Thomas v. State

612 N.E.2d 604, 1993 Ind. App. LEXIS 426, 1993 WL 126531
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 26, 1993
Docket10A04-9205-CR-151
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 612 N.E.2d 604 (Thomas 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
Thomas v. State, 612 N.E.2d 604, 1993 Ind. App. LEXIS 426, 1993 WL 126531 (Ind. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

MILLER, Judge.

On December 20, 1991, a jury convicted Willard R. Thomas, age 42, of three counts of Child Molesting, a class D felony. Thomas was sentenced to three years on each count with the sentences to be served consecutively to each other and to any sentence that might be imposed by the State of Texas because Thomas violated terms of probation he was serving from a previous Texas conviction for Indecency with a Child. The victims in Indiana were his three teenage daughters, ages 17, 15, and 14. The victim in Texas was his oldest daughter, who was 16 at the time of the offense and 19 at the time of Thomas's Indiana trial.

Thomas claims the trial court erroneously admitted: (1) an agreed entry disposing of a CHINS petition regarding his three daughters; (2) evidence of his prior sexual misconduct; and (8) that the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions.

We affirm.

FACTS 1

daughter was present. The Thomas family moved to Jefferson-ville from Texas in 1990. The move was caused by Thomas's pleading no contest to a charge of Indecency with a Minor Child, his oldest daughter. After arriving in Indiana, Thomas turned his attention to his three remaining daughters. He would frequently grab their breasts and buttocks over their clothes. These events would occur when the girls were alone with Thomas and sometimes when another The youngest daughter, 14, stated that Thomas would grab her breasts and buttocks and frequently talk about how long "his body part was."

The 15 year old testified Thomas would rub her breasts, vaginal area and buttocks. Thomas would laugh while doing this, as if he found the touching and the girl's reactions amusing. She was always clothed when this happened. If she told him to stop, some times he would and sometimes he would not. He also would comment about how large her breasts were, but did not make comments about himself.

The 17 year old described his actions as touching both her chest and "behind" over her clothing. She also stated that she had heard Thomas's frequent comments about her sister's large breasts. Shortly before the authorities discovered the molestations, Thomas accused the 17 year old of want *606 ing-in graphic terms-to have sex with him.

The girls never reported the molestations to their mother, their 18 year old brother, or to any family friend. A neighbor, a foster parent, apparently found out about the molestations from her foster daughter and reported them to the authorities. The girls were removed from the family home and placed in the Youth Shelter. Eventual ly, all were placed in foster homes.

The girls were found to be Children in Need of Services. Both parents, with advice of counsel, signed an Agreed Entry Stipulating Children in Need of Services, Waiver of Initial Hearing, Waiver of Fact Finding Hearing, Waiver of Pre-Disposi-tional Report and Stipulated Dispositional Decree from the Clark Superior Court No. 2. The CHINS Agreed Entry stated, among other things, that the girls were victims of a sex offense and that Thomas agreed to participate in an incest program. At trial, this document was admitted into evidence over Thomas's objection.

All three girls testified at trial. The oldest daughter had not been in contact with the family since they left Texas. The Texas judgment of conviction and probation order was also entered into evidence.

DECISION

I. ADMISSION OF THE AGREED ENTRY

Thomas claims the trial court erred by allowing the Agreed Entry to be admitted because it was an involuntary confession. He argues that: (1) he was never warned that it could be used against him in a criminal proceeding; (2) he never was given Miranda warnings; and (8) he did not know what the document contained. Thomas cites Hastings v. State (1990), Ind.App., 560 N.E.2d 664, trans. denied (1991), in support of his position. His reliance on Hastings is misplaced.

In Hastings, the defendant's two year old son was injured by her boyfriend-in 1987 he broke the child's legs and a year later, broke the child's arm. A CHINS action was begun following the first incident and Hastings was charged with neglect. She pleaded guilty and her son was placed in foster care. In order for Hastings to regain custody, she was required by court order and under statutory law to meet with and cooperate with a welfare worker. During one of these meetings, the caseworker asked her if she suspected her boyfriend of breaking the child's legs in 1987. Hastings said she was suspicious, but didn't want to believe it. This discussion occurred before the 1988 injury. Hastings was not represented by counsel at this time.

Hastings was then charged with neglect for the 1988 broken arm and was convicted. When the caseworker testified at trial, Hastings' statement to her was admitted over objection that the statement violated Hastings' right against self-incrimination and was an involuntary confession because she was under compulsion when she made it. In finding that the statement should not have been admitted, we set forth a two part test: (1) was the caseworker acting as an agency of the government in the course of securing a conviction; and (2) was her statement given involuntarily? Hastings, supra, at 668.

The document signed by Thomas specifically indicates he was aware of its contents and that he voluntarily entered into the agreement. The document states, in part, the following: The parties now advise the Court that they agree and stipulate as follows:

* u * a * *
6. That all parties herein have been advised that they cannot be compelled or required to enter into any agreement with the Clark County Department of Public Welfare against their will.
7. That all parties herein are entering into this stipulation and agreement of their own free will without any threats, promises or coercion by any outside pressures.
8. That the parties stipulate that the children ... are children in need of services as defined by the Indiana Ju *607 venile Code, in that said children are a victim of a sex offense.

R. 554-555, 560. This document was signed by Thomas, his wife, and their attorney on August 25, 1991.

Under our test set forth in Hos-tings, it is clear that the Clark County Department of Welfare is a government agency. A factual question remains-was the Department attempting to secure a conviction? However, we need not address this question because Thomas clearly fails the second part of the Hastings test. Unlike the defendant in Hastings, Thomas was represented by counsel. The CHINS Agreed Entry is clear and unambiguous Thomas voluntarily signed the agreement with the advice of counsel. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that counsel was competent and properly advised Thomas. See, e.g. Slaton v. State (1987), Ind., 510 N.E.2d 1348. Therefore, we conclude Thomas knowingly signed the agreed entry. In response, Thomas argues that he only signed the agreement pursuant to the poor advice of his counsel. As noted by the prosecutor, that is between Thomas and his counsel.

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Bluebook (online)
612 N.E.2d 604, 1993 Ind. App. LEXIS 426, 1993 WL 126531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-v-state-indctapp-1993.