Spivey v. State

274 N.E.2d 227, 257 Ind. 257, 1971 Ind. LEXIS 531
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 22, 1971
Docket671S159
StatusPublished
Cited by66 cases

This text of 274 N.E.2d 227 (Spivey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spivey v. State, 274 N.E.2d 227, 257 Ind. 257, 1971 Ind. LEXIS 531 (Ind. 1971).

Opinions

[258]*258Hunter, J.

On October 22, 1970, the appellant, Willie Joe Spivey, was charged by indictment with the offense of second degree burglary. He was thereafter arrested on said charge March 9, 1971; on March 10, 1971, he waived arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty. Subsequently, on March 22, 1971, the defendant in person and by counsel waived his right to a jury trial. Thereafter trial was held March 25, 1971, before the Honorable John T. Davis, Judge, Marion Criminal Court Division One and he was found guilty as charged. Following the filing of the pre-commitment report he was ordered to serve an indeterminate sentence of two (2) to five (5) years at the Indiana Reformatory.

On April 13, 1971, the appellant filed his motion to correct errors which was overruled by the Court. On April 26, 1971, pauper counsel was appointed for this appeal and the appeal was initiated.

The indictment under which appellant was tried and convicted omitting caption and formal parts reads as follows:

“The Grand Jury for the County of Marion in the State of Indiana, upon their oath do present, that, WILLIE JOE SPIVEY on or about the 22nd day of October, A.D. 1970, at and in the County of Marion and in the State of Indiana, did there and then unlawfully, feloniously and burglariously break and enter into the building and structure of Charles W. Jones d/b/a Quick Quality Cleaners, then and there situate at 2229 North College Avenue, in the City of Indianapolis, County of Marion, State of Indiana, which said building and structure was not a place of human habitation, with the intent to commit a felony therein, to wit: to unlawfully, feloniously and knowingly obtain and exert unauthorized control over property of said Charles W. Jones d/b/a Quick Quality Cleaners, and to deprive the said Charles W. Jones d/b/a Quick Quality Cleaners permanently of the use and benefit of said property, then and there being . . . contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Indiana.”

[259]*259The statute governing second degree burglary as found in IC 1971, 35-13-4-4 as found in Ind. Ann. Stat. § 10-701 (1956 Repl.) provides in part:

“Whoever breaks and enters into any . . . building or structure other than a dwelling-house or place of human habitation, with the intent to commit a felony therein, shall be guilty of burglary in the second degree, and upon conviction shall be imprisoned not less than two (2) years nor more than five (5) years and be disfranchised and rendered incapable of holding any office of trust or profit for any determinate period. . . .”

The appellant’s motion to correct errors is as follows:

“. . . The defendant says that the decision of the Court is contrary to the evidence.

That the decision of the Court is contrary to law.

Police Officer Amos testified that he went to defendant’s apartment and had him sent to the hospital. No one saw the defendant enter the building occupied by Quick Quality Cleaners and defendant stated he never went inside and did see two men throw a brick through the window.
The identification of defendant by officers did not place the defendant in said building.
WHEREFORE the defendant sues and pray the Court that he be granted a new trial . . .”

The only issue presented by this appeal is the challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction. The appellant contends that the State has failed to meet its statutory duty to produce evidence of probative value of a direct or circumstantial nature to prove all of the elements of the crime charged against the appellant as set out in the indictment, to wit: (1) a breaking and entering by the appellant (2) of a structure (cleaning establishment) other than a dwelling house or place of human habitation, (3) coupled with the intent to commit a felony in such structure, to wit: theft of personal property from the cleaning establishment.

[260]*260It seems to be the appellant’s position that since there is no evidence, that is to say, eye-witness evidence that the appellant broke a window in the establishment and thereafter entered the same, that the State fails to establish the above two elements and therefore has failed to establish the element of intent to commit a felony. He apparently is contending that the evidence concerning said elements, all being circumstantial, is insufficient to establish a breaking and entering beyond a reasonable doubt.

In a review of this matter on appeal the Court’s duty is to look to the evidence most favorable to the State to determine whether such evidence and reasonable inferences deducible therefrom are sufficient to establish each element of the crime of second degree burglary beyond a reasonable doubt.

A view of the record of the evidence most favorable to the findings of the trier of facts reveals the following:

On October 22, 1970, Officer Enochs of the Indiana State Police department answered a radio call to 2229 North College Avenue in Indianapolis. Upon arrival the officer found a window broken out of the dry cleaning establishment located at said address. The officer went to the rear of the establishment where he observed the defendant with an armload of clothing later identified by the owner as clothing taken from his business. The glass window had been broken. There was blood on the dry cleaning and plastic covers as well as on and around the window. The defendant, after being observed by the officer, dropped the clothing and ran away. Thereupon the officer called on his radio that a suspect had eluded him. The call was heard by Officer Amos who drove to the 2100 block of College Avenue. There he saw the defendant who matched the description of the suspect as he was running to the rear of an apartment building. Officer Amos pursued him to the second floor of the apartment building and apprehended the defendant (appellant). At the time, the defendant’s right [261]*261forearm had been cut and was bleeding. He was taken immediately to the scene of the crime and wasi positively identified by Officer Enoch as the person he saw in the alley behind the establishment. The defendant was then arrested and taken to the hospital to treat his cuts. The owner of the dry-cleaning establishment testified that the building had been locked securely upon the closing for the day.

The defendant testified he did not break the window and that he thought he saw two brothers break the window. He also testified that he was not in the alley with the clothing in his possession and that he cut his arm when he staggered into a trash can. He also denied being arrested in an apartment building. However, he did admit to being in the area when the window was broken.

The record of the evidence, as above set forth, clearly demonstrates there was a breaking and entering of the cleaning establishment and that the building was other than a dwelling or place of human habitation.

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Bluebook (online)
274 N.E.2d 227, 257 Ind. 257, 1971 Ind. LEXIS 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spivey-v-state-ind-1971.