Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence spent the day in Beijing meeting with high-level Chinese government officials and promoting Indiana-made recreational vehicles (RV) at a reception attended by more than 100 business officials at the U.S. Embassy.

“Northern Indiana is the epicenter of the RV industry. That becomes apparent when you travel all the way to China and find Hoosier-built RVs on the road,” said Pence. “Thousands of Hoosiers are building RVs that are then sold globally, including in China. And with the current popularity of RVs in China, tonight was a great opportunity to discuss how more Chinese people can fully enjoy the open road and the great outdoors with an Indiana-made vehicle.”

The reception, co-hosted with the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, showcased three Indiana-made RVs and highlighted the great potential China holds for both domestic and American RV manufacturers. China is the second largest market in the world for U.S. RV exports, with Chinese consumers spending $68 million on U.S.-built RVs in the last two years. In his remarks, the Governor highlighted that almost 85 percent of the 350,000 RVs shipped just last year were built in Indiana as part of an industry that employs nearly 300,000 Hoosiers.

Earlier in the day, the Governor met with Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yang, responsible for commerce, industries, agriculture and trade and a member of the ruling Politburo, as well as several high-ranking Chinese government leaders at the Ministry of Commerce and China Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA). Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith and CIPA Director General Liu Dianxun signed a memorandum of understanding reaffirming joint exploration of economic growth opportunities.

Indiana counts China as its fifth largest export partner, with exports totaling $1.4 billion last year. Hoosier companies with Chinese operations include Allison Transmission, Dow AgroSciences, Eli Lilly, Hillenbrand and Cummins. Tomorrow the Governor will visit Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins’ joint venture, Beijing Foton Cummins Engine, before the delegation departs for Zhejiang Province, Indiana’s Chinese sister state.

Updates from the Governor’s trade mission to China, including video clips and photos, will be posted throughout the week-long trip here: http://in.gov/gov/China2015.htm.

Jennifer Nelson for www.theindianalawyer.com

A post-conviction court incorrectly calculated when a woman’s probation ended, so it erred in finding that she violated probation after the probationary period was complete, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.

Mary Davis was imprisoned for Class C felony possession of a handgun following a felony conviction. As part of her eight-year sentence, four years were suspended to probation. She was released from prison on Feb. 3, 2005. On Feb. 4, 2009, the state filed a notice that she violated her probation. Davis admitted she hadn’t paid probation fees, and hearings were continued for several years on whether she could pay. In 2011, the state claimed she violated probation by failing a drug test; in 2012, the state sought to revoke her probation because new criminal charges were filed against Davis. In 2012, the state found she violated her probation because of the new criminal charges and ordered her to serve the four-year suspended sentence.

She sought post-conviction relief, saying the state sought to revoke her probation for a crime committed after the probationary period ended. The PCR court denied her petition, and she appealed in Mary K. Davis v. State of Indiana, 20A03-1411-PC-408.

The COA found several errors in the PCR court’s ruling, such as its finding that her probationary period ended Feb. 14, 2009, based on evidence Davis signed the terms of her probation on that date in 2005. But a probationary period begins immediately after sentencing, Judge Melissa May wrote. Thus, Davis’ probation period began when she was released from prison Feb. 3, 2005.

Because the remainder of the PCR court’s findings and conclusions are based on this erroneous date, the COA reversed the denial of her petition and ordered her released from incarceration.