George Stigger v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), 49A02-1612-CR-2822

On Feb. 6, 2016, George Stigger entered a Lowe’s with a friend; surveillance showed neither had the faucet when entering but later had the faucet in a Lowe’s plastic bag in their cart.
Stigger presented the faucet at customer service without a receipt and provided his driver’s license for identification.
Lowe’s associate processed a cashless return, issuing a Lowe’s gift/merchandise card worth $245.03 ($229.00 for the faucet plus $16.03 tax).
Store loss-prevention review confirmed the faucet was taken from the plumbing aisle where Stigger and his companion were observed selecting it, and the ID matched BMV records.
Stigger was charged with and convicted by a jury of Class A misdemeanor theft; sentenced to 60 days (credit for time served, remainder on home detention). He appealed, challenging sufficiency of the evidence.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Sufficiency of the evidence to sustain theft conviction	State: Surveillance, the return without receipt using Stigger’s ID, and the resulting gift card support finding Stigger knowingly exerted unauthorized control over Lowe’s property.	Stigger: Evidence insufficient; challenges proof that he knowingly/intentionally deprived Lowe’s of value.	Affirmed: Viewing evidence and reasonable inferences in favor of the verdict, a reasonable fact-finder could conclude guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Drane v. State, 867 N.E.2d 144 (Ind. 2007) (describes standard for appellate sufficiency review and viewing evidence most favorably to verdict)
Baker v. State, 968 N.E.2d 227 (Ind. 2012) (reaffirms sufficiency review focuses on reasonable inferences supporting verdict)
Stewart v. State, 768 N.E.2d 433 (Ind. 2002) (appellate courts must not reweigh evidence or assess witness credibility)