State v. Ericson, Unpublished Decision (7-28-2006)
State v. Ericson, Unpublished Decision (7-28-2006)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, John M. Ericson, appeals his sentence in the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, following a guilty plea, for burglary and receiving stolen property.{¶ 2} On February 22, 2004, appellant was arrested following a traffic stop after it was determined he was in possession of stolen property. The property had been taken from the home of Linda Sugden (Sugden). At the time of his arrest, it was also determined that there was a warrant for appellant's arrest on a burglary charge in connection with a home belonging to Nick Cammarata (Cammarata).
{¶ 3} Appellant waived his preliminary hearing and on March 25, 2004, a Mahoning County grand jury indicted appellant on two counts. Count one was for burglary in violation of R.C.
{¶ 4} Following Crim.R. 11 plea negotiations, appellant pleaded guilty to both counts of the indictment on May 12, 2004. The trial court ordered appellant released to the Community Corrections Association (CCA) pending completion of a pre-sentence investigation report.
{¶ 5} On July 13, 2004,1 approximately two months after pleading guilty, the trial court sentenced appellant to seven years for burglary and eleven months for receiving stolen property, with the sentences to be served concurrently. Appellant filed a motion for reconsideration asserting that he had a mental and medical history not previously considered by the court at sentencing. The court denied the motion and let appellant's sentence stand as previously ordered. This appeal followed.
{¶ 6} Appellant's first assignment of error states:
{¶ 7} "THE TRIAL COURT VIOLATED APPELLANT'S
{¶ 8} Appellant argues that Ohio's sentencing statutes which require the judge to make factual findings that are not submitted to the jury or admitted by the defendant that increase the defendant's sentence beyond the "relevant statutory maximum" violate the
{¶ 9} In this case, appellant pleaded guilty to burglary, a second-degree felony, and receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony. For second-degree felonies, the sentencing court may impose a prison term of two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight years. R.C.
{¶ 10} While this appeal was pending, the Ohio Supreme Court held that the provision of the Revised Code relating to more than minimum sentences, R.C.
{¶ 11} The Court went on to hold that the unconstitutional provision could be severed. Id., paragraph two of the syllabus. Since the provision could be severed, "[t]rial courts have full discretion to impose a prison sentence within the statutory range and are no longer required to make findings or give their reasons for imposing maximum, consecutive, or more than the minimum sentences." Id., paragraph seven of the syllabus.
{¶ 12} As an aside, we also note that the Ohio Supreme Court has affirmed decisions to remand because of Blakely even though the trial courts in those cases failed to make the statutorily required findings. See In re Ohio Criminal Sentencing StatutesCases,
{¶ 13} Here, since the trial court's imposition of more than the minimum sentence was made while R.C.
{¶ 14} After State v. Foster,
{¶ 15} "These cases and those pending on direct review must be remanded to trial courts for new sentencing hearings not inconsistent with this opinion. We do not order resentencing lightly. Although new sentencing hearings will impose significant time and resource demands on the trial courts within the counties, causing disruption while cases are pending on appeal, we must follow the dictates of the United States Supreme Court. Ohio's felony sentencing code must protect
{¶ 16} "Under R.C.
{¶ 17} The same day Foster was decided, the Ohio Supreme Court decided a companion case. State v. Mathis,
{¶ 18} "Although after Foster, the trial court is no longer compelled to make findings and give reasons at the sentencing hearing since R.C.
{¶ 19} Accordingly, appellant's first assignment of error has merit.
{¶ 20} Appellant's second assignment of error states:
{¶ 21} "THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION IN SENTENCING APPELLANT WHEN THE TRIAL COURT RELIED UPON FACTS FOR A CRIME NEITHER CHARGED NOR PROVEN."
{¶ 22} Appellant argues that it was improper for the trial court to consider at sentencing the burglary of Sugden's home and the impact that it had on her because appellant was neither charged with or convicted of the burglary of Sugden's home. Appellant cites State v. Patterson (1996),
{¶ 23} As appellee correctly points out, the trial court's reference to the Sugden offense occurred at the hearing on appellant's motion for reconsideration, not at appellant's sentencing hearing. In addition, a thorough review of the reconsideration hearing transcript reveals that the trial court did not improperly assign the Sugden receiving stolen property charge as the burglary committed by appellant. The relevant portion of that transcript reads:
{¶ 24} "I just — I read this memorandum two or three times already this morning right just now. This case here that we were here on July 13th about, involved a burglary of a house. The owner of that house, Linda Sugden, lived alone. The house was broken into by force. As I recall, one of the windows were broken or something. I didn't bring the PSI with me, or I could describe the whole thing. But at any rate, the house was burglarized and vandalized, a result of which, the woman who owned the house just wants to sell it and get out of there; can't live there because of fear of the house, fear of insecurity, fear for her own personal safety. That's only one.
