Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 79A05-1706-CR-1285 | December 18, 2017 Page 1 of 13

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

Bruce W. Graham

Graham Law Firm P.C.

Lafayette, Indiana

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE

Curtis T. Hill, Jr.

Attorney General of Indiana

J.T. Whitehead

Deputy Attorney General

Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE

COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Bryan Lee Jordan,

Appellant-Defendant,

v.

State of Indiana,

Appellee-Plaintiff

December 18, 2017

Court of Appeals Case No.

79A05-1706-CR-1285

Appeal from the Tippecanoe 

Superior Court

The Honorable Steven P. Meyer, 

Judge

Trial Court Cause No.

79D02-1608-F2-21

May, Judge.
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[1] Bryan Lee Jordan appeals the trial court’s denial of his motion for continuance 

and challenges the sufficiency of evidence supporting his conviction of Level 2 

felony possession of at least ten grams of methamphetamine with the intent to 

deliver.1

 We affirm. 

Facts and Procedural History

[2] On July 30, 2016, officers were dispatched to the home of Jamie Rowland on a 

complaint that her ex-boyfriend was attempting to enter her residence. 

Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Dustin Oliver arrived at the home and 

observed a man in the driveway, later identified as Jordan, astride a motorcycle 

parked next to a car.2

 As Deputy Oliver walked toward the residence, Jordan 

“got off of the motorcycle and took a backpack off of his back and placed it in 

the vehicle that was sitting next to the motorcycle[.]” (Tr. at 29.) Tippecanoe 

County Sheriff’s Lieutenant John Ricks arrived around the same time, but 

approached from a different angle. He, too, saw Jordan “open[] the driver’s 

side door and set the back pack in the driver’s seat of that passenger car.” (Id. at 

63.) 

[3] When the officers checked the plates of the motorcycle, the “plate returned on a 

blue Yamaha.” (Id. at 65.) Lieutenant Ricks provided the vehicle identification 

 

1 Ind. Code § 35-48-4-1.1 (2016).

2 The car was later identified as an Impala belonging to Rowland. 
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number “to dispatch so that they could run it[.]” (Id. at 66.) Dispatch replied

the motorcycle had been reported stolen. At that point, Deputy Oliver 

attempted to place Jordan under arrest, but Jordan resisted. Eventually, 

Deputy Oliver was able to effectuate the arrest. However, during the struggle, 

several items fell out of Jordan’s pockets, including the keys to the motorcycle. 

Lieutenant Ricks asked Rowland if the backpack belonged to her but she said it 

did not. Lieutenant Ricks emptied the backpack and found methamphetamine, 

marijuana,3 a glass pipe, a torch, two digital scales, a baggy, a switch blade 

knife, and various toiletries. 

[4] The State charged Jordan with Level 2 felony dealing in methamphetamine, 

Level 4 felony possession of methamphetamine,4 Class B misdemeanor 

possession of marijuana,5 Class C misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia,6

Level 6 felony auto theft/receiving stolen auto parts,7 Class A misdemeanor 

resisting law enforcement,8 and a habitual offender enhancement.

9

 

3 Lab tests confirmed the substances were 12.85 grams of marijuana and 13.15 grams of methamphetamine.

4 Ind. Code § 35-48-4-6.1 (2014).

5 Ind. Code § 35-48-4-11 (2014).

6 Ind. Code § 35-48-4-8.3 (2015).

7 Ind. Code § 35-43-4-2.5 (2014).

8 Ind. Code § 35-44.1-3-1 (2016).

9 Ind. Code § 35-50-2-8 (2015).
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[5] The court assigned a public defender to Jordan in August 2016 and set the 

matter for a jury trial on December 13, 2016. On December 30, 2016, the jury 

trial was reset to April 11, 2017. After a pretrial conference on March 17, 2017, 

the trial court called the jury on March 20, 2017. On March 24, 2017, Jordan 

filed a motion to continue. Jordan contended he wished to hire Caroline Briggs 

as private counsel but Briggs was not available to try the case on April 11, 2017.

[6] The trial court held a hearing on Jordan’s motion to continue. Jordan’s public 

defender and Briggs argued the State would be filing charges against Jordan for 

a separate incident, and Jordan wished to hire Briggs “to figure out what those 

charges are in dealing with a plea or potential plea [and] deal with all of his 

cases at once.” (Id. at 9.) The State objected to the motion to continue. It 

argued the April 11 date had been “acknowledged for jury trial[,]” (id. at 6),

witnesses had already been subpoenaed, and Jordan had been “informed [at the 

pretrial conference] that if he hired private counsel that whoever he hired 

needed to be prepared to go to trial on the April 11th trial date.” (Id.) The trial 

court told Jordan he could hire private counsel, but it denied his motion to 

continue. Briggs did not enter her appearance for Jordan.

