Timothy K. Meadows v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2020 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before any Jul 06 2020, 9:14 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
Miriam Huck Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Columbus, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Justin F. Roebel
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Timothy K. Meadows, July 6, 2020
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
20A-CR-420
v. Appeal from the Bartholomew
Circuit Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Kelly S. Benjamin,
Appellee-Plaintiff Judge
Trial Court Cause No.
03C01-1907-F2-4175
Baker, Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 20A-CR-420 | July 6, 2020 Page 1 of 8
[1] Timothy Meadows appeals the sentence imposed by the trial court after
Meadows pleaded guilty to Level 3 felony possession of methamphetamine.
Meadows argues that the trial court neglected to consider certain mitigators that
were supported by the record and that the sentence is inappropriate in light of
the nature of the offense and his character. Finding no error and that the
sentence is not inappropriate, we affirm.
Facts
[2] In February 2019, the Columbus Police Department received information that
Meadows was “moving” large amounts of methamphetamine. Tr. Vol. II p.
18. Police began an investigation that involved surveillance and monitoring of
calls that Meadows received from inmates in the Bartholomew and Jackson
County Jails. During just thirty days of monitoring, Meadows received over
200 calls from inmates, with 90% of the conversations “related to dealing in
narcotics [and] the potential of trafficking narcotics into the jail.” Id. at 19.
[3] During the investigation, police arrested another drug dealer who claimed to be
supplying Meadows with a quarter to a half pound of methamphetamine per
week. After that dealer’s arrest, police listened to a three-way call with the
arrested dealer, Meadows, and an Indianapolis drug supplier, during which the
dealer vouched for Meadows to the supplier. After that call, Meadows began
traveling to Indianapolis regularly.
[4] After approximately five months of surveillance, police stopped Meadows after
a trip to Indianapolis. Officers recovered approximately seventy-five grams of
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methamphetamine during the stop. Meadows admitted that the drugs were his,
that he was a drug dealer, and that he was traveling to Indianapolis at least
once daily.
[5] On June 23, 2019, the State charged Meadows with Level 2 felony possession
of methamphetamine over ten grams with intent to deal and Level 3 felony
possession of methamphetamine over twenty-eight grams. On December 23,
2019, Meadows pleaded guilty to the Level 3 felony in exchange for the State’s
agreement to dismiss the Level 2 felony, to refrain from filing a habitual
offender enhancement, and to refrain from objecting to a placement in
purposeful incarceration.
[6] At the January 23, 2020, sentencing hearing, Meadows testified that he had an
“out of control” methamphetamine habit and that he used eight or nine grams a
day. Id. at 10. He testified that the seventy-five grams found at the time of his
arrest was all for his personal consumption and claimed to have purchased the
drugs for $600, which was income from his part-time job. In response, the State
presented testimony from a police lieutenant regarding the long-term
investigation into Meadows’s activities. The lieutenant testified that based on
his experience, a heavy methamphetamine user generally consumes about one
gram a day, that he has never found someone using eight or nine grams a day
that has “lived to tell about it,” and that the very low end price for buying
seventy-five grams of bulk methamphetamine would be about $1200. Id. at 24-
25.
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[7] The trial court found the following aggravators: (1) Meadows’s criminal history;
(2) Meadows has violated probation in the past; (3) Meadows has failed to take
advantage of multiple opportunities for substance abuse treatment; and
(4) Meadows is a threat to the community based on the amount of drugs and
his admission to the police that he is a dealer. The trial court found the
following mitigators: (1) Meadows’s willingness to take responsibility;
(2) Meadows’s admissions to police at the time of arrest; and (3) Meadows’s
guilty plea. The trial court sentenced Meadows to fourteen years incarceration
and did not recommend him for purposeful incarceration. It observed that if
Meadows is serious about being ready for treatment, he should participate with
the available Department of Correction (DOC) programs and then seek a
sentence modification:
If you want to get help, you do it. If you finish [the DOC
programs] and you think you deserve another chance, then you
write a motion asking to see if I will set that. You do the work.
I’m not going to do it for you anymore. We already gave you the
programs. You went to DOC. You knew there was [sic]
programs there before; you ignored them. You [claimed that
you] didn’t have a problem. If you are serious about saying I
have a problem now, then you go do it and you prove why I
should bring you back here. But I’m not going to do it
automatically.
Id. at 35-36. Meadows now appeals.
