Garit Tuggle v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before any Mar 17 2017, 8:18 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
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Frederick Vaiana Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Voyles Zahn & Paul Attorney General of Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
J.T. Whitehead
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Garit Tuggle, March 17, 2017
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
33A01-1608-CR-1884
v. Appeal from the Henry Circuit
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Kit C. Dean Crane,
Appellee-Plaintiff Judge
Trial Court Cause No.
33C02-1509-F3-8
Crone, Judge.
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Case Summary
[1] Garit Tuggle appeals his twelve-year aggregate sentence for level 3 felony
aggravated battery and level 6 felony criminal recklessness. He argues that the
trial court abused its discretion in including one of the victim’s lost wages in its
restitution order. He also contends that the trial court abused its discretion in
sentencing him and that his sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of
his offenses and his character. We find no abuse of discretion in the restitution
order or in sentencing. We also conclude that Tuggle has failed to carry his
burden to show that his sentence is inappropriate. Therefore, we affirm
Facts and Procedural History
[2] One evening in September 2015, Tuggle had guests at his home, including
his cousin Chandler Roberts, Vanessa Goebel, and Brittany Gosser. Tuggle
was extremely intoxicated and got into a physical altercation with Roberts.
Tuggle swung at Roberts and grabbed him by the throat. Roberts picked Tuggle
up and “slammed him.” Tr. at 66. Roberts and Goebel decided to leave.
While Roberts was sitting in Goebel’s car, Tuggle was rummaging around
inside his own car. Goebel heard Tuggle say something about retrieving his
gun and shooting it. She decided to walk away, but she heard shots. Roberts
also heard a “pop, pop, pop.” Id. at 68. Tuggle fired at least six shots from his
handgun. One of the bullets hit Gosser just below her right knee, shattering her
fibula.
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[3] After firing a few shots, Tuggle walked over to Goebel’s car. Roberts got out of
the car and looked Tuggle straight in the eye. Tuggle pointed his gun at
Roberts’s head and then shot him in the left leg just inches from the femoral
artery, breaking his femur. Roberts was in the hospital two days and required
surgery to place a metal rod in his leg, but doctors were unable to remove all the
bullet fragments. Gosser also spent two days in the hospital, where doctors
removed some of the bullet fragments from her leg, but at least twenty bullet
and bone fragments remain. Gosser had to be fitted with a custom leg brace
that she cannot walk without. The bullet hit her peroneal nerve, causing
extensive nerve damage and loss of the use of her right foot. Gosser may
undergo additional surgery, although it will not provide full use of her foot. She
was unable to work for five to six months.1 Id. at 48. At the time of sentencing,
she was still experiencing pain.
[4] The State charged Tuggle with one count of level 3 felony aggravated battery
against Roberts, one count of level 3 felony aggravated battery against Gosser,
and one count of level 6 felony criminal recklessness against Roberts.2
Appellant’s App. at 4, 151-52. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Tuggle agreed to
plead guilty to level 3 felony aggravated battery against Roberts and level 6
felony criminal recklessness against Gosser. The State agreed to dismiss the
1
The State incorrectly claims that Gosser was unable to work for five to six weeks. Appellee’s Br. at 9.
2
Tuggle and the State both incorrectly maintain that Tuggle was charged with one count of aggravated
battery and two counts of criminal recklessness. Appellant’s Br. at 4; Appellee’s Br. at 5.
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third count. The plea agreement capped Tuggle’s sentence at twelve years but
otherwise left sentencing open to the trial court’s discretion.
[5] At the plea hearing, Gosser testified that she had moved to Indiana four days
before the shooting. Prior to moving to Indiana, she had worked for Mentor
Network for six years and expected to continue to work for them in Indiana,
although she had not yet contacted them at the time of the shooting. Tr. at 54-
55. Specifically, Gosser testified, “I transferred my job out of state. I was able
to transfer back but I hadn’t technically started yet.” Id. at 52. During her
testimony, the State introduced Exhibit 1, a spreadsheet supplementing
Gosser’s testimony regarding her claim of restitution against Tuggle. Gosser
claimed restitution of $16,748.52, including $8320.00 in lost wages. Id. at 50-
54, 60-62; Ex. Vol. at 8. Gosser’s claim for lost wages was based on her hourly
wage at Mentor Network and the average number of hours per week she had
been working before moving to Indiana. When Gosser was asked about how
her calculations would have differed if she was not offered a job with her former
employer, she responded, “That’s just not a possibility.” Tr. at 55.
