Samuel Jude Clark v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 27, 2019
Docket19A-CR-172
StatusPublished

This text of Samuel Jude Clark v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Samuel Jude Clark v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)) 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.

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Samuel Jude Clark v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), FILED this Memorandum Decision shall not be Aug 27 2019, 10:37 am regarded as precedent or cited before any court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK Indiana Supreme Court the defense of res judicata, collateral Court of Appeals and Tax Court

estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Bruce W. Graham Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Lafayette, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana

J.T. Whitehead Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Samuel Jude Clark, August 27, 2019 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No. 19A-CR-172 v. Appeal from the Tippecanoe Superior Court State of Indiana, The Honorable Appellee-Plaintiff. Kristen E. McVey, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 79D05-1706-F6-589

Altice, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-172 | August 27, 2019 Page 1 of 17 Case Summary [1] A jury found Samuel Jude Clark guilty of theft, conspiracy to commit

obstruction of justice, and obstruction of justice, all Level 6 felonies. Clark

admitted to being a habitual offender. He appeals and raises three issues that

we restate as:

I. Can Clark, who admitted to being a habitual offender, challenge the habitual offender adjudication on direct appeal by claiming that his trial counsel was ineffective?

II. Do Clark’s convictions for conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and obstruction of justice violate double jeopardy principles?

III. In sentencing Clark, did the trial court fail to specify which felony was being enhanced for the habitual offender adjudication?

[2] We affirm and remand for sentence clarification.

Facts & Procedural History [3] On November 21, 2016, Tony Goin was the acting manager of CD Land, an

electronics retail store in Lafayette that bought and sold CDs and DVDs. Perry

Baldridge, who was Clark’s roommate, entered the store around 11:30 a.m.

Also in the store at that time was a customer known to Goin as Jamal. Goin

recognized both Baldridge and Jamal and considered them to be frequent

customers. Clark entered the store a few minutes after Baldridge and stood

near the front door. After Baldridge and Goin finished their business, Clark left

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-172 | August 27, 2019 Page 2 of 17 the store and Baldridge walked out right behind him. Goin then heard the

sound of breaking glass and a vehicle alarm. Jamal alerted Goin that the

vehicle alarm was Goin’s black Jeep. Goin called 911 as he rushed outside, and

as he reached the parking lot, Goin saw a black Chrysler sedan drive away.

Jamal told Goin that he had seen Clark and Baldridge, who Jamal knew, get

into the Chrysler. In Goin’s 911 call, he told police that the suspected

perpetrators were Clark and Baldridge.

[4] When Goin reached his Jeep, he saw that the front driver’s side window had

been smashed and that his briefcase was missing from the front passenger seat.

Inside the briefcase were the following: (1) $10,000 in cash and vehicle titles, as

Goin planned to buy a vehicle that day, (2) Goin’s wallet containing another

$1100, his credit cards, and his driver’s license, and (3) prescription medicines.

Lafayette Police Department Officer Steven Prothero arrived about six or seven

minutes after Goin made the 911 call and, based on Goin’s statements and

“distinctive description” of the suspects, Officer Prothero was able to identify

Baldridge “due to recent contact” with him. Id. at 95.

[5] Meanwhile, Baldridge and Clark drove to their residence, and, once inside,

Baldridge saw Goin’s briefcase and its contents including the cash, car titles,

credit cards, and Goin’s identification. Clark gave some of the cash to

Baldridge. As police cars began arriving, Clark grabbed “everything” and ran

out the back door. Id. at 72. Baldridge hid under a floorboard in the attic

before being discovered by police.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-172 | August 27, 2019 Page 3 of 17 [6] On June 6, 2017, the State charged Clark with Level 6 felony theft and alleged

he was a habitual offender. In March 2018, the State added Count II, Level 6

felony conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, Count III, Level 6 felony

obstruction of justice, and Count IV, Level 6 felony conspiracy to commit

intimidation. The State dismissed the conspiracy to commit intimidation

charge on December 19, 2018.

[7] At the December 2018 jury trial, Goin testified to the above circumstances

surrounding the theft from his Jeep. Baldridge, who was under subpoena,

appeared and testified pursuant to a term in his plea agreement for Level 6

felony theft that required him to “testify truthfully in any hearing, trial, or court

proceeding involving the events in this case.” State’s Exhibit 12. Baldridge

testified that on November 21, 2016, he and Clark went to CD Land, with

Baldridge driving his sister’s black Chrysler sedan. Baldridge said that after he

was done with his transaction with Goin, he walked to his car. As he was

plugging in his phone and putting on his seatbelt, he heard a window shatter.

Clark then jumped into the back of the car and yelled, “go, go, go.” Transcript

Vol. 2 at 70, 78. Baldridge said that when Clark got in the car, he was carrying

a laptop-type of briefcase. Baldridge stated that, after they were back at their

residence and he saw all of Goin’s credit cards and vehicle titles, he “put two

and two together” and “figured [] out” that Clark had taken the briefcase from

Goin’s Jeep. Id. at 71. Baldridge said that he did not know beforehand that

Clark was going to break into Goin’s vehicle and steal from him, stating, “If I

could have prevented it I would’ve.” Id. at 83.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-172 | August 27, 2019 Page 4 of 17 [8] Baldridge testified that, while in jail in January 2018, he met fellow inmate

Michael Tunis, who knew Clark. According to Baldridge, Tunis told him that,

since he (Baldridge) had already pled guilty, he needed to sign a note saying

that “Jude Clark was innocent” and “did not commit the crime” because “it

would be stupid for two people to go down” and, instead, Baldridge needed to

“take the fall for it.” Id. at 74. Baldridge said that Tunis wrote the note and

handed it to Baldridge for his signature. It read:

Samual Jude Clark had nothing to do with the theft that occured at CD Land on November of 2016. I am the one who committed this crime on my own occord.

State’s Exhibit 5 (spelling in original). Baldridge testified that the contents of the

note were not accurate, but he signed it because he was scared. Tunis told

Baldridge he had to contact the jail’s notary public and get it notarized and that,

if he did not do so, Tunis and others “were going to jump” him. Transcript Vol.

2 at 74. Baldridge got his signature notarized and gave the note back to Tunis. 1

[9] Prior to trial and as part of discovery in Clark’s case, the false statement was

submitted to the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office. After receiving

information that the letter was not actually authored by Baldridge, Investigator

Brad Hayworth began an investigation into the matter. Hayworth testified that

he met with Baldridge and his attorney, and he listened to recorded jail phone

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