Court Opinion

ID: 9541948
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:30:03.284343+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:05:26.936415
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion
DeBruler, J.
The record of the proceedings before us shows that prior to trial, the Public Defender, assigned to represent appellant, filed the following Motion to Dismiss or Alternate Relief:
“Comes now Richard Kammen, attorney for the defendant, Dwight Walker who petitions and shows the court.
1. That he is an attorney at law duly admitted to practice in the State of Indiana.
2. That he is the attorney for Dwight Walker, defendant herein by reason of his appointment as public defender by Marion Criminal Court, Division 2.
3. That this cause was previously set for trial on Thursday, the 7th of September, 1972. That on said day defendant *525herein requested a continuance so that he might properly prepare for trial.
4. After said hearing petitioner herein attempted to speak with Mr. Jerry Hyatt, Mr. Max Turentine, Jr., Mr. Charles Kennedy and Mr. Thomas Trotter, all of whom are endorsed on the affidavit. At the time he tried to speak with the aforesaid individuals each of them informed him that they had been instructed by Sargent Alonzo Watford not to discuss the case with anyone.
5. At the time when the defendant herein was attempting to speak with the aforesaid individuals Sargent Alonzo Watford introduced himself to the petitioner herein and told petitioner that he did not want the defendant attempting to talk with any of the witnesses in the case, and that he was instructing these witnesses not to speak with the defendant. All of the aforesaid statements were made by Sargent Alonzo Watford in the presence and hearing of Jerry Hyatt, Max Turentine, Jr., Charles Kennedy, and Thomas Trotter.
Due to the incident heretofore described, defendants attorney is of the opinion that the defendant cannot receive a fair trial without proper relief from this court for the reason that the defendant has been deprived of an adequate defense by agents of the State of Indiana.
WHEREFORE, defendant prays that this cause be dismissed for the reason that agents of the State of Indiana [denied the] defendant the right of a fair trial and his right to an adequately prepared defense; that Mr. Jerry Hyatt, Max Turentine, Jr., Charles Kennedy and Thomas Trotter, be called before this court and be instructed to discuss this case, instruct that Sargent Alonzo Watford had no right to tell them not to discuss this case with defendants attorney. That Sargent Alonzo Watford of the Indianapolis Police Department be called before this court to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of this court.”
The Prosecuting Attorney filed no response to this verified motion. The record contains no ruling of the trial on this motion, neither does it contain a transcript of any testimony given in support or opposition to the motion. However, appellant’s motion to correct errors contained the following allegation of error among others:
“The defendant was denied a fair trial by misconduct *526of agents of the State of Indiana, specifically Police Officers of the city of Indianapolis in that they hindered and effectively denied the defendant his right to effective counsel by telling potential witnesses not to speak with defense counsel.”
This allegation of error is supported in the accompanying memorandum with this statement of facts and explanation:
“Prior to the trial of this cause, the defendant filed a verified motion for a dismissal or other relief for the reason that Police Officers of the City of Indianapolis had instructed potential witnesses not to speak with defendant’s defense counsel. A hearing was held on the defendant’s motion prior to the trial. The result of that hearing was not satisfactory in that the potential witnesses were not compelled to speak with defense counsel but were told that they could if they wanted to. Additionally, nothing was done to overcome the inherent prejudice resulting from the misconduct by the police officers. It is clear that an order by a police officer not to speak with defense counsel carries with it a certain mandatory quality to some individuals. Additionally, when confronted by defense counsel, there is a substantial possibility that these same types of individuals might lie to defense counsel. Only an order by the court compelling these individuals to discuss the matter at hand with defense counsel with sufficient deter [sic] to prejudice. No such order was granted and the defendant was unredeemably prejudiced in his right to have active counsel.”
The order book entries do reveal that an evidentiary hearing was held upon the motion to correct errors, although no indication is given, which allegation of error was the subject of that hearing. The evidence thus adduced by both sides is not contained in the record. The above memorandum clearly establishes that trial court dealt with the appellant’s claim that the prosecution had “shut the mouth” of the State’s eye witness Henry, and in fact fashioned a form of remedy for appellant prior to trial.
The testimony of the eye witness Henry at trial, in addition to admitting that the police officer had instructed him that he did not have to talk to defense counsel, also included the statement that this same officer had threatened to arrest the witness Henry and to charge him with shooting the milkman. *527The witness Henry admitted being present on the street at the time of the shooting along with one Turentine. The milkman who was the victim of this shooting testified that part of the money taken from him was handed by the appellant to another man. Under these circumstances, and while it may not result in a different conclusion than that reached by the majority, in order that a proper determination of this issue be made by the court, I would order the trial court, pursuant to the provisions of Rule AP. 7.2(B) and (C) to certify all order book entries and the evidence adduced by either party in support of and in opposition to the Motion to Dismiss or Alternate Relief and the Motion to Correct Errors, and the order book entry disposing of appellant’s Motion to Dismiss, to this Court. While this procedure should be sparingly used, I think it is warranted in this case by the circumstances related above, and further by the fact that appellant’s counsel made a full and complete praecipe for the record in this case, and further by the fact that appellant’s appeal counsel is not the lawyer who represented him at trial, and whose acquaintance with the status of the trial record is necessarily limited.
Note. — Reported in 307 N. E. 2d 62.