Michael Hamer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2019 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before any Jul 22 2019, 9:12 am
court except for the purpose of establishing
CLERK
the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
estoppel, or the law of the case. and Tax Court
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Matthew T. Bates Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
R. Patrick Magrath Attorney General of Indiana
Alcorn Sage Schwartz & Magrath, LLP
Courtney Staton
Madison, Indiana Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Michael Hamer, July 22, 2019
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
18A-CR-1016
v. Appeal from the Decatur Superior
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Matthew D.
Appellee-Plaintiff. Bailey, Judge
Trial Court Cause No.
16D01-1512-CM-809
Robb, Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1016 | July 22, 2019 Page 1 of 10
Case Summary and Issue
[1] In 2017, Michael Hamer pleaded guilty to two counts of operating a vehicle
while intoxicated and one count of driving while suspended, all Class A
misdemeanors, with an habitual vehicular substance offender enhancement.
Hamer was sentenced to serve 1,800 days with 790 days executed and 1,010
days suspended to formal probation. In 2018, while Hamer was on home
detention, the State filed a petition to revoke probation, alleging that Hamer
failed three breathalyzer tests and failed to appear for two monthly meetings
with his case manager. At a hearing, Hamer admitted the violations and the
trial court revoked his probation and ordered him to serve half of his previously
suspended sentence in the Decatur County Jail. Hamer appeals, raising one
issue for our review, namely whether the trial court abused its discretion in
imposing this sanction for his probation violation. Concluding the trial court
did not abuse its discretion, we affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
[2] On December 21, 2015, the State charged Hamer with one count of operating a
vehicle while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor. The State later amended the
charging information to include an habitual vehicular substance offender
enhancement. While the case was pending, Hamer was charged under a
separate cause number with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and driving
while suspended, both Class A misdemeanors. The parties entered into a plea
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agreement to resolve both cases in which Hamer pleaded guilty as charged and
his executed sentence was capped at three years.
[3] On July 14, 2017, the trial court accepted the plea agreement, entered judgment
of conviction, and sentenced Hamer to 1,800 days in the Decatur County Jail,
with 790 days executed and 1,010 days suspended to formal probation. The
conditions of Hamer’s probation included home detention for 360 days and
monthly meetings with his case manager. He was also prohibited from
possessing or consuming alcohol.
[4] Hamer’s probation began July 14, 2017 and was scheduled to end April 19,
2020. He began home detention on January 9, 2018, and several months later,
Hamer’s probation officer filed a Verified Petition for Revocation of Probation,
alleging that Hamer violated the conditions of probation by failing portable
breath tests on January 19, February 2, and February 5, 2018. The petition also
alleged that Hamer failed to appear for two scheduled monthly meetings with
his case manager while on home detention. The trial court held a fact-finding
hearing on April 4 and found Hamer in violation of the conditions of his
probation. In imposing a sanction for the violation, the trial court stated:
In deciding what the sanction ought to be, I am going to give
some consideration to the fact that Mr. Hamer did make some
effort. He’s trying to make some effort to it. I’m also going to
consider that Community Corrections made efforts to help him
with his addiction and to overcome his problems by entering into
a sanctions agreement rather than filing a petition immediately.
So, I think they made some effort; he made some effort.
Nonetheless, he is in violation.
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Transcript of Evidence, Volume 2 at 23-24.1 The trial court revoked half (505
days) of Hamer’s previously suspended sentence and ordered it to be served in
the Decatur County Jail. Hamer’s probation was terminated as unsuccessful.
Hamer now appeals. Additional facts will be supplied as necessary.
Discussion and Decision
I. Standard of Review
Probation is a matter of grace and a conditional liberty which is a
favor, not a right. The trial court determines the conditions of
probation and may revoke probation if those conditions are
violated. The decision to revoke probation is within the sole
discretion of the trial court. And its decision is reviewed on
appeal for abuse of that discretion. An abuse of discretion occurs
when the decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the
facts and circumstances before the court. Further, on appeal “we
consider only the evidence most favorable to the judgment
without reweighing that evidence or judging the credibility of the
witnesses. If there is substantial evidence of probative value to
support the trial court’s decision that a defendant has violated
any terms of probation, the reviewing court will affirm its
decision to revoke probation.” Woods v. State, 892 N.E.2d 637,
639-40 (Ind. 2008) (citation omitted).
