Malik Lewis v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2018 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
FILED
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Feb 15 2018, 9:39 am
Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as
precedent or cited before any court except for the CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata, and Tax Court
collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Kurt A. Young Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Nashville, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Kelly A. Loy
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Malik Lewis, February 15, 2018
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Cause No.
49A02-1706-CR-1291
v. Appeal from the Marion Superior
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Helen Marchal,
Judge
Appellee-Plaintiff.
Trial Court Cause No. 49G15-1609-
F6-36817
Riley, Judge.
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STATEMENT OF THE CASE
[1] Appellant-Defendant, Malik Lewis (Lewis), appeals his conviction and
sentence for escape, a Level 6 felony, Ind. Code § 35-44.1-3-4(b); and theft, a
Class A misdemeanor, I.C. § 35-43-4-2(a).
[2] We affirm, but remand with instructions to correct a sentencing error.
ISSUES
[3] Lewis presents three issues on appeal, which we restate as:
(1) Whether the trial court erred in denying Lewis’ motion to dismiss;
(2) Whether there was sufficient evidence to sustain his conviction for theft; and
(3) Whether we should remand this case for correction of a sentencing error.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
[4] On New Year’s Eve of 2015, Julian Scott (Scott) went to work around 6:30
a.m. and returned home by 7:00 p.m. Scott noticed that a bedroom window
was wide open and the screen had been removed. That window had been
closed when he left for work that morning. Scott also noticed his son’s Sony
PlayStation 4 and its controllers, as well as a video game, were missing. Scott
called the police. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer
Michael Sojka (Officer Sojka) was dispatched to Scott’s home on Orchard
Bloom Drive in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana. Because Scott still had
the box for the Sony PlayStation 4, Officer Sojka documented the device’s serial
number and took note of the other missing items. Officer Sojka subsequently
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filed an incident report and he recorded the serial number for Scott’s stolen
Sony PlayStation 4 as MB872526462.
[5] In December of 2015, Lewis was on home detention following his conviction
for robbery, and was being monitored by a GPS device maintained by Marion
County Community Correction. The conditions of his home detention
confined Lewis to his house, unless he was pre-approved by his probation
officer to go to work, church, school, or other discretionary places. On January
1, 2016, Lewis had been approved to go to work at Hardee’s. Without the
permission of his probation officer, Lewis went to Disc Replay at the
Greenwood Park Mall in Indianapolis. Disc Replay is a pawn shop that buys
and sells used video game systems and video game accessories. There, Lewis
sold a Sony PlayStation 4 with serial number MB872526462 and accompanying
gaming accessories for $200 in cash.
[6] Following a subsequent police investigation, Detective Cindy Jenkins
(Detective Jenkins) of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Pawn
Unit learned that Lewis had sold a Sony PlayStation 4 with serial number
MB872526462 and accompanying gaming accessories to Disc Replay on
January 1, 2016. The Sony PlayStation 4 matched the serial number for the
Sony PlayStation 4 that had gone missing at Scott’s residence on December 31,
2015.
[7] On March 23, 2016, the State filed an Information, charging Lewis with theft, a
Class A misdemeanor, with assigned Cause Number 49G24-1603-CM-011184
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(CM-11184). The record shows that during the filing process, an error
occurred, and CM-11184 was designated as a felony case instead of a
misdemeanor case. Based on the error, the State filed a motion to dismiss CM-
11184 and refiled the same case as a misdemeanor case under Cause Number
49G19-1603-CM-011187 (CM-11187). On March 30, 2016, under CM-11187,
a warrant was issued for Lewis’s arrest.
[8] The record shows that Lewis and the State thereafter engaged in plea
negotiations for the theft charge, but no agreement was reached. Lewis decided
to exercise his right to a jury trial. On September 20, 2016, six days before his
trial, the State dismissed the charging Information for the theft charge under
CM-11187, and it refiled charges against Lewis, maintaining the Class A
misdemeanor theft charge and adding a Level 6 felony escape charge. That
case was assigned a new Cause Number, 49G15-1609-F6-036817 (F6-36817).
