Naveen Rajamony v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2017 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
FILED
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
Feb 27 2017, 10:08 am
this Memorandum Decision shall not be
regarded as precedent or cited before any CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
court except for the purpose of establishing Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Bryan L. Cook Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Indianapolis, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Eric P. Babbs
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Naveen Rajamony, February 27, 2017
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
49A02-1606-CR-1301
v. Appeal from the Marion Superior
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Linda E. Brown,
Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge
The Honorable Allan W. Reid,
Commissioner
Trial Court Cause No.
49G10-1411-CM-51582
Bradford, Judge.
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Case Summary
[1] During the early morning hours of November 14, 2014, Indianapolis
Metropolitan Police Officer Richard Eldridge observed Appellant-Defendant
Naveen Rajamony operating a vehicle in an erratic and dangerous manner. In
light of his observations, Officer Eldridge initiated a traffic stop. During this
traffic stop, Officer Eldridge observed signs of intoxication and Rajamony failed
three different field sobriety tests. Later on November 14, 2014, Appellee-
Plaintiff the State of Indiana (“the State”) charged Rajamony with Class A
misdemeanor operating a vehicle while intoxicated (“OWI”) endangering a
person. Rajamony was subsequently found guilty as charged following a jury
trial.
[2] On appeal, Rajamony raises the following issues: (1) whether the trial court
erred in denying his motion to dismiss, (2) whether the trial court erred in
denying his “for cause” challenge to one of the prospective jurors, (3) whether
the trial court erred in including language from the charging information in its
preliminary instructions to the jury, (4) whether the trial court erred in denying
his motion for a mistrial, (5) whether the trial court erred in instructing the jury,
and (6) whether the State committed misconduct during its final argument
before the jury. We affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
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[3] During the early morning hours of November 14, 2014, Officer Eldridge was
off-duty and working as a security officer for the Marriott Residence Inn and
Marriott Fairfield Inn located on the west side of Indianapolis. At the time,
Officer Eldridge was wearing his full police uniform and stationed in a marked
police vehicle. At approximately 4:30 a.m., Officer Eldridge observed a vehicle
enter the Marriott complex and stop quickly, causing the tires to squeal. The
vehicle accelerated and stopped quickly three more times, squealing the tires
each time. In doing so, the vehicle nearly missed striking another vehicle which
had to make an evasive maneuver to avoid being hit.
[4] Officer Eldridge watched as the vehicle drove to another part of the hotel
complex parking lot before turning around and again approaching Officer
Eldridge’s location for a second time. Officer Eldridge observed the vehicle
strike a curb, with its passenger-side tires going over the top of the curb before
landing on the pavement. Because he was concerned that the driver of the
vehicle was either impaired or in need of medical attention, Officer Eldridge
activated his emergency lights and siren. After driving away from the hotel
complex, the vehicle initially pulled over in an area that seemed to be a safe
place to stop. However, as Officer Eldridge approached the vehicle, it drove
away again and made two turns before finally coming to a stop.
[5] Upon approaching the vehicle, Officer Eldridge identified Rajamony as the
driver of the vehicle. Rajamony admitted that he had consumed some amount
of alcoholic beverage. In addition, Officer Eldridge could smell the odor of
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alcoholic beverage on Rajamony’s breath and noticed that Rajamony’s eyes
appeared bloodshot.
[6] Rajamony agreed to submit to standardized field sobriety tests. Officer
Eldridge administered three different field sobriety tests, the horizontal-gaze-
nystagmus test, the walk-and-turn test, and the one-legged-stand test.
Rajamony failed each of these tests.
[7] Officer Eldridge did not read the implied consent law to Rajamony or offer him
a chemical test because he determined that no other DUI officers were available
and he needed to remain at the Marriot complex until his security shift ended at
7 a.m. Instead, because he believed that there was probable cause to arrest
Rajamony for OWI, Officer Eldridge called for a jail wagon to come and
transport Rajamony to the arrestee processing center.
[8] Later on November 14, 2014, the State charged Rajamony with Class A
misdemeanor OWI endangering a person. The State also alleged Rajamony
committed an unsafe start and an unsafe lane movement on a road which has
three or more lanes, both Class C traffic infractions. Prior to trial, Rajamony
filed a motion to dismiss. Following a hearing, the trial court denied this
motion. Rajamony also filed a motion in limine, arguing that evidence relating
to the portable breath test (“PBT”) administered by Officer Eldridge was
inadmissible. The trial court granted this motion. The matter then proceeded
to a jury trial. Following trial, Rajamony was found guilty of Class A
misdemeanor OWI endangering a person. This appeal follows.
