State v. Patton, Unpublished Decision (10-9-2002)
State v. Patton, Unpublished Decision (10-9-2002)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} Defendant-appellant, Isaac Patton, appeals the judgment of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas sentencing him to consecutive terms of incarceration for one count of possession of cocaine, a felony of the fourth degree, and one count of trafficking in cocaine, a felony of the fifth degree. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court's judgment.
{¶ 3} Patton was convicted of the offenses following a guilty plea. The trial court sentenced him to eleven months' incarceration on each charge, to be served consecutively.
{¶ 4} In his first assignment of error, Patton argues that terms of incarceration were improper, because the record does not support the trial court's finding concerning the seriousness of the offenses. Before imposing imprisonment for felonies of the fourth or fifth degree, the trial court must find one of the aggravating factors enumerated in R.C.
{¶ 5} In the second assignment of error, Patton argues that the trial court erred in imposing consecutive sentences. To impose consecutive sentences, the trial court must find that consecutive sentences are necessary to protect the public from future crime or to punish the offender and that consecutive sentences are not disproportionate to the seriousness of the offender's conduct and to the danger the offender poses to the public.2 The court must also find that one of the factors listed in R.C.
{¶ 6} In the case at bar, Patton concedes that the trial court made the requisite findings but argues that the court did not state its reasons for those findings. We disagree. The court stated that Patton had an extensive criminal record dating back to 1982 and that he had a drug problem but refused treatment. The court noted that Patton had two prior felony drug convictions within the previous six years. The record supports the trial court's reasoning, and we find no error in the imposition of consecutive sentences. The second assignment of error is accordingly overruled.
{¶ 7} In his third and final assignment of error, Patton argues that the court erred in imposing an aggregate sentence of incarceration that exceeded the maximum term for a fourth-degree felony. Pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 8} 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.
Doan, P.J., Hildebrandt and Gorman, JJ.
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