For the additional charge of escape, the State alleged that “[o]n or about
January 1, 2016, . . . Lewis did knowingly or intentionally violate a home
detention order, to-wit: went to a location(s) without permission of
Community Corrections.” (Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p.22).
[9] On March 14, 2017, Lewis filed a motion to dismiss. Lewis argued that he was
prejudiced by the State’s dismissal of CM-11187 and the refiling of a new case,
i.e., F6-36817, which added the Level 6 felony escape charge. On March 21,
2017, the State filed its response, and it explained the numerous filings under
the instant case:
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On 3/23/16, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney (DPA) Amy Blackett
filed a case against . . . Lewis. [Lewis] was charged with [Class
A misdemeanor theft] relating to events that occurred on or
about 12/31/15 and 1/1/16. DPA Blackett made an inadvertent
error during the computerized filing process and selected “Minor
Felony: Other” as the designated Court Division instead of
“Misdemeanor” for this new case. Consequently, the computer
program randomly assigned [Lewis’s] case to a Level 6 Court,
specifically, Court G24. Immediately upon realizing her
mistake, DPA Blackett set out to correct it. Rather than leave the
misdemeanor case in G24, requiring that Court to process the
paperwork, conduct the initial hearing, and ultimately transfer
the case to a randomly assigned Misdemeanor Court (a process
which can take days), DPA Blackett walked a Motion to Dismiss
over to G24 on the same date of the filing. The Motion to
Dismiss stated “Prosecutor Error” as the reason for dismissal.
DPA Blackett then filed the [Class A misdemeanor theft] case
correctly against [Lewis] by selecting the appropriate Court
Division of “Misdemeanor” in the new filing, also on 3/23/16.
As such, State of Indiana v. Malik Lewis, cause number 49G19-
1603-CM-011187 came to be in [Courtroom] G19. A warrant
was issued for [Lewis’s] arrest upon filing, and on 3/30/16 that
warrant was served.
****
On 9/20/16, the State dismissed cause number 49G19-1603-CM-
011187. Also on 9/20/16, the State refiled a case against . . .
Lewis under cause number 49G15-1609-F6-036817. The charges
filed were [escape, a Level 6 felony] and [theft, a Class A
misdemeanor]. Both charges stem from events that occurred on
or about 12/31/15 and 1/1/16. As there was a Level 6 Felony
charge attached to this case, it was . . . randomly assigned Level
6 court.
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(Appellant’s App. Vol. II, pp. 57-58). On March 24, 2017, the trial court held a
hearing on the motion to dismiss, but it was denied. On May 10, 2017, a jury
trial was conducted, and at the close of the evidence, the jury returned guilty
verdicts for the Class A misdemeanor theft and Level 6 felony escape. On May
25, 2017, the trial court sentenced Lewis to concurrent sentences of 496 days for
escape and 365 days for theft, to be served in the Marion County Jail.
[10] Lewis now appeals. Additional facts will be provided as necessary.
DISCUSSION AND DECISION
I. Motion to Dismiss
[11] Lewis contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss the
refiling of the Class A misdemeanor theft offense and the addition of Level 6
felony escape charge in cause number F6-36817. It is well-settled that a
defendant has the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, all
facts necessary to support a motion to dismiss. Griffin v. State, 756 N.E.2d 572,
574 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001), trans. denied. Because Lewis now appeals from a
negative judgment, we will reverse only if the evidence is without conflict and
leads inescapably to the conclusion that he is entitled to a dismissal. Barnett v.
State, 867 N.E.2d 184, 186 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), trans. denied.
[12] As noted, in the original filing, CM-11184, the State only charged Lewis with
Class A misdemeanor theft; however, the prosecutor in charge of that filing
made a filing error which resulted in the dismissal of CM-11184, and refiling of
that same theft charge under CM-11187. Six days before trial under CM-11187,
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the State sought to dismiss the theft charging information, and refiled it under
F6-36817, again charging Lewis with the same theft charge and also added a
charge of Level 6 felony escape. Lewis contends that the State’s move to add
the escape charge upon refiling amounted to prosecutorial vindictiveness.