[7] The jury found Jordan guilty on all counts. Based on double jeopardy 

concerns, the trial court vacated the Level 4 felony possession of 

methamphetamine charge and sentenced Jordan to twenty years for the Level 2 

felony dealing in methamphetamine, which it enhanced by six years for 

Jordan’s being an habitual offender. The court ordered Jordan to serve 180 

days for Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana, sixty days for Class C 
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misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia, two years for Level 6 felony auto 

theft, and one year for Class A misdemeanor resisting law enforcement, and the 

court ordered all of those sentences to be served concurrent with each other and 

with the Level 2 felony sentence. Thus, Jordan’s aggregate sentence is twentysix years. 

Discussion and Decision

Denial of Motion to Continue

Whether the Trial Court’s Denial of Jordan’s Motion for Continuance Was an 

Abuse of Discretion

[8] When, as here, a party moves for a continuance not required by statute,10 we 

review the trial court’s decision for abuse of discretion. Flake v. State, 767 

N.E.2d 1004, 1008 (Ind. Ct. App. 2002). “An abuse of discretion occurs when 

the ruling is against the logic and effect of facts and circumstances before the 

court or where the record demonstrates prejudice from denial of the 

continuance.” Id. Continuances to allow more time for preparation are 

generally disfavored in criminal cases. Risner v. State, 604 N.E.2d 13, 14 (Ind.

Ct. App. 1992), trans. denied. 

[9] The parties attended a pretrial conference on March 17, 2017, wherein both 

acknowledged the trial date of April 11, 2017. This acknowledgment assured

 

10 Neither party contends Jordan’s motion for continuance was pursuant to statute.
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the trial court the trial was going to occur and, based thereon, the trial court 

issued an “Order to Call Jury.” (App. Vol. II at 5.) On March 24, 2017, Jordan 

filed a motion for continuance, and the trial court held a hearing on the motion 

that day. Jordan’s attorney argued the motion should be granted because 

Jordan wished to hire Caroline Briggs, who was unavailable for trial on April 

11, 2017. Further, he argued more charges were being brought against Jordan,

and Briggs wanted to be able to “deal with all of his cases at once.” (Tr. at 9.) 

[10] The State objected because the trial date had been acknowledged by the parties, 

subpoenas had been issued for witnesses, and the jury had been called. 

Additionally, the State argued “the court had told [Jordan] on at least one 

occasion that once the case [was] acknowledged for trial he needed to be 

prepared to go.” (Id. at 7.) The trial court denied the motion for continuance 

but told Briggs she was welcome to enter her appearance. 

[11] Jordan has not professed any prejudice resulted from the denial of his motion 

for continuance as required by the standard of review. See Flake, 767 N.E.2d at

1008 (on appeal, appellant must demonstrate prejudice from the denial of the 

continuance). We conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion in 

denying Jordan’s motion for continuance after he had acknowledged the trial 

date. See Lewis v. State, 730 N.E.2d 686, 690 (Ind. 2000) (court did not err in 

denying continuance when “time of dozens of prospective jurors summoned for 

the trial would have been wasted”). 
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Whether the Trial Court’s Denial of Jordan’s Motion for Continuance 

Amounted to a Violation of Jordan’s Constitutional Rights

[12] The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, applied to the States 

through the Fourteenth Amendment, guarantees the accused, in a criminal 

prosecution, shall “have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” U.S. 

Const. Amendment VI. Such a right to counsel of choice “has been described 

as an ‘essential component’ of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel[.]” 

Barham v. State, 641 N.E.2d 79, 82 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994). A denial of this right is 

reviewed to determine if the trial court acted unreasonably and arbitrarily. Id. 

However, this right is not absolute and the right must be exercised at the 

appropriate stage. Lewis, 730 N.E.2d at 689. “Continuances sought shortly 

before trial to hire a new attorney are disfavored because they cause substantial 

loss of time for jurors, lawyers and the court.” Perry v. State, 638 N.E.2d 1236, 

1241 (Ind. 1994). 

[13] Jordan argues the trial court unreasonably and arbitrarily interfered with his 

Sixth Amendment right to retain counsel of choice when it denied his motion 

for continuance.