{¶ 25} "Now, the other one was at 50 Forest Hill Drive. Although he wasn't — the owner of that place wasn't here, the facts were in the presentence report. It's another case of a house being vandalized where somebody lives.
{¶ 26} "Finally, Defendant got caught on the north side around Madison Avenue, because he was selling this stuff or hewas selling — the stuff was being sold, at least that had beenstolen from one of those two homes." (Emphasis added.) (Tr. 3-4.)
{¶ 27} Receiving stolen property is defined in R.C.
{¶ 28} "No person shall receive, retain, or dispose of property of another knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the property has been obtained through commission of atheft offense." (Emphasis added.)
{¶ 29} As that section reveals, consideration of the crime of receiving stolen property necessarily involves consideration of the fact that the property was obtained through the commission of a theft offense. Therefore, in this case, in order to consider the full implications of the receiving stolen property offense of which appellant was convicted, it was not necessarily improper for the trial court to consider the prior theft offense, which in this case was the burglary of Sugden's home, when sentencing appellant.
{¶ 30} Additionally, an important factor in sentencing is the impact of the crime on the victim. R.C.
{¶ 31} In sum, the trial court was simply referring, in general terms, to the criminality that occurred at the Sugden home and for which appellant was associated (since he possessed the property stolen from that home). It is evident that the court only considered one count of burglary and one count of receiving stolen property and how those charges related to his continuing course of criminal conduct and how those charges related to the totality of appellant's criminal conduct.
{¶ 32} Accordingly, appellant's second assignment of error is without merit.
{¶ 33} Appellant's third assignment of error states:
{¶ 34} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING APPELLANT WAS NOT AMENABLE TO COMMUNTY CONTROL SANCTIONS."
{¶ 35} Appellant argues that the trial court's finding that community control sanctions were not appropriate for him was not supported by the record. Appellant argues that the only evidence before the trial court was that appellant was in CCA and fully complying with all the requirements and making progress. Appellant maintains that he was responding favorably to the program and should have been given the opportunity to complete it.
{¶ 36} Since appellant is arguing for a community control sanction instead of imprisonment, this appeal also implicates R.C.
{¶ 37} "(D) Except as provided in division (E) or (F) of this section, for a felony of the first or second degree and for a felony drug offense that is a violation of any provision of Chapter 2925., 3719., or 4729. of the Revised Code for which a presumption in favor of a prison term is specified as being applicable, it is presumed that a prison term is necessary in order to comply with the purposes and principles of sentencing under section
{¶ 38} "(1) A community control sanction or a combination of community control sanctions would adequately punish the offender and protect the public from future crime, because the applicable factors under section
{¶ 39} "(2) A community control sanction or a combination of community control sanctions would not demean the seriousness of the offense, because one or more factors under section
{¶ 40} In this case, the trial court's judgment entry of sentence regarding its denial of community control sanctions was clearly and convincingly supported by the record and not contrary to law. As the trial court noted, there were factors that made appellant's offense more serious than conduct normally constituting the offense. The victims suffered economic and emotional harm. Appellant committed the crime in order to support a drug habit, also an illegal activity. There was no evidence to support any of the factors that made appellant's offense less serious than conduct normally constituting the offense. Under the recidivism factors, the court noted factors indicating that appellant is likely to commit future crimes. Appellant has a criminal history dating back ten years that includes other theft and drug related convictions. Appellant has not responded favorably to sanctions previously imposed in adult court. Appellant has a pattern of drug abuse related to the offense. The court found no factors indicating that recidivism would be less likely. Appellant has not responded to treatment plans favorably in the past. Lastly, considering all of the aforementioned factors, it is clear that appellant was not amenable to a community control sanction. As the court noted, community control sanctions would demean the seriousness of the offense, and would not adequately punish appellant and protect the public from future crime.
{¶ 41} Accordingly, appellant's third assignment of error is without merit.
{¶ 42} The judgment of the trial court is hereby reversed and vacated in part as it relates to appellant's first assignment of error and imposition of more than minimum sentences and this matter is remanded for resentencing consistent with State v.Foster,
Waite, J., concurs.
DeGenaro, J., concurs.
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