State v. Miller, Unpublished Decision (2-28-2000)
State v. Miller, Unpublished Decision (2-28-2000)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Defendant-appellant Michael Miller appeals from the September 29, 1999, Judgment Entry of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas adjudicating him a sexual predator as defined in R.C.". . . did engage in sexual conduct with Randy Ramsey, not his/her spouse, the said Randy Ramsey being less than 13 years of age or did aid or abet each other in so doing.
. . . did as a continuous course of conduct from on or about September 1, 1989, to on or about March 12, 1990 have sexual contact with Randy Ramsey, Mandy Ramsey, and Eve Ramsey not his/her spouse, the said Mandy Ramsey, Randy Ramsey, and Eve Ramsey being less than thirteen years of age or did aid or abet each other in so doing.
. . . did as a continuous course of conduct from on or about September 1, 1989 to on or about March 12, 1990 disseminate, provide, exhibit or present to a juvenile, to wit: Mandy Ramsey, Randy Ramsey, and Eve Ramsey material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles and/or allow said juveniles, said material or performance involved is obscene and said juvenile being under 13 years of age."
Pursuant to a Judgment Entry filed on July 26, 1990, the State of Ohio's oral motion to merge three counts of gross sexual imposition as contained in Counts 2, 3, and 4 of the indictment into one count of gross sexual imposition as contained in Count 2 was granted. The same day, the trial court granted the State of Ohio's motion to amend the charge of rape as contained in Count 1 of the indictment to a charge of sexual battery in violation of R.C.
Following a H.B. 180 hearing held on September 27, 1999, the trial court found appellant to be a sexual predator subject to all the requirements of R.C. Chapter 2950. It is from the trial court's September 29, 1999 Judgment Entry adjudicating him a sexual predator that appellant prosecutes his appeal, raising the following assignments of error:
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I
THE TRIAL ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S [SIC] MOTION TO DISMISS THE HOUSE BILL 180 (HEREINAFTER H.B. 180) PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HIM ON EX POST FACTO GROUNDS.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR II
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS THE H.B. 180 PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HIM ON RETROACTIVE APPLICATION GROUNDS.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR III
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS THE H.B. 180 PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HIM ON DOUBLE JEOPARDY GROUNDS.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR IV
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS BECAUSE H.B. 180 IS UNCONSTITUTIONALLY VAGUE.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR V
THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN CLASSIFYING APPELLANT AS A PREDATOR WITHOUT A RECORD OF CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE FINDING.
(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.
At the sexual predator hearing in the case sub judice, the State presented evidence that appellant, who was then twenty four years old, had engaged in oral sex with three young children. In addition, appellant had performed sexual acts, including fondling and oral sex, with his wife, the childrens' mother, in front of the children. The three children, who were appellant's stepchildren, were between the ages of eight and eleven at the time. Appellant's sexual abuse of the three children continued for approximately six months. The trial court, in its September 29, 1999, Judgment Entry adjudicating appellant a sexual predator, specifically found that "the defendant's age, multiple victims, the age of the multiple victims, the fact that this offender required the three children to engage in sexual activity with the childrens' natural mother in his presence, the type of activity the children were involved in, constituted clear and convincing evidence that the defendant shall be designated a sexual predator." We find that the trial court considered the elements set forth in R.C.
The judgment of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed.
_______________________________ READER, V.J.
FARMER, P.J. and WISE, J. CONCURS.
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