State v. Smith, Unpublished Decision (5-12-2004)
State v. Smith, Unpublished Decision (5-12-2004)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} On August 9, 1996, after entering a plea of no contest to the charges of carrying a concealed weapon, aggravated menacing and disorderly conduct, the Canton Municipal Court found appellant guilty and sentenced him accordingly. On March 4, 1998, appellant failed to appear for a show cause hearing to address his failure to comply with the terms of his probation. However, appellant was unable to appear, at this hearing, because he was incarcerated, in a state penal facility, on felony charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and possession of a firearm. Appellant had previously pled guilty to these charges in January of 1998. As a result of appellant's incarceration, the trial court vacated the probation order and closed the case.
{¶ 3} On November 3, 2003, appellant filed a motion for expungement, of his misdemeanor offenses, in the Canton Municipal Court. The trial court overruled appellant's application on November 6, 2003. Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal and sets forth the following assignments of error for our consideration:
{¶ 4} "I. The trial court erred in not granting defendant-appellant's application for expungement.
{¶ 5} "II. The trial court erred when applying R.C.
{¶ 7} R.C.
{¶ 8} "(C)(1) The court shall do each of the following:
{¶ 9} "(a) Determine whether the applicant is a first offender or whether the forfeiture of bail was agreed to by the applicant and the prosecutor in the case. * * *
{¶ 10} "(b) Determine whether criminal proceedings are pending against the applicant;
{¶ 11} "(c) If the applicant is a first offender who applies pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section, determine whether the applicant has been rehabilitated to the satisfaction of the court;
{¶ 12} "(d) If the prosecutor has filed an objection in accordance with division (B) of this section, consider the reasons against granting the application specified by the prosecutor in the objection;
{¶ 13} "(e) Weigh the interest of the applicant in having the records pertaining to the applicant's conviction sealed against the legitimate needs, if any, of the government to maintain those records."
{¶ 14} Under R.C.
{¶ 15} Appellant sets forth two arguments in support of his First Assignment of Error. First, appellant maintains that he forfeited his bail by agreement with the prosecutor and the trial court. R.C.
{¶ 16} We also note that appellant is not a "first offender." R.C.
{¶ 17} Accordingly, we conclude the trial court properly denied appellant's motion for expungement, under R.C.
{¶ 18} Appellant's First Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 20} Effective March 23, 2000, the General Assembly amended R.C.
{¶ 21} "The statutory law in effect at the time of the filing of an R.C.
{¶ 22} Appellant's Second Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 23} For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the Canton Municipal Court, Stark County, Ohio, is hereby affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Farmer, P.J., and Boggins, J., concur.
For the reasons stated in our accompanying Memorandum-Opinion, the judgment of the Canton Municipal Court, Stark County, Ohio, is affirmed.
Costs assessed to Appellant.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.