[13] The Due Process clauses of Article I, section 12, of the Indiana Constitution
and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibit
prosecutorial vindictiveness. Owens v. State, 822 N.E.2d 1075, 1077 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2005). Prosecutorial vindictiveness is a due process concept, allowing a
defendant to attempt to establish that the State’s charging decision was
motivated by a desire to punish a defendant after the defendant did what the
law allowed him to do. United States v. Goodwin, 457 U.S. 368, 384 (1982).
[14] Under Indiana Code section 35-34-1-13, the prosecutor may move for the
dismissal of the information at any time prior to sentencing. So long as the
motion states a reason for the dismissal, the trial court must grant the motion.
Davenport v. State, 689 N.E.2d 1226, 1229 (Ind. 1997). Once an information has
been dismissed by the State under Indiana Code section 35-34-1-13, the State
may refile an information against the defendant, subject to certain restrictions.
Id. Indiana courts have long held that the State may refile for the same offense
so long as jeopardy has not already attached. Id. Indiana courts have also long
held that the State’s power to dismiss and refile may not be used to evade the
defendant’s speedy trial rights. Id. The State may not use its authority to
dismiss and refile charges if doing so will prejudice a defendant’s substantial
rights. Id.Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1706-CR-1291 | February 15, 2018 Page 7 of 12
[15] In his brief, Lewis asserts that “[a]t all times in this case, the State was certainly
aware that [he] was on home detention when he went to Disc Replay store, but
it was only when it became apparent that [he] was not going to plead guilty to
the theft” charge, and “a jury trial was . . . six days away,” that the State added
the escape charge as a punitive measure. (Appellant’s Br. p. 15). This portion
of Lewis’ brief contains no citations to any authority indicating that filing
charges for such purposes is improper; in fact, the United States Supreme Court
has indicated otherwise.
[16] In Bordenkircher v. Hayes, 434 U.S. 357, 364-65 (1978), the Supreme Court held
that the government was not precluded from amending an indictment to add
more serious charges after the defendant had refused to plead guilty, despite the
fact that the prosecutor had not received any new evidence after the original
indictment was filed. See also Johnson v. State, 959 N.E.2d 334, 342 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2011) (holding that pre-trial action by the State, including amendment of a
charge is presumptively valid).
[17] Similarly, in U.S. v. Goodwin, 457 U.S. 368, 383 (1982), the Court held that
there is no presumption of vindictiveness when a prosecutor adds more serious
charges to an indictment after the defendant demands a jury trial. The court
observed:
A prosecutor should remain free before trial to exercise the broad
discretion entrusted to him to determine the extent of the societal
interest in the prosecution. An initial decision should not freeze
future conduct. As we made clear in Bordenkircher, the initial
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charges filed by a prosecutor may not reflect the extent to which
an individual is legitimately subject to prosecution.
Goodwin, 457 U.S. at 382. Additionally, “[t]o presume that every case is
complete at the time an initial charge is filed, however, is to presume that every
prosecutor is infallible—an assumption that would ignore the practical
restraints imposed by often limited prosecutorial resources.” Id. at 382 n.14.
[18] Applying the Bordenkircher and Goodwin holdings, it is clear that the State’s
filing of charges subsequent to a breakdown in plea negations does not
constitute retaliation for a defendant’s exercise of his right to trial. Turning to
the record, we note that Lewis and the State engaged in plea negotiations for
the Class A misdemeanor theft charge under CM-11187. No plea agreement
was reached, and Lewis ultimately decided to exercise his right to a jury trial.
Six days before his trial, the State dismissed the single Count of theft and refiled
charges against Lewis, maintaining the Class A misdemeanor theft charge and
adding the Level 6 felony escape charge. During the hearing on the motion to
dismiss, the State responded to the allegations of vindictiveness by offering
evidence that the State and Lewis had engaged in futile plea negotiations. The
State also testified that Lewis was aware during the plea-bargaining process that
his rejection of the State’s offer to plead guilty to the theft charge might result in
an amended information adding the escape charge. Lewis rejected the State’s
offer with full awareness of its terms and possible consequences, and he elected
to proceed to trial.
