Opinion ID: 3135116
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: People v. Lyons

Text: Lyons was charged with vehicular invasion (720 ILCS 5/12–11.1 (West 1996)), aggravated battery (720 ILCS 5/12–4(b)(8) (West 1996)), intimidation (720 ILCS 5/12–6(a)(1) (West 1996)), and unlawful restraint (720 ILCS 5/10–3 (West 1996)). The alleged victim, Melissa McMullen, testified as follows. On August 9, 1998, at approximately 2:30 a.m., she left work and drove to a nearby grocery store. She parked in the fire lane and entered the store. Upon leaving the store, she opened her driver’s side car door. Lyons approached her and pushed her into the vehicle. According to McMullen, she had never seen Lyons before. McMullen testified that Lyons held her down inside the vehicle and threatened to kill her if she did not remain silent. He then repeatedly asked for her car keys. McMullen flashed the headlights and honked the horn in an effort to attract the attention of a taxi driver in the parking lot. Lyons attempted to stop her from signaling for help and again threatened to hurt or kill her. According to McMullen, Lyons demanded that she give him her purse and attempted to pull it from her neck. When she told him she had no money, Lyons said he just wanted a ride. Lyons forced McMullen into the driver’s seat and he moved into the passenger’s seat. He told McMullen to drive away. After pulling out of the store parking lot, McMullen stopped in front of a passing police car. She then exited the vehicle and ran toward the police car. Police Officer Fred Martin testified that, on the morning of the incident, he was responding to a call from his dispatcher concerning a possible domestic battery in the grocery store parking lot. Upon arriving at the location, he saw an automobile cross the median and stop near his patrol car. McMullen quickly exited the vehicle and shouted, “Oh, my God, I’m so glad you came by. This guy pushed me in my car and made me drive away.” McMullen then entered the patrol car. Officer Martin testified McMullen appeared frightened and she spoke quickly. He noticed she had abrasions and scratches on her neck, shoulder, and arm. Based on her reaction and statements, Officer Martin believed she did not know Lyons. After speaking further with McMullen, Martin approached Lyons and asked if he knew McMullen’s name. Defendant told Officer Martin her name was “Amy,” but was unable to provide her last name. Police Officer Brian Brown questioned Lyons about the incident. Lyons told Brown he and McMullen were boyfriend and girlfriend and they had gotten into an argument at the grocery store. Lyons denied hitting McMullen. Officer Brown testified Lyons was unable to tell him McMullen’s name. Michael Lusher, a taxi driver, testified he was in his taxi in the grocery store parking lot at the time of the incident. According to Lusher, he saw Lyons holding open the door of a car parked in the fire lane. Lusher testified Lyons was hitting and pushing a woman into the car. Each time the woman attempted to exit the car, Lyons pushed her back in. Lusher testified he also heard a car horn honking and the woman yelling for help. Lyons testified he knew McMullen prior to the incident in question. He stated they had first met in January of 1998 at his uncle’s house. On that occasion, Lyons claimed to have sold McMullen a half gram of cocaine. According to Lyons, McMullen had called him on several other occasions to arrange cocaine purchases and they completed the drug transactions in several different parking lots. Prior to trial, Lyons indicated he intended to present evidence to corroborate his claim that he and McMullen had engaged in drug transactions in the past. The evidence would have included the testimony of at least one other individual who had also allegedly sold drugs to McMullen in parking lots on previous occasions. The trial court granted the State’s motion in limine to exclude this evidence, finding the evidence was collateral to the issues in this case. During his trial testimony, Lyons stated McMullen had telephoned him and asked whether he had any cocaine to sell her. Lyons informed McMullen he did not, but said he would call her if he was able to obtain some. At approximately 2:30 the next morning, Lyons telephoned McMullen and told her he had some cocaine. He instructed her to meet him at the grocery store if she wanted to buy some. Lyons’ uncle then drove him to the grocery store. According to Lyons, when he arrived at the store, he went inside to telephone a taxi cab. He then exited the store, returned to his uncle’s car, and waited. Approximately 15 minutes later, Lyons went inside the store to phone the taxi company again. As Lyons returned to the parking lot, he observed McMullen drive up. According to Lyons, when McMullen exited her vehicle, he approached her and told her to get back in the vehicle. Lyons got in the passenger’s seat. McMullen told him she wished to purchase a half gram of cocaine. Lyons told McMullen that the cocaine was cut into larger portions. Lyons told McMullen he would sell her a larger portion at a reduced rate of $150. Upon hearing this information, McMullen entered the grocery store and stayed for approximately one minute. When she returned, he gave her the cocaine, and she gave him $85. Lyons inquired about the remainder of the money, and McMullen said she would pay him the next day. Lyons testified he then returned the $85 to McMullen and a struggle ensued over the cocaine. According to Lyons, he was trying to grab her hand when the taxi driver came into the parking lot. McMullen was yelling, and Lyons was cursing at her. Lyons claimed he blew the car horn to alert the taxi driver he wanted the cab. Lyons testified he told McMullen he believed the taxi driver had called police. As a result, McMullen and Lyons decided to tell the police they were boyfriend and girlfriend and were just having an argument. As part of the story, Lyons would call McMullen “Ashley” and she would call him “Dee.” After McMullen stopped in front of the patrol car, Lyons told the officers their agreed-upon story. Lyons also testified he had been convicted of two felony offenses in 1989 as well as two felony offenses in 1993. Prior to testifying, Lyons made an oral motion in limine to preclude evidence of his prior convictions as detailed by the following colloquy: “MR. LAWRENCE [assistant public defender]: I’d like to make an oral motion in limine before my client testifies. It’s regarding my client’s prior record. It’s my understanding that my client has a burglary charge and a theft  charge from 1989  he also has two aggravated battery convictions from 1993.   I would ask that [these convictions] not be allowed for impeachment because I believe the prejudice would certainly outweigh any benefit that they would bring to the case. THE COURT: Let me stop you. MR. LAWRENCE: My client is charged with aggravated battery. THE COURT: I do the Steigmann rule. MR. LAWRENCE: Just a felony. THE COURT: There would be four felonies reported to the jury. I mean maybe I should have told you that before. But I didn’t know if you still wanted to object. I mean ... if you don’t do that, I’m not sure that the weighing process is even necessary if they qualify under Montgomery because  the jury doesn’t know what they are. MR. LAWRENCE: All right. THE COURT: I mean I appreciate you still want to have it out, but if they just know that he has four felonies, how does the prejudicial value outweigh the probative value  when they don’t know what they are? MR. LAWRENCE: Okay. I didn’t realize that you allowed us to do it that way, which is fine.” The remainder of the evidence presented at trial included the testimony of a grocery store employee. He testified that on the morning of the incident Lyons entered the store twice to telephone a taxi company. Following the close of evidence, the jury convicted Lyons of all charged offenses. The trial court sentenced him to a 10-year term of imprisonment. Lyons appealed, arguing, in part, that the trial court erred in using mere-fact impeachment and in granting the State’s motion in limine concerning evidence of McMullen’s prior drug purchases. The appellate court affirmed, holding that Lyons, “through his counsel, explicitly agreed to the court’s use of the mere-fact impeachment method in this case  [and therefore] he cannot now complain about the court’s decision to use the precise method he agreed to at trial.” Lyons , 315 Ill. App. 3d at 965. As to the evidence excluded by the State’s motion in limine , the appellate majority reasoned that “[w]hether McMullen had previously purchased drugs from other individuals in various parking lots was wholly irrelevant to the underlying issues in this case.” Lyons , 315 Ill. App. 3d at 963.