State v. Bell, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2000)
State v. Bell, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2000)
Opinion of the Court
On May 6, 1999, as part of a negotiated plea agreement, appellant entered guilty pleas to three drug offenses arising from two separate cases. In case No. 98-CR-097, appellant entered guilty pleas to two of the five indicted offenses.
First, he entered a guilty plea to trafficking in less than one gram of crack cocaine in the vicinity of a juvenile. That offense was a violation of R.C. 2924.03(A), and a fourth degree felony. Next, appellant pled guilty to trafficking in crack cocaine, in an amount greater than one gram, but not more than five grams, in the presence of a juvenile. The second offense represented a violation of R.C.
Sentencing was set for August 2, 1999. The judge misspoke when imposing sentence during that hearing. The court ordered appellant to serve the felony four sentence of eighteen months and the felony five sentence of five years
consecutively to each other at one point, while later stating that the felony five sentence of twelve months would run concurrently with the other sentence. The maximum sentence for a felony of the fifth degree is twelve months in prison. R.C.
However, the trial court, after calling a recess after sentencing, went back on the record on August 2, 1999 to state the terms of "bad time" prison and post-release control penal ties. Three days later, the trial court conducted what it termed a "continuation of sentencing" hearing to correct its earlier misstatements regarding whether the length of the sentence for the felony five offense was one or five years and whether it would run consecutively or concurrently with the other sentences. During that continued hearing, the trial court noted that community control was not appropriate for appellant's fourth and fifth degree felony offenses, as required by R.C.
We sua sponte transfer this to our accelerated docket pursuant to 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 12(C) and render our decision.
In his first assignment of error, appellant summarily contends that the trial court erred by holding a second sentencing hearing to add the findings required by R.C.
However, that error is harmless where appellant did not object to the second "continuation hearing" where the trial court corrected that omission. In fact, appellant used the second hearing as an opportunity to present further mitigation arguments. Failure to object waives any argument on appeal absent plain error affecting a substantial right. State v.Slagle (1992),
Accordingly, appellant's first assignment of error is found not well-taken.
In his second assignment of error, appellant argues that the trial court erred by imposing sentence without informing him that the parole board may extend prison terms if appellant commits a criminal offense under state or federal law while serving the prison term as required by R.C.
At the continued hearing on August 5, 1999, the trial court advised appellant that the Parole Board could increase his prison terms for rules violations in incremental quantities:
"* * * I am required to advise you that when you arrive at the institution, if you violate the conditions and rules of the institution, you may incur additional increments of time called bad time in 15, 30, 60, or 90-day increments up to a total of 50 percent of the total term which I have you today." See R.C.
2929.19 (B)(3); see R.C.2967.11 (emphasis added).
However, R.C.
Accordingly, appellant's second assignment of error is found well-taken.
The judgment of the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed with respect to imposition of prison sentences instead of community control, but those sentences must be reversed to the extent the trial court did not notify appellant of the penalties for committing a crime while incarcerated. This matter is remanded to the trial court for proceedings consistent with this decision. Costs of this appeal are assessed to appellee.
JUDGMENT AFFIRMED, IN PART, AND REVERSED, IN PART.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27. See, also, 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 4, amended 1/1/98.
Melvin L. Resnick, J., James R. Sherck, J.,Mark L. Pietrykowski, J., CONCUR.
"The Court finds pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section "The Court finds that the Defendant is not amenable to community control and that prison is consistent with the purpose of Ohio Revised Section Thus, the court correctly made the proper findings "on the record." See State v. Evans (May 28, 1999), Sandusky App. No. S-98-035, unreported; State v. Eichner (Oct. 8, 1999), Lucas App. No. L-98-1370, unreported.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.