Rhoton v. State

575 N.E.2d 1006, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1218, 1991 WL 137596
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 24, 1991
Docket48A02-8910-PC-534
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 575 N.E.2d 1006 (Rhoton 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
Rhoton v. State, 575 N.E.2d 1006, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1218, 1991 WL 137596 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

RUCKER, Judge.

Appellant-petitioner Junior Rhoton (Rho-ton) appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief and raises three issues for our review which we rephrase as follows:

1. Whether charging Rhoton by Information rather than by grand jury indictment violated the federal and state constitutions by depriving Rho-ton of the protections afforded by an adversarial hearing to determine probable cause;
2. Whether Rhoton's right to speedy trial was violated;
3. Whether Rhoton received ineffective assistance of trial counsel.

We affirm.

On March 14, 1988, Rhoton was charged by way of Information with the offense of Battery, a Class C felony. Rhoton was arrested on May 29, 1983, and remained in jail until the date of his trial, January 8, 1985. A jury convicted Rhoton of Battery and the court sentenced him to a term of eight (8) years imprisonment. Rhoton's conviction was affirmed on appeal. See Rhoton v. State, [508 N.E.2d 585 (table) ] (2nd District, 1987). Subsequently, Rhoton filed his petition for post-conviction relief. However, none of the issues presented by his petition were raised in his direct appeal. After hearing, the petition was denied.

Additional facts will be discussed below as necessary.

I.

The State contends that Rhoton has waived the issues which he now presents to this court because he failed to raise them in his direct appeal. We agree with the State that post-conviction proceedings are not a substitute for direct appeal and issues which could have been raised on direct appeal may not be raised in a post-conviction proceeding. Combs v. State (1989), Ind., 537 N.E.2d 1177. Generally, allegations of error available but not asserted on direct appeal are waived for purposes of post-conviction relief. Owensby v. State (1990), Ind.App., 549 N.E.2d 407, trans. denied. However, at no point during the post-conviction hearing did the State raise the defense of waiver. Rather, the State responded to the merits of Rho-ton's argument which we must do as well. Dodson v. State (1987), Ind., 502 N.E.2d 1333; Richardson v. State (1982), Ind., 439 N.E.2d 610, reh. denied.

IL.

Rhoton contends that he was entitled to be charged by grand jury indictment rather than by Information. Rhoton argues that by charging him by Information he was denied the constitutional protections afforded by an adversarial proceeding to determine probable cause. We disagree.

We first note that a determination of probable cause relates to the issuance of an arrest warrant and not to the procedure by which a defendant is charged with a criminal offense. State ex rel. French v. Hendricks Superior Court, Hendricks County (1969), 252 Ind. 213, 247 N.E.2d 519; Scott v. State (1980), Ind.App., 404 N.E.2d 1190. Moreover, even where a determination of probable cause is required as a condition for the pretrial restraint of a defendant's liberty, that determination need not be made by an adversarial hearing. As indicated by the United States Supreme Court "the Constitution does not require an adversary determination of probable cause." Gerstein v. Pugh (1975), 420 U.S. 103, 123, 95 S.Ct. 854, 868, 43 L.Ed.2d 54.

*1009 Rhoton argues that a probable cause determination is a critical stage in a criminal proceeding and therefore triggers the due process protections of Article One, Section Twelve of the Indiana Constitution and the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Rhoton misconstrues the meaning of "eritical stage." "'Critical stages' are those parts of the proceedings, where (1) incrimination may occur or (2) where the opportunity for effective defense must be seized or be forgone." Manley v. State (1980), Ind.App., 410 N.E.2d 1338, 1342.

During a hearing to determine probable cause for the issuance of an arrest warrant there is no potential for an accused to suffer incrimination, nor is there a possibility that the defense of an accused may be compromised. In essence the pre-arrest stage of a criminal proceeding is not a "critical stage" triggering constitutional protections. See Little v. State (1985), Ind., 475 N.E.2d 677; Bray v. State (1982), Ind., 443 N.E.2d 310.

In any event, probable cause relates to the issuance of an arrest warrant. Here, Rhoton does not challenge his warrant for arrest, rather he challenges the charging document. Consequently Rhoton's argument concerning probable cause is misplaced.

In support of his argument that he was entitled to be charged by way of grand jury indictment rather than by Information, Rhoton relies upon the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution which provides in pertinent part:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury....

U.8.C.A. Const. Amend. 5.

Over a century ago the United States Supreme Court determined that the Fifth Amendment provision concerning indict ment by grand jury applied to federal prosecutions but did not apply to State prosecutions by way of the Fourteenth Amendment. Hurtado v. California (1884), 110 U.S. 516, 4 S.Ct. 111, 28 L.Ed. 232. Fur ther, in Beck v. Washington (1962), 369 U.S. 541, 82 S.Ct. 955, 8 L.Ed.2d 98 the Supreme Court held:

Ever since Hurtado v. California [cit. omit.], this Court has consistently held that there is no federal constitutional impediment to dispensing entirely with the grand jury in state prosecutions.

Id., 82 S.Ct. at 957.

Not only is there no federal constitutional impediment to dispensing with grand juries in State prosecutions, the Constitution of the State of Indiana also provides "[the General Assembly may modify or abolish the grand jury system." Const. Art 7 § 17.

The grand jury system in this state certainly has not been abolished, however criminal prosecutions need not be initiated by a grand jury indictment. Ind.Code § 35-34-1-1 which provides that "any crime may be charged by indictment or information'" has consistently withstood constitutional attack. See Beverly v. State (1989), Ind., 543 N.E.2d 1111; Bieghler v. State (1985), Ind., 481 N.E.2d 78, reh. denied, cert. denied, (1986), 475 U.S. 1031, 106 S.Ct. 1241, 89 L.Ed.2d 349; State v. Swafford (1968), 250 Ind.

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Bluebook (online)
575 N.E.2d 1006, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1218, 1991 WL 137596, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rhoton-v-state-indctapp-1991.