State v. Washington, Unpublished Decision (4-19-2000)
State v. Washington, Unpublished Decision (4-19-2000)
Opinion of the Court
In his fifth assignment of error, Washington contends that the trial court erred in accepting his plea when it was not knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently made. Our review of the record shows that the trial court strictly complied with the provisions of Crim.R. 11(C) by orally informing Washington of the constitutional rights he would waive by pleading guilty, and that the court substantially complied with the rule in all other respects. See State v. Ballard (1981),
Washington contends that his plea was coerced because the trial court informed him that it would have no discretion in sentencing him, and that he could have received a term of to fifteen years to life if he were convicted of murder as charged in the indictment. However, the record shows that the trial court was simply informing Washington of what the law provides, and that the court's statement was not an attempt to coerce him into pleading guilty. Simply entering a plea to avoid a more severe penalty does not render the plea involuntary. State v. Stone (1975),
Washington further contends that his statements at the plea hearing indicate that the plea was not knowingly and voluntarily made. He stated that he could not "fight a dragon with a toothpick" and that he was just "going with the flow" rather than face a substantial prison term. When asked if he understood the rights that he was waiving by pleading guilty, he stated that he was aware of his rights. He then added, "but it seems as though, I wouldn't get them anyway." At that point, the trial court assured Washington at length that his rights would be respected. The court specifically stated that it needed to be sure that Washington understood his rights and that he waived them voluntarily because some of his responses had been "kind of conditional." Washington stated unequivocally that he understood and voluntarily waived his rights.
In sum, the record demonstrates that the trial court conducted a meaningful dialogue with Washington to determine whether his guilty plea was made knowingly and voluntarily. SeeState v. Nero (1990),
In his first assignment of error, Washington contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. By entering a guilty plea, the accused waives the right to claim on appeal that his counsel was ineffective, except to the extent the alleged defects in counsel's performance caused the plea to be less than knowing and voluntary. State v. Barnett (1991),
In his second, third and fourth assignments of error, Washington contends that the trial court erred in overruling his motion to suppress evidence the police obtained in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights and his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. In his sixth assignment of error, he argues that the trial court erred in allowing the prosecutor to pursue a line of questioning during the hearing on his motion to suppress. However, a guilty plea effectively waives all appealable errors, unless the defendant shows that the errors precluded him from knowingly and voluntarily entering the plea. See State v. Kelly (1991),
In his seventh assignment of error, Washington argues that the trial court improperly convicted him of the firearm specification due to insufficient evidence. However, a counseled guilty plea is an admission of factual guilt so reliable that it removes the issue of factual guilt from the case. Wilson, supra;Huber Hts., supra. By entering the plea, the accused is not simply stating that he engaged in the acts described in the indictment. He admits guilt of a substantive crime. UnitedStates v. Broce (1989),
DOAN and PAINTER, JJ.______________________________ HILDEBRANDT, PRESIDING JUDGE
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.