1
After Hamer tested positive for alcohol on January 19, he signed a sanction agreement, in which he
acknowledged his violation and agreed to complete ten hours of community service, a six-week addiction
program, and write a two-page paper on how using alcohol affects him. See Appellant’s Appendix, Volume 2
at 55. Hamer again tested positive for alcohol on February 2 and entered into another sanction agreement
requiring that he complete an additional eight hours of community service scheduled for March 3. Three
days later, Hamer tested positive for alcohol and entered into another agreement requiring that he contact
River Valley Resource and complete a workshop.
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Ripps v. State, 968 N.E.2d 323, 326 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012) (some citations
omitted). In addition, a defendant is entitled to challenge the sanction a trial
court decides to impose after revoking probation. Stephens v. State, 818 N.E.2d
936, 939 (Ind. 2004). And we review a trial court’s sentencing decisions for
probation violations for an abuse of discretion. Knecht v. State, 85 N.E.3d 829,
840 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017).
II. Sanction for Probation Violation
[5] As our supreme court has explained, the revocation of an individual’s probation
is a two-step process. Woods, 892 N.E.2d at 640. “First, the court must make a
factual determination that a violation of a condition of probation occurred. If a
violation is proven, then the trial court must determine if the violation warrants
revocation of probation.” Id. If the trial court finds that a violation of
probation has occurred, it may impose one or more of the following sanctions:
(1) Continue the person on probation, with or without modifying
or enlarging the conditions.
(2) Extend the person’s probationary period for not more than
one (1) year beyond the original probationary period.
(3) Order execution of all or part of the sentence that was
suspended at the time of initial sentencing.
Ind. Code § 35-38-2-3(h).
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[6] Here, as authorized by statute, the trial court ordered that Hamer execute 505
days of his previously suspended sentence of 1,010 days. Although Hamer
admitted to the violations, he challenges the trial court’s imposition of this
particular sanction by arguing it was an abuse of discretion. Specifically, he
contends that his sanction is disproportionately harsh in light of the following
factors: he admitted to consuming alcohol and that he struggles with alcohol; he
was honest about his violations; he demonstrated a willingness to deal with his
issues; he complied with the sanctions imposed by Community Corrections for
the violations, including additional community service hours, a six-week
alcohol addiction program, and a two-page paper on how alcohol affects him;
and after each missed meeting with his case manager, he showed up the
following morning at 8:30 a.m.
[7] In support of his arguments, Hamer relies on this court’s decision in Johnson v.
State, in which we held that the trial court abused its discretion by revoking the
defendant’s placement in a community corrections program and ordering him
to serve the entirety of his sentence in prison. 62 N.E.3d 1224, 1231-32 (Ind.
Ct. App. 2016). The defendant had been placed on home detention requiring
him to remain inside his apartment and pay community corrections fees. At
times, he was near the apartment rather than inside of it. Given the defendant’s
cognitive deficits, limited resources, previous success in work release, the trial
court’s harsh sentence, and the technical nature of the violation, this court
concluded the trial court abused its discretion by ordering the defendant to
execute the entirety of his sentence. Id. Hamer asserts that the Johnson court
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“relied on a line of precedent reversing unduly harsh sentences for minor
probation violations[.]” Appellant’s Brief at 10.
[8] In support of its conclusion, the Johnson court relied on Sullivan v. State, 56
N.E.3d 1157 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016); Ripps v. State, 968 N.E.2d 323 (Ind. Ct. App.
2012); and Puckett v. State, 956 N.E.2d 1182 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011). In Sullivan,
the trial court revoked the defendant’s community corrections placement after
he failed to report and, as a sanction, ordered him to serve the entirety of his
eighteen-month sentence in prison. 56 N.E.3d at 1160. This court concluded
the trial court abused its discretion by revoking the defendant’s placement and
ordering him to serve his sentence in prison because he was in the hospital at
the time he was to report, contacted his attorney, and was under the impression
his counsel would contact the court and community corrections. Id. at 1162.