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[19] Lewis has not shown that the State’s decision to add the escape charge upon
refiling was the result of prosecutorial vindictiveness. Thus, the trial court did
not err in denying his motion to dismiss.
II. Sufficiency of the Evidence
[20] Lewis argues that the State failed to present sufficient evidence beyond a
reasonable doubt to sustain his Class A misdemeanor theft conviction. When
reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence needed to support a criminal
conviction, we neither reweigh evidence nor judge witness credibility. Bailey v.
State, 907 N.E.2d 1003, 1005 (Ind. 2009). “We consider only the evidence
supporting the judgment and any reasonable inferences that can be drawn from
such evidence.” Id. We will affirm if there is substantial evidence of probative
value such that a reasonable trier of fact could have concluded the defendant
was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.[21] Indiana Code section 35-73-4-2(a) provides, in part, that “[a] person who
knowingly or intentionally exerts unauthorized control over property of another
person, with intent to deprive the other person of any part of its value or use,
commits theft, a Class A misdemeanor.
[22] At Lewis’ trial, a Disc Replay employee was asked to read the serial number
displayed on State’s Exhibit 4. The Disc Replay’s employee then incorrectly
read the serial number for the Sony PlayStation 4 as “MB872526416.” (Tr.
Vol. II, p. 197). Lewis, now contends that serial number MB872526416 as read
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by Disc Replay’s employee, did not match serial number MB872526462, which
was the serial for Scott’s stolen PlayStation 4. He argues that
the records at the Disc Replay store showed that the PS4 sold to them
by Lewis bore the serial number MB872526462 . . . .The PS4
recovered by the police bore the serial number MB872526462 . . . And
the photograph of the serial number of the PS4 introduced [as State’s
Exhibit 4] bore the serial number MB872526462.
(Appellant’s Br. p. 18). Based on the discrepancy of the serial numbers, he
posits that the State failed prove the Sony PlayStation 4 that he sold to Disc
Replay was identical to one stolen from Scott’s residence.
[23] The evidence demonstrates that on December 31, 2015, Officer Sojka was
dispatched to Scott’s residence to investigate a possible burglary. Officer Sojka
noted the serial number for the missing for Sony PlayStation 4 as
MB872526462. Following a police investigation, Detective Jenkins of the
Pawn Unit, learned that Lewis had pawned a Sony PlayStation 4 with the same
serial number, i.e., MB872526462, and accompanying gaming accessories at
Disc Replay on January 1, 2016. Lewis had received $200 in return. Based on
the foregoing, we conclude that the State provided sufficient evidence beyond a
reasonable doubt to convict Lewis of Class A misdemeanor theft.
III. Sentencing Error
[24] Lastly, Lewis contends that it is necessary to remand this case for correction of
the sentencing order. With respect to a sentencing error, “it is in the best
interests of all parties that sentencing errors be immediately discovered and
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corrected.” Robinson v. State, 805 N.E.2d 783, 786 (Ind. 2004). In general, such
errors are most appropriately presented in a motion to correct error or in a
direct appeal from the sentencing judgment. Id.[25] The trial court in this case sentenced Lewis to 365 days for his Class A
misdemeanor theft conviction. See I.C. §35-50-3-2 (setting the sentence for a
Class A misdemeanor up to one year.) However, in the sentencing order, the
trial court entered Lewis’s sentence for his theft conviction as 496 days instead
of 365 days. Based on the clerical error, we remand to the trial court for an
amendment of the sentencing order so as to reflect Lewis’s correct sentence for
his Class A misdemeanor theft as 365 days.
CONCLUSION
[26] In sum, we conclude that the trial court did not err in denying Lewis’s motion
to dismiss; there was sufficient evidence to sustain Lewis’ theft conviction;
however, based on the clerical error espoused in the sentencing order, we
remand to the trial court for correction.
[27] Affirmed.
[28] Baker, J. and Brown, J. concur
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