Deandrew R. Halliburton 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, 9:22 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
Anthony S. Churchward Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Fort Wayne, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Courtney Staton
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Deandrew R. Halliburton, December 6, 2019
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
19A-CR-1235
v. Appeal from the Whitley Circuit
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Matthew J.
Appellee-Plaintiff. Rentschler, Judge
Trial Court Cause No.
92C01-1812-F5-172
Tavitas, Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 1 of 8
Case Summary
[1] Deandrew Halliburton appeals his conviction for theft, a Level 6 felony. We
affirm.
Issue
[2] Halliburton raises one issue, which we restate as whether the evidence is
sufficient to support Halliburton’s theft conviction.
Facts
[3] On December 12, 2018, Halliburton contacted his acquaintance, Benjamin
Greer, who lives in Whitley County, and asked Greer to give Halliburton and
Halliburton’s girlfriend, Sharon, a ride. Late that night, Greer drove his
vehicle, a 2008 Cadillac DTS, to Logansport, about an hour away from his
home, to pick up Halliburton and Sharon.
[4] Greer drove Halliburton and Sharon back to his home, which Greer shared
with his parents and brother. Greer told Halliburton and Sharon they could
stay with Greer for one night. When they arrived at the home, Greer placed the
keys to his Cadillac in a dish near the back door. That night, and much of the
following day, Halliburton and Sharon stayed in Greer’s bedroom, which
contained Greer’s personal belongings, including electronic equipment, jewelry,
and expensive clothing items.
[5] The next day, on December 13, Greer, who works from approximately 3:00
p.m. to 11:00 p.m., left for work around 2:40 p.m. At approximately 7:00 p.m.,
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 2 of 8
Greer’s mother, Stephanie Greer, returned to the family home and was home
alone with Halliburton and Sharon. Greer’s Cadillac was parked outside the
home. Stephanie had not met Halliburton or Sharon; accordingly, Stephanie
went upstairs to Greer’s bedroom to introduce herself. Stephanie then returned
downstairs to complete tasks around the home.
[6] Later, Halliburton went outside to smoke a cigarette. When Halliburton went
outside, he passed the dish where Greer stored his keys. When Halliburton
came back inside, he asked Stephanie for garbage bags to store his personal
belongings that were in the trunk of Greer’s Cadillac. After Stephanie gave
Halliburton the garbage bags, Stephanie returned to complete her tasks inside
the home. Stephanie did not see Sharon during this period of time. Later,
Stephanie realized the Cadillac was missing and notified Greer.
[7] Greer attempted to call Halliburton; however, Halliburton did not answer and
blocked Greer on Halliburton’s social media accounts. Stephanie then called
the police. When Greer returned home, he noticed that several items were
missing from both his bedroom and his brother’s bedroom, including a silver
cross diamond necklace. Greer did not give Halliburton or Sharon permission
to take Greer’s vehicle or property.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 3 of 8
[8] On December 15, 2018, at approximately 1:00 a.m., 1 Trooper Marion Hester,
with the Michigan State Police, conducted a traffic stop of a Cadillac, after
Trooper Hester observed the driver driving erratically. 2 The driver identified
herself as Jenna Vanhorn, and the passengers included Halliburton, who was
sitting in the front passenger seat, and another woman—who was not identified
at trial—in the rear passenger seat. Trooper Hester and her partner, Trooper
Ryan Krebiehl, determined that the Cadillac was reported stolen. When asked,
Vanhorn did not know who owned the vehicle.
[9] Trooper Hester obtained a search warrant for the Cadillac and found several
items belonging to Greer in the trunk. Trooper Hester also observed that
Halliburton was wearing a silver cross diamond necklace, which belonged to
Greer.
[10] The State charged Halliburton with Count I, auto theft, a Level 5 felony; and
Count II, theft, a Level 6 felony, on December 31, 2018. On March 14, 2019,
the State filed a notice of intent to seek habitual offender status due to
Halliburton’s previous convictions for possession of a handgun by a felon, a
Class C felony, in Elkhart County in 2011; and possession of a deadly weapon
by an incarcerated person, a Class C felony, in LaPorte County in 2013. On
1
Trooper Hester’s testimony is somewhat unclear as to whether the Cadillac was pulled over during the early
morning hours on December 15, 2018, or late on December 14, 2018. The police report, however, is dated
December 15, 2018 around 1:00 a.m.; therefore, we will use this date.
2
Trooper Hester conducted the stop in Wexford County, Michigan, which is approximately four hours away
from Whitley County, Indiana.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 4 of 8
April 2, 2019, the State filed an amended notice of intent to seek habitual
offender status and added Halliburton’s conviction for auto theft, a Class D
felony, in Elkhart County in 2011. On April 5, 2019, the State moved to
dismiss Count I, which the trial court granted on April 8, 2019. Halliburton’s
jury trial began April 10, 2019; Halliburton appeared pro se.
