State v. Townsley, Unpublished Decision (5-24-1999)
State v. Townsley, Unpublished Decision (5-24-1999)
Opinion of the Court
Defendant-appellant Lewis E. Townsley appeals the June 16, 1998, Judgment Entry of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas adjudicating him a sexual predator as defined in R.C. Section
Appellant, on April 20, 1992, entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. On June 17, 1992, appellant entered a plea of guilty to one count of rape in violation of R.C.
After the enactment of Ohio's version of Megan's Law, R.C. Chapter 2950, a hearing to determine appellant's status as a sexual predator under R.C.
It is from such adjudication that appellant prosecutes this appeal, raising the following assignment of error:
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING APPELLANT A SEXUAL PREDATOR.
In State v. Cook (1998),
R.C.
(2) In making a determination under divisions (B)(1) and (3) of this section as to whether an offender is a sexual predator, the judge shall consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(a) The offender's age;
(b) The offender's prior criminal record regarding all offenses, including, but not limited to, all sexual offenses;
(c) The age of the victim of the sexually oriented offense for which sentence is to be imposed;
(d) Whether the sexually oriented offense for which sentence is to be imposed involved multiple victims;
(e) Whether the offender used drugs or alcohol to impair the victim of the sexually oriented offense or to prevent the victim from resisting;
(f) If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any criminal offense, whether the offender completed any sentence imposed for the prior offense and, if the prior offense was a sex offense or a sexually oriented offense, whether the offender participated in available programs for sexual offenders;
(g) Any mental illness or mental disability of the offender;
(h) The nature of the offender's sexual conduct, sexual contact, or interaction in a sexual context with the victim of the sexually oriented offense and whether the sexual conduct, sexual contact, or interaction in a sexual context was part of a demonstrated pattern of abuse;
(i) Whether the offender, during the commission of the sexually oriented offense for which sentence is to be imposed, displayed cruelty or made one or more threats of cruelty;
(j) Any additional behavior characteristics that contribute to the offender's conduct.
After considering all relevant factors, the trial court could find the appellant to be a sexual predator if that was shown by clear and convincing evidence. R.C.
At the hearing, the trial court considered the above factors. The State presented the trial court with the judgment entry wherein appellant changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced, the Bill of Particulars and the sexual predator screening instrument prepared by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.1 The documentation produced at the hearing revealed that in 1990, appellant had been convicted of one count of corruption of a minor after he had had consensual sexual conduct with Amy Walters, the victim in this case, who was then thirteen years old. At such time, appellant was ordered to avoid further contact with minors, including the victim. However, in 1992, he proceeded to kidnap Ms. Walters at knife point, stab her and repeatedly force her to engage in sexual conduct with him. Ms. Walters was only able to escape from the appellant after being tied up in an abandoned house. In response to such evidence, Appellant, in turn, emphasized at the hearing that he had been involved in stress management and alcohol abuse programs and had maintained a clean record at the institution.
The fact that appellant, after his 1990 conviction for corruption of a thirteen year old, proceeded approximately two (2) years later to violently kidnap, stab and force the same young victim to engage in sexual conduct with him mitigates in favor of the trial court's decision. As the prosecutor stated during the hearing, appellant "continued . . . a demonstrated pattern of criminal conduct which culminated in this particular incident, . . ." Transcript of Proceedings at 11.
Accordingly, we find that the trial court considered the elements set forth in R.C.
Appellant's assignment of error is overruled.
The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Stark County, Ohio, is affirmed.
By Edwards, J., Wise, P.J. and Hoffman, J. concur
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For the reasons stated in the Memorandum-Opinion on file, the judgment of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed. Costs waived.
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Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.