State v. Smith-Markham, Unpublished Decision (8-30-2002)
State v. Smith-Markham, Unpublished Decision (8-30-2002)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Leslie E. Smith-Markham appeals from a judgment of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, which found her guilty of theft following her plea of no contest. Smith-Markham entered the plea after the trial court had overruled her motion to dismiss the indictment on double jeopardy grounds.The facts and procedural history of the case are as follows. Smith-Markham had been the manager of an apartment complex. She was accused of removing coins from the laundry machines at the apartment complex and appropriating them for her own use. In October 2000, she was indicted on one count of theft in violation of R.C.
On May 15, 2001, Smith-Markham was indicted on one count of theft in violation of R.C.
Smith-Markham raises one assignment of error on appeal.
"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED TO THE PREJUDICE OF THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANT BY NOT GRANTING HER MOTION TO DISMISS."
Smith-Markham argues that the state was allowed to litigate the same conduct in two different cases in violation of the double jeopardy clause.
In her brief, Smith-Markham discusses Blockburger v. United States
(1932),
Smith-Markham also asks us to reexamine our decision in State v.Morris (Mar. 9, 2001), Montgomery App. No. 18321, and to conclude that "an issue cannot * * * be relitigated between the same parties in any future lawsuit once an issue of ultimate fact has * * * been determined by a valid and final judgment." The trial court had adopted this position in Morris, a case in which a father was first tried for rape and attempted rape of his two daughters and, then, following a finding of insufficient evidence, tried for sexual battery and attempted sexual battery. We held that the trial court had erred because, even though the same incidents had been at issue in the two prosecutions, each offense had required proof of a fact that the other had not. We relied on theBlockburger analysis in concluding that double jeopardy had not barred the second prosecution. We rely on Blockburger in this case as well in reaching the same conclusion.
The assignment of error is overruled.
The judgment of the trial court will be affirmed.
BROGAN, J. and GRADY, J., concur.
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