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Discussion and Decision
[9] Rajamony raises the following contentions on appeal: (1) whether the trial court
erred in denying his motion to dismiss, (2) whether the trial court erred in
denying his “for cause” challenge to one of the prospective jurors, (3) whether
the trial court erred in including language from the charging information in its
preliminary instructions to the jury, (4) whether the trial court erred in denying
his motion for a mistrial, (5) whether the trial court erred in instructing the jury,
and (6) whether the State committed misconduct during its final argument
before the jury. We will discuss each in turn.
I. Motion to Dismiss
[10] Rajamony first contends that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his
motion to dismiss.
A. Standard of Review
[11] We review a trial court’s ruling on a motion to dismiss for an abuse of
discretion. An-Hung Yao v. State, 975 N.E.2d 1273, 1276 (Ind. 2012) (citing State
v. Davis, 898 N.E.2d 281, 285 (Ind. 2008)). “‘An abuse of discretion occurs
when the trial court’s decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts
and circumstances before it.’” Id. (quoting Hoglund v. State, 962 N.E.2d 1230,
1237 (Ind. 2012)). “A trial court also abuses its discretion when it misinterprets
the law.” Id. (citing State v. Econ. Freedom Fund, 959 N.E.2d 794, 800 (Ind.
2011)). Further, where a motion to dismiss turns on factual issues, the party
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requesting dismissal bears the burden of proving the facts necessary to support
the motion. Smith v. State, 993 N.E.2d 1185, 1188 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013).
B. Failure to Offer Chemical Test
[12] In State v. Bisard, 973 N.E.2d 1229, 1232 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012), trans. denied, we
described the nature of Indiana’s implied consent statutes as follows:
Indiana’s implied consent statutes appear at Indiana Code
chapters 9-30-6 and 9-30-7. Like the rest of the nation, the policy
behind our implied consent statutes is to keep roadways safe by
removing the threat posed by the presence of drunk drivers. Ruge
v. Kovach, 467 N.E.2d 673, 681 (Ind. 1984). To that end, the
statutes facilitate the collection of evidence of a driver’s
intoxication. As Justice Rucker observed for a unanimous Court,
the statute is “designed as a tool to acquire evidence of blood
alcohol content rather than as a device to exclude evidence.”
Abney v. State, 821 N.E.2d 375, 379 (Ind. 2005).
[13] Rajamony argues that he was entitled to dismissal of the criminal charge levied
against him because Officer Eldridge failed to offer him a chemical test. In
support of this argument, Rajamony relies on Indiana Code section 9-30-6-2,
which states, in relevant part, that “[a] law enforcement officer who has
probable cause to believe that a person has committed an offense under [the
chapters of the Indiana code setting forth the penalties for impaired driving]]
shall offer the person the opportunity to submit to a chemical test.” However,
we have previously concluded that
The failure of an arresting officer to accord the individual
arrested an opportunity to be chemically tested for the presence
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of alcohol in his blood in no way affects the validity of his arrest. The
only effect of the arresting officer’s failure to provide the arrestee
with the chemical test provided for in the Implied Consent
Statute would be that the person arrested could not have his
driver’s license suspended for a period of one year prior to trial.
State v. Hummel, 173 Ind. App. 170, 176, 363 N.E.2d 227, 232 (1977)
(interpreting an earlier version of Indiana’s Implied Consent Laws) (emphasis
added). Given our conclusion in Hummel, coupled with the fact that Rajamony
has failed to point to any relevant authority supporting his assertion that an
officer’s failure to offer a chemical test precludes the State from filing an OWI
charge, we reject Rajamony’s argument in this regard. Having rejected
Rajamony’s assertion that he was entitled to automatic dismissal of the criminal
charges, we conclude that Rajamony may only prevail on this claim if he is
entitled to dismissal under the principles of due process.
[14] “The right to due process of law does not include the right to be given a
chemical sobriety test in all circumstances.” Parker v. State, 530 N.E.2d 128,
130 (Ind. Ct. App. 1988). “To hold otherwise, would be to transform the
accused’s right to due process into a power to compel the State to gather in the
accused’s behalf what might be exculpatory evidence.” Id. As such, in order to
determine whether Rajamony’s due process rights were violated here, we must
examine the nature of the alleged wrongdoing.
[15] In order to determine whether a defendant’s due process rights have been
violated by the State’s failure to preserve evidence, “we must first decide
whether the evidence in question was ‘potentially useful evidence’ or
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‘materially exculpatory evidence.’” Land v. State, 802 N.E.2d 45, 49 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2004) (quoting Chissell v. State, 705 N.E.2d 501, 504 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999),
trans. denied).
Potentially useful evidence is defined as “evidentiary material of
which no more can be said than that it could have been subjected
to tests, the results of which might have exonerated the
defendant.” [Chissel, 705 N.E.2d at 504] (quoting Arizona v.
Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51, 57, 109 S.Ct. 333, 337, 102 L.Ed.2d 281(1988), reh’g denied ). The State’s failure to preserve potentially
useful evidence does not constitute a denial of due process of law
“unless a criminal defendant can show bad faith on the part of
the police.” Id. “Bad faith is defined as being ‘not simply bad
judgment or negligence, but rather implies the conscious doing of
wrong because of dishonest purpose or moral obliquity.’” Wade
v. State, 718 N.E.2d 1162, 1166 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999), reh’g denied,
trans. denied.
On the other hand, materially exculpatory evidence is that
evidence which “possesses an exculpatory value that was
apparent before the evidence was destroyed” and must “be of
such a nature that the defendant would be unable to obtain
comparable evidence by other reasonably available means.”
Chissell, 705 N.E.2d at 504 (quoting California v. Trombetta, 467
U.S. 479, 489, 104 S.Ct. 2528, 2534, 81 L.Ed.2d 413 (1984)).
“Exculpatory is defined as ‘[c]learing or tending to clear from
alleged fault or guilt; excusing.’” Wade, 718 N.E.2d at 1166.
The scope of the State’s duty to preserve exculpatory evidence is
“limited to evidence that might be expected to play a significant
role in the suspect’s defense.” Noojin v. State, 730 N.E.2d 672,
675 (Ind. 2000). Unlike potentially useful evidence, the State’s
good or bad faith in failing to preserve materially exculpatory
evidence is irrelevant. Chissell, 705 N.E.2d at 504.
Id. at 49-50.
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[16] In the instant matter, Officer Eldridge encountered Rajamony at approximately
4:30 a.m. on November 14, 2014, while working security at the Residence Inn
located on Southern Avenue. The probable cause affidavit prepared by Officer
Eldridge in relation to Rajamony’s arrest indicates the following:
Officer Eldridge observed a black Tahoe … drive onto the
property at a high rate of speed and stopped immediately
squealing the tires. The vehicle accelerated and applied the
brakes causing the vehicle to stop suddenly squealing the tires.
The vehicle repeated this maneuver several times almost striking
another vehicle driving through the property. Officer Eldridge
could hear the tires continuing to squeal from the other side of
the property. The vehicle returned back toward the front of the
property when the vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of the
roadway for several seconds. The vehicle accelerated towards
the exit and drove over two curbs. Officer Eldridge initiated a
traffic stop activating emergency equipment at Lynhurst and
Southern Avenue. The vehicle stopped then pulled to the right
shoulder. As Officer Eldridge approached the vehicle, the
vehicle drove away and turned south onto Lynhurst Drive. The
vehicle drove approximately 200 [feet] before stopping once
again at Sam Jones Expressway pulling off the roadway. Officer
Eldridge spoke with the driver identified as Naveen Rajamony,
who stated he was lost. Officer Eldridge observed the odor of an
alcoholic beverage emitting from his person and breath and blood
shot eyes. Mr. Rajamony stated he consumed alcoholic
beverages and was dropping off his friend at the hotel but could
not explain the unsafe, erratic driving behavior. Officer Eldridge
asked Mr. Rajamony if he would submit to standard field
sobriety test[s] and he stated yes. Officer Eldridge changed
location into the parking lot for the safety of Mr. Rajamony and
himself. Mr. Rajamony removed his coat and his shoes stating
he was more comfortable this way.
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Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 49. Officer Eldridge asked Rajamony if he wore
contacts or glasses, had suffered any head trauma, had taken any medications,
or had any physical impairments which would hinder his ability to perform the
field sobriety tests. Rajamony answered “no” to each of Officer Eldridge’s
questions. Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 49. Officer Eldridge then administered
the “horizontal gaze nystagmus,” “walk and turn,” and “one leg stand” tests.
Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 49-50. Rajamony “failed all three tests.”
Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 50. Rajamony also agreed to submit to a PBT.
Officer Eldridge administered the PBT. The results of the PBT “indicated .17
grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.” Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 50.
[17] Officer Eldridge’s observations of Rajamony and the results of the PBT were
such that it cannot be said that a chemical test would have possessed an
apparent exculpatory value. As such, given Officer Eldridge’s observations,
Rajamony’s admission that he had consumed alcoholic beverages, and the
results of the PBT, we conclude that, at most, any results generated from a
chemical test would only have been “potentially useful evidence.” See Land,
802 N.E.2d at 49. This is so because if Officer Eldridge had administered a
chemical test, no more could be said of the results than that the results “might
have exonerated” Rajamony. See id.[18] Again, the “State’s failure to preserve potentially useful evidence does not
constitute a denial of due process of law unless a criminal defendant can show
bad faith on behalf of the police.” Id. As such, because we conclude that a
chemical test could have presented only potentially useful evidence, Rajamony
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must show bad faith on behalf of Officer Eldridge in order to prove that he
suffered a denial of due process. See id. The record contains no such showing
of bad faith.
