Christopher A. Watson 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 Dec 06 2019, 9:55 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK
the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Thomas C. Allen Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Fort Wayne, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Sierra A. Murray
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Christopher A. Watson, December 6, 2019
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
19A-CR-1864
v. Appeal from the Allen Superior
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Frances C. Gull,
Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge
Trial Court Cause No.
02D05-1707-F5-187
Brown, Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1864 | December 6, 2019 Page 1 of 5
[1] Christopher Watson appeals his sentence for dealing in a narcotic drug as a
level 5 felony and asserts his sentence is inappropriate. We affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
[2] On February 7, 2017, Watson sold 0.2 grams of heroin to an undercover officer.
On July 11, 2017, the State charged him with dealing in cocaine or a narcotic
drug as a level 5 felony. On August 28, 2017, he pled guilty, and the court
placed him into the drug court diversion program and took the plea under
advisement. On September 12, 2017, he submitted a diluted drug screen. On
September 17, 2018, the court ordered him to serve one night in jail as a
sanction for violating drug court rules. He failed to appear for drug screens on
October 16, 2017, April 30, 2018, August 22, 2018, and September 12, 2018.
[3] On May 6, 2019, the State filed a verified petition to terminate Watson’s
participation in the drug court program and alleged he violated the terms of the
program by testing positive for codeine on April 16, 2019. On May 31, 2019,
Watson admitted to the allegation. The court found that Watson violated the
terms and conditions of the program and revoked his placement in drug court.
[4] At the sentencing hearing, Watson’s counsel requested a suspended sentence of
three years. The prosecutor stated that a sentence between that
recommendation and the probation department’s recommendation of six years
with three years executed would be warranted, asked for a portion of the
sentence to be executed and the balance to be suspended, and asked the court
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1864 | December 6, 2019 Page 2 of 5
“to sentence at least the advisory sentence range.” Transcript Volume II at 11.
Watson stated:
I appreciate the opportunity to be on the program. I apologize
for not successfully completing the program, but remaining at the
Thirteen Step House would keep me close to my support group
and my sponsor, who frequents the house, and it will allow me to
continue in my recovery. I still have my job and I’m more than
sure that I’m going to go places in that job. They already want
me to be a shift manager. I have goals and plans that, basically,
getting me back on my feet and do the right thing and not run or
anything. I’ve been completely honest with you this entire time
and I hope that shows. I really just want to get my life back
together. I have no desire to do drugs or alcohol. I just hope that
you show mercy.
Id. at 11.
[5] The court found Watson guilty citing his guilty plea and remorse as mitigators
and his criminal record with failed efforts at rehabilitation as an aggravator.
The court noted that his failed efforts at rehabilitation covered “a period of time
from 2016 to 2019, where you have two misdemeanor convictions, where you
were given a short jail sentence with suspended jail and then execute time,
Caring About People treatment, and then, ultimately, the Drug Court
Program.” Id. at 12. The court sentenced him to the Department of Correction
for three years.
Discussion
[6] Watson argues that his sentence is inappropriate and that the offense was less
severe than most level 5 felonies because the quantity involved was 0.2 grams of
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1864 | December 6, 2019 Page 3 of 5
heroin. He also asserts that he pled guilty, demonstrated remorse, was
motivated to be involved in treatment, and had been employed. He requests
that his sentence be modified to three years suspended on the condition that the
remainder of his sentence be served on probation with services at the Thirteen
Step House treatment facility.
[7] Ind. Appellate Rule 7(B) provides that we “may revise a sentence authorized by
statute if, after due consideration of the trial court’s decision, [we find] that the
sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and the character
of the offender.” Under this rule, the burden is on the defendant to persuade
the appellate court that his or her sentence is inappropriate. Childress v. State,
848 N.E.2d 1073, 1080 (Ind. 2006). Ind. Code § 35-50-2-6 provides that a
person who commits a level 5 felony shall be imprisoned for a fixed term
between one and six years with the advisory sentence being three years.
[8] Our review of the nature of the offense reveals that Watson sold heroin to an
undercover officer. Our review of the character of the offender reveals that he
pled guilty as charged and was placed in the drug court diversion program until
he tested positive for codeine. He apologized for failing to successfully
complete the program. He worked for three or four months in 2014 at a
restaurant, between October 2017 and February 2018 as an apprentice, and
between April 2018 and September 2018 as a line cook. He has convictions for
conversion as a class A misdemeanor in 2016 and possession of paraphernalia
as a class C misdemeanor in 2017. The presentence investigation report (the
“PSI”) indicates that he admitted he began using marijuana at age sixteen and
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1864 | December 6, 2019 Page 4 of 5
used it three times per week until he was twenty-nine years old; used cocaine
when he was twenty years old until he was twenty-three years old;
experimented with ecstasy twice when he was twenty-three or twenty-four years
old; and used heroin daily from age twenty-seven until age twenty-nine.
[9] The PSI indicates that Watson reported participating in substance abuse
treatment at Park Center in 2018, at Critical Thinking Errors in 2019, through
the support groups provided by the halfway house where he resided since June
2017 until his present incarceration, and at Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine
Anonymous, and Heroin Anonymous four or five times per week since June
2017 until his present incarceration. It indicates that he denied ever using
codeine but also stated: “I accept what happened. I know that I did wrong and
that is why all of this is happening.” Appellant’s Appendix Volume II at 58. It
also indicates that Watson began the Allen Superior Court Drug Program on
August 28, 2017, submitted a diluted drug screen on September 12, 2017, and
failed to appear for four drug screens between October 2017 and September
2018. The PSI also states that his overall risk assessment score using the
Indiana risk assessment system places him in the moderate risk category to
reoffend. After due consideration, we conclude that Watson has not sustained
his burden of establishing that the advisory sentence is inappropriate.
[10] For the foregoing reasons, we affirm Watson’s sentence.
[11] Affirmed.
Baker, J., and Riley, J., concur.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1864 | December 6, 2019 Page 5 of 5