Court of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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### MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as precedent or cited before any court except for the purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata, collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.

A TTORNEY FOR A PPELLANT Leanna Weissmann Lawrenceburg, Indiana A TTORNEY S FOR A PPELLEE Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Attorney General of Indiana Josiah Swinney Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana



### I N T H E 

# COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Raymond E. Cook, III , Appellant

- Defendant,

v. 

### State of Indiana , Appellee

- Plaintiff , January 29, 2020 Court of Appeals Ca se No. 19A

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- 1594 Appeal from the Ripley Circuit Court The Honorable Ryan King, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 69C01

- 1711

- F4

- 21

Robb , Judge
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# Case Summary and Issue

[1] Raymond Cook III ple aded guilty to dealing in methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony , and maintaining a common nuisance, a Level 6 felony. The trial court sentenced Cook to an aggregate sentence of seven ye ars , with five years to be served in the Indiana Department of Correction (“DOC”), one year served on home detention, and one year suspended to probation

. Cook appeals his sentence, raising one issue for our review: whether his seven

- year sentence is inapp ropriate in light of the nature of the offense s and his character

. Concluding Cook’s sentence is not inappropriate, we affirm.



# Facts and Procedural History

[2] On November 9, 2017, Trooper Jordan Craig of the Indiana State Police received information that Cook’s girlfriend, Jessica Steele , 1 was at Cook’s house and had a n outstanding warrant for her arrest for narcotics. Trooper Craig and other officers went to Cook’s house where a man who was standing outside informed them that Cook and Steele were inside the house . After officers announced their presence and spent several minutes requesting that occupants of the house come outside , Cook and Steele walked out of the house and were taken into custody . Cook admitted to Trooper Craig that there were drug s inside the house . Cook consented to a search and walked Trooper Craig

1 Cook and Steele were married in February 2018 and their daughter was born in April 2018. See Exhibit Index, Volume 2 at 8

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through the house to locate the drugs

. Trooper Craig located marijuana; a powdered substance which Cook confirmed to be methamphetamine; two digital scales; and other paraphernalia

. See A ppendix of Appellant , Volume 2 at 22. Trooper Craig also noticed a loaded .45 caliber handgun “in close proximity” to the drugs and paraphernalia , and two shotguns . Transcript of Evidence, Volume 2 at 46. Cook admitted to Trooper Craig that he dealt “a quarter gram of methamphetamine to friends . . . once or twice a week for the past six months [

. ] ” Id

. T he State charged Cook with attempted dealing in methamphetamine, a Level 4 felony; dealing in methamphetamine and
poss ession of methamphetamine , both Level 5 felon ies; possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a common nuisance, both Level 6 felon ies ; and possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor

.

[3] On March 27, 2019 , Cook appeared in court for a change of plea hea ring. Pursuant to a written plea agreement, Cook agreed to plead guilty to one count of Level 5 felony dealing in methamphetamine and one count of Level 6 felony maintaining a common nuisance. In exchange, the State would dismiss the remaining charges

. Cook’s sentence for each offense would be at the discretion of the court, but the sentences would be serv ed consecutive to each other. At the guilty plea hearing, a factual basis for the plea was laid and t he trial court took the matter under advisement

.

[4] A sentencing hearing was held on June 11 and the trial court heard testimony from Trooper Craig and Cook. T rooper Craig testified that , while on bond, Cook was allegedly involved in a police chase with a known drug dealer,Court of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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Jeremy Wall , where drugs were involved. 2 Cook testified that he became addicted to methamphetamine after a previous relationship ended in divorce and after the death of one of his children in October of 2016. He testified that he met Steele in 2017 and married her in 2018 knowing she used methamphetamin e. He also admitted that he smoked methamphetamine on three separate occasions in December of 2017 in violation of the conditions of his bond . T he State indicated it was going to ask the trial court to order a drug screen and asked Cook if he would pass ; Coo k responded, “ Yeah. ” Id

. at 80.
T he trial court then asked ,
The Court: Mr. Cook, you gonna pass a drug screen today? If I give you a ha ir follicle [test] , it tells me if you u sed any drugs in the last six months. Are you gonna pass that?
[Cook]: I should, yes, except for prescriptions, I should.

* * *

The Court: So you haven’t used any methamphetamine in the last six months?
[Cook]: No.

2 Cook was not charged with a crime as a result of this incident.Court of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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Id . at 80

- 81. T he trial court ordered Cook to take a drug screen that day through the probation department and continued t he sentencing hearing to June 25, 2019 , to await the results

.