[19] Bad faith requires conscious wrongdoing, not just bad judgment or negligence.
The record is devoid of any evidence suggesting that Officer Eldridge acted with
a dishonest purpose or moral obloquy. Instead, the record indicates that Officer
Eldridge, who again encountered Rajamony while working off-duty as a
security officer, (1) felt that he needed to return to the hotel complex as quickly
as possible and remain there until the conclusion of his assigned shift, and (2) at
approximately 4:30 a.m., failed to arrange for another certified breath test
operator to come to the scene and administer a chemical test to Rajamony.
One can reasonably infer from the above-discussed PBT results, Rajamony’s
admission to consuming alcoholic beverages, and Officer Eldridge’s
observations that a chemical test would have indicated the presence of alcohol
in Rajamony’s bloodstream and Rajamony presents no argument or evidence
indicating otherwise. Further, nothing in the record suggests that Officer
Eldridge was trying to harm Rajamony by not offering a chemical test. Under
these circumstances, we find no violation of Rajamony’s due process rights.1
1
We note that although Rajamony asserts that “the Indiana Constitution provides even more protection here
than under the U.S. Constitution on these grounds[,]” Rajamony does not develop a separate argument and
does not cite to any authority which requires a separate state constitutional analysis following the denial of a
motion to dismiss. Appellant’s Br. p. 18. “Where a party, though citing Indiana constitutional authority,
presents no separate argument specifically treating and analyzing a claim under the Indiana Constitution
distinct from its federal counterpart, we resolve the party’s claim on the basis of federal constitutional
doctrine and express no opinion as to what, if any, differences there may be under the Indiana Constitution.”
Myers v. State, 839 N.E.2d 1154, 1158 (Ind. 2005) (internal quotation omitted).
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C. Video Recording of Arrest
[20] Rajamony also claims that the instant criminal charge should have been
dismissed because the State failed to preserve an alleged video recording of his
arrest. As was the case above, any evidence which might have been gleaned
from such a recording would have been, at most, potentially useful and, as a
result, there must be a showing of bad faith before the State’s failure to preserve
this evidence could constitute a denial of Rajamony’s due process rights.
IMPD Captain Fredrick testified that because technical problems occurred as
IMPD transitioned to a new video system in police-issue vehicles between June
and December of 2014, he was uncertain whether Rajamony’s arrest was
recorded. Even assuming his arrest was recorded, Rajamony has presented no
argument or evidence indicating that the State’s failure to preserve this video
was done in bad faith. As such, under these circumstances, we again find no
violation of Rajamony’s due process rights.
II. Denial of “For Cause” Juror Challenge
[21] Rajamony also contends that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his
for-cause challenge to Prospective Juror S. On appeal, we review the trial
court’s decision on Rajamony’s for-cause challenge for an abuse of discretion.
Oswalt v. State, 19 N.E.3d 241, 245 (Ind. 2014). “The trial court has the unique
position to observe and ‘assess the demeanor of prospective jurors as they
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answer the questions posed by counsel.’” Id. (quoting Smith v. State, 730
N.E.2d 705, 708 (Ind. 2000)). “‘[O]n appeal, we afford substantial deference to
the trial judge’s decision ... and will find error only if the decision is illogical or
arbitrary.’” Id. (quoting Whiting v. State, 969 N.E.2d 24, 29 (Ind. 2012)).
[22] The Federal and Indiana Constitutions guarantee the right to an
impartial jury. Ramirez v. State, 7 N.E.3d 933, 936 (Ind. 2014).
But selecting impartial juries depends upon the parties’
discernment and the trial court’s discretion to select a panel of
objective and unbiased jurors “who will conscientiously apply the
law and find the facts.” Wainwright v. Witt, 469 U.S. 412, 423,
105 S.Ct. 844, 83 L.Ed.2d 841 (1985). Removing prospective
jurors—whether peremptorily or for cause—who cannot perform
these tasks is the mechanism parties and trial courts use to
achieve an impartial jury. Emmons v. State, 492 N.E.2d 303, 305
(Ind. 1986).
Id. at 245-46.
A. Overview of Law Relating to the Selection of Juries
1. “For-Cause” and “Peremptory” Challenges
[23] In selecting a jury, parties have the ability to strike prospective jurors through
either for-cause or peremptory challenges. Id. at 246. For-cause challenges “are
available to exclude any prospective juror whose views would prevent or
substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror in accordance with
his instructions and his oath and thus violates the defendant’s Sixth
Amendment rights.” Id. (internal quotations omitted). Peremptory challenges
“give parties the nearly unqualified right to remove any prospective juror they
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wish—restricted only by the parties’ finite allotment of challenges and the
constitutional ban on racial, gender, and religious discrimination.” Id. A juror
who qualifies for removal for-cause “may be removed as an ‘incompetent juror,’
while a juror ‘who is not removable for cause but whom the party wishes to
strike’ peremptorily is termed ‘objectionable.’” Id. (quoting Whiting, 969
N.E.2d at 30 n.7). “Unlike peremptory strikes, strikes for cause require trial
court approval, so parties regularly seek appellate review of unsuccessful for-
cause motions.” Id. “This, in turn, requires them to satisfy the exhaustion rule,
which is at the heart of this case.” Id.