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Discussion and Decision
I. Mitigators
[8] Meadows first argues that the trial court erred by failing to consider his serious
substance abuse problem and desire to obtain treatment as mitigating factors. A
trial court may err in the sentencing process by, in relevant part, giving reasons
for the sentence that are not supported by the record, omitting reasons that are
clearly supported by the record and advanced for consideration, or giving
reasons for a sentence that are improper as a matter of law. Anglemyer v. State,
868 N.E.2d 482, 492 (Ind. 2007), clarified on reh’g, 875 N.E.2d 218 (2007). In
arguing that the trial court overlooked a mitigator, Meadows bears the burden
of showing that the mitigating circumstance is both significant and clearly
supported by the record. Wert v. State, 121 N.E.3d 1079, 1084 (Ind. Ct. App.
2019), trans. denied.
[9] Meadows directs our attention to the evidence in the record showing that he
has a very serious substance abuse problem. He notes that his problem is so
severe that he frequently experiences hallucinations, that he was abusing other
substances in addition to methamphetamine, and that he has been using alcohol
and/or drugs nearly every day since he was fifteen years old. He also insists
that he has finally recognized the seriousness of his problem and notes that he
told the trial court that he is ready and willing to begin substance abuse
treatment. Meadows points out that he sought out treatment, applying for and
being accepted to the treatment program through Wheeler Mission before he
was sentenced.
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[10] We do not disagree with the assertion that drug addiction can be a serious,
lifelong problem that may take multiple attempts, over multiple years, to treat
successfully, but that does not mean that it is automatically a mitigator in every
case. Roney v. State, 872 N.E.2d 192, 199 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007) (noting that a
history of substance abuse may constitute a valid aggravator), abrogated in part
on other grounds by Bethea v. State, 983 N.E.2d 1134, 1142-45 (Ind. 2013). Here,
the trial court did consider Meadows’s substance abuse issues, but observed that
Meadows has had opportunities for treatment through the correctional system
beginning in 1999 and, in fact, had treatment orders in 2004, 2005, 2006, and
2008, with which he failed to comply. We cannot fault the trial court’s
skepticism that Meadows is truly open to treatment at this point given his
history. Given these facts, as well as the caselaw establishing that addiction is
not automatically a mitigator (and may even be an aggravator), we find that the
trial court did not err by declining to find Meadows’s substance abuse issue or
willingness to enter treatment as mitigators.
II. Appropriateness
[11] Next, Meadows argues that the sentence imposed by the trial court is
inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and his character pursuant to
Indiana Appellate Rule 7(B). We must “conduct [this] review with substantial
deference and give ‘due consideration’ to the trial court’s decision—since the
‘principal role of [our] review is to attempt to leaven the outliers,’ and not to
achieve a perceived ‘correct’ sentence.” Knapp v. State, 9 N.E.3d 1274, 1292
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(Ind. 2014) (quoting Chambers v. State, 989 N.E.2d 1257, 1259 (Ind. 2013))
(internal citations omitted).
[12] Meadows pleaded guilty to Level 3 felony possession of methamphetamine.
For this conviction, he faced a term of three to sixteen years, with an advisory
term of nine years imprisonment. Ind. Code § 35-50-2-5(b). The trial court
imposed a fourteen-year sentence, though it noted that it would be open to
modification if Meadows completes the substance abuse programs available
through the DOC.
[13] As to the nature of the offense, Meadows’s drug activity resulted in a months-
long police investigation. During the investigation he was overheard repeatedly
discussing drug deals, including trafficking drugs to inmates, and was observed
regularly traveling to the location of his supplier. When arrested, Meadows
was found with seventy-five grams of methamphetamine—almost three times
the amount required for the offense of which he was convicted—and admitted
to being a drug dealer.
[14] As to his character, we acknowledge the seriousness of his substance abuse
problem. But we must also note his lengthy criminal history, which includes
five felony convictions, seven misdemeanor convictions, and two juvenile
informal adjustments. He has also violated probation and has never completed
any court-ordered substance abuse treatment despite many opportunities over
many years. Additionally, we note that his acceptance of responsibility was
undermined by his far-fetched claims at sentencing, including that the seventy-
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five grams of methamphetamine were solely for personal use, that he uses eight
to nine grams per day, and that he is able to buy the drugs from money made in
his part-time employment.
[15] We note that, while the trial court imposed a sentence significantly above the
advisory term, it indicated its willingness to consider a modification if
Meadows successfully completes the available DOC substance abuse programs.
Given this record and the trial court’s openness to a future sentence
modification, we find that the sentence imposed by the trial court was not
inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and Meadows’s character.
[16] The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Bradford, C.J., and Pyle, J., concur.
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