State v. Kunsman, Unpublished Decision (9-5-2002)
State v. Kunsman, Unpublished Decision (9-5-2002)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} On January 18, 1983, following a jury trial, appellant was found guilty of three counts of rape, in violation of R.C.
{¶ 3} In his sole assignment of error, appellant argues that the trial court's determination that he is a sexual predator is against the manifest weight of the evidence. Specifically, appellant argues that the trial court erred in discounting the results of the court-ordered psychological tests, that the evidence did not demonstrate that he is likely to recidivate, and that the court failed to consider the fact that appellant completed prison programs and three years of college.
{¶ 4} "When reviewing a claim that a judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence, an appellate court must review the entire record, weigh the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider the credibility of witnesses and determine whether in resolving conflicts, the trier of fact lost its way and created a miscarriage of justice." State v. Dama (2001), 11th Dist. No. 2000-T-0086, 2001 Ohio App. LEXIS 5836, at *5, citing, State v. Martin (1983),
{¶ 5} A sexual predator is defined as: (1) "a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing a sexually oriented offense;" and (2) "is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses." R.C.
{¶ 6} The trial court must consider the nonexclusive list of factors set forth in R.C.
{¶ 7} A trial court may find an offender to be a sexual predator "even if only one or two statutory factors are present, so long as the totality of the relevant circumstances provides clear and convincing evidence that the offender is likely to commit a future sexually-oriented offense." State v. Randall (2000),
{¶ 8} In the instant case, a review of the judgment entry reveals that the trial court considered appellant's prison records, Dr. John Fabian's psychological report and testimony, and the testimony of Detective Kathy Fellows.
{¶ 9} A review of Dr. Fabian's report reveals that appellant had several prison violations based on open sexual acts, and that he failed to complete the Polaris Sexual Offender Program. Appellant was administered the Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool-Revised, an actuarial risk prediction instrument for determining the risk of sex offending. Appellant's score placed him at a low risk level, which indicates a sixteen-percent chance of re-offending after a six-year period. Appellant was also administered the Static 99, an actuarial risk assessment to assess for future risk of sex offending. Appellant's score placed him at a low risk. Five percent of offenders who scored similarly re-offended after five years, eleven percent after ten years, and thirteen percent after fifteen years.
{¶ 10} Dr. Fabian further noted, in his report, that appellant does not have the two factors most highly associated with sex offender recidivism, to wit: psychopathy and sexual deviancy. However, Dr. Fabian stated that appellant "appears to be a regressed child molester who may have poor self-esteem, poor coping skills, and turns to children as a sexual substitute for the preferred sex partner, his wife in this case." Although Dr. Fabian opined that appellant presents a low risk actuarially of offending, he stated that clinically appellant presents a moderate risk to re-offend, especially to incest based victims.
{¶ 11} Dr. Fabian attested that appellant completed: two training classes presented by the Polaris Sex Offender Educational Program, entitled Living in Relationships and Gender Roles; a stress management program; an assertiveness training program; a self-esteem program; and, three years of college. Appellant had not, however, completed the sex offender program while in prison.
{¶ 12} Dr. Fabian testified that he could not diagnosis appellant as a pedophile because it had not been determined whether appellant offended for the six-month length of time required to make such a diagnosis; however, appellant exhibits pedophiliac traits. He also stated that appellant has little remorse. Dr. Fabian attested that appellant has a low actuarial risk, a moderate to high clinical risk, and an overall low to moderate risk of recidivating.
{¶ 13} The court considered the factors set forth in R.C.
{¶ 14} The trial court determined that although the actual duration of the offenses was not determined, the offenses would have continued had appellant not been caught. Therefore, taking into account appellant's minimal remorse, demonstrated pattern of abuse against his daughter, and other factors, the court determined that appellant was a pedophile and likely to re-offend. The court also concluded that although actuarial tests are valuable tools, the tests do not look into the psychological makeup of the offender himself, but instead are based on the recidivism rates of similar offenders. As such, the court gave little weight to Dr. Fabian's determination that actuarially appellant posed a low risk of re-offending. Thus, the record reveals that the court considered Dr. Fabian's report and weighed it accordingly.
{¶ 15} The trial court discussed the factors set forth in R.C.
{¶ 16} Based on the foregoing, the judgment of the Lake County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed.
WILLIAM M. O'NEILL, P.J., JUDITH A. CHRISTLEY, J., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.