Title: William McNeal v. State of Indiana

State: indiana

Issuer: Indiana Supreme Court

Document:

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE 
Bernice A.N. Corley 
 
 
 
 
 
Curtis T. Hill, Jr. 
Ruth Ann Johnson 
 
 
 
 
 
Attorney General of Indiana 
Marion County Public Defender Agency 
 
 
 
 
 
Indianapolis, IN  
 
 
 
 
 
George P. Sherman 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Deputy Attorney General 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Indianapolis, Indiana 
 
 
 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
In the 
Indiana Supreme Court  
_________________________________ 
 
No. 49S05-1706-CR-405 
WILLIAM MCNEAL,   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Appellant (Defendant below),  
 
 
 
 
 
 
    v. 
STATE OF INDIANA,    
 
 
 
 
 
Appellee (Plaintiff below).  
_________________________________ 
Appeal from the Marion Superior Court, No. 49G21-1509-F5-31039  
The Honorable Shannon Logsdon, Judge Pro Tempore 
_________________________________ 
On Petition to Transfer from the Indiana Court of Appeals, No. 49A05-1604-CR-838 
_________________________________ 
June 20, 2017 
 
Per Curiam. 
 
On August 28, 2015, police encountered a man lying face down on the sidewalk and called 
for medical assistance.  Soon thereafter, William McNeal approached the scene and attempted to 
rouse the man to leave.  Police on the scene noted that McNeal exhibited slurred speech, unsteady 
gait, and glassy eyes, and asked him to sit down.  McNeal refused and then tripped over the man 
on the sidewalk and fell down.  When McNeal tried to get up to leave, he fell down again, so police 
placed him in handcuffs to keep him seated.  Medics arrived and determined that McNeal and the 
man should be transported to the hospital.  During this period, police ran a check on McNeal’s 
FILED
C L E R K
Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
Jun 20 2017, 10:29 am
 
 
identification and discovered he had an outstanding arrest warrant.  During a search before the 
medical transport, police found baggies of cocaine in McNeal’s pants pocket.   
 
McNeal was charged with Level 5 felony possession of cocaine.  Before and during trial, 
McNeal sought to exclude the cocaine evidence, contending it was obtained as a result of an 
unconstitutional detention.  The trial court admitted the evidence and found McNeal guilty.  
McNeal appealed, and the Court of Appeals affirmed.  McNeal v. State, 62 N.E.3d 1275 (Ind. Ct. 
App. 2016), reh’g denied.  Among other things, the Court of Appeals concluded McNeal’s 
detention was supported by reasonable suspicion that he was publicly intoxicated, and thus the 
cocaine was properly admitted. 
 
McNeal seeks transfer.  He does not dispute that his encounter with police was justified by 
reasonable suspicion of public intoxication.  Rather, he asks this Court to vacate a portion of the 
Court of Appeals’ opinion discussing the community caretaking exception to the Fourth 
Amendment’s warrant requirement. 
 
McNeal’s request is well-taken.  We now grant transfer, vacating the Court of Appeals’ 
discussion of the community caretaking function—specifically, the final sentence of Section 1, the 
entirety of Section 1.1, the first phrase of Section 1.2, and the second sentence of the paragraph 
numbered 25.  See 62 N.E.3d at 1281-83, 1285; Ind. Appellate Rule 58(A). We summarily affirm 
the remainder of the Court of Appeals’ opinion, including the rest of Section 1.2 (concluding 
McNeal’s detention did not violate the Fourth Amendment because police had reasonable 
suspicion he “had committed, or was about to commit, the crime of public intoxication”), and the 
rest of Section 2 (finding no Indiana constitutional violation).  See 62 N.E.3d at 1283-85; Ind. App. 
R. 58(A)(2).  
 
All Justices concur.