[5] At the June 25 hearing, Cook ’s drug screen results were admitted into evidence ; he had tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine, oxycodone , and cannabinoids. See id . at 87 ; see also App. of Appellant, Vol. 2 at 88

. Cook conceded he had been using methamphetamine “[h]ere and there to help [him] get things done[.]” Tr., Vol. 2 at 88. After hearing additional testimony and arguments of counsel, the trial court accepted Cook’s plea agreem ent , entered judgment of conviction for dealing in methamphetamine and maintaining a common nuisance , and dismissed the remaining charges . In determining Cook’s sen tence , the trial court found the following aggravating circumstances :
[T]he first aggravator is during the commission of the offense that you were in possession of multiple firearms, but most problematically, the loaded .45 caliber handgun. . . . The next aggravating circumstance is that you admitted that you sold a quarter gram of methamphetamin e a couple time s a week for a period of months. . . . So, this was an ongoing enterprise that you were engaged in, in selling methamphetamine . . .

. I mean, you put that with the other .45 caliber handgun, that looks pretty bad. . . . Both of these Aggra vating Factors are of great weight, substantial Aggravating Factors. . . . [Y]ou continued to use methamphetamine, clearly, while out on bond, you admitted that you violated the terms and conditions of your bond . . . and you tested positive at the first p ortion of the sentencing hearing for use of methamphetamine, THC and Oxycodone.

. . . [Y]ou had no respect for the bond’s order and then you seemingly top that off by perjuring yourself here in the courtroom, and add to that,Court of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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the people that you associate yourself with are known methamphetamine users [and] dealers[.]

Id. at 101

- 0 2 . The trial court acknowledged Cook did not “ have an extensive criminal history” and that he pleaded guilty but did not find those to be mitigating circumstances

. Id. at 103. T he trial court sentenced Cook to two years for maintaining a common nuisance and five years for dealing in methamphetamine to be served consecutively in the DOC. The trial court ordered one year of his sentence to be served on home detention and one year

s uspended to probation

. 3 Cook now appeals. Additional facts will be supplied
as necessary.


# Discussion and Decision

I. Standard of Review

[6] We may review and revise criminal sentences pursuant to the authority derived from Article 7, section 6 of the Indian a Constitution. Indiana Appellate Rule 7(B) empowers us to revise a sentence “if, after due consideration of the trial court’s decision, [we] find [] that the sentence is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and the character of the offender. ” Therefore, when reviewing a sentence, we give deference to the trial court’s sentencing decision because Rule 7(B) requires us to give “due consideration” to the decision and

3 The trial court ordered that Cook receive drug treatment thro ugh the Courts Addiction and Drugs Service Program while he was on home detention. See Appealed Order at 2.Court of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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we recognize the unique perspective of the trial court in making sentencing dec isions. Stewart v. State , 866 N.E.2d 858, 866 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007). Such deference should prevail unless overcome by compelling evidence portraying in a positive light the nature of the offense and the defendant’s character. Stephenson v. State , 29 N.E.3d 111, 122 (Ind. 2015). Our principal role in Rule 7(B) review is to “leaven the outliers [

. ] ” Cardwell v. State , 895 N.E.2d 1219, 1225 (Ind. 2008).

[7] The defendant carries the burden to persuade us that the sentence imposed by the trial court is inappropriate , Childress v. State , 848 N.E.2d 1073, 1080 (Ind. 2006) , and w e may look to any factors appearing in the record in making such a determination , Reis v. State , 88 N.E.3d 1099, 1102 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017). The question under Rule 7(B) is “not whether another s entence is more appropriate ; rather, the question is whether the sentence imposed is inappropriate.” King v. State , 894 N.E.2d 265, 268 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008).



## II. Inappropriate Sentence
A. Nature of the Offense

[8] We begi n our analysis of the nature of the offense with the advisory sentence, which is the starting point selected by the legislature as an appropriate sentence.
Reis , 88 N.E.3d at 1104. Cook was convicted of dealing in methamphetamine as a Level 5 felony and ma intaining a common nuisance as a Level 6 felony. The advisory sentence for a Level 5 felony is three years, with a minimum sentence of one year and a maximum sentence of six years. Ind. Code § 35

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2

- 6(b). The advisory sentence for a Level 6 felony is one year, with a minimum sentence of six months and a maximum sentence of two and one

- half years. Ind. Code § 35

- 50

- 2

- 7(b). Cook was sentenced to five years for his Level 5 felony conviction and two years for the Level 6 felony. Although both sentences exceed the advisory sentence, they fall short of the maximum sentence allowed.

[9] The nature of the offense is found in the details and circumstances surrounding the offense and the defendant’s participation therein. Perry v. State , 78 N.E.3d 1, 13 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017). Cook asserts that the nature of his offense is on the “lesser end of the spectrum.” Brief of App ellant at 13. We disagree. Cook dealt methamphetamine not on just one occasion, but he did so regularly. H e conceded that over a period of six months, he sold approximately a quarter gram of methamphetamine a t least twice a week

. When Trooper Craig walked around Cook’s house , there were two shotguns and a loaded .45 caliber handgun near the drugs and paraphernalia

. We acknowledge , a s the trial court did , that this is a “ recipe for

. . . disaster [

. ] ” Tr., Vol. 2 at 102. Alt hough no violence occurred while Cook dealt methamphetamine, there is a likelihood that injury or even death may occur whenever firearms are present during the commission of a crime

– whether the injury be suffered by Cook or the community. Based on th is e vidence , Cook has failed to demonstrate that the nature of his offenses renders his sentence inappropriate.



