State v. Presta, Unpublished Decision (9-18-2000)
State v. Presta, Unpublished Decision (9-18-2000)
Opinion of the Court
Appellant abducted an eight-year-old boy on October 12, 1999. Appellant forced the boy into the woods and attempted to engage in anal sex with him. Appellant was indicted on one count of kidnapping and one count of attempted rape.
Upon the advice of counsel, appellant pled guilty to charges of abduction (the reduced charge of kidnapping) and attempted rape. Appellant was sentenced to three years in prison on the abduction charge and four years in prison on the attempted rape charge to be served consecutively to each other. This sentence was an agreed sentence, which was recommended jointly by the appellant and the prosecution pursuant to R.C.
Before sentencing appellant, the trial court advised appellant of his rights. Appellant asked the trial court whether he would be eligible for judicial release, and the trial court informed him that he would not be eligible for judicial release until he had served at least five years of his sentence. Appellant indicated that he understood the proposed agreement and signed a form stating that he was entering a guilty plea.
Subsequently, appellant was also adjudicated a sexual predator. Appellant appeals, raising two assignments of error for our review.
Assignment of Error No. 1:
APPELLANT CANNOT BE CONVICTED OF BOTH COUNT ONE AND COUNT TWO OF THE INDICTMENT BECAUSE THEY ARE ALLIED OFFENSES OF SIMILAR IMPORT PURSUANT TO R.C.
2941.25 .
In his first assignment of error, appellant argues that his convictions violate R.C.
When determining whether offenses are of similar import, the statutorily defined elements of the offenses are to be compared in the abstract. State v. Rance (1999),
Appellant was convicted of abduction under R.C.
Comparing the elements of the crimes, we find that they do not correspond to such a degree that the commission of one crime will result in the commission of the other. Abduction under R.C.
Moreover, our review of a negotiated felony sentence is governed by R.C.
Therefore, we find that appellant's claim that his sentence violates R.C.
Assignment of Error No. 2:
APPELLANT WAS DENIED DUE PROCESS IN THAT HE WAS NOT PROVIDED EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL AT THE PLEA HEARING.
In his second assignment of error, appellant contends that he suffered from ineffective assistance of counsel at his plea hearing. Appellant insists that it was ineffective assistance of counsel for his counsel to agree to a sentence that contained offenses that appellant contends were allied offenses of similar import.
To demonstrate a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must first show that under the circumstances, counsel's representation did not meet the objective standard of reasonable competence. Second, a defendant must show that he was prejudiced at trial as a result of this deficiency. Strickland v. Washington
(1984),
In this case, appellant cannot show ineffective assistance of counsel because he cannot show deficient representation or prejudice. As discussed above, abduction under R.C.
As a result of the negotiated plea agreement, appellant's kidnapping charge (a first degree felony) was reduced to an abduction charge (a third degree felony). Appellant abducted and attempted to rape an eight-year-old boy. Appellant was sentenced to seven years in prison, with the possibility of judicial release after five years. We cannot say that appellant's counsel was ineffective in this case. The second assignment of error is without merit.
YOUNG, P.J., and WALSH, J., concur.
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