Snelling v. State

325 N.E.2d 227, 163 Ind. App. 546, 1975 Ind. App. LEXIS 1074
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 3, 1975
Docket2-574A116
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 325 N.E.2d 227 (Snelling 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
Snelling v. State, 325 N.E.2d 227, 163 Ind. App. 546, 1975 Ind. App. LEXIS 1074 (Ind. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

Lybrook, J.—

Defendant-appellant Snelling appeals from a conviction of theft by deception, raising the following issues for review:

(1) Whether it was reversible error to send the court’s final instructions to the jury room.
(2) Whether the trial court erred in overruling Snelling’s motion to quash the indictment.
(3) Whether the trial court erroneously overruled Snelling’s motion for discharge filed pursuant to Indiana Rules of Procedure, Criminal Rule 4(C).
(4) Whether the trial court erroneously refused Snelling’s tendered Instructions Nos. 1 and 5.

The record reveals that the acts for which Snelling was convicted consisted of intentionally deceiving one Hazel Duenweg into the false impression that he (Snelling) had effected certain repairs on the Duenweg home, and extracting payment in excess of $1,000.00 from Duenweg therefor when, in fact, the alleged work had not been performed.

*548 I.

Initially, Snelling contends that it was reversible error to permit the jury to take written copies of the final instructions to the jury room. We cannot agree.

The propriety of sending written instructions to the jury room was recently discussed by our Supreme Court in Martin v. State (1973), 260 Ind. 490, 296 N.E.2d 793 :

“Appellant next claims the trial court erred in refusing to permit the jury to take the written instructions to the jury room. Appellant makes a persuasive argument as to why jurors should be permitted to take instructions to the jury room. He readily admits the well established law in Indiana is to the contrary; that is, that the jury should be orally instructed, and that during its deliberations may request the court to re-read the instructions. The question is purely a matter of procedure with persuasive arguments on both sides of the question. If the law in Indiana is to be changed in this respect, it should be done either by legislative enactment or by rule of this Court. It is certainly not the type of question of such vital import that a case otherwise properly tried should be reversed for the sole purpose of sending written instructions to a jury room. The trial court followed the existing law on the subject and in doing so committed no error.” (Emphasis added.) Accord, Woods v. State (1973), 159 Ind. App. 92, 304 N.E.2d 817.

The trial court’s action in sending the written instructions to the jury room was clearly not in accord with prevailing Indiana authority. However, through reasoning similar to that in the above emphasized portions of the Martin decision, it is our opinion that such error, if any, standing alone, is not of sufficient magnitude to warrant reversal of an otherwise properly tried case. Snelling has not exhibited that he was in any manner unduly prejudiced by the trial court’s action; nor has he shown that in light of all attendant circumstances it was an abuse of judicial discretion to permit the jury to have written instructions available during deliberations. Accordingly, we find any error under this issue harmless.

*549 II

Secondly, Snelling argues that the indictment failed to charge all the necessary elements of the crime with sufficient certainty. He therefore submits that the trial court erred in overruling his motion to quash.

The elements of theft by deception were summarized in Yeary v. State (1972), 258 Ind. 587, 283 N.E.2d 356:

‘“A person commits theft when he (1) knowingly:
‘(b) obtains by deception control over property of the owner . . . and ‘(2) either
‘(a) intends to deprive the owner of the use or benefit of the property.’ IC 1971, 35-17-5-3, being Burns § 10-3030.
In IC 1971, 35-17-5-13, being Burns § 10-3040, deception is defined as follows:
‘(3) “Deception” means knowingly to: (a) create or confirm another’s impression which is false and which the actor does not believe to be true; or
‘(b) fail to correct a false impression which the actor previously has created or confirmed; or
‘(f) promise performance which the actor does not intend to perform or knows will not be performed.’
Further, this section defines permanently deprived as follows :
‘(13) “Permanently deprived” means to: (a) defeat all recovery of the property by the owners; or
‘(b) deprive the owner permanently of the beneficial use of the property. . . .’ ”

Omitting formal parts, the indictment which Snelling attacks as being insufficient read:

“The Grand Jury for the County of Marion in the State of Indiana, upon their oath do present that Thomas Snelling on or about the 18th day of April, 1972, at and in the County of Marion and the State of Indiana, committed the crime of theft in that he knowingly, unlawfully and feloniously obtained by deception, control over property of Hazel Duenweg, to-wit: Money, then and there of the value of One Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($1,000.00), with the intention to deprive Hazel Duenweg of the use and benefit *550

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Related

Ashba v. State
816 N.E.2d 862 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2004)
Dean v. State
433 N.E.2d 1172 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1982)
Purdy v. State
369 N.E.2d 633 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1977)
Sanders v. State
348 N.E.2d 642 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1976)
Snelling v. State
337 N.E.2d 829 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
325 N.E.2d 227, 163 Ind. App. 546, 1975 Ind. App. LEXIS 1074, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/snelling-v-state-indctapp-1975.