Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1701-CR-4 | June 28, 2017 Page 1 of 3

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.

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT

Timothy J. Burns

Indianapolis, Indiana

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE

Curtis T. Hill, Jr.

Attorney General

Matthew B. MacKenzie

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Brian Darnell Jurbrar Burns,

Appellant-Defendant,

v.

State of Indiana,

Appellee-Plaintiff.

June 28, 2017

Court of Appeals Case No.

49A02-1701-CR-4

Appeal from the Marion Superior 

Court.

The Honorable David M. Hooper, 

Magistrate.

Trial Court Case No. 

49G12-1604-CM-14332

Shepard, Senior Judge
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1701-CR-4 | June 28, 2017 Page 2 of 3

[1] Brian Burns appeals his conviction for theft, a Class A misdemeanor,1claiming 

there is insufficient evidence to sustain the conviction. We affirm.

[2] The State’s charge against Burns alleged he stole a watch from a jewelry store 

on April 26, 2016. Burns requested trial by jury, a jury found Burns guilty as 

charged, and the court imposed a sentence.

[3] To obtain a conviction of theft as a Class A misdemeanor, the State was 

required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Burns (1) knowingly or 

intentionally (2) exerted unauthorized control (3) over the property of another 

person (4) with the intent to deprive the owner of any part of the use or value of 

the property. Ind. Code § 35-43-4-2(a). We will affirm a conviction unless no 

rational fact finder could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable 

doubt. Hampton v. State, 873 N.E.2d 1074 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007).

[4] Burns argues the State did not prove he was the person who stole the watch. At 

trial, four eyewitnesses identified Burns as the person in a green trench coat

who stole a watch and fled into a nearby mall prior to arrest. Cassandra Smith 

worked in the jewelry store and noticed Burns standing by a watch display case. 

When she removed a Bulova watch from the case to show him, Burns grabbed 

the watch and ran from the store. Smith informed her manager, Keith, who ran 

after Burns through the parking lot, toward a mall.

 

1 Ind. Code § 35-43-4-2(a) (2014).
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1701-CR-4 | June 28, 2017 Page 3 of 3

[5] Sarah Koerting was sitting outside near a mall entrance and saw Burns being 

chased by another man in the parking lot. Koerting recognized Burns because 

she had seen him in the area before. He was holding a watch or jewelry. The 

man chasing Burns shouted at Koerting to call 911. Koerting called 911 as the 

two men entered the mall. Several police officers were dispatched to the mall, 

including Officer Jeff Krider.

[6] Meanwhile, Aimee Martinie was working at a clothing store in the mall when 

Burns ran into the store, entered a dressing room, and closed the door. Store 

employees knocked on the door to see if he needed help, and Burns came out a 

few minutes later. At that point, Officer Krider and others entered the store and 

arrested Burns. The officers searched him and discovered a watch in his coat 

pocket. Krider gave the watch to Keith. Keith returned to the jewelry store 

with the watch, forty-five minutes after Burns took it and ran.

[7] Burns points out inconsistencies in the witnesses’ testimonies, but the 

inconsistencies were a matter for the jury to resolve. The eyewitness 

identifications are more than sufficient to sustain the judgment. See Williams v. 

State, 512 N.E.2d 1087 (Ind. 1987) (evidence sufficient to support conviction for 

theft; factual inconsistencies were matter for jury).

[8] For the reasons stated above, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

[9] Affirmed.

Kirsch, Mathias, JJ., concur.