State v. Dearth, Unpublished Decision (12-30-2002)
State v. Dearth, Unpublished Decision (12-30-2002)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Appellant Shannon Dearth appeals the decision of the Court of Common Pleas, Fairfield County, which extended her probation stemming from a 1999 conviction and sentence for marihuana trafficking. The relevant facts leading to this appeal are as follows.{¶ 2} On January 29, 1999, appellant was placed on community control, subject to terms, for three years after pleading guilty to one count of trafficking in marihuana, a felony of the fifth degree. On May 14, 2001, the state filed a motion to revoke community control, alleging that appellant had violated the terms thereof. Following a continuance for appellant to obtain counsel, a hearing was held on October 22, 2001, at which time appellant's probation officer and chemical dependency counselor testified, as well as a caseworker from Fairfield County Children's Services. In a journal entry filed October 26, 2001, the court found that there was reasonable cause to believe that appellant had violated the terms of her community control; however, the court indicated it would take the matter under advisement for a period of ninety days before imposing a sentence or sanctions.
{¶ 3} On January 29, 2002,1 the trial court filed a signed judgment entry encaptioned "Termination of Probation Restoration of Rights." It also contains an approval signature by John Baus, a probation officer. Below the judge's signature line is the following handwritten notation: "Prepare entry! She was still on probation since motion to revoke pending." On January 31, 2002, the trial court filed an entry encaptioned "Vacation of Termination of Probation," indicating that appellant was to remain on probation until further order of the court. On February 1, 2002, the trial court issued a judgment entry stemming from the October 2001 hearing on the state's motion to revoke. The court therein ordered that appellant's community control would be extended for an additional year.
{¶ 4} Appellant timely appealed and herein raises the following three Assignments of Error:
{¶ 5} "I. The trial court erred to defendant's prejudice when it attempted to extend defendant's community control after terminating it.
{¶ 6} "II. The trial court erred to defendant's prejudice by imposing two punishments for the same offense, in violation of the
{¶ 7} "III. The trial court denied defendant due process by deciding disposition of the probation violation charges against her on the basis of evidence received in camera without giving defendant an opportunity to confront the witnesses against her or to be apprised of the evidence against her."
{¶ 9} Appellant's argument is straightforward: A community control revocation hearing and a probation revocation hearing are analogous. See, e.g., State v. Keener (June 9, 1999), Wayne App. No. 98CA0036. Upon termination of a probation, a court no longer has jurisdiction to impose sentence and the defendant must be discharged. City of Lakewood v.Davies (1987),
{¶ 10} However, appellant's position ignores the language of Crim.R. 36, which reads as follows: "Clerical mistakes in judgments, orders, or other parts of the record, and errors in the record arising from oversight or omission, may be corrected by the court at any time." For example, a nunc pro tunc entry may be used to correct a sentencing entry to reflect the sentences the trial court actually imposed on a defendant at a sentencing hearing and does not constitute an increase of the sentence. See State v. Stevens (Aug. 2, 1995), Summit No. 16998, unreported; Dean v. Maxwell (1963),
{¶ 11} In addressing Fed.R.Crim.P.
{¶ 12} Appellant's First Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 14} R.C.
{¶ 15} Appellant's Third Assignment of Error is therefore overruled.
{¶ 17} Our standard of review as to the assigned error is whether the trial court abused its discretion in revoking appellant's probation.State v. Theisen (1957),
{¶ 18} Appellant's Third Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 19} For the reasons stated in the foregoing opinion, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, Fairfield County, Ohio, is hereby affirmed.
By: Wise, J., Hoffman, P.J., and Boggins, J., concur.
Topic: Community Control.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.