In the Matter of Thompson, Unpublished Decision (5-16-2006)
In the Matter of Thompson, Unpublished Decision (5-16-2006)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} "App.R. 26 provides a mechanism by which a party may prevent miscarriages of justice that could arise when an appellate court makes an obvious error or renders an unsupportable decision under the law." State v. Owens (1997),
{¶ 3} "App.R. 26 does not provide specific guidelines to be used by an appellate court when determining whether a decision should be reconsidered or modified." Id. at 335. See, also,Matthews v. Matthews (1981),
{¶ 4} The record reveals the following facts and procedural history. This case began on May 31, 2005, when a Columbus homicide detective filed with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations, Juvenile Branch, a complaint charging that on May 28, 2005, appellant purposely caused the death of Brandon Judd by shooting him in the head (a violation of R.C.
{¶ 5} On June 1, 2005, appellee moved the court for an order relinquishing jurisdiction and transferring the case to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, for criminal prosecution of appellant as an adult. On June 2, 2005, the court held a pretrial hearing, at which appellant requested an order that he undergo an evaluation of his competency prior to the hearing on appellee's motion to relinquish jurisdiction. The record contains no transcript of the pretrial hearing. But in his June 13, 2005 written motion for a competency evaluation, appellant states that his court-appointed guardian ad litem attended the hearing and told the court that appellant has an Intelligence Quotient ("IQ") of 60 and is the subject of an Independent Education Plan ("IEP").
{¶ 6} Also in his June 13, 2005 written motion, appellant argued that the due process requirement that he be afforded effective representation by counsel includes his ability to assist counsel in his own defense. He maintained that his low IQ necessitates a competency evaluation, given that the consequences for appellant are great if he is bound over, while the state's burden is minimal.
{¶ 7} In its memorandum contra, appellee argued that competency is irrelevant to the court's determination in mandatory bindover proceedings pursuant to R.C.
After a complaint has been filed alleging that a child is a delinquent child for committing an act that would be aggravated murder, murder, attempted aggravated murder, or attempted murder if committed by an adult, the juvenile court at a hearing shalltransfer the case if the child was sixteen or seventeen years ofage at the time of the act charged and there is probable cause tobelieve that the child committed the act charged.
(Emphasis added.)
{¶ 8} Under the foregoing statute, so long as the complaint alleges that a child is delinquent for committing an act that would be murder if committed by an adult, and the child was sixteen or seventeen years old when the child committed the act, then the court must transfer the case if it finds there is probable cause to believe that the child committed the act charged. Because the complaint in this case alleged that appellant had committed an offense that would be murder if committed by an adult, and because it was undisputed that he was sixteen years at the time of the alleged offense, the only remaining issue was the probable cause inquiry. Appellee argued that the juvenile court's jurisdiction was thus limited to deciding whether or not probable cause existed, and did not include the power to determine competency.
{¶ 9} On June 22, 2005, the juvenile court journalized a decision and entry denying the motion for a competency evaluation. The court explained that the only issue for its determination was whether there was probable cause to believe that appellant committed the act charged, and that the issue of competency should be addressed in the General Division should the case be transferred.
{¶ 10} On September 12, 2005, the court held the probable cause hearing. On September 19, 2005, the court journalized a judgment entry finding the existence of the requisite probable cause and relinquishing jurisdiction to the General Division. On October 12, 2005, appellant appealed that judgment.
{¶ 11} Appellee filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, arguing that we lack jurisdiction because a juvenile bindover order is not a final, appealable order. On March 30, 2006, we granted the motion to dismiss pursuant to In re Becker (1974),
{¶ 12} In his motion for reconsideration, appellant argues that we failed to consider the fact that, pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 13} In its memorandum in opposition to the motion for reconsideration, appellee reiterates the arguments it presented to the trial court when it opposed the motion for a competency evaluation.
{¶ 14} We need not decide whether a juvenile court order denying an allegedly delinquent child's motion for a competency evaluation is a final, appealable order. Even if we assume, without deciding the issue, that such an order is a final, appealable order, then this appeal should still have been dismissed because it was untimely.
{¶ 15} The juvenile court journalized its decision and entry denying appellant's motion for a competency evaluation on June 22, 2005. Appellant was required to file any notice of appeal from that judgment entry "within thirty days of the later of entry of the judgment or order appealed or, in a civil case, service of the notice of judgment and its entry if service is not made on the party within the three day period in Rule 58(B) of the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure." App.R. 4(A).
{¶ 16} A juvenile court proceeding is a civil case. In reAnderson (2001),
{¶ 17} On the other hand, if appellant's contention is misplaced, and the order denying a competency evaluation is interlocutory, then we still lack jurisdiction to review it at this time because, pursuant to Becker, supra, the bindover judgment, too, was not a final, appealable order.
{¶ 18} For the foregoing reasons we do not perceive any obvious error in our earlier dismissal of appellant's appeal, nor do we perceive any failure therein to consider an issue that we should have considered. Accordingly, we find appellant's motion for reconsideration to be not well-taken and the same is hereby denied.
Motion for reconsideration denied.
Klatt, P.J., and Petree, J., concur.
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