Opinion ID: 2442697
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Count 1Burglary (Class B)

Text: [¶ 9] The charge in Count 1 concerns the break-in of the Cross property in Dedham. The elements of burglary are: (1) entering or surreptitiously remaining in a structure, (2) with the knowledge that the actor is not licensed or privileged to do so, and (3) with the intent to commit a crime within the structure. 17-A M.R.S. § 401(1)(A); State v. Crossman, 2002 ME 28, ¶ 11, 790 A.2d 603, 606. Cook was charged with burglary of a dwelling place, which is a Class B crime, and includes the lesser offense of burglary to a structure. See 17-A M.R.S. § 13-A(2)(A) (2009) (defining a lesser included offense as one that must necessarily be committed when the offense or alternative thereof actually charged, as legally defined, is committed); 17-A M.R.S. § 401(1)(B)(4) (requiring an actor to satisfy subsection (1)(A) to be guilty of Class B burglary to a dwelling place). [¶ 10] At trial, the jury verdict form required the jury to indicate whether Cook was guilty of burglary, and whether the structure was a dwelling place. The jury marked guilty on the question of burglary to a structure, but answered no as to whether the structure was a dwelling place. The entry of a guilty judgment on this count as a Class B burglary to a dwelling appears to be a scrivener's error. See 17-A M.R.S. § 2(10) (2009) (A dwelling place does not include garages. ...). Because the jury considered the issues separately, we may vacate the conviction for Class B burglary and remand with instructions for entry of a judgment of conviction for Class C burglary if there is sufficient evidence to support the Class C conviction. See 15 M.R.S. § 6 (2009). [4] [¶ 11] Here, the evidence is sufficient to support the jury's finding, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Christopher Cook and Lapointe entered a garage without the right to do so and with the intent to steal the garage owner's personal property. Cook assisted them in the commission of the crime by driving them and the stolen property from the garage to his residence and, therefore, is guilty as an accomplice. See 17-A M.R.S. § 57(3) (2009); State v. Nguyen, 2010 ME 14, ¶ 15, 989 A.2d 712, 715 (Accomplice liability may be found in any conduct promoting or facilitating, however slightly, the commission of the crime. (quotation marks omitted)). The intent of all three men may be inferred from the evidence. We therefore vacate Cook's conviction for Class B burglary and remand for entry of a judgment of conviction for Class C burglary.