Eldridge v. State, 3-1179A330

• Citation: 406 N.E.2d 1264
• Decision Date: 16 July 1980
• Docket Number: No. 3-1179A330,3-1179A330
• Parties: Howard L. ELDRIDGE and Kevin D. Eldridge, Appellants, v. STATE of Indiana, Appellee.
• Court: Indiana Appellate Court

Page 1264

406 N.E.2d 1264

Howard L. ELDRIDGE and Kevin D. Eldridge, Appellants, v. STATE of Indiana, Appellee.

No. 3-1179A330.

Court of Appeals of Indiana, Third District.

July 16, 1980.

Barrie C. Tremper, Allen County Public Defender, Fort Wayne, for appellant Howard L. Eldridge.

Donald C. Swanson, Jr., Fort Wayne, for appellant Kevin D. Eldridge.

Theodore L. Sendak, Atty. Gen., Gordon R. Medlicott, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for appellee.

HOFFMAN, Judge.

On December 29, 1978 the defendants, Howard L. Eldridge and Kevin D. Eldridge, were arrested and charged with burglary. Following their convictions, this appeal was filed with separate briefs for each defendant.

Howard and Kevin Eldridge were convicted under IC 1971, 35-43-2-1 (Burns 1979 Repl.) which reads,

"A person who breaks and enters the building or structure of another person, with intent to commit a felony in it, commits burglary, a class C felony. However, the offense is a class B felony if it is committed while armed with a deadly weapon or if the building or structure is a dwelling, and a class A felony if it results in either bodily injury or serious bodily injury to any other person."

Because a .12 gauge sawed-off shotgun was used during the commission of the crime, both defendants were convicted of a class B felony.

Now, on appeal, Kevin Eldridge contends that the State failed to prove the necessary element of breaking. The undisputed facts reveal that at approximately 4:30 on the morning of December 29, 1978, the police received a call concerning a possible burglary in progress at the Calvary Chapel Church. Lieutenant Gigli responded to the call and drove to the church. He observed a broken window on the south side of the building and a dark colored vehicle backed up to the open rear door of the church. The trunk of the car was filled with property belonging to the church and the pastor. Kevin Eldridge was discovered hiding in a restroom in the church and Howard was arrested on the front steps of the church after he broke out by crashing through a front window. Kevin now argues that the prosecution failed to prove a breaking in that no evidence was presented to show that, prior to this incident, the south side window was not broken and the rear door was closed.

On appeal, the reviewing court will consider the evidence most favorable to the State and the reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom. As stated by the Indiana Supreme Court in Lisenko; Stepien v. State (1976), 265 Ind. 488, at 491, 355 N.E.2d 841, at 843:

"While the State must sustain its burden of proof on each element of an offense charged, some of these elements may be proven by circumstantial evidence and the logical inferences therefrom."

If the inferences drawn by the trial court are reasonable, logical and based on the evidence, this Court will not alter the decision.

"Where the evidence, either direct or circumstantial, is such that two inferences may reasonably be drawn therefrom, one of guilt and one of innocence, it is not within the province of this court to determine which inference should have controlled, that being exclusively for the trial court." Kondrup v. State (1968), 250 Ind. 320, at 324, 235 N.E.2d 703, at 705-706.

" 'Where the sufficiency of circumstantial evidence is in question, we examine it carefully, not for the...