State v. Vidourek, Unpublished Decision (7-24-2002)
State v. Vidourek, Unpublished Decision (7-24-2002)
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff-appellant, State of Ohio, appeals the judgment of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas granting the motion for expungement filed by defendant-appellee, Paul E. Vidourek, Jr. For the following reasons, we reverse the trial court's judgment.
In 1991, Vidourek entered a guilty plea to one count of carrying a concealed weapon under R.C.
In a single assignment of error, the state now contends that the trial court erred in granting the motion for expungement. This assignment of error is well taken.
To be eligible for expungement, the movant must be a "first offender."1 Pursuant to R.C.
Vidourek argues, though, that because the state failed to object to the expungement motion on the basis of the contemporaneous DUI conviction, it waived any argument with respect to the error.2 Pursuant to Crim.R. 52(B), the failure to raise an objection results in the waiver of all but plain error. To find plain error, this court must conclude that, but for the trial court's error, the result of the proceeding clearly would have been different.3
In the case at bar, the trial court's failure to recognize that the DUI conviction precluded expungement constituted plain error. The trial court granted the expungement under the misapprehension that the contemporaneous conviction for DUI did not prevent Vidourek from being classified a "first offender" under R.C.
Accordingly, we sustain the assignment of error. The judgment of the trial court is reversed, and we hereby deny the motion for expungement.
Further, a certified copy of this Judgment Entry shall constitute the mandate, which shall be sent to the trial court under App.R. 27. Costs shall be taxed under App.R. 24.
Painter, P.J., Doan and Hildebrandt, JJ.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.