People v. Rowell

874 N.E.2d 553, 375 Ill. App. 3d 421, 314 Ill. Dec. 457, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 1275
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 15, 2006
Docket4 — 04—0481
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 874 N.E.2d 553 (People v. Rowell) 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. Rowell, 874 N.E.2d 553, 375 Ill. App. 3d 421, 314 Ill. Dec. 457, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 1275 (Ill. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinions

JUSTICE COOK

delivered the opinion of the court:

In March 2004, after a stipulated bench trial, the trial court found defendant, Howard L. Rowell, guilty of retail theft of property having a retail value exceeding $150 (720 ILCS 5/16A — 3(a) (West 2004)). Defendant filed a motion for judgment of acquittal or, in the alternative, motion in arrest of judgment, and the court denied the motion. In May 2004, the court sentenced defendant to 30 months’ probation. Defendant appeals. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand with directions.

I. BACKGROUND

On August 26, 2003, defendant was charged with the misdemeanor offense of theft by deception (720 ILCS 5/16 — 1(a)(2) (West 2002)). The information alleged that defendant sold store product belonging to his employer, Electronics Boutique (EB), and kept the money for himself. On September 22, 2003, the theft-by-deception charge was dismissed. On September 25, 2003, the State filed an information charging defendant with the felony offense of retail theft of items valued at over $150. The information alleged that between July 15 and August 25, 2003, defendant knowingly took 15 electronic computer games valued at over $150 from EB, a retail mercantile establishment, with the intent to permanently deprive the merchant of the use or benefit of the property without paying the full retail value. On December 3, 2003, the State filed an information labeled “count 2,” which again charged defendant with felony retail theft from EB. Count II was similar to the original information but added that the stolen items were 15 “Xbox Brand Video Games” and defendant knowingly took these games “during a continuing course of conduct.”

On January 26, 2004, defense counsel requested a bench trial and indicated the parties may proceed on stipulated evidence. The trial court admonished defendant as to his right to a jury trial. Defendant indicated he understood his right and tendered a written waiver of the right to a jury trial.

On March 10, 2004, the trial court held a bench trial. At the trial, defense counsel agreed with the State that defendant was willing to stipulate to the following: three police reports, a written statement by defendant given to EB, a summary of the cost of the games that were stolen from EB, a videotaped statement by defendant, and the fact that EB is a retail mercantile establishment. The reports outlined the following facts. The manager of EB reported that management had suspected defendant, an employee, of stealing games, selling them to friends, and pocketing the sale proceeds. To confirm its suspicions, a loss-prevention officer made a purchase from defendant, who sold an item at a reduced price and pocketed the money. When confronted, defendant admitted to the loss-prevention officer and manager that he stole games for himself and sold games at reduced rates to friends and then kept the money. Defendant gave a written statement to EB outlining his thefts.

Defense counsel stated he would not present any additional evidence. The trial court read the reports and asked for argument. The State argued that defendant’s written statement showed defendant’s guilt of the theft of the 15 video games. Defendant acknowledged he had taken about $367 worth of games, and a store employee listed the amount at $430.85. Defense counsel argued that the case presented no factual dispute and directed the court to count II. The court noted that count I had not been dismissed, and defense counsel responded his argument applied to either count. Counsel then stated that the information, particularly count II, is flawed. Count II’s reference to a “continuing course of conduct” is not authorized by statute. Counsel argued that the most the evidence showed is “a bunch of misdemeanors, not a felony. I believe the felony is improperly charged here.” Counsel pointed to the fact that the games had been taken over a series of dates and that the State could not prove that the games were taken in one transaction. The State responded that the phrase “during his employment with EB games” was “somewhat telling on that issue.” The State also said that the officer went into the details of how defendant was taking items during the videotaped statement. The court took the matter under advisement.

On March 24, 2004, the trial court entered an order, without explanation, convicting defendant on count II. On April 15, 2004, defendant filed a motion for judgment of acquittal or, in the alternative, motion in arrest of judgment. In the motion, defendant argued that the State improperly aggregated the value of the games by alleging that the individual thefts of the games were “during a continuing course of conduct” when what is required is proof that the acts were “in furtherance of a single intention and design.” Defendant argued that the evidence did not prove a single intent or design and, at best, the evidence showed only multiple intents to take the games, which were individually valued at less than $150. Defendant claimed he should be acquitted of the felony charge. Also, defendant contended that the charging instrument was defective for failure to allege the specific felony mental state, in furtherance of a single intention and design, so the charge did not state an offense.

On May 24, 2004, the trial court responded to defendant’s motion as follows, “Well, the court looked at that issue, and I believe there is some case law that directly supports the court’s ruling on that, and the motion will be denied.” The court sentenced defendant to 30 months’ probation and 120 days in jail with 30 days to be served right away and the balance to be stayed pending review. The court also ordered defendant to pay $430.85 in restitution to EB and imposed the following fees, fines, and costs: “$200 [deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)], $10 draw fee, $20 [Violent Crime Victims Assistance (VCVA)], $20 surcharge, $4 state[-]police fee.” Defense counsel also requested a $200 public-defender fee, which the court granted without discussion.

On May 26, 2004, the trial court granted the State’s motion to dismiss count I. This appeal followed.

II. ANALYSIS

On appeal, defendant presents nine issues for review. First, defendant argues that his felony conviction must be reduced to a misdemeanor because the State failed to prove the separate and individual thefts were in furtherance of a single intention and design. Second, defendant’s felony conviction must be vacated because the information failed to allege defendant’s conduct was in furtherance of a single intention and design and defendant was prejudiced by this failure. Third, defendant’s conviction must be vacated because he was not admonished pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 402 (177 Ill. 2d R. 402) and he was not admonished about the stipulations before his stipulated bench trial, which was tantamount to a guilty plea of misdemeanor retail theft. Fourth, defendant is entitled to two days’ sentence credit and a $5-a-day credit for time served to be applied against a $4 penalty imposed by the trial court. Fifth, the reimbursement order for counsel fees should be vacated because the court failed to conduct a hearing before entering the fee order. Sixth, the restitution amount should have been reduced by the value of the recovered video games.

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People v. Rowell
874 N.E.2d 553 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2006)

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Bluebook (online)
874 N.E.2d 553, 375 Ill. App. 3d 421, 314 Ill. Dec. 457, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 1275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-rowell-illappct-2006.