OPINION
Case Summary and Issues
Following a guilty plea, Keith Rich appeals his fourteen-year sentence for burglary and possession of marijuana, the trial court’s order that Rich pay a $200 public defender fee, and the trial court’s order that Rich reimburse the victims for the cost of a home security system. Rich raises the issues of whether the trial court abused its discretion in ordering him to pay the public defender fee and reimburse the victims and whether his sentence is inappropriate given the nature of the offenses and his character. Concluding the trial court acted within its discretion in ordering Rich to pay the public defender fee and that his sentence is not inappropriate, we affirm the trial court in part. However, concluding the trial court abused
Facts and Procedural History
On July 29, 2006, Rich broke into the victims’ residence and took various items, including a videogame system, movies, a laptop computer, and an acoustic guitar. Rich also damaged two doors and a lock. Rich sold the laptop and guitar to a pawnshop and was apprehended shortly thereafter. When police arrested Rich, he was found in possession of marijuana.
On August 1, 2006, the State charged Rich with burglary, a Class B felony; theft, a Class D felony; receiving stolen property, a Class D felony; and possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. On September 18, 2007, Rich pled guilty to burglary and possession of marijuana pursuant to a plea agreement. Under this agreement, the State dropped the other two felony charges as- well as six misdemeanor charges in other pending cases, and agreed to not file a petition to revoke Rich’s probation. The agreement provided that sentencing would be left to the trial court’s discretion and that Rich would make restitution to the victims. On October 18, 2007, the trial court held a sentencing hearing. The trial court found Rich’s criminal history and that he committed the instant offenses while on probation as aggravating factors. As mitigating factors, the trial court found Rich’s youthful age, that he pled guilty and took responsibility for his actions, that he would make restitution, and that he was remorseful. The trial court found the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors and sentenced Rich to fourteen years for burglary and one year for possession of marijuana, with the sentences to run concurrently. The trial court ordered that Rich serve nine years at the Indiana Department of Correction and one year through Tippecanoe County Community Corrections, and suspended the remaining four years to probation. The trial court also ordered Rich to reimburse the Tippecanoe County Public Defender $200 and pay restitution in the amount of $2,154.20 to the victims and $1,800 to Farm Bureau Insurance, payable at a rate of $150 per month after his release from incarceration. Rich now appeals the trial court’s sentencing order.
Discussion and Decision
I. Reimbursement to Public Defender
As a condition of Rich’s probation, the trial court ordered that Rich reimburse the Tippecanoe County Public Defender $200. Rich argues that the trial court abused its discretion by not first holding a hearing to determine Rich’s ability to pay this fee. Indiana Code section 33-37-2-3 1 provides:
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), when the court imposes costs, it shall conduct a hearing to determine whether the convicted person is indigent....
(b) A court may impose costs and suspend payment of all or part of the costs until the convicted person has completed all or part of the sentence. If the court suspends payment of the costs, the court shall conduct a hearing at the time the costs are due to determine whether the convicted person is indigent....
⅜ * *
(e) If, after a hearing under subsection (a) or (b), the court determines that a convicted person is able to pay part of the costs of representation, the court shall order the person to pay an amount of not more than the cost of the defense services rendered on behalf of the person ....
(Emphasis added).
Here, the trial court’s order requires that Rich reimburse the Public Defender as a condition of probation, which will not begin until after he has completed the executed portion of his sentence. Therefore, under section 33-37-2-3(b), the trial court was not required to hold a hearing until Rich has completed the executed portion of his sentence. As Rich is not required to pay the public defender’s fee at this time, holding a hearing to determine his current ability to pay was not required.
Cf. Whedon v. State,
II. Restitution
As a condition of probation, the trial court ordered that Rich pay restitution to the victims and their insurance company. Included in the amount the trial court ordered Rich to pay to the victims was the cost of the installation and monthly fees for a security system the victims installed “to help give [them] peace-of-mind while alone at night or out of the house.” Appellant’s Green Appendix at 10 (letter from victims to pre-sentence investigator). Rich argues that requiring him to pay for the victims’ security system was improper.
A. Waiver
Initially, the State argues that Rich has waived this issue by failing to object to the victims’ restitution report at the sentencing hearing. After reviewing the transcript, we agree that Rich did not specifically object to the inclusion of the payment for the alarm system in the restitution order. However, the parties did discuss the issue at the sentencing hearing, and the trial court specifically questioned its authority to order Rich to reimburse the victims for the cost of this security system. See Transcript at 38 (“I’m not sure that I can order restitution for buying an alarm system.”). We need not determine whether the discussion of restitution at the sentencing hearing was sufficient to preserve the issue, as we conclude that we would address Rich’s argument even without a specific objection.
We recognize that a panel of this court has held that a defendant’s “failure to make a specific and timely objection to the trial court’s receipt of evidence concerning the amount of restitution constitutes a failure to preserve the matter and waives it as an issue for appeal.”
Long v. State,
B. Standard of Review
A restitution order must be supported by sufficient evidence of actual loss sustained by the victim or victims of a crime.
See Lohmiller,
However, the trial court is also bound to comply with the applicable restitution statutes when ordering restitution.
See id.
at 780;
cf. Pearson v. State,
C. Payment for Security System
The State argues that the cost of a security system is a proper subject of restitution as, “[w]hile the security system is not objectively necessary, it was necessary for the victims to return to the levels of security they felt prior to the burglary.”
As part of a sentence or as a condition of probation, a trial court may order a defendant to pay restitution to a Victim.