2. The Exhaustion Rule
[24] “The exhaustion rule requires parties to peremptorily remove jurors whom the
trial court refuses to strike for cause or show that they ‘had already exhausted
[their] allotment of peremptories’ at the time they request for-cause removal.
Id. (quoting Whiting, 969 N.E.2d at 30). “And ‘even where a defendant
preserves a claim by striking the challenged juror peremptorily,’ an appellate
court will find reversible error ‘only where the defendant eventually exhausts all
peremptories and is forced to accept either an incompetent or an objectionable
juror.’” Id. (quoting Whiting, 969 N.E.2d at 30) (emphasis in original).
“Failure to comply with the exhaustion rule results in procedural default.” Id.
B. Analysis
[25] In claiming that the trial court abused its discretion in this regard, Rajamony
asserts that because the trial court denied his for-cause challenge to Prospective
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Juror S, he was forced to accept Juror 10. When reviewing an assertion that a
defendant was forced to accept either an incompetent or objectionable juror, we
apply “our well-established standard of review to the voir dire context:
‘Reversible error occurs only when the error has prejudiced the defendant.’” Id.
at 249 (quoting Woolston v. State, 453 N.E.2d 965, 968 (Ind. 1983)).
[26] In Weisheit v. State, the defendant argued that the trial court abused its discretion
by denying his for-cause challenge of several prospective jurors. 26 N.E.3d 3,
12 (Ind. 2015). In that case, the defendant satisfied the exhaustion rule by
exhausting all of his peremptory challenges. Id. at 13. However, the Indiana
Supreme Court determined that he failed to establish that an “objectionable”
juror served on his jury. Id. In reaching this determination, the Indiana
Supreme Court noted that the defendant “neither identifies which particular
juror(s) were objectionable nor explains why he wished to strike the juror(s); he
simply states that in expending all of his peremptory challenges, he was forced
to accept other jurors who, although not necessarily positioned to be challenged
for cause, were biased against his evidence in either the guilt phase, the penalty
phase, or both.” Id. (citation to internal case record omitted). The Indiana
Supreme Court concluded that “[u]nder Oswalt, [defendant’s] conclusory
assertion that he was forced to accept biased jurors is not nearly enough to find
reversible error.” Id. “Accordingly, Weisheit cannot demonstrate … that the
trial court abused its discretion in refusing to excuse twelve jurors for cause.”
Id.
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[27] Similar to Weisheit, Rajamony presents only a conclusory assertion that he was
forced to accept a biased juror. During voir dire, Rajamony, through counsel,
stated as follows:
I had to exercise the peremptory, uh, because the court denied
my challenge for cause. The uh, I believe uh that if the court had
granted my challenge for cause (inaudible) I would have used my
fifth challenge on Juror Number Ten (10); and because of the
court’s denial of my challenge for cause on [Prospective Juror S],
I was forced to otherwise to use that peremptory.
Tr. p. 156. Unlike in Weisheit, Rajamony identified which other prospective
juror he would have struck from the jury. However, like in Weisheit, Rajamony
presented no explanation as to why he wished to strike this juror. He merely
stated that in expending all of his peremptory challenges, he was forced to
accept the juror. Further, Rajamony did not seek to exclude the juror at issue
for cause.
[28] Rajamony does not present any argument on appeal as to why he wished to
strike Juror 10 from the jury. Because Rajamony failed to provide any
argument or evidence explaining why Juror 10 was incompetent or
objectionable, we conclude that he has failed to demonstrate that he was
prejudiced by Juror 10’s inclusion on the jury. As such, like the Indiana
Supreme Court in Weisheit, we conclude that in this case, Rajamony’s
conclusory assertion that he was forced to accept a biased juror was not nearly
enough to warrant a finding of reversible error. Accordingly, we further
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conclude that Rajamony cannot demonstrate that the trial court abused its
discretion in refusing to excuse Prospective Juror S.
III. Preliminary Jury Instructions
[29] Rajamony next contends that the trial court abused its discretion in instructing
the jury prior to trial. “‘The trial court has broad discretion as to how to
instruct the jury, and we generally review that discretion only for abuse.’”
