State v. Stockhoff, Unpublished Decision (3-25-2002)
State v. Stockhoff, Unpublished Decision (3-25-2002)
Opinion of the Court
On March 15, 2001, Dawn Burke was home with her three children at 3163 Wilbraham Road in Middletown. Around 3:30 a.m., she was awakened by a loud banging in the area of her living room. Upon investigating, she found that appellant, apparently intoxicated, had kicked in her front door. Appellant was a stranger to her and did not have permission to enter her apartment. Burke yelled out to appellant, ordering him to leave and informing him that she had telephoned the police.
In reality she had not contacted the police because the apartment did not have a telephone. Appellant, who lived across the street at 3162 Wilbraham, told her that he was only trying to get home and that "we're wet heads." Appellant left the apartment, only to return a few minutes later. However, Burke remained behind her closed bedroom door. She again yelled to appellant that the police were on the way and that he should leave.
In fact, a neighbor had phoned the police. A few minutes later, Middletown Police Officers James Wilcox and David Creech arrived at the apartment building. Burke described appellant to the officers. They found that the door to the neighboring apartment had also been kicked in and was standing ajar. The officers found appellant inside that apartment.
He was arrested and indicted on a charge of burglary, a violation of R.C.
Assignment of Error No. 1:
The Trial Court Erred in Convicting Stockhoff of Burglary Against the Manifest Weight of the Evidence.
In order for an appellate court to reverse a conviction on the basis that the verdict is against the manifest weight of the evidence, the appellate court must unanimously disagree with the fact-finder's resolution of any factual issue. State v. Thompkins (1997),
The discretionary power to grant a new trial should be exercised only in the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the conviction. Id. In making this analysis, the reviewing court must be mindful that the original trier of fact was in the best position to judge the credibility of witnesses and the weight to be given the evidence. See State v. DeHass (1967),
Appellant was convicted of burglary, a violation of R.C.
(A) No person, by force, stealth, or deception, shall
* * *
(4) Trespass in a permanent or temporary habitation of any person when any person other than an accomplice of the offender is present or likely to be present.
Trespass is prohibited by R.C.
2911.21 (A)(1), which provides that "[n]o person, without privilege to do so, shall * * * [k]nowingly enter or remain on the land or premises of another[.]" Accordingly, in order to establish the trespass element of burglary, the state was required to present evidence that appellant acted with a "knowing" mental state. Appellant contends that he was unable to form the requisite mental state due to his voluntary intoxication.
In Ohio, prior to October 2000, evidence of voluntary intoxication was available as an affirmative defense in instances where a defendant was charged with a specific intent crime and could demonstrate that he was "so intoxicated as to be mentally unable to intend anything." State v.Otte (1996),
Reviewing the totality of the record, we do not believe the jury lost its way. See Thompkins,
Assignment of Error No. 2:
The Trial Court Erred in Sentencing Stockhoff to an [sic] 17-Month Term of Imprisonment.
In his second assignment of error, appellant contends that the trial court failed to make findings necessary pursuant to R.C.
R.C.
R.C.
However, a trial court's failure to find one of the enumerated imprisonment factors in R.C.
In the instant case, the trial court determined that one of the R.C.
Appellant also contends that the trial court failed to make the findings necessary to sentence him to a prison term in excess of the statutory minimum.
The trial court must impose the minimum term for an offender who, like appellant, has not previously served a prison term unless it finds on the record either that a minimum sentence would demean the seriousness of the offender's conduct or would not adequately protect the public from future crime by the offender or others. R.C.
In the present case, the trial court specifically found in its judgment entry sentencing appellant that "[t]he shortest prison term will demean the seriousness of the defendant's conduct," and that "[t]he shortest prison term will not adequately protect the public from future crime by the defendant[.]" The trial court made similar findings on the record at the sentencing hearing and, although not required to do so, provided supporting reasons for its decision. Accordingly, the trial court's decision to sentence appellant to a term greater than the minimum prison term is supported by the record and is not contrary to law. The assignment of error is overruled.
Judgment affirmed.
POWELL and VALEN, JJ., concur.
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