Lamont Escoe v. State of Indiana

On April 4, 2014, Anna Pfau (“Pfau”), a Department of Child Services

(“DCS”) caseworker, visited Escoe and his family to look into a report of

potential neglect of the three Escoe children. (Tr. at 36-37) When she knocked

on the door, Elizabeth Escoe (“Elizabeth”), Escoe’s wife, narrowly opened the

door. (Tr. at 37) While Pfau identified herself, she was able to see and smell

the apartment, noting the trash that covered the floor and a strong, unpleasant

odor. (Tr. at 38) Elizabeth asked Pfau to wait outside for five minutes, and in



1 Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(a)(1)(B). We refer at all times to the versions of the statutes in effect at the time of Escoe’s offenses. 2 Ind. Code § 35-44.1-3-1(a)(1).



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that time, Pfau called the police to assist with a child welfare check due to the

state of the apartment. (Tr. at 39)

[3] Elizabeth returned shortly thereafter and told Pfau that Elizabeth would prefer

doing the check another day, claiming she needed to take the children to a

doctor’s appointment. (Tr. at 40) Pfau informed Elizabeth that Pfau needed to

do a child welfare check because of conditions in the apartment, and that the

police were coming to assist her. (Tr. at 39) Escoe came to the door and told

Pfau to “do what [she] had to do.” (Tr. at 39) Pfau went down the stairs of the

apartment to wait for the police to arrive. (Tr. at 41)

[4] Approximately five minutes later, Pfau observed the Escoes carrying their

children to their car. (Tr. at 41) Pfau ran after them to try and talk them out of

leaving. (Tr. at 43) At that time, Officer Jose Navarro (“Officer Navarro”) had

arrived on scene and began to engage the Escoes. (Tr. at 42) Officer Navarro

observed the Escoes were very agitated, and advised them to speak with Pfau

about the DCS report. (Tr. at 92) After several minutes of talking, during

which the Escoes asserted their Constitutional rights were being violated, the

Escoes escorted Pfau, Officer Navarro, and Officer Jacob Tranchant (“Officer

Tranchant”), who had recently arrived on scene, to their apartment. (Tr. at 94)

[5] Both Officers Navarro and Tranchant entered the home briefly before making

the decision to stand outside while Pfau conducted her business with the

Escoes. (Tr. at 98) Escoe pulled out chairs and offered them to the officers,

which the officers declined. (Tr. at 186) The officers left the door cracked to



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ensure the safety of Pfau. (Tr. at 139) During the course of the DCS

investigation, Escoe turned to the officers and stated, “You’re not gonna take

my kids, you’re gonna have to fight.” (Tr. at 139)

[6] After a while, Pfau stepped out to consult with her supervisor. When she

returned, Pfau informed the officers that she and her supervisor had decided to

remove the children. (Tr. at 140) Officers Navarro and Tranchant decided to

call for a supervisor due to Escoe’s threats. (Tr. at 140) Once Pfau had

informed the Escoes of her decision, she, Elizabeth, and Officer Navarro went

back to gather clothes for the children. (Tr. at 103) During this time, Sergeant

Chad Osborne (“Sergeant Osborne”) arrived on scene, and Officer Tranchant

informed him of the situation. (Tr. at 156) Sergeant Osborne entered the

apartment and observed that Escoe was greatly agitated. (Tr. at 157)

[7] Sergeant Osborne began to talk to Escoe, who then jumped off the couch and

began pacing with clenched fists. (Tr. at 157) Sergeant Osborne decided to

handcuff Escoe for the safety of all in the apartment. (Tr. at 158) Both

Sergeant Osborne and Officer Tranchant attempted to grab an arm of Escoe in

order to handcuff him, at which point Escoe spun around and struck Officer

Tranchant in the shoulder, causing Officer Tranchant pain. (Tr. at 142-143)

[8] Following the battery, Officer Tranchant then locked Escoe in a bear hug to

keep him from striking again. (Tr. at 143) Escoe stepped on the couch and

pushed off from it, bringing Officer Tranchant and him to the ground. (Tr. at

143) Officer Navarro, Sergeant Osborne, and Officer Chris Morgan (“Officer



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Morgan”), who had recently arrived on scene, began to deliver knee and hand

strikes to Escoe in order to stop him from struggling against Officer Tranchant.

Their attempts, however, did not end the struggle. In response, Officers

Navarro and Morgan delivered a “drive stun” to Escoe’s lower back with their

tasers, after which Escoe complied with the orders to stop resisting and allowed

himself to be handcuffed. (Tr. at 146) On April 8, 2014, he was charged with

one count of Battery as a Class D felony3, one count of Resisting Law

Enforcement as a Class D felony4, and one count of Resisting Law Enforcement

as a Class A misdemeanor.

[9] At trial, Escoe presented the affirmative defense to the Battery charge under the

“castle doctrine,” which gives a defendant a statutory right to use reasonable

force to protect his person and property against unlawful force and to end

unlawful entry of public servants. The court instructed the jury on the defense.

[10] At the conclusion of the jury trial on August 5, 2015, Escoe was found guilty of

Battery, as a Class D felony, and one count of Resisting Law Enforcement, as a

Class A misdemeanor. He was acquitted of the Class D felony Resisting Law

Enforcement charge. On September 16, 2015, the trial court reduced the Class

D felony to a Class A misdemeanor because Escoe was a first-time offender,



3 I.C. § 35-42-2-1(a)(2)(A). This offense is now a Level 5 felony under I.C. § 35-42-2-1(f)(5)(A). 4 I.C. § 35-44.1-3-1(b)(1)(B). This offense is now a Level 5 felony.