Moreover, in Ripps, this court reversed the trial court’s order revoking the
defendant’s probation and ordering him to serve the remainder of his two year
and two-hundred and sixty-six-day sentence in prison for failing to register as a
sex offender and residing within 1,000 feet of a public park or youth center. 968
N.E.2d at 326-27. The defendant had moved into an assisted-living facility to
receive care for his medical conditions, which was 980 feet from a public
library. In concluding the trial court abused its discretion, the court explained:
[The defendant] was sixty-nine years old and suffering from
serious health issues, including terminal cancer; he was
attempting to adhere to his probation conditions, as evidenced by
his going to the sheriff’s office to register his new address;
although he was initially in violation of the residency restriction,
evidence reveals he was taking steps to correct the violation by
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finding a new residence; while he did live within 1,000 feet of the
public library, this was only so by about twenty feet and some
ambiguity exists in how this distance was measured; and last,
[the defendant] previously served time in prison for a crime that
was later vacated as violative of our constitutional ex post facto
provision.
Id. at 328. Under the totality of these circumstances, we held the trial court
abused its discretion by revoking the defendant’s probation and ordering him to
serve the remainder of his sentence in prison. Id. Lastly, in Puckett, a panel of
this court held that the trial court abused its discretion by revoking the
defendant’s probation for failing to register as a sex offender, a condition of
probation, and ordering him to serve his entire previously suspended sentence
for his child molesting conviction in prison. 956 N.E.2d at 1188. In reaching
this conclusion, this court reasoned that the trial court relied on improper
factors in imposing its sanction. Id. at 1187. Specifically, the trial court
expressed its dissatisfaction with the defendant’s original plea– believing it was
too lenient, a “very generous” agreement for what it considered to be a
“horrendous crime[,]” and that the defendant should have been convicted of a
more serious crime. Id. Although this court acknowledged the importance of
the sex offender registry, this court concluded that the trial court’s discussion on
the importance of the registry did not reveal anything egregious about the
defendant’s failure to register and the defendant was also punished separately
for not registering. Id. at 1188. Therefore, under the particular circumstances
of the case, we concluded the trial court’s sanction was an abuse of discretion.
Id.
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[9] However, the circumstances of Hamer’s violations are clearly distinguishable
from these cases. Hamer repeatedly violated the terms of his probation
prohibiting him from possessing or consuming alcohol and requiring him to
attend monthly meetings. The record reveals that on January 19, February 2,
and February 5, 2018, Hamer failed a portable breath test by registering a
.116%, .117%, and .036% blood alcohol concentration respectively. Hamer
also failed to appear for two scheduled monthly meetings with his case
manager.
[10] We disagree with Hamer that the sanction is too harsh. At the fact-finding
hearing, the trial court gave “some consideration to the fact that Mr. Hamer did
make some effort. He’s trying to make some effort to it.” Tr., Vol. 2 at 23. It
also considered community corrections’ efforts in attempting to help Hamer
overcome his addiction issues by providing a several sanctions agreement
instead of immediately filing a petition to revoke. The trial court concluded, “I
think [community corrections] made some effort; [Hamer] made some effort.
Nonetheless, [Hamer] is in violation.” Id. at 24. An evaluation of the record
reveals that the trial court took these factors into account, consciously balanced
Hamer’s efforts with his repeated failures despite efforts by community
corrections to assist him, and carefully constructed an appropriate sanction.
Ultimately, the trial court revoked half of Hamer’s previously suspended 1,010-
day sentence rather than revoke his entire sentence, a decision within its sole
discretion. See Ripps, 968 N.E.2d at 326. As previously noted, “[p]robation is a
matter of grace and a conditional liberty which is a favor, not a right.” Id.
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Under the circumstances here, we cannot conclude the trial court abused its
discretion.
Conclusion
[11] For the reasons set forth above, we conclude the trial court did not abuse its
discretion by revoking Hamer’s probation and ordering him to serve half of his
previously suspended sentence in jail. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial
court is affirmed.
[12] Affirmed.
Baker, J., and Najam, J., concur.
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