On February 8, 1993, the State filed an information charging three counts of Robbery. On February 10, that information was amended to include habitual offender status. A second information was filed under a seе-ond cause number, charging Attempted Rape, Criminal Deviate Conduct, two counts of Robbery, and Kidnapping. A jury trial resulted in appellant's conviction of all charges. On the threе counts of Robbery, appellant was sentenced to ten (10) years each, to be served consecutively. On the Attempted Rape charge, he was sentenced for a period of thirty (80) years enhanced by thirty (80) years by reason of his status as a habitual offender. He received thirty (80) years each on the charge of Criminal Deviate Conduct and Kidnapping, to be served concurrently but consecutively to two Robbery counts for which he received ten (10) years each and consecutively to the charges in the first information.
Thе facts are: On February 2, 1993, the victim was an employee of The Bronzing
At that point, Lisa Harmeyer came into the business and appellant went through her purse. He took money from her purse and from the cash drawer of the business. Miss Harmeyer tried to run away, but appellant grabbed her, telling her not to try that again. The three of them left the store and onee outside Miss Harmeyer fled. The man then forced the victim into her car and told her to drive them downtown. The man had the victim stop at a store along the way where he took money from Charles Willer, Robert Barnes, and Donald Page. Page was cut by appеllant. When appellant and the victim left the store, Page followed them in his car. Eventually Page lost sight of the fleeing vehicle. He then drove to the Allen County Jail where he reported what had occurred. He described his assailant to the officers. The officers then went in the direction indicated by Page and saw a man matching appellant's descriptiоn emerge from an area of trees.
When appellant saw the officers, he went back into the tree area and fled along the riverbank. Appellant was observed running аcross Barr Street in a westerly direction. Appellant eventually stopped when he perceived that one of the officers had his gun drawn. - Appellant was arrested - and sеarched; however, no knife was found. The officers did find cash and a money elip which had been taken from Barnes during the robbery.
Appellant claims the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the victim's in-court identification of him. Appellant contends the police used an impermissi-bly suggestive procedure in obtaining his identification by the victim. Following apрellant's arrest, he was placed in a police vehicle and taken to the victim. Police required appellant to get out of the police car so the victim could view him. He was the only individual displayed and was in handcuffs. Appellant claims this was too suggestive. It is not improper for police to take a recently captured suspect to the victim for identification when only a short time has expired between the commission of the erime and the identification. See Letica v. State (1991), Ind.,
Appellant claims there was insufficient evidence to sustain his conviction for attempted rape. Appellant takеs the position that he did not take a substantial step toward the commission of rape. Appellant is correct in his observation that the focus is on what has been done by a defendant not on what remains to be done, citing Hughes v. State (1992), Ind.,
Appellant contends there is insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction for the robbery of Donald Page. He bases his contention on the fact that at trial Page wаs unable to identify appellant. Although Page was unable to identify appellant as his robber, the victim testified that she witnessed a robbery of Donald Page by appellant. Char-lis Willer аnd Bob Barnes, who also were robbed at the same time Page was robbed, both identified appellant as the person who had robbed them and Page. There is ample evidenсe in this record that appellant in fact was the person who robbed Donald Page.
Appellant claims the trial court erred in permitting the introduction of State's Exhibit No. 22, a piсture of an initialed money clip owned by Robert Barnes. Appellant contends there was no testimony linking the exhibit to him. Both Willer and Barnes testified that during the robbery, appellant demanded that Barnes surrender his money clip that held several bills. Barnes testified that he gave appellant the money clip with the money. Barnes also identified State's Exhibit No. 2 as a phоtograph of that money clip. Detective Minyard testified that Exhibit 2 was a picture of the money clip that he removed from appellant after he was taken into custody.
Nevertheless appellant argues that there is an incomplete foundation for the presentation of the exhibit. In a situation such as this where the evidence was tied to a defendant by subsequent testimony, any deficiency in the foundation was cured by the subsequent testimony. See Burton v. State (1986), Ind.,
Appellant сlaims the trial court erred in failing to grant a mistrial for a violation of a motion in limine. Prior to trial, the trial judge sustained appellant's motion in limine that there should be no mention of the fact that marijuana was found on the person of appellant when he was arrested. During the testimony of Officer Minyard, he was listing the various items taken from appellant's person at the time of his arrest and referred to "a crown royal bag in his pocket, with rolling papers, along with a little bit of what appeared to be marijuana." Appellant objected and immediately moved for a mistrial because of the violation of the motion in limine. There is no question but what the remark by the officer was a violation of the court's prior ruling. Hоwever, a mistrial is an extreme remedy granted only when no other method can rectify the situation. Schlomer v. State (1991), Ind.,
In the case at bar, the trial court immediately admonished the jury that the mention of the marijuana was improper and that they were to disregard that portion of the testimony. In view of the overwhelming evidence in this case, the possibility is remote that the jury's verdict was swayed by the officer's improper mention of the discovery of mariJuana on appellant's person. The trial court properly admonished the jury and did not err in refusing to declare a mistrial.
The trial court is affirmed.
