State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999)
State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999)
Opinion of the Court
"1. The Defendant's sentence consisted of the maximum prison term allowed for the offense by division (A) of §
2929.14 O.R.C. and was not imposed pursuant to division (D)(3)(b) of §2929.14 , and the sentence was imposed for only one offense."2. The Trial Court failed to advise Defendant that the Parole Board may extend the stated prison term under O.R.C. § 2929.19(A)(3)(b)."
The record in this case shows that appellant was charged by information in the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas on November 20, 1998 for escape, a violation of R.C.
"I know any prison term stated will be the term served without good time credit. If I commit a crime in prison, the parole board could increase my prison time in 15, 30, 60 or 90 day increments or up to 50% of my term. After prison release, I may have up to 3 or 5 years of post-release control. If I violate post-release control conditions, I could be returned to prison for up to another nine months."
On November 24, 1999, the trial court filed a judgment entry accepting appellant's guilty plea and finding him guilty of escape. The court also ordered a pre-sentence investigation report.
On February 25, 1999, the trial court filed a judgment entry in which it said:
"The Court has considered the record, oral statements, any victim impact statement and presentence report prepared, as well as the principles and purposes of sentencing under Ohio Revised Code Section
2929.11 , and has balanced the seriousness and recidivism factors under Ohio Revised Code2929.12 . The Court finds that the more serious factors out weigh [sic] the less serious factors and that the Defendant is more likely to commit future crimes than less likely to commit future crimes."
The court noted, pursuant to R.C.
In support of his first assignment of error, appellant argues that the record does not support the findings made by the trial court to explain its decision to order appellant to serve the maximum sentence for his crime. Specifically, appellant says that the trial court did not impose the maximum sentence because of the seriousness of appellant's crime. He argues that R.C.
In support of his argument that two requirements must be met before a maximum sentence can be imposed by a trial court pursuant to R.C.
"`(C) The court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony may impose the longest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section only upon offenders who committed the worst forms of the offense [and] upon offenders who pose the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes.'" Id.
A review of the remainder of the opinion shows that the trial court in that case considered and cited two factors as support for its decision to impose the maximum sentence on the defendant in that case. Id. at 722. On appeal, the defendant argued that the maximum sentence should not have been imposed in his case. The appellate court therefore considered both factors cited by the trial court and included both factors in its quote of R.C.
R.C.
"Except as provided in division (G) of this section or in Chapter 2925. of the Revised Code, the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony may impose the longest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section only upon offenders who committed the worst forms of the offense, upon offenders who pose the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes, upon certain major drug offenders under division (D)(3) of this section, and upon certain repeat violent offenders in accordance with division (D)(2) of this section."
When the entire section is read, the only conclusion that can be reached is that the legislature intended to authorize trial courts to impose a maximum sentence on persons who met one or more of the factors listed in the section. Accordingly, the State v.Gerrard court would have more accurately reflected the true meaning of the section if it had added in the conjunction "or" rather than the conjunction "and" when it quoted a shortened version of R.C.
In support of his second assignment of error, appellant argues: "Under §
The statutory provisions to which appellant refers provide in pertinent part:
"(3) Subject to division (B)(4) of this section, if the sentencing court determines at the sentencing hearing that a prison term is necessary or required, the court shall do all of the following:
"(a) Impose a stated prison term;
"(b) Notify the offender that the parole board may extend the stated prison term if the offender commits any criminal offense under the laws of this state or the United States while serving the prison term, that the extension will be done administratively as part of the offender's sentence in accordance with section
2967.11 of the Revised Code and may be for thirty, sixty, or ninety days for each violation, that all extensions of any stated prison term for all violations during the course of the term may not exceed one-half of the term's duration, and that the sentence so imposed automatically includes any extension of the stated prison term by the parole board;
"* * *
"(d) Subject to division (B)(4) of this section, if the offender is being sentenced for a felony of the third, fourth, or fifth degree that is not subject to division (B)(3)(c) of this section, notify the offender that a period of post-release control pursuant to section
2967.28 of the Revised Code may be imposed following the offender's release from prison."(e) Notify the offender that, if a period of post-release control is imposed following the offender's release from prison, as described in division (B)(3)(c) or (d) of this section, and if the offender violates a post-release control sanction imposed as a component of the post-release control including the mandatory condition described in division (A) of section
2967.121 [2967.12.1] of the Revised Code, all of the following apply:"(i) The adult parole authority or the parole board may impose a more restrictive post-release control sanction.
