State v. Perkins, Unpublished Decision (7-2-1998)
State v. Perkins, Unpublished Decision (7-2-1998)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Plaintiff-appellant-cross appellee, the State of Ohio [State], appeals from the judgment entry of sentencing from the Court of Common Pleas of Hancock County, Ohio, which declined to classify Defendant-appellee-cross appellant, Gary W. Perkins [Perkins], a sexual predator pursuant to R.C.On April 8, 1997, a three count indictment was issued against Perkins for his alleged misconduct on February 11, 1995. This indictment charged him with the offenses of rape, in violation of R.C.
Pursuant to plea negotiations, on January 7, 1998, Perkins changed his plea to guilty and the State voluntarily dismissed with prejudice the kidnapping charge. The trial court accepted Perkins' guilty plea and the matter proceeded to sentencing. On February 11, 1998, Perkins was sentenced according to sentencing guidelines in effect in 1995. Thus, he received an indeterminate term of incarceration of ten to twenty-five years for both offenses, to be served concurrently with an aggregate term of not less than ten and not more than twenty-five years. At sentencing, the State also requested that Perkins be classified a sexual predator. However, the trial court declined to impose the classification, finding the applicable statute to be unconstitutional in view of the case of State v. Cook (Aug. 7, 1997), Allen App. No. 1-97-21, unreported, cert. granted,
The State appeals the trial court's refusal to apply the sexual predator statutory provisions of R.C.
The trial court erred when it found R.C.
2950.09 to be unconstitutional.
Perkins cross appeals from the sentence imposed by the trial court and the following is his assignment of error:
The trial court erred when it refused to sentence Defendant-Appellee/Cross-Appellant, Gary W. Perkins, under the felony sentencing laws as they existed on February 11, 1998.
The circumstances in this case implicate the application of R.C.
The State essentially urges us to reconsider our decision ofCook, supra. In view of the Supreme Court of Ohio's recent action to consider this case, we decline to accept the State's offer. Cook,
In his cross appeal, Perkins claims that the sentencing standards created by Amended Substitute Senate Bill 2 [Am. Sub. S.B. No. 2] should be used in this case. He begins by conceding that the terms of Am. Sub. S.B. No. 2 pertain only to persons who commit an offense on or after July 1, 1996, and that his offense was committed prior to that date. However, he invokes R.C.
Upon consideration of this matter, we conclude that Perkins' claim is without merit. R.C.
If the penalty, forfeiture, or punishment for any offense is reduced by a reenactment or amendment of a statute, the penalty, forfeiture, or punishment, if not already imposed, shall be imposed according to the statute as amended.
This statutory provision was interpreted in Burton,
Moreover, we have previously considered Perkins' fairness argument. In State v. Dick, supra, we held that the failure to apply Am. Sub. S.B. No. 2 sentencing standards to offenses committed before July 1, 1996, did not violate constitutional provisions of equal protection:
As any other person who committed a particular offense prior to July 1, 1996, petitioner was properly sentenced under the law in effect at that time. Therefore, petitioner was treated equally under the law as to other, similarly situated persons.
Thus, Perkins was properly sentenced according to the guidelines in effect at the time he committed his offenses and the sentencing standards of Am. Sub. S.B. No. 2 do not apply. Perkins' assignment of error is overruled.
In sum, the State's assignment of error is overruled. Likewise, Perkins' assignment of error is overruled. Accordingly, the judgment of sentencing rendered by the Court of Common Pleas of Hancock County, Ohio, is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
BRYANT and HADLEY, JJ., concur.
[1] This court, upon Loyer's motion to dismiss the instant appeal, found that the trial court's order denying the Civ.R. 12(B)(6) motion was a final, appealable order pursuant to R.C.
[2] This ignores the fact that the cases cited by Turner rely on federal law for their holdings.
[3] In her reply brief, Turner contends, in the alternative, that if she lacks absolute immunity from suit, she is protected from civil liability by the doctrine of qualified immunity. This issue was never raised in the or considered by the trial court. Therefore, this court shall not consider the issue for the first time on appeal. Shover v. Cordis Corp. (1991),
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.