State v. Owens, Unpublished Decision (7-14-2005)
State v. Owens, Unpublished Decision (7-14-2005)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} The record reveals that on September 2, 2002, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Owens, desirous of retribution from an earlier altercation, went to a duplex on East 67th Street, which housed nineteen people. Although he admittedly knew that both adults and children were living in the home, he poured a large quantity of gasoline on the front porch. He was then witnessed throwing a bottle onto the porch which immediately ignited the gasoline. A passerby noticed the flames and began screaming, alerting the occupants and allowing them to escape. The families — consisting of six adults and thirteen children — were left homeless, and damages of over $25,000 were caused to the home.
{¶ 3} Owens was indicted on twenty counts of aggravated arson in violation of R.C.
{¶ 4} In August 2004, Owens sought leave to file a delayed appeal, which this Court granted. He now appeals in the assignments of error set forth in the appendix to this opinion.
{¶ 5} In his first assignment of error, Owens contends that his plea was not knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily given because the court failed to advise him of post-release control.
{¶ 6} Crim.R. 11(C) governs the acceptance of guilty or no contest pleas and states in pertinent part:
"(2) In felony cases the court may refuse to accept a plea of guilty or a plea of no contest, and shall not accept a plea of guilty or no contest without first addressing the defendant personally and doing all of the following:
"(a) Determining that the defendant is making the plea voluntarily, with understanding of the nature of the charges and of the maximum penalty involved, and, if applicable, that the defendant is not eligible for probation or for the imposition of community control sanctions at the sentencing hearing.(b) Informing the defendant of and determining that the defendant understands the effect of the plea of guilty or no contest, and that the court, upon acceptance of the plea, may proceed with judgment and sentence."
{¶ 7} R.C.
"Prior to accepting a guilty plea or a plea of no contest to an indictment, information, or complaint that charges a felony, the courtshall inform the defendant personally that, if the defendant pleads guilty or no contest to the felony so charged or any other felony and if the court imposes a prison term upon the defendant for the felony, all of the following apply:
(A) The parole board may extend the stated prison term if the defendant commits any criminal offense under the law of this state or the United States while serving the prison term.
(B) Any such extension will be done administratively as part of the defendant's sentence in accordance with section
(C) All such extensions of the stated prison term for all violations during the course of the term may not exceed one-half of the term's duration.
(D) The sentence imposed for the felony automatically includes any such extension of the stated prison term by the parole board.
(E) If the offender violates the conditions of a post-release control sanction imposed by the parole board upon the completion of the stated prison term, the parole board may impose upon the offender a residential sanction that includes a new prison term up to nine months."
{¶ 8} Post-release control constitutes a portion of the maximum penalty involved in an offense for which a prison term will be imposed. Under R.C.
{¶ 9} Based on this determination, Owens' remaining assignments of error are therefore rendered moot.
It is ordered that appellant recover from appellee costs herein taxed.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to carry this judgment into execution.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
Cooney, P.J., And Rocco, J., Concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Ohio v. Wayne Owens
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Unpublished