Reed v. State

825 N.E.2d 911, 2005 WL 928172
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 21, 2005
Docket49A04-0408-PC-444
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 825 N.E.2d 911 (Reed 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
Reed v. State, 825 N.E.2d 911, 2005 WL 928172 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

SHARPNACK, Judge.

Gerald Reed appeals the post-conviction court's denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. Reed raises two issues, which we restate as:

_ I. Whether Reed waived his freestanding claim that the trial court abused its discretion by sentencing Reed to consecutive sentences; and
II. Whether Reed received the effective assistance of trial and appellate counsel.

We affirm.

The relevant facts follow. On November 1, 1995, while Indianapolis Police Officers Marlene Neitzel, Michael Roach, and William Beachum were investigating a disturbance, Reed approached the scene in his car. Reed drove between Officer Neit-zel and Officer Roach's parked police cars, and Reed's car became wedged between the police cars. When another officer arrived to investigate the accident, Officer Neitzel moved her car and Reed backed his car up. However, Reed suddenly drove forward again and sped away from the scene. Officers Neitzel, Roach, and Beachum pursued Reed. A couple of minutes later, Reed stopped his car, opened his driver's side door, and fired one shot in the direction of Officers Roach and Beac-hum. Reed drove another block, slowed his car to almost a stop, and fired two shots at Officer Beachum. The chase continued for approximately eight more minutes until the officers stopped Reed's car with stop sticks. The entire chase lasted for approximately ten minutes.

The State charged Reed with one count of attempted murder for shooting at Officer, Roach, one count of attempted murder for shooting at Officer Beachum, and one count. of carrying a handgun without a license as a class A misdemeanor. The State also enhanced the handgun charge to a class D felony. After a bench trial, the trial court found Reed guilty as charged. The trial court sentenced Reed to forty years for each of the two attempted murder convictions to be served consecutively and a concurrent sentence of four years on the handgun conviction. Reed appealed his convictions and argued that he did not waive his right to a jury trial, that the trial court did not adequately explain its reasons for enhancing the sentences and ordering them to be consecutive, and that the sentence was manifestly unreasonable. Reed v. State, No. 49A05-9610-CR-438, 688 N.E.2d 436 (Ind.Ct.App. Dec.22, 1997), trans. denied. We affirmed Reed's convictions and sentences. Id.

Reed filed a petition for post-conviction relief, and after an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court entered the following findings of fact and conclusions thereon:

Findings of Fact

1. On November 1, 1995, [Reed] attempted to - drive between two *914 parked police cars and his car became stuck. [Reed]'s Exhibit 1 at 99, 109, 110-11, 140, 142. An accident police car was called to the scene, and [Reed] was instructed to back his car out of the jam. Id. at 17, 118-19, 154, 286. [Reed] then fled the area. Id. at 119, 154-55. Fully marked police cars followed him on a chase that lasted approximately ten minutes. Id. at 99, 127, 136, 187, 218. At one point, [Reed] completely stopped his vehicle and opened his car door and fired a gunshot at Officer Michael Roach. Id. at 171-74, 176, 208-04. [Reed] then closed the car door and began driving again. Id. at 218. Approximately five seconds later, [Reed] again slowed his car down significantly and fired two shots in the direction of Officer William Beac-hum. Id. at 207, 208, 210. Stop sticks were ultimately thrown down, - and [Reed] was apprehended. Id. at 214.

2. On November 2, 1995, the State charged [Reed] with the attempted murder of Officer Roach and carrying a handgun without a license. Id. at 15-17. At Officer Beachum's request, the State filed an amended charging information on January 16, 1996, adding a charge of attempted murder of Officer Beachum. Id. at 49-51, 222-28.

3. The Court appointed Stephen Lau-dig to represent [Reed], but Alex Murphy took over the case in January 1996. Id. at 27, 39.

4. Following a bench trial, on March 18, 1996, the Court convicted [Reed] of both counts of attempted murder and the enhanced carrying a handgun without a license. Id. at 335.

5. On April 16, 1996, the Court held [Reed]'s sentencing hearing. In arguing for an enhanced sentence, the State pointed out that the shots occurred at two separate places and two separate points in time and should be consecutive. Id. at 373-74. The Court sentenced [Reed] to an aggregate 80-year term of incarceration. Id. at 377-78. The Court ordered both attempted murder convictions be run consecutively.

6. Patricia McMath filed [ReedJ's direct appeal which raised the following issues: a) whether he waived his right to a jury trial; b) whether the Court's sentencing was adequate; and c) whether the sentences are manifestly unreasonable. Reed v. State, No. 49A05-9610-CR-438, slip opinion, p. 2, 688 N.E.2d 436 (Ind.Ct.App. December 22, 1997). The Court of Appeals affirmed [ReedJI's convictions and sentence in a memorandum decision. Id.

7. On September 14, 2000, [Reed] filed his pro se Petition for Post-Conviction Relief and requested and received representation from the State Public Defender. The State answered the Petition on October 2, 2000.

8. On February 28, 2004, [Reed] by counsel filed an Amended Petition in which he substituted the following issues for those raised in his pro se Petition: a) the Court erred in imposing consecutive sentences; and b) he received ineffective assistance of trial and appellate counsel. The State responded to the. amendment on March 1, 2004.

9.On April 27, 2004, the Court held [Reed]'s evidentiary hearing. [Reed] presented the record of proceedings, the briefs of both appellant *915 and appellee, the memorandum decision and an affidavit from Patricia McMath. The Court took judicial notice of its file at the State's request and ordered the parties to submit proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law by May 27, 2004.

Conclusions of Law

1. Post-conviction relief is a collateral attack on the validity of a criminal conviction and the petitioner carries the burden of proof. Timberlake v. State, 753 N.E.2d 591, 597 (Ind.2001). This collateral challenge to the conviction is limited to the grounds enumerated in the post-conviction rules. Id. (citing Ind. Post-Conviction Rule 1(1)). The post-conviction procedure, however, is not a "super-appeal," and not all issues are available. Id. "If an issue was known and available, but not raised on direct appeal, it is waived. If it was raised on appeal, but decided adversely, it is res judicata." - Id. (quoting Timberlake v. State, 753 N.E.2d 591, 597 (Ind.2001)). Thus, in order to grant relief, the Court must find that the preponderance of the evidence proved that [Reed] is entitled to relief.

2. [Reed] is not entitled to any review on his freestanding claims that the Court committed a sentencing error. Taylor v. State, 780 N.E.2d 430 (Ind.Ct.App.2002) (citing Bunch v. State, 778 N.E.2d 1285, 1289 (Ind.2002)), [reh'g denied, trans.

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Related

Reed v. State
856 N.E.2d 1189 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2006)
State v. Blackwell, Unpublished Decision (10-13-2006)
2006 Ohio 5379 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006)

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825 N.E.2d 911, 2005 WL 928172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reed-v-state-indctapp-2005.