McCowan v. State, 27 N.E.3d 760, 763 (Ind. 2015) (quoting Kane v. State, 976
N.E.2d 1228, 1231 (Ind. 2012)). “In doing so, we consider the instructions as a
whole and in reference to each other and do not reverse the trial court for an
abuse of that discretion unless the instructions as a whole mislead the jury as to
the law in the case.” Id. (internal quotations omitted).
[30] Rajamony claims that the trial court erred by including certain language
contained within the charging information in its preliminary instructions.
Specifically, he asserts that it was error for the trial court to include in its
preliminary instructions to the jury the line found just above the signature line
on the charging information which reads: “I swear or affirm under penalty of
perjury as specified by I.C. 35-44-2-1 that the foregoing representations are
true.” Appellant’s App. Vol. II., p. 47.
[31] Initially, we observe that the record presented on appeal does not include a
complete copy of the trial court’s preliminary instructions to the jury. In fact,
the only mention of the preliminary instructions outside of the transcript is one
page in Rajamony’s Appendix. The Table of Contents refers to “Court’s
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Preliminary Instruction in question.” Appellant’s App. Vol. I, p. 2. The
corresponding page in the Appendix is merely a copy of the charging
information without any indication that said copy was included in any
documentation provided to the jury. Given the lack of evidence indicating
what documentation was actually submitted to the jury as part of the trial
court’s preliminary instructions, we will rely on the trial court’s reading of the
preliminary instructions from the transcript as the best evidence of the trial
court’s preliminary instructions to the jury.
[32] The record reveals that at the beginning of trial, the trial court instructed the
jury, in relevant part, as follows:
Under the Constitution of Indiana you have the right to
determine both the law and the facts. The Court’s instructions
are your best source in determining the law. You are to consider all
the instructions together. Do not single out any certain sentence or any
individual point or instruction and ignore the others. In this case the
State of Indiana has charged the Defendant with Count 1,
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person, a
class A misdemeanor. The charge reads as follows: Count I, On
or about November 14, 2014 at 5220 Southern Avenue, Naveen
Rajamony did operate a vehicle while intoxicated in such a
manner that a person was endangered. All of which is contrary
to statute and against the peace and dignity of the State of
Indiana. The charge which has been filed is the formal method
of bringing the defendant to trial. The filing of a charge or the
Defendant’s arrest is not to be considered by you as any evidence of guilt.
Tr. p. 162 (emphases added).
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[33] The trial court’s reading of the preliminary instructions to the jury did not
include the language complained of by Rajamony. Furthermore, even if the
preliminary instructions did contain the complained-of information, the trial
court explicitly instructed the jury that it was to consider all of the instructions
together and that the filing of a charge was not to be considered as evidence of
guilt. We have previously concluded that “jury instructions must be considered
as a whole and in reference to each other” and “we presume the jury follows the
instructions it is given.” R.T. v. State, 848 N.E.2d 326, 332 (Ind. Ct. App.
2006). Given the whole of the trial court’s relevant instructions coupled with
our presumption that the jury followed the trial court’s instructions, we
conclude that any potential error in including the challenged statement was, at
most, harmless in light of the trial court’s instruction that the filing of a charge
is not to be considered as evidence of guilt.
IV. Denial of Mistrial
[34] Rajamony also contends that the trial court erred in denying his request for a
mistrial. In making this contention, Rajamony claims that he requested a
mistrial after Officer Eldridge violated the trial court’s pre-trial order excluding
any mention of the PBT. In this regard, the record indicates that Officer
Eldridge testified as follows:
[Deputy Prosecutor]: Okay. So he failed that test too?
[Officer Eldridge]: He did.
[Deputy Prosecutor]: What did you do next?
[Officer Eldridge]: I then asked if he would submit to a
portable breath test[.]
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Tr. p. 212. At that point, the deputy prosecutor immediately stopped the line of
questioning and defense counsel requested permission for counsel to approach
the bench. The trial court then conducted an unrecorded off-the-record sidebar
conference with counsel. The record does not contain any indication of what
was said by either the parties or the trial court during this sidebar conference.
In addition, the record does not contain any indication that Rajamony asked
the trial court to admonish the jury.
[35] The only indication that defense counsel requested a mistrial during this sidebar
comes later when the parties and the trial court were discussing a question for
Officer Eldridge that was submitted by a juror regarding the difference between
breath and chemical tests. During this conversation the trial court decided that
the juror’s question would not be asked. The trial court indicated that the
parties should move on, to which defense counsel responded “Yes, other than a
mistrial that I moved for.” Tr. p. 260. The trial court responded “Well, I don’t
see that happening either.” Tr. p. 260.
[36] An appellant bears the burden of presenting a record that is complete with
respect to an issue raised on appeal. Ford v. State, 704 N.E.2d 457, 461 (Ind.
1998). The record provided in the instant appeal does not contain any
indication as to what was argued with respect to Rajamony’s request for a
mistrial or the reasons for the trial court’s apparent decision to deny said
motion.