[6] The trial court accepted Tuggle’s plea, and the parties presented argument
regarding sentencing. Having read the presentence investigation report and the
letters written on behalf of Tuggle, and having heard Tuggle’s testimony and
the parties’ arguments, the trial court found that Tuggle’s remorse was a
mitigating factor. However, the trial court noted that Tuggle’s criminal history
reflected a pattern of abusing alcohol, marijuana, and other substances and
found it to be an aggravating factor. The trial court also found that the nature
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and circumstances of the level 6 felony criminal recklessness count were more
significant than the offense’s required elements and therefore constituted an
aggravating factor as to that count. The trial court sentenced Tuggle to
consecutive terms of ten years on the aggravated battery conviction, with three
years suspended, and two years on the criminal recklessness conviction, with
one year suspended for an aggregate sentence of twelve years with four years
suspended. The trial court also ordered Tuggle to pay Gosser restitution of
$16,748.52, including lost wages. The trial court dismissed the remaining
charge. This appeal ensued.
Discussion and Decision
Section 1 – The trial court did not abuse its discretion in
ordering restitution for Gosser’s lost wages.
[7] Tuggle challenges the trial court’s decision to order restitution for Gosser’s lost
wages.3 Pursuant to Indiana Code Section 35-50-5-3(a)(4), the trial court has
the authority to order a person convicted of a felony or misdemeanor to make
restitution to the victim of the crime based upon a consideration of “earnings
lost by the victim (before the date of sentencing) as a result of the crime
including earnings lost while the victim was hospitalized or participating in the
investigation or trial of the crime[.]” An order of restitution lies within the trial
court’s sound discretion and will be reversed only for an abuse of discretion.
3
The State asserts that Tuggle waived this claim, but we disagree. At the hearing, Tuggle’s counsel argued
that Gosser’s claim for lost wages was speculative and would not be awardable under the restitution statute.
Tr. at 118.
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Kays v. State, 963 N.E.2d 507, 509 (Ind. 2012). In determining whether the trial
court abused its discretion, we neither reweigh evidence nor judge witness
credibility. Mogg v. State, 918 N.E.2d 750, 755 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009). “A
restitution order must be supported by sufficient evidence of actual loss
sustained by the victim or victims of a crime.” Rich v. State, 890 N.E.2d 44, 49
(Ind. Ct. App. 2008), trans. denied. “The amount of actual loss is a factual
matter that can be determined only upon the presentation of evidence.” Bennett
v. State, 862 N.E.2d 1281, 1286 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007). We will affirm the trial
court’s restitution order if there is any evidence supporting it. Smith v. State, 990
N.E.2d 517, 520 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013), trans. denied.
[8] Specifically, Tuggle asserts that Gosser’s request for $8320 in lost wages does
not represent any actual loss she sustained because at the time of the shooting
she was unemployed and did not have an actual offer of employment. The
evidence shows that Gosser worked for Mentor Network for six years and
transferred her employment to Indiana, and that she was unemployed because
she had been in Indiana only four days and had not yet contacted Mentor
Network. The evidence also shows that she had been working an average of
thirty-two hours per week and earned $10.00 per hour and that she had been
unable to work for twenty-six weeks due to the injury caused by Tuggle’s
shooting.4 Tuggle’s argument is merely an invitation to reweigh the evidence,
which we must decline. We conclude that the restitution order for lost wages is
4
$10 × 32 hours × 26 weeks = $8320.00.
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supported by sufficient evidence of actual loss. Accordingly, the trial court did
not abuse its discretion in ordering restitution for Gosser’s lost wages.
Section 2 – The trial court did not abuse its discretion in
sentencing Tuggle.
[9] Tuggle argues that the trial court abused its discretion when it sentenced him.
Sentencing decisions are within the sound discretion of the trial court.
Anglemyer v. State, 868 N.E.2d 482, 490 (Ind. 2007), clarified on reh’g, 875 N.E.2d
218. An abuse of discretion occurs when the trial court’s decision is contrary to
“the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before the court or the
reasonable, probable, and actual deductions to be drawn therefrom.” Williams v.
State, 997 N.E.2d 1154, 1163 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013). A trial court abuses its
discretion by entering a sentencing statement that omits mitigating factors that
are clearly supported by the record and advanced for consideration. Anglemyer,
868 N.E.2d at 490-91. Although an appellate court may review the trial court’s
reasons and omissions of reasons for imposing sentence, the relative weight
assigned by the trial court to aggravating and mitigating factors is not subject to
appellate review. Id. at 491.
