Case Name: Jefferson JEAN-BAPTISTE, Appellant (Defendant below), v. STATE of Indiana, Appellee (Plaintiff below)
Court: Supreme Court of Indiana
Jurisdiction: Indiana
Decision Date: 2017-10-03
Citations: 82 N.E.3d 878
Docket Number: No. 49S02-1707-CR-00500
Parties: Jefferson JEAN-BAPTISTE, Appellant (Defendant below), v. STATE of Indiana, Appellee (Plaintiff below).
Judges: All Justices concur.
Reporter: North Eastern Reporter 3d
Volume: 82
Pages: 878–878

Head Matter:
Jefferson JEAN-BAPTISTE, Appellant (Defendant below), v. STATE of Indiana, Appellee (Plaintiff below).
No. 49S02-1707-CR-00500
Supreme Court of Indiana.
October 3, 2017
Attorneys for Appellant: Suzy St. John, Ruth Ann Johnson, Marion County Public Defender Agency, Indianapolis, IN
Attorneys for Appellee: Curtis T. Hill, Jr., Attorney General of Indiana, Stephen R. Creason, Michael Gene Worden, Deputy Attorneys General, Indianapolis, Indiana

Opinion:
On Petition to Transfer from the Indiana Court of Appeals, No. 49A02-1608-CR-1798
Per Curiam.
After a bench trial in Marion Superior Court, Jefferson Jean-Baptiste was convicted of Class A misdemeanor resisting law enforcement. The Court of Appeals reversed Jean-Baptiste's conviction on grounds of insufficient evidence. The Court of Appeals also sua sponte addressed a constitutional question, and reversed for that reason as well. We granted the State's petition to transfer by order dated July 27, 2017.
We agree with the Court of Appeals that reversal is warranted because the State failed to present sufficient evidence to support Jean-Baptiste's conviction. We therefore summarily affirm all portions of the Court of Appeals opinion except its sua sponte constitutional analysis and holding, which remain vacated. See Appellate Rule 58(A), In keeping with our longstanding principle of constitutional avoidance, we decline to address that issue. See Citimortgage v. Barabas, 975 N.E.2d 805, 818 (Ind. 2012).
All Justices concur.