal; (4) his case should be remanded for resentencing in the juvenile court under Public Act 99-258, section 5 (eff. Jan. 1, 2016) (amending 705 ILCS 405/5-130, 5-805 (West 2014)), which

also took effect during the pendency of his appeal; and (5) the mittimus must be corrected to reflect the proper credit for presentence incarceration. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment of the trial court and order the mittimus corrected. ¶2 I. BACKGROUND ¶3 We set forth the facts necessary to provide background for defendant’s first claim of error. Additional facts relevant to other issues on appeal will be included as needed throughout our opinion. ¶4 Defendant was charged with aggravated kidnaping, armed robbery, and aggravated vehicular hijacking. At trial, Steven Maxwell, testified that he parked his Jeep on the north side of Chicago at approximately 3:45 a.m. on May 17, 2011, after spending several hours at a bar and drinking one beer. While walking home down a dark street, he was approached by three men, including defendant, who Mr. Maxwell identified in court. One of the men asked Mr. Maxwell: “what you got.” Then, defendant “flashed a gun” for a few seconds, pulling it slightly out of his coat and placing it near his chest or stomach. The gun was “squared off” and resembled a “Glock.” Mr. Maxwell, who had a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card and had previously seen a real gun, thought the gun looked real. The first man said that he knew Mr. Maxwell had a car and ordered him to surrender his keys, phone, and wallet. Mr. Maxwell complied but asked for his FOID card, which the man returned. Mr. Maxwell walked to his Jeep with the three men, and the first man said to Mr. Maxwell: “you’re coming, too.” The third man said that he “didn’t want any part of it,” and walked away. ¶5 Defendant and the first man ordered Mr. Maxwell to enter the rear driver’s side door and to put on a seatbelt. The first man sat in the driver’s seat and defendant sat in the front passenger

seat. They engaged the child safety locks and told Mr. Maxwell that they would drive around and drop him off “somewhere,” but would not hurt him. The men asked Mr. Maxwell how far they were from his house and for directions to drive south. Defendant told Mr. Maxwell not to lie because “they knew where [he] lived and where [his] family lived.” Mr. Maxwell did not see the gun again, but defendant repeatedly threatened to shoot him. ¶6 After “circling around” for approximately three hours, the first man drove to a gas station and put gas in the Jeep. No other customers were present. Defendant stayed in the vehicle but ordered Mr. Maxwell to purchase a “Black and Mild” (a type of cigar). Mr. Maxwell walked to the window of the gas station to make the purchase, but did not ask the clerk for help because he had to shout his request and worried that the men would hear him. He did not try to run because he thought that the men would catch him. He returned to the Jeep and the men continued driving until they released him at 47th and State Streets. Mr. Maxwell went to a police station and reported what had happened. At approximately 9:30 a.m., he went to 75th and State Streets, where he saw his Jeep on the sidewalk, resting on its side against a wall. Later that day, Mr. Maxwell identified defendant in a physical lineup. ¶7 Officer Chan testified that he was on patrol at approximately 7:30 a.m. on May 17, 2011. He heard tires screeching and drove toward 75th Street and Indiana Avenue, where he saw a Jeep “flipped over on the sidewalk.” Defendant exited the driver’s side door, jumped from the car, and fled. Officer Chan detained defendant less than two blocks away and conducted a pat down. Afterwards, an evidence technician was called to process the Jeep. ¶8 The State published a video of the crash, which was entered into evidence. The defense did not move for a directed verdict, and defendant did not testify.

¶9 In finding defendant guilty of aggravated kidnaping, armed robbery, and aggravated vehicular hijacking while armed with a firearm, the trial court stated that Mr. Maxwell was “very credible,” and noted that he had described the appearance of defendant’s gun and testified that it looked real. The trial court also observed that Mr. Maxwell had a FOID card and “was aware of weapons.” ¶ 10 At the hearing on defendant’s motion to vacate the convictions, defense counsel contended that Mr. Maxwell was “mistaken” when he testified that defendant had been armed with a firearm. Counsel argued, inter alia, that Mr. Maxwell had spent the night in a bar, encountered defendant on a dark street, and had seen the alleged weapon for only a few seconds. According to counsel, the State had attempted to portray Mr. Maxwell as a firearms expert, but no testimony established that he could distinguish between real and fake firearms. In response, the State contended that Mr. Maxwell’s FOID card and his testimony “demonstrated his familiarity with guns.” The trial court denied defendant’s motion, stating:

“The Court finds that the victim was credible and he was in belief of being *** shot [by] a firearm and he did say on direct what type. It was a Glock. The victim was the person who possessed the [FOID] card and indicates some familiarity with the weapons.

The Court finds it was long enough of an observation of the flash from this item that was in defendant’s hands and what he described later on as a Glock.

The Court finds that it is sufficient and beyond a reasonable doubt that *** this offense occurred with a firearm.”

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Orsa v. The Police Board of the City of Chicago, 2016 IL App (1st) 141904 (Ill. Ct. App. 2016).

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People v. Hunter
2016 IL App (1st) 141904 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2016)