State v. Hoy, Unpublished Decision (6-17-2003)
State v. Hoy, Unpublished Decision (6-17-2003)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} "The Trial Court erred to the prejudice of Defendant-Appellant in convicting him of a violation of O.R.C. §
{¶ 3} Late in the afternoon on July 22, 2002, Stacey Robertson and Jennifer Schreiber were stopped in a line of cars waiting to exit an Ohio State University parking garage located on West 12th Avenue. Appellant started to back out of his parking spot and struck the passenger door of Robertson's vehicle. Schreiber got out of the car and asked people in the car behind them if they saw an accident, while Robertson wrote down the license plate number of appellant's car. Meanwhile, appellant maneuvered his car around Robertson, pulled out of the garage, parked at the curb, and waited for Robertson. Appellant testified he left the garage because it was dark and he could not see the damage to Robertson's car.
{¶ 4} Robertson, Schreiber and appellant looked at the damage, which appellant characterized as a minor fender bender. Schreiber, on the other hand, characterized it as a significant dent. Robertson testified that she asked for appellant's name, but her request was ignored, that appellant failed to provide his driver's license, did not give insurance information and that she had previously written down his license plate number. Schreiber stated appellant would not give his name but, as he was wearing an Ohio State University employee name badge, Robertson got the information from it. Robertson and Schreiber testified that, after a short conversation, appellant drove away.
{¶ 5} After appellant left, Robertson called the Ohio State University Police. Eric Winger, an officer with the Ohio State University Police, responded to Robertson's call and noticed a dent on the front passenger door. Officer Winger was provided with a paper containing appellant's name and license plate number. Officer Winger contacted the Columbus Division of Police and Robertson testified an accident report was completed. Officer Winger determined appellant's place of employment and contacted appellant the next day and issued a citation for a violation of R.C.
{¶ 6} Testifying on his behalf, appellant admitted backing out of the parking space and hitting Robertson's car. Appellant further testified he was wearing an Ohio State University employee badge with his name and employment location, and that he told Robertson he worked in the medical lab on the third floor. Appellant testified he told Robertson he would contact his insurance company and then left. Because the accident occurred on private property, appellant did not think he had to file a police report.
{¶ 7} Appellant signed a written waiver of his right to a jury trial and proceeded to a trial by the court, representing himself during the course of the trial. The court found him guilty and imposed a $250 fine and a one-year suspended sentence. The court did not order restitution because payment had been made for all the damages.
{¶ 8} In appellant's sole assignment of error, he argues that the finding of guilty is against the manifest weight of the evidence. In State v. Thompkins (1997),
{¶ 9} "* * * The legal concepts of sufficiency of the evidence and weight of the evidence are both quantitatively and qualitatively different.
{¶ 10} "With respect to sufficiency of the evidence, ' "sufficiency" is a term of art meaning that legal standard which is applied to determine whether the case may go to the jury or whether the evidence is legally sufficient to support the jury verdict as a matter of law.' * * * In essence, sufficiency is a test of adequacy. Whether the evidence is legally sufficient to sustain a verdict is a question of law. * * *
{¶ 11} "* * * Weight of the evidence concerns `the inclination of the greater amount of credible evidence, offered in a trial, to support one side of the issue rather than the other. It indicates clearly to the jury that the party having the burden of proof will be entitled to their verdict, if, on weighing the evidence in their minds, they shall find the greater amount of credible evidence sustains the issue which is to be established before them. Weight is not a question of mathematics, but depends on its effect in inducing belief.' (Emphasis added.) Black's [Law Dictionary (6th Ed. 1990)], at 1594.
{¶ 12} "When a court of appeals reverses a judgment of a trial court on the basis that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence, the appellate court sits as a `"thirteenth juror" ' and disagrees with the factfinder's resolution of the conflicting testimony. Tibbs [v. Florida (1982),
{¶ 13} R.C.
{¶ 14} "In case of accident or collision resulting in injury or damage to persons or property upon any public or private property other than public roads or highways, due to the driving or operation thereon of any motor vehicle, the person so driving or operating such motor vehicle, having knowledge of such accident or collision, shall stop, and, upon request of the person injured or damaged, or any other person, shall give such person his name and address, and, if he is not the owner, the name and address of the owner of such motor vehicle, together with the registered number of such motor vehicle, and, if available, exhibit his driver's or commercial driver's license.
{¶ 15} "If the owner or person in charge of such damaged property is not furnished such information, the driver of the motor vehicle involved in the accident or collision shall within twenty-four hours after such accident or collision, forward to the police department of the city or village in which such accident or collision occurred or if it occurred outside the corporate limits of a city or village to the sheriff of the county in which such accident or collision occurred the same information required to be given to the owner or person in control of such damaged property and give the date, time, and location of the accident or collision."
{¶ 16} Compliance with R.C.
{¶ 17} Upon a review of the evidence, we find the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt appellant was guilty of violating R.C.
{¶ 18} Likewise, the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt appellant failed to comply with R.C.
{¶ 19} For the foregoing reasons, appellant's assignment of error is sustained, and the judgment of the Franklin County Municipal Court is reversed.
Judgment reversed.
TYACK and KLATT, JJ., concur.
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