State v. Peters, Unpublished Decision (5-13-1999)
State v. Peters, Unpublished Decision (5-13-1999)
Opinion of the Court
Defendant Michael T. Peters appeals a judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Licking County, Ohio, which overruled his request to correct his sentence. Appellant assigns a single error to the trial court:
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR
THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED HARMFUL ERROR IN FAILING TO GIVE THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANT CREDIT AGAINST THE IMPOSED PRISON SENTENCE FOR TIME SERVED AT THE COMMUNITY BASED CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.
The record indicates appellant was convicted on October 1, 1996, on one count of felony fleeing. The trial court determined community control sanctions were appropriate. Thereafter, appellant failed to comply with the non-residential sanctions and the court determined residential sanctions were appropriate. Appellant enrolled in the Licking/Muskingum Community Base Correctional Facility Rehabilitation Program on May 9, 1996. He successfully completed the program and returned to supervision with nonresidential sanctions. Appellant again failed to comply with the non-residential sanctions and appellee filed a motion to revoke his probation.
On July 17, 1998, the court found appellant had violated the terms and conditions of his community control sanctions. The court revoked appellant's community control and sentenced him to one year in prison. The court granted appellant credit for days spent awaiting trial, but did not give him any credit for the days he was confined in the community based correctional facility. This appeal ensued.
This court has previously had occasion to consider the issue of jail time credit for periods of time spent in rehabilitation programs and community control facilities. In State v. Jones
(1997),
This court has also had occasion to consider the same issue of credit for time served after the Revised Code had been amended. In State v. Snowder (August 19, 1998), Licking App. No. 98CA22, unreported, this court held the changes in the statute did not change the status of a person placed in a CBCF facility. We noted the nature of the facility is the determinative issue, and the changes in the statue did not make our earlier holdings inapplicable.
In its judgment entry of September 29, 1998, the trial court found its decision not to give appellant credit for time served is not in conflict with Snowder, supra. The court found the fact a defendant was previously under detention does not require the court to give the defendant credit for time in detention. The court found instead the amendment of the statute to delete the credit for time served in a community-based correctional facility was a clear indication the Ohio State Legislature intended to no longer permit jail-time credit for such programs. We do not agree. The State asserts we must presume an amendment is made to a statute in order to change the effect and operation of the law, Lynch v. Gallia CountyBoard of Commissioners (1997),
In U.S. v. Benz (1931),
The issue here is not a question of crediting pre-trial time served. Here, the appellant was in detention because he was found guilty and sentenced to detention. Not crediting him with credit for time already served on his sentence results in his serving a longer sentence than the court originally ordered. This is unconstitutional, Beny, supra. The issue here, quite simply is whether the appellant is in detention while in community control. Compare State v. Faulkner (1995),
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Licking County, Ohio, is reversed, and the cause is remanded to that court for further proceedings in accord with law and consistent with this opinion.
By Gwin, P.J., Hoffman, J., and Farmer, J., concur
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For the reasons stated in the Memorandum-Opinion on file, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Licking County, Ohio, is reversed, and the cause is remanded to that court for further proceedings in accord with applicable law and consistent with this opinion. Costs to appellee.
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Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.