State v. Paynter, Unpublished Decision (2-20-2004)
State v. Paynter, Unpublished Decision (2-20-2004)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} On May 1, 2003, appellant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas pursuant to Crim.R. 32.1. By judgment entry filed June 20, 2003, the trial court denied said motion without hearing.
{¶ 3} Appellant filed an appeal and this matter is now before this court for consideration. Assignment of error is as follows:
{¶ 6} Crim.R. 32.1 governs withdrawal of guilty plea and states "[a] motion to withdraw a plea of guilty or no contest may be made only before sentence is imposed; but to correct manifest injustice the court after sentence may set aside the judgment of conviction and permit the defendant to withdraw his or her plea." The right to withdraw a plea is not absolute and a trial court's decision on the issue is governed by the abuse of discretion standard. State v. Smith (1977),
{¶ 7} Because appellant filed his motion to withdraw his plea after sentencing, the motion could have been granted only with a showing of manifest injustice. It is appellant's position because his assertions and affidavit conflict with the affidavit of his former trial counsel, he should have been afforded a hearing.
{¶ 8} In support of this argument, appellant cites this court to cases involving the post-conviction relief statute. State v.Swortcheck (1995),
{¶ 9} In State v. Bush,
{¶ 10} A trial court is required to hold a hearing on a motion to withdraw a guilty plea "if the facts alleged by the defendant and accepted as true would require the court to permit that plea to be withdrawn." State v. Hamed (1989),
{¶ 11} As stated supra, appellant's assertions in his affidavit are refuted by his trial counsel's affidavit. Clearly, the credibility of the two affidavits is at issue. Therefore, based upon the facts alleged, we find consistent with Hamed andSmith, the trial court should have afforded appellant an evidentiary hearing.
{¶ 12} The sole assignment of error is granted. The matter is reversed and remanded for an evidentiary hearing on appellant's Crim.R. 32.1 motion.
{¶ 13} The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Muskingum County, Ohio is hereby reversed and remanded.
Hoffman, P.J. and Wise, J. concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.