State v. O'connor, Unpublished Decision (4-8-1999)
State v. O'connor, Unpublished Decision (4-8-1999)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Defendant-appellant Harry O'Connor appeals from the judgment of the trial court which found him to be a sexual predator. On appeal, O'Connor raises ten assignments of error, nine of which challenge the constitutionality of Ohio's sexual predator law. The first argument was addressed and rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court, State v. Cook (1998),O'Connor's first assignment of error states:
Assignments of error number two and four through ten raise other constitutional arguments as follows:
II. THE SEXUAL PREDATOR HEARING IN THE CASE AT BAR VIOLATED APPELLANT'S DUE PROCESS RIGHTS, GUARANTEED BY THE UNITED STATES AND OHIO CONSTITUTION [sic], WHEN THE HEARING FAILED TO COMPORT WITH THE MANDATES OF "RIGHT TO CROSS-EXAMINE" THE EVIDENCE AGAINST APPELLANT.
IV. APPLICATION OF H.B. 180 IN THE CASE AT BAR VIOLATES THE EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE OF THE
FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.V. APPLICATION OF THE "CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE" STANDARD IN APPELLANT'S H.B. 180 HEARING VIOLATES EQUAL PROTECTION, GUARANTEED BY THE
FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, AND DUE PROCESS, GUARANTEED BY THEFIFTH ANDFOURTEENTH AMENDMENT'S TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.VI. H.B. 180 IS VOID FOR VAGUENESS SINCE IT COMPELS A COURT TO MAKE A PREPONDERANCE DETERMINATION BASED UPON CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE.
VII. H.B. 180 IS AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL BILL OF ATTAINDER.
VIII. H.B. 180 AS APPLIED TO APPELLANT, CONSTITUTES DOUBLE JEOPARDY, IN VIOLATION OF THE
FIFTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ART.I , SEC.10 , OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.IX. THE PUBLIC NOTIFICATION PROVISIONS OF H.B. 180, AS APPLIED TO APPELLANT, VIOLATE APPELLANT'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PRIVACY.
X. H.B. 180, WITH ITS LEGISLATED STIGMA OF PUBLIC NOTIFICATION, CONSTITUTES CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT, IN VIOLATION OF THE
EIGHTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ART.I , SEC.9 , OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.
In State v. Ward (Jan. 28, 1999), Cuyahoga App. No. 72371, unreported, this court, relying upon State v. Cook, supra, rejected the identical argument raised in each one of these assignments. We agree with Wards analysis of these issues and overrule the above eight assignments of error.
O'Connor's third assignment of error states:
The record in this case reflects that following a jury trial, O'Connor was convicted on August 31, 1983, of two counts of aggravated burglary, R.C.
In his direct appeal, this court reversed O'Connor's conviction on one count of aggravated burglary for insufficient evidence but otherwise affirmed the remainder of his convictions. State v.O'Connor (May 28, 1984), Cuyahoga App. No. 47549, unreported.
Pursuant to R.C.
"Sexual predator" is defined as "a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing a sexually oriented offense and is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses." R.C.
To determine whether O'Connor is a sexual predator, R.C.
In the course of the statement I will summarize this in detail by the defendant basically stalking the victim in this case, who was his ex-wife; breaking into her home, and over the course of a ten-hour period, basically terrorizing her, strangling her until she passed out, repeatedly raped her and beating her. When the defendant passed out, she was able to leave the home and seek help.
(Tr. 5-6.)
Neither the prosecutor nor O'Connor offered any information relevant to determining whether O'Connor should be adjudicated a sexual predator.2 By design or default, the trial court marshaled the evidence it presumably considered appropriate and declared O'Connor to be a sexual predator.
There is no indication that the trial court considered the factors enumerated in R.C.
(a) O'Connor was 33 years old on the date of the crimes in June 1983 and was almost 48 years old at the time of his sexual predator hearing in December 1997.
(b) Nothing in the record reflects whether O'Connor had a prior criminal record of any kind.
(c) The victim, who was O'Connor's ex-wife, appears to have been 27 years old on the date of the offenses in 1983.
(d) The offenses did not involve multiple victims.
(e) It does not appear from the record that O'Connor used drugs or alcohol to impair the victim or to prevent the victim from resisting.
(f) We have no information that indicates whether O'Connor completed any prior sentence or whether O'Connor participated in any programs available for sexual offenders.
(g) We have no information to indicate whether O'Connor has any mental illness or mental disability.
(h) With regard to the nature of O'Connor's sexual conduct with the victim, the facts3 are as follows: O'Connor broke into the home of his ex-wife, grabbed her arm, and told her that they were going to talk. After exchanging harsh words for 10 or 15 minutes, O'Connor became angry and grabbed the victim by her throat. She fell to the floor and O'Connor struck her. He then forced the victim into a bedroom and compelled her to have vaginal intercourse. O'Connor obtained a knife from the kitchen and, holding it to the victim's throat, forced her to have intercourse three more times. O'Connor fell asleep and his victim was able to escape to call the police.
Apart from the facts of the underlying crimes, we have no other information as to whether the sexual conduct was part of a demonstrated pattern of abuse.
(i) This evidence does suggest that O'Connor displayed cruelty or made one or more threats of cruelty during the commission of the sexually oriented offenses.
(j) We have no information as to any additional behavioral characteristics that contribute to O'Connor s conduct.
After having reviewed the record before us, we have doubts as to whether the trial court considered the factors enumerated in R.C.
We have no doubt that there may be times when the circumstances of an underlying sexually oriented offense may tend to suggest that the offender is likely to commit such offenses in the future. But while the evidence in this case shows that O'Connor committed sexually oriented offenses, it does not necessarily establish by clear and convincing evidence that O'Connor is more likely than not predisposed to commit another sexually oriented offense. See State v. Ward, supra, at p. 13. As we said in Ward:
[S]imply committing a single sexually oriented offense is not proof, without further evidence or other compelling facts, that the offender is "likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses." Had the legislature intended [that result], it would have done away with the hearing and weighing of evidence and simply classified any person committing a sexually oriented offense as a sexual predator.
Ward, at p. 12. Moreover, as we also said in Ward, "the statute is not "one strike and you're out." Id.
Because the record in this case does not show by clear and convincing evidence that O'Connor was "likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses," R.C.
The third assignment of error is well taken.
Judgment vacated.
This cause is vacated.
It is, therefore, ordered that appellant recover of appellee his costs herein taxed.
It is ordered that a special mandate be sent to said court to carry this judgment into execution.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
DIANE KARPINSKI, JUDGE.
JAMES M. PORTER. A.J., and
ANNE L. KILBANE. J., CONCUR.
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