Case Title: Bess v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: indiana

Court: Indiana Supreme Court

Date: 2016-09-14T00:00:00Z

Document:
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE 
Mark K. Leeman  
 
 
 
 
 
Gregory F. Zoeller 
Cass County Public Defender 
 
 
 
 
Attorney General of Indiana 
Logansport, Indiana 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Chandra K. Hein  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stephen R. Creason 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Richard C. Webster 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Deputy Attorneys General 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Indianapolis, Indiana 
 
 
 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
In the 
Indiana Supreme Court  
_________________________________ 
 
No. 09S02-1609-CR-484 
 
KYLE BESS,  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Appellant (Defendant below), 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    v. 
 
STATE OF INDIANA,    
 
 
 
 
 
Appellee (Plaintiff below).  
_________________________________ 
 
Appeal from the Cass Superior Court, No. 09D02-1502-F5-14  
The Honorable Richard A. Maughmer, Judge 
_________________________________ 
 
On Petition to Transfer from the Indiana Court of Appeals, No. 09A02-1512-CR-2311 
_________________________________ 
 
September 14, 2016 
 
Per Curiam. 
 
Kyle Bess asked his 14-year-old niece to give him a lap dance, she declined, but Bess then 
had her sit on his lap while he kissed her on the cheek and tickled her.  Bess pleaded guilty to one 
count of child solicitation as a Level 5 felony, which carried a sentencing range of one to six years, 
with three years being the advisory sentence.  The trial court found Bess’s guilty plea, lack of 
criminal history, and the undue hardship incarceration would place on his family as mitigating 
FILED
C L E R K
Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
Sep 14 2016, 12:26 pm
 
2 
 
factors.  It found as aggravating factors the fact that Bess blamed his niece for contributing to the 
crime and that he violated a position of trust.  The trial court sentenced Bess to the advisory 
sentence—three years executed in the Department of Correction. 
 
Bess appealed his sentence.  A Court of Appeals majority found his fully-executed sentence 
inappropriate under Indiana Appellate Rule 7(B).  The majority ordered that Bess be released from 
incarceration and serve the remainder of the three-year sentence on supervised probation.  Bess v. 
State, No. 09A02-1512-CR-2311 (Ind. Ct. App. June 15, 2016).  Judge Pyle dissented, believing 
Bess’s advisory sentence not inappropriate.  Id. at 7-9 (Pyle, J., dissenting).  The State seeks 
transfer. 
 
The authority granted by article 7, section 4 of the Indiana Constitution permitting appellate 
review and revision of criminal sentences is implemented through Indiana Appellate Rule 7(B).  
Under this rule and as interpreted by case law, appellate courts may revise sentences—after due 
consideration of the trial court’s decision—if the sentence is found to be inappropriate in light of 
the nature of the offense and the character of the offender.  See Cardwell v. State, 895 N.E.2d 
1219, 1222-25 (Ind. 2008); Serino v. State, 798 N.E.2d 852, 856-57 (Ind. 2003).  The principal 
role of such review is to attempt to leaven the outliers.  Cardwell, 895 N.E.2d at 1225. 
 
Our collective judgment is that the sentence imposed by the trial court in this case is not 
inappropriate under Appellate Rule 7(B) and does not warrant appellate revision.  Accordingly, 
we grant transfer, see Ind. Appellate Rule 58(A), and affirm the sentence imposed by the trial 
court. 
 
All Justices concur.