Vitaniemi v. State

440 N.E.2d 5, 1982 Ind. App. LEXIS 1401
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 28, 1982
DocketNo. 1-682A146
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 440 N.E.2d 5 (Vitaniemi 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
Vitaniemi v. State, 440 N.E.2d 5, 1982 Ind. App. LEXIS 1401 (Ind. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

NEAL, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Defendants-appellants George E. Rogers (Rogers), David W. Vitaniemi (Vitaniemi), and Paul S. Uselman (Uselman) were charged in the Montgomery County Court with the following offenses: Count I, Possession of marijuana in an amount less than thirty grams under Ind.Code 35-48—4-11 (Supp.1981); Count II, Possession of a loaded firearm in a State Park under Ind.Code 14-2-3-3; and Count III, unlawful cutting and removing of ginseng roots in a State Park under Ind.Code 14-2-3-3. Rogers was convicted of all three counts, Vitaniemi of Counts II and III, and Uselman was convicted only of Count III. All defendants appeal.

We affirm in part and reverse in part.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on September 21, 1981, conservation officer William Woodal, State Police Trooper Ray Raney, and Deputy Sheriff Wendell Raney, acting upon a report, discovered an illegal camp near the bank of Sugar Creek in Shades State Park. Shades State Park, in Montgomery County, is approximately six thousand acres in area, and includes the Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve. Sugar Creek runs through the middle of the park and Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve; the camp was on the north side of the stream in Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve, and about one-fourth to one-half mile inside the park from the northeast boundary. Two boats were discovered hidden along the bank of the stream, indicating that access was obtained by boat. In addition to the usual camping impedimenta, the officers discovered two bags of ginseng, loaded firearms consisting of a .22 semi-automatic rifle, a bolt action rifle, a single shot twenty gauge shot gun, and a quantity of marijuana.

The appellants returned to the camp at approximately 4:20 p.m. where they were confronted by the awaiting officers. The appellants readily acknowledged the camp as their own, and Rogers admitted the marijuana was his. All had ginseng in their pockets, and Rogers was carrying a loaded .38 pistol which he conceded was his. He further acknowledged ownership of the .22 automatic rifle and the shot gun. Vitan-iemi acknowledged ownership of the .22 bolt action rifle. The firearms, according to appellants, had been brought for protection. Appellants told the officers that they had been digging ginseng for two and one-half days, and when asked where, they pointed in a direction along Sugar Creek, and said, “in that area.” “That area,” according to Officer Woodal, was right in the middle of the Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve and Shades Park. Appellants told the officers that they did not know they were in the park, and so testified at the trial, though, as conceded by appellants, and testified by Officer Woodal, the place they put their boat in was clearly marked with a sign indicating a park area.

ISSUES

The issues presented for review in this case as stated in the brief are:

I. Whether the conviction of Defendants Rogers and Vitaniemi for Pos[7]*7session of Loaded Firearms in a State Park is supported by substantial evidence;
II.Whether the conviction of Defendants Rogers, Vitaniemi, and Usel-man for Unlawful Cutting of Roots in a State Park is supported by substantial evidence;
III. Whether the confiscation of Defendants’ guns and firearms was contrary to law;
IV. Whether the confiscation of Defendants’ “digging instruments” was contrary to law; and
V.Whether the Indiana statute and regulations dealing with the state parks and nature preserves are unconstitutional due to vagueness and the failure to define the relationship between “state park” and “nature preserve.”

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

For the purpose of the opinion we separate the issues into two subsections, namely Sufficiency of the Evidence and improper confiscation of the firearms and digging tools.

Issue I, II, and V. Sufficiency of the Evidence

The statutory basis of the prosecution is as follows: The Department of Natural Resources has jurisdiction over state parks and nature preserves with power to make and promulgate regulations governing their use by the public. Ind.Code 14-6-2—1; Ind. Code 14-3-3-11. It also has the authority to acquire public parks and other suitable places for recreation. Ind.Code 14-6-2—1. Any person who violates the Department’s Rules and Regulations commits a Class C infraction. Ind.Code 14-3-2-3. Under Regulations promulgated on September 3, 1975, as relevant here, it was made unlawful by Regulation 310 IAC 5-1-4 to

“dig, disturb, molest, or deface .. . plants ... on State Nature Preserves and Museums . . .. ”

Under Regulation 310 IAC 5-l-9(c),

“It shall be unlawful to injure, cut, destroy, remove . .. any . . . tree, shrub, vine, or property whatsoever, nor pick any flowers ... on land owned . .. [by] the Department, except for berry picking, nut picking and mushroom picking or as authorized by written permit. . . . ”

Regulation 310 IAC 5—1—6(b) controls the use of firearms. It provides:

“Regulations for the use of firearms . . . on Department of Natural Resources’ properties shall be as follows:
* # * * * *
State Parks....
Any firearm ... in possession in any State Park must be unloaded . .. and stored in a case or locked within a vehicle except when participating in an activity authorized by written permit from the Department.
* * * * * *
Nature Preserves. It shall be unlawful to transport . . . any firearm ... on any State Nature Preserve, except as follows:
(1) During legal open hunting seasons in certain designated nature preserves.”

Rogers and Vitaniemi argue, here, that they were charged with possession of loaded firearms in a State Park, and the evidence shows that they were arrested with the firearms in a nature preserve. Therefore, the evidence is insufficient. The same argument is made by all appellants relative to the digging of ginseng. This argument, however, was not raised in the motion to correct errors and thus is waived. Young v. State, (1974) 161 Ind.App. 532, 316 N.E.2d 435. Further, this distinction could have been raised by a motion to dismiss, but it was not, and is waived. Beech v. State, (1974) 162 Ind.App. 287, 319 N.E.2d 678. Addressing this issue on its merits, we are of the opinion that it is not well taken. The proscriptions involved for both firearms and the digging of plants apply to all property owned by the Department of Natural Resources, and include nature preserves and State Parks. Further, the uncontradicted testimony also revealed that the Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve is a part of Shades State Park.

[8]*8In addition to the above arguments, appellants argue that the regulations are impermissibly vague to withstand a constitutional challenge. This issue is likewise waived because it was not raised at the trial, nor was it included in the motion to correct errors.

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535 N.E.2d 556 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1989)

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Bluebook (online)
440 N.E.2d 5, 1982 Ind. App. LEXIS 1401, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vitaniemi-v-state-indctapp-1982.