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and entered a sentence of 365 days on each count, with 361 days suspended, to

be served concurrently. This appeal followed.

Standard of Review

[11] When reviewing a claim of insufficient evidence, we consider only the

probative evidence and reasonable inferences supporting the judgment, and we

will not reweigh the evidence or the credibility of witnesses. Sargent v. State, 875

N.E.2d 762, 767 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007). We will affirm a conviction if all

probative evidence and reasonable inferences allowed a reasonable trier of fact

to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Murrell v. State, 960

N.E.2d 854, 857 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012). When reviewing a claim of insufficiency

to rebut an affirmative defense, we use the same standard. Id.

Battery and the Castle Doctrine Defense

[12] The Indiana Code provides:

(i) A person is justified in using reasonable force against a public servant if the person reasonably believes the force is necessary to:

(1) Protect the person or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force;

(2) Prevent or terminate the public servant’s unlawful entry or attack on the person’s dwelling, curtilage, or occupied motor vehicle; or



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(3) Prevent or terminate the public servant’s unlawful trespass on or criminal interference with property lawfully in the person’s possession, lawfully in possession of the member of the person’s immediate family, or belonging to a person whose property the person has authority to protect.

I.C. § 35-41-3-2(i). We determined that this statute provides “an

affirmative defense to the crime of battery on a law enforcement officer

when that officer has unlawfully entered the person’s dwelling.” Cupello

v. State, 27 N.E.3d 1122, 1124 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015).

[13] Escoe does not dispute that he committed the battery against Officer Tranchant.

Rather, he claims that the police officers entered his home unlawfully and used

unlawful force when they attempted to handcuff him. Thus, under this statute,

Escoe asserts that the State failed to provide sufficient evidence to rebut this

defense. As we have previously noted, our review focuses on the evidence most

favorable to the judgment.

[14] The evidence before us reveals that Escoe invited the officers into his home.

Both Officers Navarro and Tranchant testified that they did not intimidate or

threaten Escoe in order to get him to let them into the home. (Tr. at 94, 137)

Officer Navarro also testified that the Escoes were free to leave when he first

approached them, and they chose not to do so. (Tr. at 115) Pfau provided

similar testimony. (Tr. at 44-45) Furthermore, Escoe set out chairs for the

officers when they first entered the apartment. (Tr. at 186-187) From this



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evidence, a reasonable fact-finder could conclude that Escoe consented to the

entry of the officers to his home.

[15] Next, we look to whether Officer Tranchant and Sergeant Osborne used lawful

force in their initial attempt to handcuff Escoe. Indiana law charges police

departments with, among other things, the duty to “preserve peace.” I.C. § 36

8-3-10(a)(1). Police officers are thereby expected not only to enforce criminal

laws, but also to aid those in distress, abate hazards, prevent potential hazards

from materializing, and perform myriad other tasks to maintain the safety of the

communities. Fair v. State, 627 N.E.2d 427, 431 (Ind. 1993). In the present

case, Escoe was pacing with clenched fists and making threats to fight the

police officers. (Tr. at 102) Sergeant Osborne testified that in similar situations,

where a person was acting as Escoe was, he had always handcuffed the person

even when they were not under arrest. (Tr. at 158) Looking at the evidence

most favorable to the judgment, a reasonable finder of fact could conclude that

the police acted with lawful force.

[16] Thus, there was sufficient evidence to overcome Escoe’s affirmative defense

beyond a reasonable doubt. Any argument to the contrary is simply an

invitation for us to reweigh the evidence, a task we will not do.

Resisting Law Enforcement

[17] Under Ind. Code § 35-44.1-3-1, a person commits this offense when he

“knowingly or intentionally: (1) forcibly resists, obstructs or interferes with a



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law enforcement officer or a person assisting the officer while the officer is

lawfully engaged in the execution of the officer’s duties.” I.C. § 35-44.1-3

1(a)(1). A person forcefully resists law enforcement when “strong, powerful,

violent means are used to evade a law enforcement official’s rightful exercise of

his or her duties.” Spangler v. State, 607 N.E.2d 720, 723 (Ind. 1993). We have

affirmed convictions for resisting law enforcement where a defendant pulled

away when an officer attempted to handcuff him, Lopez v. State, 926 N.E.2d.

1090 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010), trans. denied; where a defendant was flailing or

squirming her body while an officer was trying to handcuff her, J.S. v. State, 843

N.E.2d 1013 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006), trans. denied; and where a defendant

“stiffened up” when police attempted to place him in a police vehicle, Johnson v.

State, 833 N.E.2d 516 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). “The element may be satisfied with

even a modest exertion of strength, power, or violence.” Walker v. State, 998

N.E.2d 724, 727 (Ind. 2013).

[18] Escoe argues that the State did not present sufficient evidence to prove the

“force” element beyond a reasonable doubt. Officers Navarro and Tranchant

and Sergeant Osborne all testified that once Officer Tranchant had attempted to

restrain Escoe, Escoe fell on top of Officer Tranchant. (Tr. at 107, 143, 158)

Furthermore, both Officer Tranchant and Sergeant Osborne stated that Escoe

caused this fall by pushing off of the nearby couch. (Tr. at 143, 158) Once he

was on top of Officer Tranchant, Escoe continued to struggle to get free of

Officer Tranchant’s hold by attempting to strike him. (Tr. at 144) Officer

Navarro and Sergeant Osborne stated that Escoe did not comply with the order



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to stop resisting until Officers Navarro and Morgan delivered drive stuns to

Escoe’s lower back. (Tr. at 107, 109, 161) Given this evidence, a reasonable

finder of fact could conclude that Escoe resisted with force.