State v. Vincent, Unpublished Decision (5-4-2005)
State v. Vincent, Unpublished Decision (5-4-2005)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 3} At the sentencing hearing, the trial court reviewed the presentence investigation, the victim impact statement, and the recommendations of the adult parole authority. The trial court also heard statements from counsel. The trial court found the assault charge to be a lesser included offense of the aggravated burglary charge. The trial court sentenced appellant to three years imprisonment on the aggravated burglary, the minimum sentence.2 Appellant filed a Notice of Appeal. This Court initially denied appellant's notice of appeal, finding it untimely. Appellant subsequently filed a motion to file a delayed appeal, which this Court granted.
{¶ 4} Appellant raises the following assignment of error:
{¶ 5} "I. The trial court erred by imposing a sentence without making the appropriate findings, said sentence being therefore contrary to law."
{¶ 7} Appellant pled guilty to aggravated burglary, a first degree felony. For a felony of the first degree, a trial court must impose a definite prison term of three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten years. R.C.
{¶ 8} R.C.
{¶ 9} "(D) Except as provided in division (E) or (F) of this section, for a felony of the first or second degree * * * it is presumed that a prison term is necessary in order to comply with the purposes and principles of sentencing under section
{¶ 10} "(1) A community control sanction or a combination of community control sanctions would adequately punish the offender and protect the public from future crime.
{¶ 11} "(2) A community control sanction or a combination of community control sanctions would not demean the seriousness of the offense * * *.
{¶ 12} Thus, in order to impose a community control sanction in the instant case, the trial court would have been required to find such a sanction would adequately punish appellant, appellant was less likely to re-offend, and such a sanction would not demean the seriousness of the offense, because appellant's conduct was less serious than conduct normally constituting the offense.
{¶ 13} R.C.
{¶ 14} "(B) In addition to any other right to appeal and except as provided in division (D) of this section, a prosecuting attorney, a city director of law, village solicitor, or similar chief legal officer of a municipal corporation, or the attorney general, if one of those persons prosecuted the case, may appeal as a matter of right a sentence imposed upon a defendant who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony or, in the circumstances described in division (B)(3) of this section the modification of a sentence imposed upon such a defendant, on any of the following grounds:
{¶ 15} "(1) The sentence did not include a prison term despite a presumption favoring a prison term for the offense for which it was imposed, as set forth in section
{¶ 16} The Legislature has expressly provided the prosecution with the right to appeal a trial court's decision overcoming the presumption of imprisonment contained in R.C.
{¶ 17} Here, appellant was convicted of a first degree felony and was given the minimum sentence; therefore, we find his appeal is not permitted by R.C.
{¶ 18} The judgment of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed. Hoffman, J. Boggins, P.J. and Gwin, J. concur
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.