State v. Taylor, Unpublished Decision (6-8-2006)
State v. Taylor, Unpublished Decision (6-8-2006)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} In October 2004, Taylor was charged in Case No. CR-457897 with having a weapon while under a disability. In November 2004, he was charged in Case No. CR-458831 with failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and possession of drugs. Taylor pled guilty to the indictments in both cases. The court sentenced him to one year of incarceration for having a weapon while under a disability, two years of incarceration for the failure to comply, and one year for possession of drugs. The court further ordered that the counts in CR-458831 were to run consecutively to each other and concurrent to the sentence in CR-457897, for an aggregate sentence of three years.
{¶ 3} Taylor now appeals, advancing one assignment of error for our review. In his sole assignment of error, Taylor argues that the trial court erred when it sentenced him to more than the minimum term of incarceration for his crimes.
{¶ 4} The trial court imposed a sentence of three years after making findings pursuant to the provisions of R.C.
R.C.
"If the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for afelony elects or is required to impose a prison term on theoffender, the court shall impose the shortest prison termauthorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of thissection [setting forth the basic ranges], unless one or more ofthe following applies: (1) The offender was serving a prison term at the time of theoffense, or the offender previously had served a prison term.
(2) The court finds on the record that the shortest prisonterm will demean the seriousness of the offender's conduct orwill not adequately protect the public from future crime by theoffender or others."
{¶ 5} In Foster, supra at ¶¶ 61, 64, and 67, the Ohio Supreme Court held that judicial factfinding to overcome the minimum sentence or to impose the maximum or a consecutive sentence is unconstitutional in light of Blakely. The Foster
court also severed and excised, among other statutory provisions, R.C.
{¶ 6} In the case at bar, the trial court found that, pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 7} Accordingly, we sustain the first assignment of error, vacate Taylor's sentences, and remand this matter to the trial court for resentencing.
It is ordered that appellant recover of appellee his costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue from this court to 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.
Sweeney, P.J. and Calabrese, Jr., J. concur.
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