State v. Teman, Unpublished Decision (4-19-2004)
State v. Teman, Unpublished Decision (4-19-2004)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} In November of 2002, Teman was stopped by Officer Janice Thatcher of the Delphos Police Department at approximately 4:40 a.m. Thatcher witnessed Teman's vehicle, the 2002 Ford Escape, driving with no headlights on and pulling into a nearby parking lot. Thatcher followed Teman into the parking lot where Thatcher pulled around in front of Teman's vehicle. At that time, Teman was hunched down in her vehicle. Thatcher then approached the vehicle, and it took Teman several minutes to respond to Thatcher's request that she roll down her driver's side window. Teman appeared to be confused, and, again, it took her several tries before she was able to state her name. Teman was disoriented as to where she was and how she was doing.
{¶ 3} After calling for a back up unit, Patrolman Kimmet responded. Thatcher and Kimmet asked Teman to step out of her vehicle. Kimmet, who was familiar with Teman's past history, asked her if she had been doing drugs. At that point, Teman handed Kimmet a crack pipe. Thatcher then asked Teman if she had anything else on her, and Teman pulled a small yellowish chunk, which later tested positive as crack cocaine, from her pocket and handed it to Thatcher. The following conversation then took place between Thatcher and Teman:
Thatcher: "Do you have anymore on you[?]" Teman: "No, I smoked it all[.]" Thatcher: "When[?]" Teman: "[I]n the last two hours[.]" Thatcher: "You have been driving around smoking this[?]" Teman: "Yes[.]" Thatcher: "That is all you have got[?]" Teman: "Yes[.]"
{¶ 4} As a result of the above incident, Teman was then taken into custody and her vehicle was impounded. Subsequently, Teman was indicted for possession of crack cocaine in violation of R.C.
{¶ 5} In December of 2002, Teman filed a motion for treatment in lieu of conviction. In January of 2003, Teman entered a plea of guilty to the possession charge, acknowledged that her vehicle had been seized by law enforcement, and acknowledged that her vehicle may be subject to forfeiture. Granting Teman's motion for treatment in lieu of conviction, the trial court suspended execution of sentence.
{¶ 6} In April of 2003, following a hearing, the court ordered that Teman's vehicle be returned to her pending the successful completion of her treatment in lieu of conviction. Subsequently, the court granted a motion filed by the State, prohibiting Teman from selling, disposing, assigning or creating an interest against her vehicle pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 7} In July of 2003, after testing positive for cocaine use, the court revoked Teman's treatment in lieu of conviction. In August of 2003, Teman was sentenced on the count of possession of crack cocaine, which had previously been suspended.
{¶ 8} Following the court rendering of sentence, the State filed a motion for forfeiture of Teman's 2002 Ford Escape pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 9} In her first assignment of error, Teman asserts that the forfeiture of her vehicle does not fall within the scope of R.C.
{¶ 10} The criminal forfeiture state provides, in pertinent part:
(A)(1) * * * [A] person who is convicted of or pleads guiltyto a felony drug abuse offense, * * * loses any right to thepossession of property and forfeits to the state any right,title, and interest the person may have in that property ifeither of the following applies:
* * *
(b) The property was used or intended to be used in any mannerto commit, or to facilitate the commission of, the felony drugabuse offense or act.
{¶ 11} When a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony drug abuse offense, the court shall hold a special proceeding to determine whether any property is subject to forfeiture. R.C.
{¶ 12} Here, the trial court properly held a special proceeding to determine whether Teman's vehicle was subject to forfeiture. At that hearing, Officer Thatcher testified, without objection, that she had seen Teman driving her vehicle prior to pulling it into the parking lot, that Teman had admitted that she had smoked crack cocaine that night, and that Teman responded "Yes" when Thatcher asked her if she had been driving around smoking crack cocaine. Teman was charged with possession of crack cocaine pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 13} Furthermore, both R.C.
{¶ 14} Finding the court's judgment is clearly supported by the record, Teman's first assignment of error is overruled.
{¶ 15} In her second assignment of error, Teman argues that the court's finding that "the defendant was aware that her vehicle would be forfeited if she plead guilty, and that she nonetheless, entered a plea of guilty" was error. Essentially, Teman argues the trial court erred in making this finding, because the evidence is insufficient to support a finding that Teman knew that her vehicle would be forfeited.
{¶ 16} In her brief, Teman acknowledges that the indictment issued included the vehicle forfeiture specification, that Teman acknowledged her vehicle may be subject to forfeiture at the time she initially plead guilty in January of 2003, and that "[t]he potential of forfeiture was well known by the Defendant." Nevertheless, Teman argues that the record shows that she was unaware, until following the October 2003 forfeiture hearing, that her vehicle would be forfeited.
{¶ 17} As required by R.C.
{¶ 18} Additionally, both the court's December 31, 2002 judgment entry and Teman's petition to enter a plea of guilty show that Teman was aware that her vehicle was subject to forfeiture. In the court's December 31, 2002 judgment entry, in which Teman entered her plea of guilty, the court notes:
Defendant further acknowledges that she knew from reviewingthe petition to enter a plea of guilty that if the lawenforcement agency involved in this case had seized her motorvehicle or other personal property, the same may be subject toforfeiture pursuant to Ohio Revised code §§
Teman's petition to enter a plea of guilty also made the following acknowledgment:
I know that if the law enforcement agency involved in thismatter has seized my motor vehicle or other personal property,the same may be subject to forfeiture pursuant to Ohio RevisedCode
{¶ 19} Providing an adequate record is the responsibility of the appellant. App.R. 9. In the case sub judice, this Court has not been provided with a written transcript of either the December 2002 or the January 2003 proceedings. In the absence of a complete transcript of the proceedings, we presume the regularity of the proceedings below and the validity of the court's judgment entry and of Teman's petition to enter a plea of guilty. Knapp v. Edwards Laboratories (1980),
{¶ 20} Having found no error prejudicial to the appellant herein, in the particulars assigned and argued, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Judgment affirmed.
Shaw, P.J., and Bryant, J., concur.
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