"(ii) The parole board may increase the duration of the post-release control subject to a specified maximum.
"(iii) The more restrictive sanction that the parole board may impose may consist of a prison term, provided that the prison term cannot exceed nine months and the maximum cumulative prison term so imposed for all violations during the period of post-release control cannot exceed one-half of the stated prison term originally imposed upon the offender.
"(iv) If the violation of the sanction is a felony, the offender may be prosecuted for the felony and, in addition to any sentence it imposes on the offender for the new felony, the court may impose a prison term, subject to a specified maximum, for the violation." R.C.
2929.19 (B)(3)(a)(b) (d)(e)(i)(ii)(iii) and (iv).
Our research shows three of our sister courts of appeals have considered the above quoted statutory provisions to decide whether a trial court must give a defendant notification at the sentencing hearing of post-conviction penalties that can be imposed.
On March 18, 1998, the Third District Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court did not commit any error at the sentencing hearing. State v. Perkins (Mar. 18, 1998), Hancock App. No. 5-97-32, unreported. The Perkins court quoted extensively from an exchange between the trial court and the defendant at the time the defendant entered his guilty plea. The transcript quoted showed the trial court carefully explained all the postconviction issues that are contained in R.C.
On June 18, 1998, the Eighth District Court of Appeals considered a case in which the appellant challenged the procedure at the sentencing hearing. State v. Davis (June 18, 1998), Cuyahoga App. No. 72820, unreported. In that case, the state conceded that the sentence should be vacated and the case should be remanded for resentencing "`for the limited purpose of notification in accordance with R.C.
On April 19, 1999, the Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court had substantially complied with the notification requirements. State v. Jackson (Apr. 19, 1999), Stark App. No. 1998CA00262, unreported. In that case, the appellate court acknowledged that the statute required notification to the defendant, but said the statute did not specify the manner of notification. The appellate court then quoted the following from the trial court's sentencing judgment entry:
"`The Court has notified the defendant that bad time may be imposed by the Parole Board under Revised Code Section2967.11 for certain rule violations committed while in prison. The defendant is ordered to serve as part of this sentence any bad time imposed."`The Court has further notified the defendant that post release control is mandatory in this case up to a maximum of three (3) years, as well as the consequences for violating conditions of post release control imposed by the Parole Board under Revised Code Section
2967.28 . The defendant is ordered to serve as part of this sentence any term of post release control imposed by the Parole Board, and any prison term for violation of that post release control.'" Id.
The Fifth District Court of Appeals then ruled:
"Under the general principles of law, a court only speaks through its record. * * * Upon review, we find the record sub judice sufficiently meets the requirements of R.C.2929.19 (B)(3) [sic] therefore, there is no need for resentencing on this matter." Id. (Citations omitted.) One judge dissented from the holding, saying she would remand the case for resentencing so that the trial court could comply with the notification requirements. Id. (Edwards, J. dissenting).
We have carefully considered all of the above rulings and the statutory provisions in question. We agree with the approach adopted by the Third District Court of Appeals. However, because our record is not as complete as the record in that case1 and, more importantly, because the trial court in our case did not make any reference to any prior discussion of the postconviction issues at the time of the sentencing hearing, we find that the record in this case does not support a finding that the trial court satisfied the notice requirements of R.C.
The sentence imposed by the trial court in this case is vacated, and this case is remanded for resentencing, so that the trial court can comply with the requirements of R.C.
JUDGMENT REVERSED IN PART AND AFFIRMED IN PART.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27. See, also, 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 4, amended 1/1/98.
Peter M. Handwork, P.J. Mark L. Pietrykowski, J.
CONCUR.
James R. Sherck, J., dissents.
Dissenting Opinion
I respectfully disagree with the majority's conclusion with respect to the second assignment of error. The record reveals a written acknowledgment by appellant that he was informed of the "bad time" provisions of the sentencing statute at the plea hearing. In my view, this document is sufficient to put the burden upon appellant to demonstrate that he did not receive the requisite warning at the plea hearing. Since appellant offered nothing to contradict this document, I would find the trial court substantially complied with the statute.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.