State v. Lenegar, Unpublished Decision (2-3-1999)
State v. Lenegar, Unpublished Decision (2-3-1999)
Opinion of the Court
Appellant John Lenegar sold a $50 bag of crack cocaine to an informant working with the Vinton County Sheriff's Department. This transaction resulted in appellant's conviction for fifth-degree felony drug trafficking. The trial court sentenced appellant to the maximum term of twelve months imprisonment without explaining its reasons for imposing the maximum sentence. Appellant challenges the guilty verdict and the trial court's imposition of the maximum prison term. We affirm the guilty verdict, but vacate appellant's sentence because the court failed to adequately state its reasons for imposing the maximum prison term.
I. "THE TRIAL COURT DECISION TO CONVICT THE APPELLANT IS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE."
II. "THE ALLEGED PURCHASE WAS CONTRARY TO R.C.
3719.141 AND HENCE WAS A VIOLATION OF THE APPELLANT'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS."III. "THE TRIAL COURT SENTENCE IS CONTRARY TO R.C. SECTION
2929.14 AND 2929.19(B)."
In June 1997, Teresa Reed contacted the Vinton County Sheriff's Department and volunteered to act as an informant by purchasing drugs from appellant. The Sheriff's Department accepted Reed's offer and summoned her to the station. Reed's history of using crack apparently was known to members of the Sheriff's Department.
Before sending Reed to purchase drugs from appellant, Deputy Carolyn Brown searched Reed's person. Brown emptied Reed's pockets and conducted a pat-down search. The search revealed nothing in Reed's possession. Brown also searched Reed's car and found nothing inside. Satisfied that nothing was in Reed's possession, Brown and Deputy Rodney Hamilton gave Reed $50 in cash to purchase drugs from appellant.
Following the searches and Reed's receipt of the cash, Reed and Brown drove to appellant's home in Hamden. While Brown waited in the car, Reed knocked on appellant's door and went inside the home. Reed told appellant she had $50 and asked if he had any drugs to sell. With little conversation or negotiation, appellant handed Reed a bag containing less than one gram of crack cocaine. Reed handed to appellant the $50 that Deputies Brown and Hamilton had given to her. Following the purchase, Reed returned to her car and handed Brown the bag she had bought from appellant. Reed was in appellant's home for approximately five minutes.
The Vinton County Grand Jury indicted appellant for one count of selling a controlled substance, in violation of R.C.
The trial court found appellant guilty of drug trafficking, a fifth-degree felony. In its judgment entry, the court listed five specific findings of fact supporting its verdict:
"1. The element of venue was firmly established.
"2. Deputy Carolyn Brown sufficiently searched Theresa Reed, the person who made the controlled purchase, prior to Theresa Reed entering the residence of John Lenegar to make the controlled purchase.
"3. Theresa Reed was a credible witness.
"4. Concerning the crack cocaine, the chain of evidence was properly established.
"5. Michael Webb did not have personal knowledge concerning trustworthiness of Theresa Reed."
The trial court referred the matter for a pre-sentence investigation. At appellant's sentencing hearing, the prosecution relied upon the pre-sentence investigation and recommended a prison term "anywhere from 6 months to 12 months." The prosecutor made no specific reference to any prior offenses appellant had committed. Appellant's counsel agreed that "we think the PSI speaks for itself," but requested that the trial court impose community control sanctions, rather than imprisonment. The defense contended that appellant did not pose a likelihood of recidivism, arguing that appellant's last "drug related offense" was in 1989. Defense counsel also argued that appellant's "drug addiction" was a disease and that counseling and community sanctions would therefore be more appropriate than prison. After hearing from counsel, the trial court imposed a sentence of twelve months imprisonment, the maximum term for a fifth-degree felony. The trial court gave no reasons at the sentencing hearing for imposing the maximum term. In its sentencing entry, however, the court stated in part:
"For reasons stated on the record, and after considering the factors under [R.C.