### B. Character of the Offender

[10] A defendant’s life and conduct are illustrative of his character. Washington v.
State , 940 N.E.2d 1220, 1222 (Ind. Ct . App. 2011), trans. denied

. One relevantCourt of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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factor in assessing character is a defendant’s criminal history. Rutherford v. State , 866 N.E.2d 867, 874 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007). The significance of criminal history varies based on the gravity, nature, and number o f prior offenses in relation to the current offense. Id

. Cook’s criminal history consist s of check fraud as a Class A misdemeanor , illegal transportation of alcohol as a Class C misdemeanor, and interference with reporting a crime as a Class A misdemeanor . Although Cook’s criminal history is not extensive , as the trial court recognized, it still reflects poorly on his character and shows he was not deterred by previous contacts with the crimi nal justice system from committing the current offenses. See Reis , 88 N.E.3d at 1105 ( noting that “ [e] ven a minor criminal record reflects poorly on a defendant’s character”)

.

[11] Cook nonetheless argues that his character suggests a minimum sentence is
proper
. W hile Cook was on bond, he knowing ly disobeyed a court order and used methamphetamine on three separate occasions. At the sentencing hearing, Cook was asked whether he knew using methamphetamine was a violation of his bond and he answered , “I wasn’t real ly thinking about it.” Tr., Vol. 2 at 72. Moreover, a fter being asked by the trial court and the prosecutor whether he would pass a drug screen at his sentencing hearing, he responded that he would

. But in fact, Cook tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine, oxycodone, and cannabinoids that day

. See App. of Appellant , Vol. 2 at 88. Indeed, lying to a tribunal shows a blatant disregard and lack of respect for our judicial system. Cook also knowingly associates himself with drug dea lers and

users. Cook met his wife in July 20 1 7 knowing that she was a user ofCourt of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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methamphetamine and after he found out she was also a drug dealer, he still associated with her without any reservation

. While on bond, Cook was allegedly involved in a police ch ase with Wall where drugs were also involved

. Although Cook was not charged with a crime, he acknowledged he knows Wall, and it shows that he associates himself with people who engage in unlawful behavior. Furthermore, the record indicates that Cook used

m ethamphetamine during the time in which he was solely responsible for taking care of his newborn daughter.

[12] Cook insists that he needs treatment to deal with becoming addicted to methamphetamine due to his prior divorce and the death of his child in 2016

. We note that he had an opportunity for treatment but failed to follow through

. Cook sought treatment at Community Mental Health Center in March of 2019

– almost three years after the death of his child and around the time he changed his plea in this case
. However , he only attended the initial intake appointment and failed to attend the actual program . The record suggest s that Cook only sought treatment to lessen the severity of his punishment , not because he genuinely wanted to combat his addiction. F urther, Cook ’s addiction to methamphetamine does not excuse dealing in methamphetamine; use and dealing are not directly related

. We recognize the significant impact a divorce and the loss of a child can have on an individual, but those circumstance s doCourt of Appeals of I ndiana | Memorandum Decision 19A

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not justify a person dealing in methamphetamine. 4 Under these circumstances, Cook has also failed to establish that his sentence is inappropriate in light of his charact er.


# Conclusion

[13] After review ing the record and giving due c onsideration to the trial court’s sentencing decision, we conclude Cook’s seven - year sentence is not inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and his character

. Accordingly, his sentence is affirmed.

[14] Affirmed.

Bradford, C.J., and Altice, J., co ncur
.

4 Citing Hoak v. State , 113 N.E.3d 1209 (Ind. 2019), Cook requests that we acknowledge his addiction and asserts that “crimes concerning addiction are not properly addressed with long prison sentences.” Br. of Appellant at 14. In Hoak , the defendant pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine as a Class B fel ony and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment followed by a term of probation. Six months later, the defendant was charged with three additional drug possession crimes. On appeal, our supreme court noted that the defendant had “multiple drug

- related cont acts with the criminal justice system over many years” but she “has yet to receive court

- ordered substance abuse treatment.” Id . The court then remanded the case back to the trial court to determine the defendant’s eligibility for substance abuse treatment in a community correction program. We distinguish Hoak , noting that the defendant there pleaded guilty to possession, not dealing. Further, unlike in Hoak , the trial court here ordered that Cook participate in a drug addiction program while on home detent ion. Therefore, Hoak is unpersuasive. See, e.g., Shinkle v. State , 129 N.E.3d 212, 217

- 18 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019) (holding that the defendant’s seventeen

- and

- a - half

- year sentence is not inappropriate for dealing in methamphetamine well above the statutory req uirement because the defendant’s dealing “was not a one

- time event”), trans. denied

.