Defendant’s letter to victim’s mother, truthfully stating that victim could face legal consequences for lying under oath in his case, did not support conviction for attempted obstruction of justice. And because his letter did not actually reach the victim in violation of no-contact order, it could not support invasion of privacy but only lesser-included offense of attempted invasion of privacy.
Criminal
Gavin v. State, No. 79A02-1501-CR-27, ___ N.E.3d ___ (Ind. Ct. App., Aug. 11, 2015).
Shooting suspect’s statement that his gun was in his car was admissible under public-safety exception to Miranda; police feared that suspect’s 3-year-old child, who was also in the car, might get to the gun.
Akins v. State, No. 49A02-1412-CR-869, ___ N.E.3d ___ (Ind. Ct. App., July 31, 2015).
Restitution award was abuse of discretion; there was no evidence that the injury for which restitution was sought was caused by, or even connected with, the defendant.
Smart v. State, No. 29A02-1412-CR-887, ___ N.E.3d ___ (Ind. Ct. App., Aug. 4, 2015).
Defendant’s admission to injecting “methamphetamine,” without more, was insufficient to prove that he injected the legend drug “methamphetamine hydrochloride”; there was no evidence or basis for judicial notice that the two substances were the same
Buford v. State, No. 20A05-1408-CR-392, ___ N.E.3d ___ (Ind. Ct. App., July 24, 2015).
Search warrant was invalid; uncorroborated anonymous tip of drug dealing at defendant’s home, plus police smelling burnt marijuana and seeing unspecified amount of marijuana “shake” on table in the home, did not establish probable cause of drug dealing.