2929.12 ], the Court also finds that a community control sanction is inconsistent with the purposes and principles of sentencing in [R.C.2929.11 .]"The Court finds for the reasons stated on the record pursuant to [R.C.
2929.14 (C)] that the Defendant poses the greatest likelihood of recidivism."IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Defendant serve a stated prison term of twelve (12) months in prison."
Following the court's sentencing entry, appellant commenced this appeal.
A reviewing court will not overturn a conviction where there exists substantial evidence upon which the trier of fact could reasonably conclude that all elements of an offense have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Eskridge (1988),
Appellant's argument for reversal focuses on the credibility of Reed as a drug informant.1 Appellant emphasizes that Reed was an admitted crack addict and that the sheriff's department did not have sufficient knowledge of her credibility. Finally, appellant argues that Deputy Brown conducted only a "frisk" search of appellant prior to her controlled drug purchase from appellant. With no eyewitnesses to Reed's drug buy, appellant implies that Reed could have possessed the crack prior to entering the house. Therefore, appellant argues that he was improperly convicted for selling crack to Reed.
According to Reed's testimony, she asked appellant if he had any drugs to sell for $50 and that appellant gave her a bag of crack. Moreover, Deputy Brown testified that her search of Reed revealed nothing in Reed's possession. Further, Brown testified that the frisk search she conducted prior to the drug purchase would have revealed a small piece of crack such as the one Reed said she purchased from appellant. The trial court expressly found Reed to be credible and found that the defense's lone witness had no knowledge of Reed's reputation for truthfulness. The trial court clearly believed Brown's testimony that her search of Reed was sufficient to have found any contraband Reed was attempting to conceal. This finding leads to the inference that Reed purchased crack from appellant and gave the very same crack to Brown following her return from appellant's house. Credibility and weight of the evidence are primarily questions for the trier of fact. Garrow,
R.C.
To determine whether R.C.
The plain statutory language convincingly demonstrates that R.C.
Rather than recognize the difference between the act of "purchasing" and the act of "selling," appellant refers us to R.C.
Appellant's focus on the word "sale" is misplaced. The fact that a "sale" took place in the case sub judice does not trigger R.C.
An appellate court will not reverse a sentence unless the court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the sentence is unsupported by the record or contrary to law. See R.C.
Sentencing for fifth-degree drug trafficking involves consideration of the various tests set forth in R.C. Chapter 2929. See R.C.
R.C.
* * * in determining whether to impose a prison term as a sanction for a * * * felony drug offense that is a violation of a provision of Chapter 2925. of the Revised Code and that is specified as being subject to this division for purposes of sentencing, the sentencing court shall comply with the purposes and principles of sentencing under section
2929.11 of the Revised Code and with section2929.12 of the Revised Code.
This section provides no presumption either in favor of or against imprisonment. See Griffin Katz, Ohio Felony Sentencing Law (1998 ed.) 443. The court is obliged to consider general principles and guidelines of Ohio sentencing law in determining the appropriate punishment. The sentencing court is guided first by the dual purposes of sentencing set forth in R.C.
Appellant claims that the trial court erroneously weighed the R.C.
R.C.
(D) The sentencing court shall consider all of the following that apply regarding the offender, and any other relevant factors, as factors indicating that the offender is likely to commit future crimes:
(1) At the time of committing the offense, the offender was under a release from confinement before trial or sentencing, under sanction imposed pursuant to section
2929.16 ,2929.17 , or2929.18 of the Revised Code, or under post-release control pursuant to section2967.28 or any other provision of the Revised Code for an earlier offense.(2) The offender previously was adjudicated a delinquent child pursuant to Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, or the offender has a history of criminal convictions.
(3) The offender has not been rehabilitated to a satisfactory degree after previously being adjudicated a delinquent child pursuant to Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, or the offender has not responded favorably to sanctions previously imposed for criminal convictions.
(4) The offender has demonstrated a pattern of drug or alcohol abuse that is related to the offense, and the offender refuses to acknowledge that the offender has demonstrated that pattern, or the offender refuses treatment for the drug or alcohol abuse. (5) The offender shows no genuine remorse for the offense.