Bailey,
Although this case is the first opportunity Indiana appellate courts have had to address the propriety of a restitution award for a burglary victim’s installation of a security system, several of our sister states with restitution statutes similar to our own have addressed this question and concluded that the inclusion of this cost is improper.
See People v. Reyes,
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has held that although a trial court may not
The Supreme Court of Montana upheld a restitution order for the cost of added security in
State v. Thompson,
In addition to finding support in the decisions of our sister states, a conclusion that our restitution statute does not authorize restitution for the victims’ installation of a security system is found in our own decisions and the statute’s plain language.
We have recognized that restitution must reflect the actual loss incurred by the victim.
Shane v. State,
The State argues that the victims’ desire to install the security system stemmed from Rich’s burglary. The fact that the victims expended money on a security sys
The plain language of our restitution statute indicates that victims of crimes to property may receive restitution for “property damages,” and that the amount shall be based on the cost of “repair.” “Property damage” involves some sort of “loss or injury to ... property,” Black’s Law Dictionary 393 (7th ed.1999) (defining “damage”), or “[h]arm or injury ... resulting in loss of value or the impairment of usefulness,” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 458 (4th ed.2000) (same). The cost of “repair” should include the amount expended “[t]o restore to sound condition after damage or injury.”
Id.
at 1478. Had the victims already owned a security system when Rich broke into their home, they unquestionably would be entitled to restitution had Rich harmed or damaged that system.
Cf. Judge v. State,
Here, defendant’s conduct did not create or increase the victim’s risk of future burglaries, it merely exposed an existing vulnerability. Awarding restitution not because of any damage or injury defendant did or would inflict, but solely to correct the preexisting vulnerability puts the victim in a better financial position than it would have been in had defendant’s conduct not occurred. It gives the victim an additional asset it did not have prior to defendant’s conduct, despite the lack of evidence that such an asset is needed to protect the victim from defendant in the future.
Reyes,
In no way do we fault or criticize the victims for feeling insecure in their home or seeking to install a security system. However, whether the trial court should have the discretion to include the cost of a new security system in a restitution order is a question more properly addressed to the legislative branch than to the judicial branch.
See Creager,
IV. Sentencing
A. Standard of Review
“Although a trial court may have acted within its lawful discretion in determining a sentence, Article VII, Sections 4 and 6 of the Indiana Constitution ‘authorize independent appellate review and revision of a sentence imposed by the trial court.’ ”
Anglemyer v. State,
B. Appropriateness of Rich’s Sentence 6
The trial court sentenced Rich to fourteen years, a sentence four years above the advisory sentence and six years below the maximum sentence for burglary, see Ind.Code § 35-50-2-5. In regard to the nature of the offense, we find nothing in the record that distinguishes Rich’s offense from a typical burglary as a Class B felony, and the State makes no argument that his offense is particularly egregious. .However, we also find nothing in the record to indicate that Rich’s offense is any less egregious than a typical burglary.
In regard to Rich’s character, we first note his criminal history consisting of a felony conviction of intimidation while armed with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor conviction of operating a motor vehicle while never having received a license. Although this history is not the most extensive we have seen, such a criminal history still comments negatively on Rich’s character.
We also note that Rich committed the instant offenses while on probation.
See Ryle v. State,
We also note that after being charged with the instant offenses, Rich has been arrested three times and charged with six misdemeanors: two charges of public intoxication, two charges of trespass, one charge of minor consumption, and one charge of possession of marijuana. Clearly, Rich has not been deterred from committing criminal conduct.
See Miller v. State,
We recognize that Rich pled guilty and that the trial court found him remorseful. However, in exchange for his guilty plea, the State dismissed two felony charges relating to the instant offenses and six misdemeanor charges stemming from separate cause numbers. Under these circumstances, Rich’s guilty plea has little impact on our analysis of his character.
See Fields v. State,
We also recognize, as did the trial court, that Rich was only twenty-one years old at the time of sentencing. Still, Rich is “beyond the age at which the law commands special treatment.”
Monegan v. State,
We also give little weight to the fact that Rich will pay restitution to the victims, as he agreed to do so as part of a plea agreement under which he received a significant benefit. ■ Nothing in the record indicates that Rich has of yet made any attempt to reimburse the victims or return the stolen property.
In sum, we conclude Rich has failed to carry his burden of convincing this court that his sentence is inappropriate.
'Conclusion
We conclude the trial court acted within its discretion in ordering Rich to reimburse the Tippecanoe County Public Defender, but abused its discretion in ordering Rich to reimburse the victims for the cost of installing a new security system. We therefore reverse the trial court’s restitution order and remand with instructions that the trial court correct this order consistent with this opinion. We also conclude that Rich’s sentence is not inappropriate and affirm the trial court on this point.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
Notes
. We note that in its appellate brief, the State cites statutes that have been repealed. See Appellee's Br. at 4 (citing Indiana Code sections 33-9-11.5-6 (repealed by P.L. 98-2004, SEC. 164)), 33-19-2-3 (repealed by same public law)). We urge the State to cite current statutes.
. We recognize that in
Mitchell v. State,
. This statute identifies several other considerations, not applicable to this case, regarding harm to victims’ persons.
. An exception to this rule exists involving the costs, authorized under Indiana Code section 35-50-5-3(1), for funeral expenses, which may be awarded even though the expenses have not been incurred before sentencing.
See Markland v. State,
. The State attempts to analogize this situation to
Kline v. State,
. Rich challenges both his fourteen-year sentence for burglary and his one-year sentence for possession of marijuana. However, as the trial court ordered these sentences to run concurrently, we will address his argument in regard to only his sentence for burglary.
