Shawn Towell v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided November 15, 2016·No. 01A02-1603-CR-449·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED regarded as precedent or cited before any Nov 15 2016, 7:09 am court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK

the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals

estoppel, or the law of the case. and Tax Court

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Stacy R. Uliana Gregory F. Zoeller Bargersville, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana Larry D. Allen

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Shawn Towell, November 15, 2016 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.

01A02-1603-CR-449

v. Appeal from the Adams Circuit Court

State of Indiana, The Honorable Chad Kukelhan, Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge Trial Court Cause No.

01C01-1305-FA-4

Bailey, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 01A02-1603-CR-449 | November 15, 2016 Page 1 of 17

Case Summary

[1] Shawn Towell (“Towell”) was convicted of ten criminal offenses, and now

challenges five of those: his convictions for two counts of Dealing in Methamphetamine, as Class A felonies,1 and one count each of Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors, as a Class C felony,2 Possession of Methamphetamine, as a Class B felony,3 and Possession of a Controlled Substance, as a Class C felony.4 He also challenges his aggregate forty-year sentence. We affirm eight convictions: one count each of Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Paraphernalia, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Taking a Minor to a Nuisance, Battery, and Possession of Marijuana.5 We affirm the aggregate sentence. We remand to the trial court with instructions to vacate the second conviction for Dealing in Methamphetamine and the conviction for Possession of Methamphetamine.

Issues

1 Ind. Code § 35-48-4-1.1.

2 I.C. § 35-48-4-14.5.

3 I.C. § 35-48-4-6.1.

4 I.C. § 35-48-4-7.

5 Towell does not challenge his convictions for Possession of Paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor, I.C. § 35-48-4-8.3., Maintaining a Common Nuisance, as a Class D felony, I.C. § 35-48-4-13, Taking a Minor to a Nuisance, a Class A misdemeanor, I.C. § 35-48-4-13.3, Battery, as a Class B misdemeanor, I.C. § 35-42-2-1, or Possession of Marijuana, as a Class A misdemeanor, I.C. § 35-48-4-11.

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[2] Towell presents four issues for review:

I. Whether Towell was subjected to double jeopardy when he was convicted of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors, and two counts of Dealing in Methamphetamine;

II. Whether the statutory definition of youth program center is unconstitutionally vague such that the enhancement of Towell’s drug-related offenses was fundamental error;

III. Whether the trial court abused its sentencing discretion by recognizing an improper aggravator; and

IV. Whether the aggregate forty-year sentence is inappropriate.

Facts and Procedural History [3] In May of 2013, Towell and Jayla Currie (“Currie”) were living in a garage

attached to the residence of Angela Teeter (“Teeter”), Currie’s mother. Towell and Currie had obtained guardianship of Towell’s three-year-old niece, S.T., and S.T. was also staying in the garage.

[4] On May 6, 2013, Towell’s sister, Linda Towell (“Linda”) came to the garage and tried to take S.T. An argument ensued, and Towell pushed Linda to the ground. Linda summoned police assistance.

[5] When City of Berne police officers arrived, they obtained permission from Teeter to search the garage. During the initial sweep of the garage, Detective

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 01A02-1603-CR-449 | November 15, 2016 Page 3 of 17

James Newbold and Lieutenant Dean Amstutz made observations that caused them to seek and obtain a search warrant. Ultimately, the Indiana State Police executed a warrant and a search of the premises yielded drug paraphernalia, HCL generators, organic solvents, lithium battery casings, a coffee filter with methamphetamine residue, a gallon of acetone, drain cleaner, digital scales, Xanax, marijuana, and pseudoephedrine.

[6] Towell was charged with ten criminal counts and brought to trial before a jury. On January 7, 2016, the jury convicted Towell as charged. On February 2, 2016, the trial court imposed a sentence of forty years each for two counts of Dealing in Methamphetamine, one year for Possession of Paraphernalia, two years for Maintaining a Common Nuisance, one year for Taking a Minor to a Nuisance, six years for Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors, 180 days for Battery, one year for Possession of Marijuana, ten years for Possession of Methamphetamine, and six years for Possession of a Controlled Substance. All sentences were to be served concurrently, providing for an aggregate sentence of forty years. This appeal ensued.

Discussion and Decision

Double Jeopardy

[7] Towell contends that his convictions for Possession of Methamphetamine,

Possession of Precursors, and two counts of Dealing in Methamphetamine violate the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Indiana Constitution. Article 1,

Section 14 provides that “[n]o person shall be put in jeopardy twice for the Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 01A02-1603-CR-449 | November 15, 2016 Page 4 of 17 same offense.” Determining whether multiple convictions violate the prohibition against double jeopardy is a question of law that this Court reviews de novo. Sloan v. State, 947 N.E.2d 917, 920 (Ind. 2011).

[8] In Richardson v. State, 717 N.E.2d 32, 49 (Ind. 1999), our Supreme Court concluded that two or more offenses are the same offense if, with respect to either the statutory elements of the challenged crimes or the actual evidence used to obtain convictions, the essential elements of one challenged offense also establish the essential elements of another challenged offense. According to Towell, his convictions violate the actual evidence test.

[9] Under the actual evidence test, we examine the actual evidence presented at trial in order to determine whether each challenged offense was established by separate and distinct facts. Id. at 53. To find a double-jeopardy violation under this test, we must conclude that there is “a reasonable possibility that the evidentiary facts used by the fact-finder to establish the essential elements of one offense may also have been used to establish the essential elements of a second challenged offense.” Id. There is no double-jeopardy violation under the actual evidence test when the evidentiary facts establishing the essential elements of one offense also establish only one or even several of the essential elements of a second offense. Spivey v. State, 761 N.E.2d 831, 833 (Ind. 2002).

[10] A person commits Dealing in Methamphetamine by knowingly or intentionally manufacturing methamphetamine or possessing methamphetamine with intent to deliver it. I.C. § 35-48-4-1.1. In Count 1, the State alleged in pertinent part:

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 01A02-1603-CR-449 | November 15, 2016 Page 5 of 17

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