State v. Adames, Unpublished Decision (2-25-2004)
State v. Adames, Unpublished Decision (2-25-2004)
Opinion of the Court
Defendant-appellant Lejeana Adames appeals her conviction for public indecency in violation of R.C.
R.C.
Adames was charged with a violation of subsection (A)(2) of the statute. She argues that the state failed to present evidence that she had engaged in sexual conduct because there was no evidence of vaginal or anal penetration. In reviewing a sufficiency-of-the — evidence claim, an appellate court must examine the evidence presented at trial and determine whether that evidence, viewed in a light most favorable to the state, could have convinced any rational trier of fact that the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.1
A mall security officer testified that she saw Adames in the mall's outdoor service court, an area where delivery trucks entered and where tenants went to take their trash. Adames was leaning over a trash compactor "with her pants down to her ankles, to her knees, and there was a male standing behind her and which, at that time, he was positioning himself behind her. * * * He went down into his pants, as I stood there seeing him, and he got behind her and was holding her from the back, and they were having sex." Based on these observations, the officer called for a second officer.
When the second officer arrived, some tenants had come outside to empty trash. The male who had been with Adames tried to run around the trash compactor but was caught. Just before the male tried to run away, he had handed Adames some money. The first security officer testified, "I was offended because I couldn't believe, when I walked out, that's what I seen. When I opened the door, all I could see was somebody's behind in my face." The officer testified that she did not see the male's penis or penetration, but that she saw that "[t]hey were having sex."
The second security officer testified that Adames was leaning over the compactor, that the male was standing up behind her, and that they were "having sex." The second officer called the police because he was appalled.
Where a witness observes conduct that leads the witness to believe that the defendant is engaging in sexual conduct, the evidence is sufficient to support a conviction for public indecency under R.C.
Further, a certified copy of this Judgment Entry shall constitute the mandate, which shall be sent to the trial court under App.R. 27. Costs shall be taxed under App.R. 24.
Winkler, P.J., Doan and Sundermann, JJ.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.