People v. Harbach

698 N.E.2d 281, 298 Ill. App. 3d 111, 232 Ill. Dec. 443, 1998 Ill. App. LEXIS 527
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJuly 31, 1998
Docket2-96-1361
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 698 N.E.2d 281 (People v. Harbach) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Harbach, 698 N.E.2d 281, 298 Ill. App. 3d 111, 232 Ill. Dec. 443, 1998 Ill. App. LEXIS 527 (Ill. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinions

JUSTICE INGLIS

delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a trial in the circuit court of Lee County, a jury found defendant, DeWayne V Harbach, guilty of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (720 ILCS 5/12 — 16(d) (West 1996)). Defendant appeals his conviction and contends that the trial court erred when it denied his motion to suppress inculpatory statements that he purportedly made while in custody prior to the trial. We agree and reverse and remand.

The charge against defendant was based on allegations that, on December 1, 1994, in Lee County, defendant, who was 43 years old at the time, committed an act of sexual penetration with a young woman who was 14 years old at the time. At the trial, the young woman testified that defendant committed the alleged act. The State also presented the testimony of Mark Thatcher, a state police investigator. Thatcher testified that while defendant was in custody in the Lake County jail he made inculpatory statements, including a statement that he had committed an act of sexual penetration with the young woman.

Prior to the trial, defendant filed a motion to suppress the inculpatory statements that he purportedly made to Thatcher. The trial court conducted a hearing on the motion to suppress. At the hearing, Thatcher and another police officer, Jerome Costliow, who was present when defendant purportedly made the inculpatory statements, testified for the State. Defendant and defendant’s father testified for defendant.

The record reveals the following undisputed facts. On July 14, 1995, shortly after 3 p.m., defendant was arrested in Lake County. Defendant was subsequently taken to the Lake County jail, where he was booked and placed in a cell known as a holding tank. At around midnight, defendant telephoned his mother. Defendant had been advised that he could be bailed out and asked his mother to make arrangements to bail him out.

On July 15, 1995, at around 8 a.m., defendant’s father arrived at the jail to post bail for defendant. Although he initially went to the wrong place, defendant’s father had posted bail for defendant by around 9 a.m.

On the same date, Officers Thatcher and Costliow arrived at the jail around 10 a.m. They had traveled from Lee County. They asked to speak to defendant. A jailer went to the holding tank where defendant was still being held and asked defendant if he wanted to talk to the officers. Defendant told the jailer that he did not want to talk to the officers.

Five or ten minutes later, a jailer again came to the holding tank and said something to defendant. This time, defendant left the holding tank with the jailer and accompanied the jailer to a foyer area in the jail. In the foyer area, Officers Thatcher and Costliow approached defendant. After a brief conversation, defendant accompanied the officers to an interview room where he purportedly made the inculpatory statements. There is conflicting testimony as' to what occurred after the police officers approached defendant in the foyer area.

Thatcher’s testimony included the following. Even though Thatcher had been informed only 5 or 10 minutes earlier that defendant did not want to talk to police officers, the reason that he approached defendant was to serve defendant with a notice of eavesdropping. He immediately served defendant with the notice, and defendant then asked the officers questions about the underlying charge. Before the officers engaged in a conversation with defendant regarding the underlying charge, defendant signed a form that the jailers insisted defendant sign before talking with the officers. Thatcher had no knowledge of the content of the form; he believed it was just jail policy to have inmates sign such a form before speaking to police officers. The officers and defendant then moved to an interview room. Thatcher testified that he then advised defendant of his constitutional rights by reading the Miranda warnings to defendant from a card that Officer Costliow carried.

Thatcher further testified that defendant stated that he understood his rights but waived them because he wanted to talk to the officers about the charge. According to Thatcher, only then did the officers discuss the underlying charge with defendant. Thatcher testified that defendant made the inculpatory statements during the ensuing interview. Thatcher testified that the officers did not use any promises, threats, deception, or trickery during the interview. The interview lasted about two hours.

Thatcher acknowledged that the officers did not obtain a written waiver of Miranda rights from defendant. Thatcher also acknowledged that defendant made the purported inculpatory statements orally and that the statements were not written or otherwise recorded.

Thatcher testified that while they were interviewing defendant Thatcher and Costliow were not aware that defendant’s father was at the jail to post bail for defendant. According to Thatcher, no one interrupted the interview to tell them that defendant’s father was there to post bail for him. Thatcher acknowledged that when he and Costliow were leaving the jail defendant’s father approached them and talked to them briefly on his son’s behalf.

Costliow’s testimony generally corroborated Thatcher’s testimony. However, Costliow testified that he was unaware that defendant had initially declined to talk to the officers.

Defendant testified that no one advised him of his Miranda rights at any time during his custody following his arrest. Defendant specifically denied that either Officer Thatcher or Officer Costliow ever advised him of his Miranda rights.

Defendant’s testimony also included the following. Prior to his arrest on July 14, 1995, he had never been arrested or jailed. He was kept in the holding tank at the jail the entire night following his arrest. During the night, numerous loud, drunk men were also placed in the holding tank. Defendant was unable to sleep at all during the time he was kept in the holding tank. In the morning, the other men in the holding tank were taken to court. Defendant was not taken to court because he expected to be bailed out.

Defendant further testified that, after he told the jailer that he did not want to talk to the state police officers, about 5 or 10 minutes later the jailer returned and told defendant that the officers were still waiting to talk to him. Defendant testified that, because he was very tired, he did not say anything in response, but instead just followed the jailer to the foyer area.

Defendant testified that the officers approached him in the foyer area and pleaded with him to go with them to an interview room and talk to them. According to defendant, Thatcher had some papers folded up that Thatcher said were very important and that defendant should see and that if defendant went into a room and talked to the officers they would show defendant the papers. Defendant testified that the reason he went into the interview room with the officers was that he wanted to see the papers and the officers told him that they would not show him the papers unless he went into the room with them.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Hughes
2013 IL App (1st) 110237 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2014)
People v. Dennis
866 N.E.2d 1264 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2007)
People v. G.O.
710 N.E.2d 140 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1999)
In Re GO
710 N.E.2d 140 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1999)
In the Interest of G. O.
Appellate Court of Illinois, 1999
People v. Harbach
698 N.E.2d 281 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
698 N.E.2d 281, 298 Ill. App. 3d 111, 232 Ill. Dec. 443, 1998 Ill. App. LEXIS 527, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-harbach-illappct-1998.