State of Tennessee v. Troy Robert Whipple

A Franklin County Jury found the Defendant, Troy Robert Whipple, guilty of one count of evading  arrest while operating a motor vehicle, one count of reckless driving, one count of driving on a revoked license, and two counts of vandalism, and the trial court sentenced the Defendant to an effective sentence of four years. The Defendant now appeals, contending that: (1) the evidence presented at trial is insufficient to support his convictions; (2) the trial court committed plain error when it failed to instruct the jury that an unlawful arrest is a defense to a charge of evading arrest while operating a motor vehicle; (3) the trial court improperly sentenced him; and (4) the fines imposed upon him are unreasonable. After thoroughly reviewing the record and the applicable authorities, we affirm the Defendant’s convictions and sentences for evading arrest while operating a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and driving on a revoked license. We reverse the Defendant’s convictions for vandalism, and we remand the case for proceedings consistent with this opinion.