Because the trial court evaluates first-hand the relevant facts and
circumstances at issue and their impact on the jury, it is in the
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best position to evaluate whether a mistrial is warranted.
[Ramirez, 7 N.E.3d at 935]. We accordingly review the trial
court’s denial of a motion for a mistrial for an abuse of
discretion. Id. (citing Gregory v. State, 540 N.E.2d 585, 589 (Ind.
1989)).
Weisheit, 26 N.E.3d at 15.
[37] While we do not know the exact basis on which Rajamony requested a mistrial,
the only reasonable assumption was that the mistrial was requested in
connection to the mention of the PBT. Based on the record before us on
appeal, which again contains no indication that Rajamony requested an
admonishment of the jury, we cannot say that the trial court’s denial of
Rajamony’s request for a mistrial was clearly against the logic and effect of the
facts and circumstances before the court. See Brown v. State, 572 N.E.2d 496,
498 (Ind. 1991) (providing that when an improper argument is alleged to have
occurred, the proper procedure is to request an admonishment and, if the
alleged error is not corrected, a mistrial); An-Hung, 975 N.E.2d at 1276
(providing that an abuse of discretion occurs when the trial court’s decision is
clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before it). As
such, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying
Rajamony’s request for a mistrial.
V. Final Jury Instructions
[38] Rajamony also contends that the trial court abused its discretion in giving its
final instructions to the jury. Specifically, Rajamony claims that the trial court
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abused its discretion in rejecting two of his proffered final jury instructions.
Again,
“The trial court has broad discretion as to how to instruct the
jury, and we generally review that discretion only for abuse.”
[Kane, 976 N.E.2d at 1231]. To determine whether a jury
instruction was properly refused, we consider: “(1) whether the
tendered instruction correctly states the law; (2) whether there
was evidence presented at trial to support giving the instruction;
and (3) whether the substance of the instruction was covered by
other instructions that were given.” Lampkins v. State, 778
N.E.2d 1248, 1253 (Ind. 2002). In doing so, “we consider the
instructions ‘as a whole and in reference to each other’ and do
not reverse the trial court ‘for an abuse of that discretion unless
the instructions as a whole mislead the jury as to the law in the
case.’” Helsley v. State, 809 N.E.2d 292, 303 (Ind. 2004) (quoting
Carter v. State, 766 N.E.2d 377, 382 (Ind. 2002)).
McCowan, 27 N.E.3d at 763-64.
A. Defense-Proffered Instruction #4
[39] Rajamony requested that the trial court give the following instruction to the
jury:
A law enforcement officer who has probable cause to believe that
a person has committed an Operating While Intoxicated offense
such as that charged in this case shall offer the person the
opportunity to submit to a chemical test.
Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 27. In rejecting Rajamony’s proffered instruction
the trial court instead gave the following instruction:
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Final Instruction No. 5.
The right to due process of law does not include the right to be
given a chemical sobriety test in all circumstances. To hold
otherwise, would be to transform the accused’s right to due
process into a power to compel the State to gather in the
accused’s behalf what might be exculpatory evidence.
Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 19.
[40] As is discussed above in Section I.B., the trial court’s instruction represents a
correct statement of the law.2 See Parker, 530 N.E.2d at 130; Hummel, 173 Ind.
App. at 176, 363 N.E.2d at 232. Further, in the instant circumstances, the
language of Defense-Proffered Instruction #4, while accurately quoting the
Implied Consent Statute, is an incorrect or incomplete statement of the law as it
would likely confuse the jury by making it seem as if due process would require
a chemical test in all circumstances. We cannot say that the trial court abused
its discretion in refusing to give a proffered jury instruction containing an
incorrect or incomplete statement of the law. See Lowden v. State, 51 N.E.3d
1220, 1224 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016) (providing that the trial court properly refused
to give the defendant’s proffered jury instruction because the instruction was
2
Rajamony also argues that the trial court abused its discretion in giving Final Instruction No. 5 because it
“improperly endorsed the State’s case, essentially giving the ‘okay’ to the Officer’s denial of giving
[Rajamony] the ‘opportunity’ to submit to a chemical test in the events leading to this case.” Appellant’s Br.
p. 33. We disagree and read the instruction only to inform the jury that the principles of due process do not
require that a chemical test be offered in all circumstances.
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not a correct statement of the law). We therefore conclude that the trial court
did not abuse its discretion in this regard.
B. Defense-Proffered Instruction #5
[41] Rajamony requested that the trial court give the following instruction to the
jury:
In this case, there has been evidence that the State’s agents
destroyed and/or interfered with the preservation and production
of evidence. If you believe that the State and/or its agents
engaged in such conduct, then you may infer that such evidence
would have been unfavorable to the State and beneficial to the
accused.
Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 28. In rejecting Rajamony’s proffered instruction
the trial court instead gave the following instruction:
Final Instruction No. 8.
In this case there has been evidence that the State’s agents failed
to provide evidence that was properly requested by the accused.
If you believe that the State and/or its agents failed to provide
this evidence not simply by bad judgment or negligence, but
rather as a result of conscious wrong doing, then you may infer
that such evidence would have been unfavorable to the State and
beneficial to the accused.
Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 21.
[42] Again, as is discussed above in Sections I.B. and I.C., the trial court’s
instruction represents a correct statement of the law. See Land, 802 N.E.2d at
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49. As was the true with Defense-Proffered Instruction #4, Defense-Proffered
Instruction #5 presents an incorrect or incomplete statement of the law. In
addition, Final Instruction No. 8 adequately covers the substance of Defense-
Proffered Instruction #5. As such, we conclude that the trial court did not
abuse its discretion in rejecting Defense-Proffered Instruction #5. See McCowan,
27 N.E.3d at 764 (providing that in determining whether a trial court abused its
discretion in rejecting a proffered instruction, we consider whether the
substance of the instruction was covered by other instructions that were given);
Lowden, 51 N.E.3d at 1224 (providing that the trial court properly refused to
give the defendant’s proffered jury instruction because the instruction was not a
correct statement of the law).
VI. Prosecutorial Misconduct
[43] Rajamony last contends that the trial court abused its discretion in allowing the
State to commit prosecutorial misconduct during its closing argument.
Specifically, Rajamony argues that the State committed prosecutorial
misconduct by citing to our decision in Hummel during its closing argument.
[44] In reviewing a claim of prosecutorial misconduct properly raised
in the trial court, we determine (1) whether misconduct occurred,
and if so, (2) “whether the misconduct, under all of the
circumstances, placed the defendant in a position of grave peril to
which he or she would not have been subjected” otherwise.
Cooper v. State, 854 N.E.2d 831, 835 (Ind. 2006), quoted in Castillo
v. State, 974 N.E.2d 458, 468 (Ind. 2012). A prosecutor has the
duty to present a persuasive final argument and thus placing a
defendant in grave peril, by itself, is not misconduct. Mahla v.
State, 496 N.E.2d 568, 572 (Ind. 1986). “Whether a prosecutor’s
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argument constitutes misconduct is measured by reference to
case law and the Rules of Professional Conduct. The gravity of
peril is measured by the probable persuasive effect of the
misconduct on the jury’s decision rather than the degree of
impropriety of the conduct.” Cooper, 854 N.E.2d at 835
(emphasis added) (citations omitted).
Ryan v. State, 9 N.E.3d 663, 667 (Ind. 2014). “To preserve a claim of
prosecutorial misconduct, the defendant must—at the time the alleged
misconduct occurs—request an admonishment to the jury, and if further relief is
desired, move for a mistrial.” Id. (internal citations omitted, emphasis added).
[45] In the instant matter, although Rajamony objected to the State’s line of
argument prior to the presentation of the State’s closing argument, Rajamony
did not—at the time the State committed the alleged misconduct—request that
the trial court admonish the jury or move for a mistrial. As such, Rajamony is
only entitled to relief if the alleged misconduct amounted to fundamental error.
See Brown v. State, 799 N.E.2d 1064, 1066 (Ind. 2003) (holding that because the
defendant failed to request an admonishment or move for a mistrial when the
trial court overruled his objection to the prosecution’s comments during closing
argument, his claim of prosecutorial misconduct is procedurally foreclosed and
reversal on appeal requires a showing of fundamental error).
[46] Again, Rajamony argues that the State committed prosecutorial misconduct by
citing to our decision in Hummel during its closing argument. We have
previously concluded, however, that “‘[i]t is proper for a prosecutor to argue
both law and fact during final argument and propound conclusions based upon
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his analysis of the evidence.’” Steinberg v. State, 941 N.E.2d 515, 531 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2011) (quoting Hand v. State, 863 N.E.2d 386, 394 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007)),
trans. denied. Furthermore, Rajamony was free to argue, and in fact did argue,
during his closing argument that Hummel did not apply to the instant case.
Rajamony has failed to prove that the State committed misconduct, much less
that the alleged misconduct had such an undeniable and substantial effect on
the jury’s decision that a fair trial was impossible. As such, we conclude that
the trial court did not abuse its discretion in this regard.
Conclusion
[47] Rajamony contends that the trial court abused its discretion in a number of
ways. Upon review, we find each of these contentions to be without merit. 3
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
[48] The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Vaidik, C.J., and Brown, J., concur.
3
Rajamony also argues that even if none of the alleged errors individually constituted reversible error, the
cumulative effect of the alleged errors amounted to reversible error. Because we find no error by the trial
court, we disagree.
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