State v. Cousin, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2005)
State v. Cousin, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2005)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 3} There is ample authority for the proposition that sentencing issues are not ripe for appeal if postrelease controls are immediately imposed and no term of incarceration has commenced. In that circumstance, the offender must wait until a community controlled sanction has been revoked and the original sentence ordered into execution before appealing. See, e.g.,State v. Ogle, Wood App. No. WD-01-040, 2002-Ohio-860 (collecting cases).
{¶ 4} While Cousin did serve a brief period of incarceration before being granted judicial release, this court's remand for resentencing resulted in a complete resentencing which, in essence, vitiated the first sentencing. State v. Bolton (2001),
{¶ 6} In State v. Abboud, Cuyahoga App. No. 85750,
{¶ 7} "A trial court violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment when it resentences a defendant to a harsher sentence when motivated by vindictive retaliation. State v.Chandler, Cuyahoga App. No. 83629,
{¶ 8} A different judge resentenced Cousin; therefore, no presumption of vindictiveness exists. Nevertheless, Cousin is entitled to demonstrate from the record that the harsher sentence is the product of judicial vindictiveness. Id. at ¶ 41, citingState v. Johnson, Montgomery App. No. 18937, 2002-Ohio-4339.
{¶ 9} Cousin fails to show from the record that the harsher sentence is the product of vindictiveness. In fact, he concedes that the extension of his punishment is "understandable," although he claims the court had an ulterior motive for doing so. We agree that the extension is understandable in light of Cousin having failed two drug tests and having submitted a third "diluted" sample. Cousin only served seven of the 380 hours of community service he was ordered to perform, and made only one payment of $100 as a credit against that service when he stopped attending. The court noted that it gave Cousin a "big break" when it granted judicial release and that Cousin "decided that drugs were more important than following the Court's order." It is important to note that, at the time of his first sentencing, Cousin himself said that he had a marijuana problem (he smoked every day) and he told the probation department that his use of marijuana contributed in part to some of his charges.
{¶ 10} Vindictiveness and punishment are two different things. These facts do not show vindictiveness in the sense that the court sought revenge in a malicious way. Instead, it shows the court's desire to punish Cousin for his infractions while on discretionary judicial release.
Judgment affirmed.
It is ordered that appellee recover of appellant its costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the Common Pleas Court to carry this judgment into execution. The defendant's conviction having been affirmed, any bail pending appeal is terminated. Case remanded to the trial court for execution of sentence.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
Blackmon, A.J., and Sweeney, J., concur.
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