Richardson v. State

856 N.E.2d 1222, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 2376, 2006 WL 3350122
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided November 20, 2006·No. 24A05-0510-CR-612·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinion

OPINION

RILEY, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Appellant-Defendant, Mary Richardson (Richardson), appeals her conviction for Count I, dealing in methamphetamine, a Class A felony, Ind.Code § 35-48-4-1(a@@(C), (b)(1); Count II, possession of methamphetamine, a Class C felony, LC. § 35-48-4-6(b)(1)(A); Count III, illegal drug lab, a Class D felony, 1.C. § 35-48-4-14.5(c); Count IV, possession of marijuana, a Class D felony, 1.0. § 85-48-4-11; Count V, maintaining a common nuisance, a Class D felony, I1.C. § 85-48-4-13(b)@Q@)(A); and Count VI, neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony, 1.C. § 85-46-1-4(a)(1).

We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

ISSUES

Richardson raises three issues on appeal, which we restate as:

(1) Whether the State presented sufficient evidence to sustain Richardson's convictions for dealing in methamphetamine and illegal drug lab;
(2) Whether Richardson was denied her Sixth Amendment right to confrontation; and
(3) Whether Richardson's convictions for dealing in methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine violate Indiana's prohibition against the imposition of multiple punishments.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On December 10, 2003, Dillon Richardson (Dillon), seventeen, visited his father Tommy Richardson (Tommy) at approximately 5 p.m. Dillon did not live with his father, but visited him often. Tommy lived in a mobile home near Laurel, Indiana in Franklin County with his wife, Richardson, and their six-year old son, J.R.

That evening, Richardson, Tommy, J.R., and Robert Morning (Morning), Tommy's nephew and Dillon's cousin, were all at Tommy and Richardson's home when Dillon arrived. Between 8 and 10 p.m. Morning asked Dillon to drive him to the Wal-Mart in Greensburg, Dillon obliged. Morning purchased several boxes of cold tablets and lithium batteries, after which Dillon drove them back to Richardson and his father's mobile home. A few hours later Morning asked Dillon to drive him "up the road." (Transcript p. 169). Dillon drove the two toward Rushville He stopped the car at Morning's insistence near a Co-op and let Morning out of the car. Dillon went up the road, turned *1225 around, and came back to pick up Morning. When Morning got back in the car he had a pitcher full of anhydrous ammonia, and according to Dillon the smell was "horrible, [took] your breath." (Tr. p. 171). Dillon drove them back to the mobile home onee again, arriving at approximately midnight.

Dillon went into the mobile home only to behold Tommy and Richardson erushing up the cold pills and peeling the lithium batteries Morning bought earlier that evening. All the while, J.R. was sleeping on the couch. When Dillon got ready to leave, Tommy and Morning were outside turning cans of ether upside down and punching a hole in them to release the pressure while still preserving the liquid. Before Dillon left, Richardson and Tommy asked him if he would come back later and take them to Rushville so they could get rid of their methamphetamine.

At approximately 1:80 or 2 a.m., Dillon called Franklin County Sheriff Dale Maxie (Sheriff Maxie) and reported what he witnessed at Richardson and his father's home. Sheriff Maxie obtained a search warrant for the mobile home and the surrounding grounds to search for an "active meth lab." (Tr. p. 198). Deputy Sheriff John Roberts (Deputy Roberts), and Indiana State Police Trooper Rick Gill (Trooper Gill) accompanied Sheriff Maxie to aid in the execution of the search warrant.

For fear of giving themselves away, the officers parked their vehicles approximately one mile from Richardson's residence and walked to the mobile home. Trooper (Zill approached the mobile home, peered through a window, and signaled to Sheriff Maxie and Deputy Roberts that he saw three persons inside. Trooper Gill also observed a liquid on a ceramic plate sitting on the table. Sheriff Maxie and Deputy Roberts went to the back door while Trooper Gill drew his gun and positioned himself at the front door. Deputy Roberts knocked and announced their presence, and immediately opened the unlocked back door. After hearing Deputy Roberts' announcement, Tommy opened the front door. He was carrying a glass jar with a liquid in it. Upon coming face to face with Trooper (ill at the front door, Tommy slammed the door in his face. Trooper Gill opened the door and followed Tommy into the mobile home. Upon entering, Trooper Gill's eyes, nose, and throat immediately began to burn. Trooper Gill was not able to catch Tommy before he poured the liquid down the sink and turned on the water. Trooper Gill reached to turn off the water when Tommy grabbed his arm. The two struggled before Trooper Gill was able to handcuff Tommy.

When Sheriff Maxie and Deputy Roberts entered the mobile home, a strong ammonia odor immediately burned their eyes and lungs, and made breathing difficult. Deputy Roberts saw a "white solvent cloud" hanging in the air. (Tr. p. 218). Sheriff Maxie found Morning sitting on a couch. Deputy Roberts found Richardson and J.R. in the master bedroom in the back of the residence. He handcuffed Richardson and told both she and J.R. to stay there. Deputy Roberts then went into the front room where Sheriff Maxie had Morning in a prone position on the floor. When they turned Morning over to handcuff him they found a plastic bag containing a white powder, later determined to be .36 grams of methamphetamine. Another larger plastic bag containing a white powder, later determined to be 3.06 grams of methamphetamine, was found under a love seat not far from where Morning was laying on the floor.

After Richardson, Tommy, and Morning were secured, everyone was brought into the living room. Deputy Roberts went to *1226 get his patrol car so they could get J.R. out of the mobile home since it looked like he was having trouble breathing. At approximately 5:45 a.m. Richardson and J.R. were placed in Deputy Roberts' patrol car. Deputy Roberts turned on the video recorder in his patrol car before locking them inside. Several comments made by Richardson were caught on tape. At 5:45 am. Richardson is on tape as having said, "Those two men, the cause of it. I begged my way out, and begged my way out. Tell them I wasn't doing anything." (Appellant's App. p. 13). At 5:48 a.m. she said, "You've got to tell them Mommy didn't smoke no ... with them." (Appellant's App. p. 18). At 5:58 a.m. she said, "I don't know where they parked, came from. I didn't see no lights." (Appellant's App. p. 13). At 6:00 am. she said, "I heard Dillon's mouth talking to those cops. It definitely was Dillon." (Appellant's App. p. 13). And at 6:02 a.m., she said, "We're not the only ones [that] should be busted." (Appellant's App. p. 18). J.R. was eventually taken to Fayette Memorial Hospital. Trace positive results were found for trace amounts of cocaine, amphetamine, and opiates in his system.

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Richardson v. State, 856 N.E.2d 1222, 2006 Ind. App. LEXIS 2376, 2006 WL 3350122 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006).

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