State v. Tenbrook, Unpublished Decision (11-16-2006)
State v. Tenbrook, Unpublished Decision (11-16-2006)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 3} Appellant pled guilty to count one, a felony of the third degree and count seven, a felony of the fourth degree. The victims were his two daughters, aged seven and ten at the time of the offenses. On December 21, 2005, the court determined that based upon the stipulation between appellant and the State of Ohio, appellant is classified as a habitual sexual offender as defined by R.C.
{¶ 4} Appellant was sentenced to a prison term of four years for sexual battery and eleven months for gross sexual imposition. The sentences were to be served concurrently. On January 23, 2006, appellant filed this notice of appeal.
{¶ 6} Appellant's second assignment of error states the following: "The decision to impose community notification was against the manifest weight of the evidence."
{¶ 7} Appellant's third assignment of error states the following: "The trial court erroneously imposed a sentence that exceeded the minimum and concurrent terms of imprisonment on the basis of findings made by the trial judge pursuant to a facially unconstitutional statutory sentencing scheme."
{¶ 9} After an offender is classified as a habitual sexual offender, the court must make the determination whether or not to impose the community notification requirement. When the victims of a sexually oriented offense are under 18 years old, there is a presumption that community notification is necessary to comply with the determinations, findings, and declarations of the General Assembly regarding sex offenders. See R.C.
{¶ 10} Appellant argues that the lower court did not adequately analyze the facts prior to making its community notification determination. However, appellant's interpretation of the trial judge's comments is inaccurate. The record demonstrates that the lower court performed a full analysis of the factors involved before it suggested community notification was required. The lower court made its determination because of the nature of the crime, the ages of the victims, and the presence of multiple victims. These findings were more than sufficient to support the trial court's determination.
{¶ 11} Appellant argues in his second assignment of error that the decision to impose community notification was against the manifest weight of the evidence.
{¶ 12} As to a claim that a judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence, the court, reviewing the entire record, weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of witnesses and determines whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the jury clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered. The discretionary power to grant a new trial should be exercised only in the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the conviction. State v. Martin (1983),
{¶ 13} Appellant argues that because the victims were his daughters, community notification is inappropriate. The argument that the public does not deserve notification of the presence of a habitual sexual offender because the victims were the offender's daughters is inconsistent with the stated purpose of community notification.
{¶ 14} Appellant states that community notification is "geared toward protecting the public from strangers in the neighborhood."3 Appellant argues that because his victims were not strangers, but rather his daughters, the general purpose of the R.C.
{¶ 15} According to the notes that accompany R.C.
{¶ 16} Accordingly, appellant's first and second assignments of error are overruled.
{¶ 17} Appellant argues in his third assignment of error that the trial court erroneously imposed a sentence that exceeded the minimum and concurrent terms of imprisonment on the basis of findings made by the trial judge pursuant to a facially unconstitutional statutory sentencing scheme.
{¶ 18} In State v. Foster,
"Ohio's sentencing statutes offend the constitutional principles announced in Blakely in four areas. As was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in Booker, `Any fact (other than a prior conviction) which is necessary to support a sentence exceeding the maximum authorized by the facts established by a plea of guilty or a jury verdict must be admitted by the defendant or proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.'"
Foster, supra, at p. 82 (citing United States v. Booker
(2005),
{¶ 19} The Foster court severed R.C.
{¶ 20} Accordingly, appellant's third assignment of error is sustained.
{¶ 21} We affirm the lower court's judgment, vacate appellant's sentence and remand for a new sentencing hearing.
It is ordered that appellee and appellant share the costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate be sent to said court 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.
Gallagher, P.J., and Nahra, J.*, concur.
(*Sitting by assignment: Judge Joseph J. Nahra, retired, of the Eighth District Court of Appeals)
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.