Title: Brittany Erin Hoak v. State of Indiana

State: indiana

Issuer: Indiana Supreme Court

Document:

I N  T H E  
Indiana Supreme Court 
Supreme Court Case No. 19S-CR-17 
Brittany Erin Hoak, 
Appellant (Defendant below), 
–v– 
State of Indiana, 
Appellee (Plaintiff below). 
Decided: January 11, 2019 
Appeal from the Clark Circuit Court,  
Nos. 10C02-1403-FA-26, 10C02-1711-F5-300 
The Honorable Bradley B. Jacobs, Judge 
On Petition to Transfer from the Indiana Court of Appeals,  
No. 18A-CR-1094  
Per Curiam Opinion 
Chief Justice Rush, and Justices David and Goff concur. 
Justices Massa and Slaughter dissent.   
 
 
 
FILED
C L E R K
Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
Jan 11 2019, 2:52 pm
Indiana Supreme Court | Case No. 19S-CR-17 | January 11, 2019 
Page 2 of 3 
Per curiam.  
In August 2014, Brittany Hoak pleaded guilty to Class B felony 
possession of methamphetamine in case no. 10C02-1403-FA-26 (FA-26). 
She was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, four of which were 
suspended to probation. She began her term of probation in May 2017. 
Six months later, Hoak was charged with Level 5 felony possession of 
methamphetamine, Level 6 felony possession of methamphetamine, and 
Class C misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia in case no. 10C02-1711-
F5-300 (F5-300). The State soon filed a petition to revoke Hoak’s probation. 
Hoak pleaded guilty to the Level 5 felony in F5-300 and admitted to 
violating her probation in FA-26. The trial court revoked Hoak’s probation 
and imposed her remaining suspended sentence of 294 days in FA-26; it 
also sentenced her to three years of incarceration in F5-300.  
In a consolidated appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed. Hoak v. State, 
No. 18A-CR-1094, 2018 WL 4782276 (table) (Ind. Ct. App. Oct. 4, 2018). 
The Court of Appeals noted that despite Hoak’s multiple drug-related 
contacts with the criminal justice system over many years, “she has yet to 
receive court-ordered substance abuse treatment.” Id. at *1. But ultimately 
it denied her request for sentence revision under Indiana Appellate Rule 
7(B).  
Even when a trial court imposes a sentence within its discretion, the 
Indiana Constitution authorizes independent appellate review and 
revision of this sentencing decision. See Ind. Const. art. 7, §§ 4, 6; 
Eckelbarger v. State, 51 N.E.3d 169 (Ind. 2016). Indiana appellate courts 
may revise a sentence if “after due consideration of the trial court’s 
decision” they find “the sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of 
the offense and the character of the offender.” Ind. Appellate Rule 7(B).  
Having reviewed the matter, the Court, by majority vote, grants 
transfer and remands with instructions to determine whether Hoak is 
eligible for substance abuse treatment in a Community Corrections 
placement; and if she is eligible, to order half of her sentence to be 
executed in Community Corrections. In all other respects, we summarily 
affirm the Court of Appeals decision. See Ind. Appellate Rule 58(A).  
Indiana Supreme Court | Case No. 19S-CR-17 | January 11, 2019 
Page 3 of 3 
Rush, C.J., and David and Goff, JJ., concur. 
Massa and Slaughter, JJ., dissent, believing that transfer should be 
denied.  
A TT O R N E Y F O R  A PP E LLA N T  
A. David Hutson 
Hutson Legal 
Jeffersonville, Indiana 
A TT O R N E YS F O R  AP P EL L E E 
Curtis T. Hill, Jr. 
Attorney General of Indiana 
Angela N. Sanchez 
Deputy Attorney General 
Indianapolis, Indiana