Owens v. State

947 N.E.2d 482, 2011 Ind. App. LEXIS 711, 2011 WL 1543220
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 25, 2011
Docket12A04-1008-CR-522
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 947 N.E.2d 482 (Owens v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Owens v. State, 947 N.E.2d 482, 2011 Ind. App. LEXIS 711, 2011 WL 1543220 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

DARDEN, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Barry T. Owens appeals from his sentence, following a jury trial, for two counts of Class B felony dealing in cocaine and one count of Class D felony maintaining a common nuisance.

We affirm.

ISSUES

1. Whether the trial court erred in imposing court costs without specifying in its sentencing order that Owens would not be imprisoned for nonpayment thereof.

2. Whether the trial court erred in imposing public defender reimbursement fees as a condition of Owens’ probation.

FACTS

In July of 2008, Owens sold cocaine to a confidential informant who was working *483 with Clinton County police. On July 10, 2008, the State charged him with the following offenses: Counts I and II, class B felony dealing in cocaine; and Count III, class D felony operating a vehicle as an habitual traffic violator; and Count IV, class D felony maintaining a common nuisance. At his initial hearing, the trial court found that Owens was indigent and appointed a public defender to represent him.

On November 24-25, 2008, Owens was tried to a jury, and was convicted of Counts I, II and IV. On June 24, 2009, the trial court imposed an aggregate sentence of fifteen years, with nine years ordered executed at the Department of Correction, two years executed on electronic monitoring, and four years suspended to probation. He was also ordered to pay $3,988.28 in pauper counsel fees and $164.00 in court costs. In assessing the fees and costs, the trial court did not specify in its sentencing order that Owens could not be imprisoned for nonpayment thereof.

On May 19, 2010, Owens filed a verified petition for permission to file a belated notice of appeal, which was denied. On July 29, 2010, he filed a motion requesting that the trial court reconsider his verified petition for permission to file a belated notice of appeal. The trial court granted Owens’ motion and appointed a public defender to represent him on appeal. On August 26, 2010, Owens filed a belated notice of appeal.

DECISION

Owens argues that the trial court erred in its assessment of fees and costs at his sentencing. (“[SJentencing decisions including decisions to impose restitution, fines, costs, or fees, are generally left to the trial court’s discretion.” Kimbrough v. State, 911 N.E.2d 621, 636 (Ind.Ct.App. 2009)). Such decisions “are reviewed on appeal only for an abuse of discretion.” Leffingwell v. State, 810 N.E.2d 369, 371 (Ind.Ct.App.2004). “An abuse of discretion occurs if the decision is ‘clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before the court, or the reasonable, probable, and actual deductions to be drawn therefrom.’ ” Anglemyer v. State, 868 N.E.2d 482, 491 (Ind.2007), clarified on reh’g, 875 N.E.2d 218 (Ind.2007) (citations omitted).

1. Court Costs

Owens argues that the trial court erred by failing to specify in its sentencing order, after finding him to be indigent, that he could not be imprisoned for nonpayment of court costs. He asks that we remand to the trial court with instructions to remedy said omission. We disagree.

Indiana Code section 35-37-2-3 provides that “when the court imposes costs, it shall conduct a hearing to determine whether the convicted person is indigent.” See Ind.Code § 35-38-1-18 (“whenever the court imposes a fine, it shall conduct a hearing to determine whether the convicted person is indigent”).

Before 2002, our Supreme Court applied the general rule “that when fines or costs are imposed upon an indigent, the trial court must expressly state that the defendant shall not be imprisoned for failing to pay the fine.” Petty v. State, 532 N.E.2d 610, 612 (Ind.1989), overruled by Whedon v. State, 765 N.E.2d 1276, 1279 (Ind.2002). See Fry v. State, 447 N.E.2d 569 (Ind.1983), overruled by Whedon v. State, 765 N.E.2d 1276, 1279 (Ind.2002); see also Whitehead v. State, 511 N.E.2d 284 (Ind.1987) (remanding to the trial court with instructions to insert the indicated language), overruled by Whedon v. State, 765 N.E.2d 1276, 1279 (Ind.2002).

In 2002, the Whedon Court reiterated the general rule; however, it rejected the proposition “declaring that trial courts’ sentencing orders must necessarily recite *484 an express prohibition upon imprisonment for failure to pay fines or costs.” 765 N.E.2d at 1279. The Court noted that “[r]emanding to insist that this warning be included in every order sentencing an indigent defendant does not substantially serve defendants or the just and efficient administration of justice.” Id. The Whe-don Court further noted that “a defendant’s financial resources are more appropriately determined not at the time of initial sentencing but at the conclusion of incarceration, thus allowing consideration of whether the defendant may have accumulated assets through inheritance or otherwise.” Id.

In light of Whedon, which expressly overrules Fry, Petty, Whitehead and their progeny, Owens cannot prevail on his claim of error. Id. Accordingly, we find that the trial court did not abuse its sentencing discretion by omitting the prohibition against imprisonment for nonpayment of fines or costs from its sentencing order.

2. Pauper Counsel Reimbursement

Next, Owens argues that the trial court abused its discretion by “fail[ing] to inquire into [his] ability to pay all or even part of the cost of his representation” before ordering him to pay public, defender reimbursement fees. Owens’ Br. at 5. He also argues that the court erred because its order that he pay $3,988.23 in public defender reimbursement fees far exceeded the prescribed statutory limit for an indigent defendant. Id. This issue is not ripe for appellate review.

Indiana Code section 35-33-7-6 provides, in relevant part, as follows:

(a) Prior to the completion of the initial hearing, the judicial officer shall determine whether a person who requests assigned counsel is indigent.

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Bluebook (online)
947 N.E.2d 482, 2011 Ind. App. LEXIS 711, 2011 WL 1543220, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/owens-v-state-indctapp-2011.