(E) The sentencing court shall consider all of the following that apply regarding the offender, and any other relevant factors, as factors indicating that the offender is not likely to commit future crimes:
(1) Prior to committing the offense, the offender had not been adjudicated a delinquent child.
(2) Prior to committing the offense, the offender had not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a criminal offense.
(3) Prior to committing the offense, the offender had led a law-abiding life for a significant number of years.
(4) The offense was committed under circumstances not likely to recur.
(5) The offender shows genuine remorse for the offense.5
Appellant emphasizes that he had never been adjudicated a delinquent child, that his last conviction had come nine years prior to the one involved in this case, and that he had enrolled in a drug treatment program. Nevertheless, there is support in the record for the trial court's decision to imprison. The transcript from the sentencing hearing acknowledges appellant's prior drug-related conviction in 1989. Further, the trial court rejected appellant's argument that he had merely fallen back into the snares of his drug addiction, which had been the reason for his previous conviction. The trial court emphasized that the instant conviction was "for trafficking into drugs [and] not drug abuse." The court was well within its discretion to decide that the present offense demonstrated that prior sanctions had not worked favorably and that prison was therefore appropriate. Moreover, notwithstanding appellant's assertion that he was enrolling in a drug treatment program, the trial court could have concluded that appellant had demonstrated a pattern of drug abuse that he had refused to acknowledge. The record thus supports the trial court's determination that imprisonment was an appropriate sanction. See State v. Fincher, supra (prison term appropriate so long as record as a whole, including transcript of sentencing hearing, supports determination that prison term was consistent with purpose of sentencing). Appellant has not clearly and convincingly demonstrated otherwise.
Appellant also challenges the trial court's imposition of the maximum sentence for fifth-degree felonies. R.C.
The court's sentencing entry stated: "The Court findsfor the reasons stated on the record pursuant to [R.C.
We note that the parties and the trial court's sentencing entry make specific reference to the pre-sentence investigation conducted by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. The trial court was required to consider the pre-sentence investigation in making its sentencing determination. R.C.
In sum, the record supports the trial court's decision to impose a prison sanction. However, the record fails to support the imposition of the maximum sentence. We therefore sustain
The Court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this Court directing the Vinton County Common Pleas Court to carry this judgment into execution.
Any stay previously granted by this Court is hereby terminated as of the date of this Entry.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure. Exceptions.
Abele, J. and Kline, J.: Concur in Judgment and Opinion.
For the Court
BY: ________________________ William H. Harsha, Judge
(1) A peace officer may sell any controlled substance in the performance of the officer's official duties if all of the following apply:
(a) Prior approval for the sale has been given by the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the sale takes place * * *.
* * *
(g) Prior to the sale, the law enforcement agency served by the peace officer who makes the sale has adopted a written internal control policy * * *. (Emphasis added.)
(a) Whether the offender caused physical harm to a person in committing the crime.
(b) Whether the offender attempted or threatened physical harm to a person with a deadly weapon in committing the crime.
(c) Whether the offender attempted or threatened physical harm to a person in committing the crime while having been previously convicted of a crime causing physical harm to a person.
(d) Whether the offender either: held a public office or position of trust; held a position obliging the offender to prevent the offense; had a professional reputation or position that facilitated the offense; or was likely to influence future conduct of other.
(e) Whether the offender committed the offense for hire or through organized criminal activity.
(f) Whether the offense was a sex offense.
(g) Whether the offender previously served a prison term.
(h) Whether the offender was previously subject to a community control sanction and committed another offense while subject to that sanction.
The court found none of these factors present. Even without finding one of these eight factors present, however, a trial court has the discretion to determine that a prison term is more consistent with the purposes of sentencing. See State v.Fincher (Oct. 14, 1997), Franklin App. No. 97APA03-352, unreported. This determination requires a consideration of factors in R.C.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.