Opinion ID: 2041125
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of Evidence Attempted Burglary

Text: Appellant argues the evidence was not sufficient to sustain his conviction for attempted burglary because the State did not establish that he intended to commit a felony when he entered the bait shop. To sustain a conviction for attempted burglary, the State must establish more than breaking and entering. A burglary conviction requires proof of intent to commit a felony therein and this element may not be inferred from proof of the breaking and entering alone. Aikins v. State (1983), Ind., 443 N.E.2d 820. The State must prove that when defendant broke and entered the premises he had the intention to commit a specific felony inside the building or structure. Easton v. State (1967), 248 Ind. 338, 228 N.E.2d 6. However, the intent to commit a felony may be inferred from the circumstances. Kondrup v. State (1968), 250 Ind. 320, 235 N.E.2d 703. This Court has previously indicated that evidence of a burglary predicated on theft which was committed during the course of a criminal episode that included an attempted burglary may be sufficient evidence to infer the specific intent requisite for the attempted burglary conviction. Green v. State (1984), Ind., 461 N.E.2d 108. In Green, the defendant was convicted for burglary of the Bunch house and attempted burglary of the Rochman house. The evidence indicated that appellant was apprehended in the vicinity of the houses and possessed items stolen from the burglarized house. Near the house of the attempted burglary, the police found items taken from the burglarized house and footprints near the point of attempted entry which matched appellant's boots. We found this evidence was sufficient to sustain the conviction for attempted burglary. A similar issue was addressed by this Court in Bray v. State (1982), Ind., 443 N.E.2d 310. In Bray, three men were apprehended for burglary of the Crawford house and attempted burglary of the Austin house. Two of Austin's neighbors identified defendant at a pretrial lineup as one of the men they saw at the house the evening of the crime and the accomplice testified that defendant pried open the door of Austin's house and entered the premises. On appeal, defendant acknowledged that the evidence established the element of breaking and entering, but maintained that it did not establish that he had a felonious intent contemporaneous with his entry. However, the accomplice also testified that earlier in the day, defendant had asked [him] to drive [defendant] around so that he could commit some burglaries. The Austin residence was selected by defendant because a newspaper way lying at its entrance. Bray, 443 N.E.2d at 315. Evidence of Bray's expressed purpose to burglarize homes, evidence he had already burglarized the Crawford house, and evidence he selected the Austin house as a target because of indications that the occupants were not home were sufficient to establish that the illegal entry and felonious intent occurred contemporaneously. In the case at bar, the evidence adduced at trial to establish that appellant committed attempted burglary consisted of the pry marks at the place of entry, appellant's flight from the bait shop, and the footprints in the snow which the police tracked from the bait shop to appellant and co-defendant. In addition, appellant had already committed a burglary earlier that evening and was in the process of attempting to burglarize the bait shop when he was caught. The evidence is sufficient to establish that appellant intended to commit a theft of the bait shop when he broke and entered the building.