[11] After witnesses testified to the foregoing facts, a jury found Halliburton guilty of
theft, a Level 6 felony. Subsequently, the jury found that Halliburton was a
habitual offender. After Halliburton’s jury trial was completed, on April 26,
2018, Halliburton filed a motion for directed verdict, which the trial court
denied. Halliburton now appeals.
Analysis
[12] Halliburton argues the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction for
theft. When there is a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, “[w]e neither
reweigh evidence nor judge witness credibility.” Gibson v. State, 51 N.E.3d 204,
210 (Ind. 2016) (citing Bieghler v. State, 481 N.E.2d 78, 84 (Ind. 1985), cert.
denied). Instead, “we ‘consider only that evidence most favorable to the
judgment together with all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom.’” Id.
(quoting Bieghler, 481 N.E.2d at 84). “We will affirm the judgment if it is
supported by ‘substantial evidence of probative value even if there is some
conflict in that evidence.’” Id. (quoting Bieghler, 481 N.E.2d at 84); see also
McCallister v. State, 91 N.E.3d 554, 558 (Ind. 2018) (holding that, even though
there was conflicting evidence, it was “beside the point” because that argument
“misapprehend[s] our limited role as a reviewing court”). Further, “[w]e will
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 5 of 8
affirm the conviction unless no reasonable fact-finder could find the elements of
the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Love v. State, 73 N.E.3d 693, 696
(Ind. 2017) (citing Drane v. State, 867 N.E.2d 144, 146 (Ind. 2007)).
[13] To prove that Halliburton committed theft, as defined in Indiana Code Section
35-43-4-1, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant
“knowingly or intentionally exert[ed] unauthorized control over property of
another person, with intent to deprive the other person of any part of its value
or use.” The offense is a Level 6 felony if the value of the property “is at least
seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) and less than fifty thousand dollars
($50,000).” Ind. Code § 35-43-4-2(a)(1). Halliburton argues, specifically, that
the State did not prove that Halliburton “exerted unauthorized control of the
property in Indiana,” and that whether Halliburton “is guilty of possessing
stolen property in Wexford County, Michigan is a question for another court.”
Appellant’s Br. pp. 11, 14.
[14] Halliburton relies on Fortson v. State, 919 N.E.2d 1136, 1143 (Ind. 2010), to
support his position that “the mere unexplained possession of recently stolen
property standing alone does not automatically support a conviction for theft.”
As the State correctly points out, Fortson also holds:
Rather, such possession is to be considered along with the other
evidence in a case, such as how recent or distant in time was the
possession from the moment the item was stolen, and what are
the circumstances of the possession (say, possessing right next
door as opposed to many miles away). In essence, the fact of
possession and all the surrounding evidence about the possession
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 6 of 8
must be assessed to determine whether any rational juror could
find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Id.
[15] Here, the surrounding circumstances, in addition to the unexplained
possession, support Halliburton’s theft conviction: (1) Halliburton was a guest
in Greer’s home when the Cadillac and property were stolen; (2) Halliburton
had access to the vehicle’s keys and the property; (3) the vehicle was outside the
home when Greer left for work and when Stephanie returned to the house; (4)
Stephanie later noticed the vehicle was missing; (5) Halliburton and Sharon left
abruptly; (6) Halliburton was unresponsive to Greer’s phone calls and blocked
communication from Greer on social media; (7) several items were missing
from Greer’s bedroom and Greer’s brother’s bedroom; and (8) Halliburton was
found riding in the vehicle with the stolen items the next day in Michigan.
Moreover, Greer testified that he never gave Halliburton permission to take or
use his personal property or vehicle. Based on the surrounding circumstances,
the evidence was sufficient to convict Halliburton of theft. See Bennett v. State,
871 N.E.2d 316, 323 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), opinion adopted by Bennett v. State, 878
N.E.2d 836 (Ind. 2008) (finding “[a] theft conviction may be sustained by
circumstantial evidence”).
[16] Finally, we address Halliburton’s contention that insufficient evidence existed
that he committed theft in Indiana because he was found in the vehicle with the
property in Michigan, instead of Indiana. Although Halliburton was
discovered in Michigan, Halliburton was a guest at Greer’s home in Indiana,
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 7 of 8
where Greer’s Cadillac and other possessions were taken. Halliburton and the
Cadillac, with Greer’s personal items, went missing from the home at the same
time. The circumstantial evidence supported the jury’s conclusion that
Halliburton committed the theft in Indiana. To ask us to conclude otherwise
would require us to reweigh the evidence, which we cannot do. See Gibson, 51
N.E.3d at 210.
Conclusion
[17] The evidence was sufficient to convict Halliburton of theft. We affirm.
[18] Affirmed.
Brown, J., and Altice, J., concur.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-CR-1235 | December 6, 2019 Page 8 of 8