Ray Sorgdrager v. State of Indiana

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided April 13, 2023·No. 22A-CR-01175·Published

Opinion

FILED

Apr 13 2023, 8:46 am

CLERK

Indiana Supreme Court

Court of Appeals

and Tax Court

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Gregory L. Fumarolo Theodore E. Rokita Fort Wayne, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana

Caroline G. Templeton

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Ray Sorgdrager, April 13, 2023 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.

22A-CR-1175

v. Appeal from the Allen Superior Court

State of Indiana, The Honorable David M. Zent, Appellee-Plaintiff Judge Trial Court Cause No.

02D06-1905-F1-9

Opinion by Chief Judge Altice Judge Tavitas concurs.

Judge Brown concurs in part and dissents in part with separate opinion.

Altice, Chief Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-CR-1175 | April 13, 2023 Page 1 of 19

Case Summary [1] Following a jury trial, Ray Sorgdrager was convicted of two counts of child

molesting, one as a Level 1 felony and the other as a Level 4 felony, and sentenced to an aggregate term of forty-one years in the Indiana Department of Correction (the DOC). On appeal, Sorgdrager presents the following restated issues for review:

1. Did the State present sufficient evidence to support the Level 1 felony conviction?

2. Do Sorgdrager’s dual convictions for child molesting violate Indiana’s prohibition against double jeopardy?

3. Is Sorgdrager’s sentence inappropriate in light of the nature of his offenses and his character?

[2] We affirm.

Facts & Procedural History [3] G.L.’s parents, Mother and Father, divorced in 2014 when she was five years

old. Mother married Sorgdrager later that year and had two daughters with him, M. and E., born over the next couple years. Sorgdrager had been a friend of the family and involved in G.L.’s life since shortly after she was born.

[4] Mother initially had primary physical custody of G.L. after the divorce. Shortly after Father married Nicole, a teacher, in July 2015, Mother and Father agreed that G.L. should live with Father, as G.L. was starting first grade and had struggled a bit academically in kindergarten. Though the parents lived in different towns, Mother exercised regular parenting time, which included G.L. spending alternating weekends at Mother and Sorgdrager’s home.

[5] On Friday, November 16, 2018, G.L., who had just turned ten years old, began her weekend visit at Mother’s home. She and Mother went to a movie that night, while Sorgdrager stayed home with M. and E. G.L. and Mother did not arrive home until about midnight, so G.L. decided to sleep in the main-floor guest bedroom to not awaken three-year-old M., with whom she typically slept across the hall. Sorgdrager remained awake playing games on the computer, while Mother went to sleep in their basement bedroom.

[6] After everyone else was asleep, Sorgdrager entered the dark guest bedroom wearing a t-shirt and boxers and kissed G.L. twice on the lips. G.L. “kind of just froze” and pretended to still be asleep. Transcript Vol. 2 at 184. Sorgdrager then moved her shirt, lifted up her sports bra, and started licking her chest. He then left the room briefly.

[7] Upon his return, Sorgdrager used his finger to trace the front seams of the shorts G.L. was wearing. He then put his hand under her shorts, over her underwear, before removing his hand to lick his finger. After licking his finger, Sorgdrager put his hand back under her shorts and, this time, inside her underwear and then “start[ed] rubbing [her] private area with his finger.” Id. at 186. He licked his hand again and then placed his finger “inside” of her “private,” which was “painful” for G.L. Id. at 187-88. He did this more than once. G.L. was scared but she tried to stay still.

[8] Sorgdrager proceeded to cover G.L.’s face with a knitted blanket and then put her hand on his penis. He “made [her] squeeze it” by placing his hand over hers. Id. at 186. His penis “felt like hairy and weird” to G.L. Id. at 187.

[9] After Sorgdrager left, he returned briefly and told G.L. that he loved her. Mother had come upstairs around this time because she heard footsteps, and she observed Sorgdrager at G.L.’s door. She believed he was telling her goodnight. Mother and Sorgdrager then went to bed.

[10] The rest of the weekend G.L. did not tell Mother what had happened. G.L. later explained, “I just didn’t trust her.” Id. at 190. G.L. wanted, instead, to report the incident to Nicole, which she did as soon as she returned home on Sunday. Nicole and Father then contacted the authorities.

[11] That same night, G.L. submitted to a sexual assault exam, during which she provided details of the sexual abuse to the sexual assault nurse examiner (the SANE) performing the exam. Among other things, G.L. reported to the SANE: “[Sorgdrager] licked his finger and put it in my vagina and moved it back and forth, it hurt.” Exhibits at 29.

[12] Forensic testing later revealed the presence of male DNA on certain swabs from the evidence collection kit completed during the sexual assault exam. While male DNA was present on, among others, swabs taken from G.L.’s breasts, vagina, and external genitalia, the amount of DNA collected was insufficient for further analysis. However, a swab of G.L.’s bra, which was collected later, contained sufficient DNA for testing, and the test results provided “strong support for the position that Ray Sorgdrager is a contributor to the DNA profile.” Transcript Vol. 3 at 185.

[13] A family case manager with the Indiana Department of Child Services spoke with Mother on November 27, 2018, and informed her of G.L.’s allegations. Mother expressed shock. She stood by Sorgdrager’s side throughout the subsequent investigation. Mother and her younger daughters had some visits with G.L. thereafter, but G.L. never spent the night at their home and had no contact with Sorgdrager again.

[14] On May 6, 2019, the State charged Sorgdrager with two counts of child molesting. Count I, the Level 1 felony, alleged that Sorgdrager “did place his fingers in the female sex organ of G.L.” Appendix at 20. Count II, the Level 4 felony, alleged generally that he “did perform or submit to fondling or touching with G.L. … with the intent of arousing or satisfying the sexual desires of G.L. or Sorgdrager.” Id. at 22.

[15] Within about a month of the charges being filed, Father and Nicole were informed that Mother wanted to give up her parental rights and have Nicole adopt G.L. This was heartbreaking for G.L., especially losing the relationship with her sisters. According to Father, when he delivered the news to G.L., she had a panic attack – “crying, hyperventilating, curled up in a fetal position.” Transcript Vol. 3 at 9.

[16] Sorgdrager’s jury trial did not commence until February 28, 2022, when G.L. was thirteen years old. The jury ultimately found him guilty as charged. Thereafter, on April 22, 2022, the trial court sentenced Sorgdrager to thirty-five years for Count I, as a credit restricted felon, and to a consecutive term of six years for Count II.

[17] Sorgdrager now appeals. Additional information will be provided below as needed.

Discussion & Decision 1. Sufficiency

[18] Sorgdrager initially challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for Level 1 felony child molesting. Specifically, he contends that the State failed to establish “the essential element of penetration.” Appellant’s Brief at 15. He describes G.L.’s testimony as vague in this regard because she used the term “private” and failed to define what that term meant or indicate that her sex organ was penetrated by his finger.

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