Pavey v. State

710 N.E.2d 219, 1999 Ind. App. LEXIS 745, 1999 WL 319014
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 21, 1999
Docket23A04-9812-CR-602
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 710 N.E.2d 219 (Pavey 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
Pavey v. State, 710 N.E.2d 219, 1999 Ind. App. LEXIS 745, 1999 WL 319014 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

*220 OPINION

BAILEY, Judge

Case Summary

Appellanb-Defendant Daroll Pavey (“Pa-vey”) appeals from the trial court’s revocation of his placement in West Central Regional Community Corrections (the “Program”) following his plea of guilty for two counts of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Class D felonies. 1 Pavey’s placement in the Program was revoked for an alleged violation of the rules governing that Program. The trial court then committed Pavey to the Indiana Department of Corrections for a determinate period of three years, with 159 days credit for time spent incarcerated. We affirm.

Issues

Pavey raises three issues on appeal which we consolidate and restate into two:

I. Whether the tidal court, at sentencing, sufficiently advised Pavey of the terms of the program.
II. Whether the filing of a Program violation under Cause No. 23C01-9804-DF-178 was sufficient due process notice that Pa-vey’s placement in a community corrections program and probation could be revoked, along with the reinstatement of his three year suspended sentence reinstated.

Facts

The evidence most favorable to the trial court’s judgment indicates that Pavey pled guilty to two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. (R. 73, 76). On May 19, 1998, the trial court sentenced Pavey as follows:

... for each of said offenses [Pavey] be committed to the Indiana Department of Correction for a determinant period of 1# years, said sentencing to run consecutive for a total sentence of 3 years ... the first Vk years be served by direct commitment to the [Program] all components applicable. Balance of said sentence suspended and [Pavey] placed on probation for 1$ years with terms to be fixed by the court.

(R. 37) (emphasis added).

Pavey was placed on work release by the Program. (R. 46). The Program’s work release agreement included language to the effect that violation of its terms could result in imposition of Pavey’s full sentence. (R. 46). Under the terms of the work release agreement, Pavey agreed not to violate any rules of the Fountain County Jail (“Jail”), despite not receiving a written copy of the jail rules. (R. 84, 87, 98). The Jail rules prohibited possession of any tobacco products. (R. 85, 89). Upon return to the Jail from work release, Pavey was found to be in possession of cigarettes. (R. 84). Deputy Sheriff Kemp (“Sheriff’) saw a cigarette fall from Pavey’s clothes and then another cigarette was found in Pavey’s shoe. (R. 84). The Sheriff testified that Pavey stated “he didn’t know where [the cigarette which fell from his clothes] came from.” (R. 97). Upon discovery of the second cigarette, the Sheriff testified that Pavey stated “he didn’t know where [either of the cigarettes] came from.” (R. 97). Based on these events, a Program violation was filed under Cause No. 23C01-9804-DF-178. (R. 43).

At Pavey’s revocation hearing, the trial court ruled that Pavey had violated the terms of the Program. (R. 7-8). On September 9, 1998, the trial court ordered the following:

... that the order this court entered on May 19, 1998, be set aside and [Pavey’s] failure to comply with Community Corrections was a condition precedent to probation and accordingly [Pavey] is ordered committed for a determinate period of 3 years ...

(R. 8). The following appeal ensued.

I. Whether the trial court, at sentencing, sufficiently advised Pavey of the terms of the Program.

Standard of Review — Revocation of Placement in a Community Corrections Program

This court has analyzed the relationship between community corrections pro *221 grams and probation, determining the difference between the two to be insignificant. Brooks v. State, 692 N.E.2d 951, 953 (Ind.Ct.App.1998), trans. denied. A defendant is not entitled to serve his sentence in a community corrections program but, as with probation, placement in the program is a matter of grace and a conditional liberty that is a favor, not a right. Id. When deciding whether to revoke probation, matters are left to the sole discretion of the trial court. Hubbard v. State, 683 N.E.2d 618, 620 (Ind.Ct.App.1997). A revocation of probation will be affirmed if, considering only the probative evidence and reasonable inferences therefrom, there is sufficient evidence supporting the conclusion that the probationer is guilty of violating any condition of his probation. Ind.Code § 35-38-2-3; Hubbard, 683 N.E.2d at 620. Similarly, we will affirm the revocation of placement in a community corrections program if, considering only the probative evidence and reasonable inferences therefrom, there is sufficient evidence supporting the conclusion that the individual within the program is guilty of violating any condition of the program. See Brooks v. State, 692 N.E.2d at 953.

Notice of Program Terms

Pavey contends that the trial court failed to advise him of the terms of his probation and that Pavey’s violation of Jail rules did not violate a condition of probation. We disagree.

Pavey’s placement in the Program was ordered pursuant to Ind.Code § 35-38-2.6-3(a), which provides:

The court may, at the time of sentencing, suspend the sentence and order a person to be placed in a community corrections program as an alternative to commitment to the department of correction. The court may impose reasonable terms on the placement....

(Emphasis added).

We have previously addressed the legislative intent of this chapter on community correction programs in the context of a trial court’s notice to a defendant of the terms of his placement. See Million v. State, 646 N.E.2d 998, 1000 (Ind.Ct.App.1995).

In Million, we held that the community corrections statute does not require the trial court to give written notice of the terms of placement or specify those conditions on the record. Id. Nevertheless, notice to the defendant of the terms of his placement is implicit in the statute and a prerequisite to revocation of the placement. Id.

Pavey was specifically instructed by the trial court that “all components” of the Program were applicable to him. (R. 66). Pavey acknowledged that he understood the phrase “all components.” (R. 68). Pavey also signed a work release agreement which specifically read, “I agree not to violate any rules of the [Jail].” (R.46).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
710 N.E.2d 219, 1999 Ind. App. LEXIS 745, 1999 WL 319014, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pavey-v-state-indctapp-1999.