11 He asserts these “charges had been pending for only a period 

of approximately eight months[,]” (Appellant’s Br. at 13), and the State “did 

not cite to any specific reason why prejudice would follow if a continuance was 

granted.” Id. He claims this denial “effectively prevented [him] from 

proceeding to trial with counsel of his own choosing.” (Id.) The State counters 

 

11 Jordan does not make an Indiana Constitutional argument. 
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that although Jordan’s motion for continuance was not as close to trial as many 

other cases wherein a denial of the continuance was deemed appropriate, 

Jordan had eight months to hire private counsel, he was represented by counsel 

at trial, and he does not show how the court’s ruling denied him a fair trial.12 

[14] In Barham, five days before trial, new counsel for Barham filed an appearance 

and a motion for continuance so she could prepare for trial. Barham, 641 

N.E.2d at 81. As the trial court had previously told Barham any new attorney 

would have to be ready to for the previously scheduled trial, the trial court 

denied her appearance and her motion for continuance. Id. Although prejudice 

must be shown if a request is not filed in a timely fashion, we held it was not 

necessary to show prejudice for a timely request because the “requirement of a 

showing of prejudice is inextricably bound to the untimeliness of a request.” Id.

at 83 n.6. As Barham’s counsel had offered to act as co-counsel to the public 

defender, she had “indicat[ed] that she could have been prepared for trial on the 

scheduled date.” Id. at 84. We held that, in that situation, the trial court’s 

denial of private counsel’s appearance was an unreasonable and arbitrary 

interference with Barham’s right to retain counsel. Id. at 84-85. However, in 

the present case, the trial court did not deny Briggs’ appearance. It only denied 

Jordan’s motion for continuance. 

 

12 Jordan does not claim he was prejudiced by the denial of his motion. Rather, he asserts that if the trial 

court “unreasonably or arbitrarily interfere[d] with the right to retain counsel of choice, [the conviction] 

cannot stand, irrespective of whether the defendant has been prejudiced.” (Appellant’s Br. at 12-13) (citing 

Barham v. State, 641 N.E.2d 79, 82 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994)). 
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[15] When reviewing denials of motions for continuance tied to prospective 

counsel’s appearance, we have distinguished Barham from other cases wherein 

counsel’s appearance was denied if it was contingent on a continuance. In 

Dickson v. State, 520 N.E.2d 101 (Ind. 1988), Dickson’s public defender filed a 

motion for continuance eight days prior to trial because “he had insufficient 

time to prepare a defense.” Id. at 105. One day prior to trial, Dickson filed 

another motion for continuance and moved to replace his public defender with 

private counsel. Id. The replacement by private counsel was contingent on the 

motion for continuance being granted. Id. The State objected because 

“witnesses had arrived or were scheduled to do so from various parts of the 

country[,]” id., one witness was difficult to keep track of, and Dickson had had 

“twelve months to employ private counsel[.]” Id. The trial court denied the 

motion for continuance. Id. We found no abuse of discretion in the denial of 

continuance due to “the length of time before trial and the fact that appellant’s 

counsel was able to interview witnesses before trial[.]” Id. As Dickson did not 

show he was prejudiced by the denial of the motion, we found no error. Id. 

[16] We find the present case to be more analogous to Dickson. The result in 

Barham, on which Jordan relies, rests on the denial of Barham’s prospective 

counsel’s appearance rather than the denial of his motion for continuance. 

Herein, the trial court did not deny the appearance of Jordan’s private counsel, 

Briggs. Although Jordan’s motion for continuance was not filed on the day of 

or the day before trial, his private counsel made her appearance contingent on 

the grant of the motion for continuance, the case had been pending for eight 
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months, witnesses had been subpoenaed, and the jury had been called. Jordan 

had been told that after the trial date was acknowledged, any new counsel 

would need to be prepared to try the case on the scheduled date. During the 

hearing for the motion for continuance, the State noted Jordan’s trial “was the 

only case that acknowledge [sic] for trial on the April 11th trial date so if his case 

gets continued [the court] won’t have a trial that week[.]” (Tr. at 6.) We do not 

find the trial court acted unreasonably or arbitrarily when it denied Jordan’s 

motion for continuance.

13 See Dickson, 520 N.E.2d at 105 (no error when 

witnesses scheduled, case had been pending for twelve months, and no 

prejudice); see also Conrad v. State, 747 N.E.2d 575, 585 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001) 

(trial court did not act unreasonably when it denied a motion for continuance 

after the case had been scheduled for five months), superseded by statute on other 

grounds.

Sufficiency of Evidence

[17] When reviewing the sufficiency of evidence to support a conviction, we 

consider only the probative evidence and reasonable inferences supporting the 

fact-finder’s decision. Drane v. State, 867 N.E.2d 144, 146 (Ind. 2007). It is the 

fact-finder’s role, and not ours, to assess witness credibility and weigh the 

 

13 We also note that because Jordan was warned that any prospective counsel would need to be prepared for 

the April 11, 2017, trial once it had been acknowledged, his motion for continuance was not timely; thus, he 

would need to show prejudice in order to prevail. As we noted, Jordan does not argue that he was 

prejudiced. See supra n.12. We decline to scour the record for such evidence on Jordan’s behalf. See Legacy 

Healthcare, Inc. v. Barnes & Thornburg, 837 N.E.2d 619, 639 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005) (appellate court does not 

search the record for evidence), reh’g denied, trans. denied. 
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evidence to determine whether it is sufficient to support a conviction. Id. To 

preserve this structure, when we are confronted with conflicting evidence, we 

consider it most favorably to the fact-finder’s decision. Id. We affirm a 

conviction unless no reasonable fact-finder could find the elements of the crime 

proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. It is therefore not necessary that the 

evidence overcome every reasonable hypothesis of innocence; rather, the 

evidence is sufficient if an inference reasonably may be drawn from it to support 

the fact-finder’s decision. Id. at 147.

