State v. Daniels, Unpublished Decision (7-15-2002)
State v. Daniels, Unpublished Decision (7-15-2002)
Opinion of the Court
In early November, 2001, The Adult Parole Authority arrested appellant for violation of the terms of his community control sanctions. The trial court conducted an evidentiary hearing on November 19, 2001. At the conclusion of this hearing, the trial court found appellant had violated the terms of his community control sanction by testing positive for cocaine on three separate occasions. In a November 26, 2001 Judgment Entry, the trial court revoked appellant's community control and sentenced appellant to a term of twelve months of incarceration.
It is from this judgment entry appellant prosecutes his appeal, assigning the following errors for our review:
"I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN IMPOSING THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE WITHOUT COMPLYING WITH THE STATUTORY CRITERIA OR MAKING THE REQUISITE FINDINGS.
"II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN REVOKING APPELLANT'S PROBATION FOR TESTING POSITIVE FOR COCAINE WITHOUT COMPLYING WITH THE STATUTORY CRITERIA OR MAKING THE REQUISITE FINDINGS."
R.C.
R.C.
While a recitation of the statutory criteria alone may be enough to justify more than the minimum sentence, it is not enough to justify the imposition of the maximum sentence. The trial court also must provide its reasons.
As stated in R.C.
2929.19 (B)(2)(d): "The court shall impose a sentence and shall make a finding that gives its reasons for selecting the sentence imposed in any of the following circumstances: * * * (d) If the sentence is for one offense and it imposes a prison term for the offense that is the maximum prison term allowed for that offense by division (A) of section2929.14 of the Revised Code, its reasons for imposing the maximum prison term * * *"
Thus, a trial court has discretion to impose a maximum sentence if it determines one of the factors listed in R.C.
Appellee concedes, and our review confirms, the trial court did not state its reasons for the imposition of the maximum sentence.
Appellant's first assignment is sustained.
R.C.
"(2) If an offender who was convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony violates the conditions of a community control sanction imposed for the offense solely by reason of producing positive results on a drug test, the court, as punishment for the violation of the sanction, shall not order that the offender be imprisoned unless the court determines on the record either of the following:
(a) The offender had been ordered as a sanction for the felony to participate in a drug treatment program, in a drug education program, or in narcotics anonymous or a similar program, and the offender continued to use illegal drugs after a reasonable period of participation in the program.
(b) The imprisonment of the offender for the violation is consistent with the purposes and principles of sentencing set forth in section
2929.11 of the Revised Code."
R.C.
At that sentencing hearing, the trial court made the following statement:
"THE COURT: * * * This is not as if Mr. Daniels hasn't been in and out of the system for a number of years, and all they ever asked of Mr. Daniels is that he pay the support for his kids. He's soon to be 46 years old and he has managed to amass a of debt of $27,000. * * *
"You have had the life of your children, the life of our kids to get treatment. You have had the lifetime of your kids to go and get a job, you have had the lifetime of your kids to be responsible, and every time you're asked to step up to the plate, you struck out. * * *
"You've put been [sic] in jail. You've been given chance after chance after chance and you haven't responded. So it's not like you just showed up today owning $27,000 and you haven't been given a chance to do what you should have done over the lifetime of our children.
"Now, you get convicted of this offense. The only thing we ask you to do is go pay your child support and not smoke it up with crack cocaine or snort it up with crack cocaine. You don't even last a month. You don't even clear the courthouse doors.
"So when you look at the reasons for sentencing people, if you look at Mr. Daniels, you got to look at Mr. Daniels in this history of his involvement with the domestic relations court and the criminal court. You got to look at the history of Mr. Daniels in continuing failing to meet his obligations of nonsupport.
"This isn't a Defendant who is charged with a one-time drug offense. This isn't a Defendant who is charged one time of getting involved in the criminal justice system.
"This is a man who spent years of trying to beat the system. And at beating the system he hasn't done anything any judge has ever told him or any magistrate has ever told him. * * *
"You were given a chance on 10/1, on 10/11, and 11/1; three different chances you were given to go and get help, three different chances before they picked you up and put you in.
"And if I look at 292919(B)(2)(A), and 292911(A), and all of the different reasons for not sending you to prison, if you look at it in the context of your history, none of these are applicable and that includes the shortest term.
"To give you a short term of prison time would demean the seriousness of the offense, and it would show other people who are in your similar shoes that all they have to do is beat the system, get hooked on cocaine. * * *
"What you need is you need on time in your life to pay, and you're going to pay today.
* * *" Tr. at 16-21.
We find the trial court clearly determined appellant's imprisonment was consistent with the purposes and principles of sentencing as set forth in R.C.
Accordingly, we find the trial court made the requisite determinations on the record, and therefore, was in compliance with R.C.
Appellant's second assignment of error is overruled.
The November 26, 2001 Judgment Entry of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas is vacated. This matter is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion and law.
By: HOFFMAN, P.J. WISE, J. and BOGGINS, J. concur
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