[10] Tuggle contends that the trial court abused its discretion by failing to find
various mitigating factors. He notes that “[t]he trial court refused to consider
[his] criminal history as a mitigator, instead finding it an aggravating
circumstance.” Appellant’s Br. at 12. That is not an uncommon occurrence in
most sentencing hearings. He also argues that the trial court ignored that he
obtained a job earning $52,000 a year, was only three or four classes away from
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obtaining a degree at Ivy Tech, and did not violate the conditions of his pretrial
home detention which included screens for the presence of alcohol. We
observe that the trial court is not obligated to accept the defendant’s arguments
as to what constitutes a mitigating factor and is not required to give the same
weight to proffered mitigating factors as the defendant does. Healy v. State, 969
N.E.2d 607, 616 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012), trans. denied. A trial court does not abuse
its discretion by failing to identify a mitigating factor unless the mitigating
evidence is both significant and clearly supported by the record. Id.[11] At sentencing, Tuggle argued that his crimes were connected to his alcohol use
and therefore were the result of circumstances unlikely to recur and that he was
at low risk to reoffend because he had a limited criminal history, had obtained a
job, was close to getting a degree from Ivy Tech, had participated in substance
abuse treatment while on home detention, and had not committed any
probation violations while on home detention during which he was tested for
alcohol four times a day. Tuggle also argued that he had demonstrated remorse
for his crimes.
[12] The trial court was unpersuaded that Tuggle’s crime was the result of
circumstances unlikely to recur and that Tuggle was unlikely to reoffend
because the court believed that Tuggle’s criminal history and the presentence
investigation report showed a pattern of substance abuse and offenses related to
his substance abuse. Tr. at 138-39. Tuggle’s criminal history includes a 2012
misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana and two 2013
misdemeanor convictions for possession of marijuana and possession of
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paraphernalia. In April 2016, Tuggle violated the conditions of his pretrial
release and was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.5 Thus, the
trial court considered Tuggle’s proffered mitigators and, other than his remorse,
rejected them. We find no abuse of discretion.
Section 3 – Tuggle has failed to carry his burden to show that
his sentence is inappropriate.
[13] Tuggle argues that his aggregate sentence of twelve years with eight years
executed is inappropriate pursuant to Indiana Appellate Rule 7(B), which
states, “The Court may revise a sentence authorized by statute if, after due
consideration of the trial court’s decision, the Court finds that the sentence is
inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and the character of the
offender.” In conducting our review, “[w]e do not look to determine if the
sentence was appropriate; instead we look to make sure the sentence was not
inappropriate.” Conley v. State, 972 N.E.2d 864, 876 (Ind. 2012). “[S]entencing
is principally a discretionary function in which the trial court’s judgment should
receive considerable deference.” Cardwell v. State, 895 N.E.2d 1219, 1222 (Ind.
2008). “Such deference should prevail unless overcome by compelling evidence
portraying in a positive light the nature of the offense (such as accompanied by
restraint, regard, and lack of brutality) and the defendant’s character (such as
substantial virtuous traits or persistent examples of good character).” Stephenson
v. State, 29 N.E.3d 111, 122 (Ind. 2015). Tuggle has the burden to show that his
5
Tuggle was convicted and sentenced in that case contemporaneously with this one.
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sentence is inappropriate. Rutherford v. State, 866 N.E.2d 867, 873 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2007).
[14] When considering the nature of the offenses, we observe that “the advisory
sentence is the starting point the Legislature selected as appropriate for the
crime committed.” Pierce v. State, 949 N.E.2d 349, 352 (Ind. 2011). The
advisory sentence for a level 3 felony is nine years, with a sentencing range of
three to sixteen years. Ind. Code § 35-50-2-5(b). The advisory sentence for a
level 6 felony is one year, with a sentencing range of six months to two and one-
half years. Ind. Code § 35-50-2-7(b). Tuggle received an aggregate sentence of
twelve years, with eight years executed and four years suspended.
[15] Tuggle does not deny that he committed serious crimes and does not argue that
the nature of the offenses renders his sentence inappropriate. Rather, he argues
that his character warrants a revision of his executed sentence to home
detention and/or probation. In so arguing, he again relies on his gainful
employment, pursuit of a college degree, and substance abuse treatment to
demonstrate his positive character. We recognize that these undertakings are
reflective of Tuggle’s capacity to become a productive, law-abiding citizen.
However, when considering the nature of Tuggle’s offenses as well as his
character, we are unpersuaded that Tuggle’s sentence is inappropriate.
[16] Tuggle became extremely intoxicated, grabbed his handgun, and shot it six
times with multiple people in the area. All those people were put at risk by
Tuggle’s conduct. One shot struck Gosser, who required significant medical
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care and was unable to work for five or six months. She suffered permanent
nerve damage subjecting her to the possibility of lifelong pain and loss of the
use of her foot. Tuggle pointed his gun at Roberts’s head, putting Roberts at
great risk of death. Tuggle then shot Robert’s leg, breaking his femur. Robert
required surgery to place a metal rod in his leg and still has bullet fragments in
his leg. We conclude that Tuggle has failed to carry his burden to show that his
sentence is inappropriate based on the nature of the offenses and his character.
[17] Affirmed.
Riley, J., and Altice, J., concur.
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