[18] To prove Jordan intended to distribute at least ten grams of methamphetamine, 

the State had to prove he “possesse[d], with intent to . . . deliver[,] 

methamphetamine, pure or adulterated [and] the amount of the drug involved 

[wa]s at least ten (10) grams.” Ind. Code §§ 35-48-4-1.1(a)(2) & (e) (2016). The 

State presented evidence Jordan had a large amount of cash, scales, and more 

than ten grams of methamphetamine. 

[19] “Intent is a mental function[.]” Isom v. State, 589 N.E.2d 245, 247 (Ind. Ct. 

App. 1992), trans. denied. Without an admission, “the trier of fact must resort to 

reasonable inferences based upon an examination of the surrounding 

circumstances to determine whether, from the person’s conduct and the natural 

consequences thereof, a showing or inference of intent to commit that conduct 

exists.” Id. Intent may be proven by circumstantial evidence. Mason v. State, 

532 N.E.2d 1169, 1171 (Ind. 1989), cert. denied 490 U.S. 1049 (1989). “The 

possession of a large amount of narcotics is circumstantial evidence of intent to 

deliver.” Id. 
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[20] Jordan argues it was possible the full amount of methamphetamine he 

possessed was for personal use. He argues that, contrary to caselaw, the State 

should be required to prove “that a person must possess with the intent to 

deliver – and the amount of the drug involved must be at least ten grams[.]” 

(Appellant’s Br. at 17) (emphasis in original). He argues our holding in 

Bookwalter v. State, 22 N.E.3d 735 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied, was 

“simply incorrect.” (Appellant’s Br. at 17.) 

[21] In Bookwalter, we held the enhancement requiring the amount of the drug be 

more than three grams was a separate subsection of the statute and did not 

“require proof of intent to deliver a specific weight of drugs.” Bookwalter, 22 

N.E.3d at 742. Consequently, the State was not required to prove Bookwalter 

actually delivered any specific amount of drugs; rather, it was only required to 

prove he possessed a specific amount of drugs. Therefore, we affirmed 

Bookwalter’s conviction.

[22] We have held “that possession of a large amount of a narcotic substance is 

circumstantial evidence of intent to deliver.” Cline v. State, 860 N.E.2d 647, 650 

(Ind. Ct. App. 2007); see also Davis v. State, 791 N.E.2d 266, 270 (Ind. Ct. App. 

2003) (“The more narcotics a person possesses, the stronger the inference that 

he intended to deliver it and not consume it personally.”), trans. denied. We 

acknowledged, in Cline, that even a large amount of drugs, if packaged for 

personal use, does not establish intent to deliver. Cline, 860 N.E.2d at 650. 

Cline was charged with dealing marijuana. We also held “that possession of 

paraphernalia used to ingest the controlled substance at issue is more likely 
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indicative of personal use than intent to deliver.” Id. However, in Cline, that is 

all he had: a pipe, rolling papers, a bag of marijuana, and “two bindles of 

methamphetamine.” (Id. at 648.) We held that if Cline had not actually 

delivered the marijuana to a third party, the evidence alone would not have 

supported his conviction. 

[23] Jordan did possess paraphernalia to ingest the methamphetamine but he also 

possessed a large amount of the drug, scales to weigh it, a large amount of cash, 

and at least one other empty baggie. The jury could reasonably infer he had 

intent to deliver. See Hazzard v. State, 642 N.E.2d 1368, 1370 (Ind. 1994)

(possession of a relatively large quantity of drugs was sufficient to support the 

fact-finder’s conclusion the individual possessing that quantity intended to 

deliver it). Jordan’s arguments to the contrary are a request that we reweigh the 

evidence, which we cannot do. See Drane, 867 N.E.2d at 146 (appellate court 

cannot reweigh evidence or judge the credibility of witnesses).

Conclusion

[24] The trial court did not abuse its discretion when it denied Jordan’s motion for 

continuance and did not unreasonably or arbitrarily interfere with his ability to 

retain counsel of choice. The State presented sufficient evidence Jordan 

intended to deliver methamphetamine. Accordingly, we affirm.

[25] Affirmed. 

Vaidik, C.J., and Altice, J., concur.