Court Opinion

ID: 9709515
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 03:49:23.981534+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:49.627614
License: Public Domain

PIVARNIK, Justice,
dissenting.
I must dissent from the majority opinion in its conclusion that appellant’s conviction of kidnapping is not sustained by sufficient evidence. A mere conflict in the evidence does not give rise to our appellate responsibilities requiring a probing and sifting of the evidence to determine whether the residue of facts warrants a conviction. Our responsibility is to determine if there is substantial evidence of probative value, even though conflicting with other evidence, supporting the jury’s verdict. If there is such evidence before the jury, there is a sufficiency of the evidence. Poindexter v. State, (1978) Ind., 374 N.E.2d 509; Ruetz v. State, (1978) Ind., 373 N.E.2d 152.
The testimony of the prosecuting witness Margo Werner, was sufficient evidence for the jury to find as it did. She testified that she had stopped at an intersection and then noticed the appellant. He left the truck he was riding in, came over to her truck, *1197pulled open the door, pushed her over, and took over its operation. He then drove around, making several turns, for about fifteen minutes. The very first time he stopped the truck due to traffic, she exited and ran to the car stopped immediately behind her truck and asked to be taken to the police station.
Witness Zimmer, the driver of the car immediately behind the truck to which Werner ran for help, testified that he stopped behind the truck when they both were stopped for a traffic light, that after a short time, Margo Werner quickly exited the right door of the truck and ran back to his car, asking him to take her to the police station.
The majority is giving much more weight and credibility to the appellant than the jury gave him. The trial testimony of the appellant involving one Sue Pruett is a very different story than the one he told the police when they apprehended him shortly after the incident. On the day of the incident when he was apprehended by the police and on the day after when he gave his written statement, he told the police that when he noticed this young girl driving the truck he told the driver of his truck, Lee Hall, to honk the horn and manoeuvre the truck so as to attract her attention. He stated that when they did this, she honked her horn in response and when he waved to her she waved back. As he put it, he made a pass at her and she accepted the pass. He then stated that when they arrived at the intersection in question Werner pulled her truck over to the right, close to the curb, and stopped. He then went over to her truck and opened the door and she moved over to allow him to get in. When the police asked him why he did this he responded with the statement, “You know me — ,1 would fuck a snake.” He then stated that he was very surprised when she left the truck at the first stop.
There was no corroboration of Defendant’s self-serving testimony of mistaken identity. Sue Pruett did not bolster his claim. She had not seen him in 3 years. The victim testified there was no conversation at all about mistaken identity involving Sue Pruett or anyone else. She said she feared for her safety and escaped at the earliest opportunity when the vehicle stopped.
Witness Lee Hall testified that the defendant was in his truck on that morning but testified further that there was no discussion whatever about the truck driven by witness Werner. He did not drive the truck erratically to attract her attention, nor did he honk the horn, nor was there any discussion about any of these things between himself and appellant Smith. He said he was generally aware of a pick-up truck being over in the other lane waiting for a light, but paid no particular attention to it. He said that he needed some oil for his truck and usually carried some under the front seat so, while waiting for the light to change, he leaned down and checked under the seat to see if there was a quart of oil there. While he was bent over in that fashion, he heard the truck door open and he looked up and saw Smith leave his truck, run to the other, open the door and get in and drive off. He said he assumed that Smith must know the person in that truck and so Hall went on his way.
Credibility is again given appellant by the majority in his statement before the jury that the fact that he was “loaded” may explain his behavior on the day in question and further account for his failure to remember statements made to the victim and to the police in direct conflict with his statements on the stand.
The evidence was that on that morning, appellant had only 2 or 3 beers and was not intoxicated. He told the police he was not, and they said from their observations and discussions with him, he was not.
I therefore fail to see the accuracy of the statement in the majority opinion that states “Any possible inference of intent has been counterbalanced by much unrefuted evidence and therefore does not have sufficient force to be the substantial evidence of probative value necessary to prove the element of intent beyond a reasonable doubt.” The two versions of appellant’s story were *1198in direct conflict with each other and thus could hardly be termed unrefuted evidence that counterbalanced the inference of intent. The taking over of the vehicle in the fashion that he did, together with all inferences which the jury might attach to that act, were sufficient evidence to show the appellant’s intent to kidnap Werner. It is not necessary that there be further evidence of threats, grabbing or attacking or a verbal expression of intent to the prosecuting witness. The jury could rightly assume that he had her confined in the vehicle where she could not escape inasmuch as it was moving down the street and would require her to leap from it while it was so moving in order to extricate herself from her situation. It is noteworthy that she did, in fact, escape at the very first opportunity.
Although it is not necessary for us to so find, a reading of the transcript will reveal that the testimony of the appellant was so fraught with conflict and incredibility plus a lack of corroboration by any other witness, that the jury was justified in attaching no credibility whatever to his self-serving statements. The significant thing to me is that the jury heard all of the witnesses and chose not to believe appellant but did believe the prosecuting witness together with all of the other evidence they heard. We have no reason to “second guess” them and, as a matter of law, have a responsibility not to do so. I would vote to affirm the conviction.
GIVAN, C. J., concurs in dissent.