State v. Elkins, Unpublished Decision (8-2-2006)
State v. Elkins, Unpublished Decision (8-2-2006)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} On July 29, 2004, appellant, while operating a motor vehicle on Township Road 21, struck and killed Justin Romans. At the time of the accident, appellant failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection of Township Roads 21 and 25. Appellant swerved in an attempt to avoid hitting Romans, who was riding a bicycle. However, appellant's vehicle struck a truck pulling a flatbed trailer and careened off the flatbed trailer and struck Romans killing him instantly. After striking Romans, appellant panicked and fled the scene.
{¶ 3} Prior to the accident, appellant and some coworkers met for drinks and dinner. According to appellant, he consumed two full beers, part of a third beer and a shot of Jack Daniels. Less than twenty-four hours after the accident, appellant and his brother-in-law drove appellant's vehicle to Coshocton County and concealed it alongside a fence row behind a barn. On Monday, August 2, 2004, appellant learned that he had struck and killed a fifteen-year-old boy. Upon learning this information, appellant suffered a mental breakdown and was hospitalized.
{¶ 4} On August 4, 2004, a family member of appellant contacted the authorities and revealed the location of appellant's vehicle. On August 5, 2004, complaints were filed, in the Morrow County Municipal Court, charging appellant with aggravated homicide and leaving the scene of an accident. On August 6, 2004, appellant checked himself out of the hospital and went to the Morrow County Sheriff's Department where he surrendered to the authorities. Appellant waived a preliminary hearing and on September 3, 2004, the Morrow County Grand Jury indicted him on seven counts.
{¶ 5} On September 10, 2004, appellant entered a general plea of not guilty at his arraignment. Thereafter, appellant withdrew his plea of not guilty and entered guilty pleas to Count 3, aggravated vehicular homicide; Count 4, failure to stop after an accident involving death to a person; and Count 5, tampering with evidence. On April 11, 2005, the trial court sentenced appellant to four and one-half years in prison and suspended appellant's driver's license for life. Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal and sets forth the following assignments of error for our consideration.
{¶ 6} "I. THE COURT ERRED TO THE PREJUDICE OF THE APPELLANT BY FAILING TO DISCHARGE APPELLANT ON THE FIRST DEGREE MISDEMEANOR LEAVING THE SCENE CHARGE FOR WHICH APPELLANT HAD ALREADY SERVED MORE TIME IN JAIL IN LIEU OF BAIL THAN COULD BE IMPOSED FOR A (SIC) THE OFFENSE.
{¶ 7} "II. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR BY IMPOSING A SENTENCE TO SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT FOR A MISDEMEANOR WHICH WAS ORDERED TO BE SERVED CONSECUTIVELY TO A PRISON SENTENCE FOR A FELONY.
{¶ 8} "III. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR BY FAILING TO PROPERLY REDUCE THE CONCURRENT SENTENCES FOR THE TWO FELONY OFFENSES BY THE AMOUNT OF TIME APPELLANT WAS CONFINED IN JAIL IN LIEU OF BAIL.
{¶ 9} "IV. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR BY IMPOSING A FOUR YEAR PRISON TERM FOR THE TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE CHARGE BECAUSE THE COURT'S FINDINGS IN FAVOR OF A PRISON SENTENCE GREATER THAN THE MINIMUM SENTENCE FOR THE OFFENSE WAS UNSUPPORTED BY THE RECORD.
{¶ 10} "V. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR BY IMPOSING A LIFETIME SUSPENSION OF THE APPELLANT'S DRIVING PRIVILEGES WHICH MAXIMUM PERIOD OF SUSPENSION WAS UNSUPPORTED BY THE RECORD AND CONTRARY TO LAW."
{¶ 12} In support of this assignment of error, appellant cites R.C.
{¶ 13} "(C)(1) If the person is sentenced to jail for a felony or a misdemeanor, the jailer in charge of a jail shall reduce the sentence of a person delivered into the jailer's custody pursuant to division (A) of this section by the total number of days the person was confined for any reason arising out of the offense for which the person was convicted and sentenced, including confinement in lieu of bail while awaiting trial, * * *."
{¶ 14} The above-cited statute does not require that a charge be dismissed if a defendant has already served more time in jail, in lieu of bail, than could be imposed for the offense. Rather, the statute merely requires the jailer to give defendant credit for time served.
{¶ 15} In the case sub judice, the trial court gave appellant 72 days credit for time served. Specifically, the trial court stated as to Count 2 of the indictment:
{¶ 16} "With regard to the second count, which is a misdemeanor of the first degree, Failure to Stop After the Accident, I'm sentencing you to six months. I'm finding these are not crimes of similar import and that that is to be served consecutively, giving you credit for the time already served on that particular case in the Morrow County jail and a $1,000 fine." Sentencing Tr., Apr. 11, 2005, at 54.
{¶ 17} The trial court further found that appellant's total sentence was four and one-half years, with credit for time served on Count 2. Id. Thus, appellant received credit for time served, which is in accordance with R.C.
{¶ 18} Appellant's First Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 20} Appellant cites R.C.
{¶ 21} Section (B)(1) of R.C.
{¶ 22} "(B)(1) A jail term or sentence of imprisonment for a misdemeanor shall be served consecutively to any other prison term, jail term, or sentence of imprisonment when the trial court specifies that it is to be served consecutively or when it is imposed for a misdemeanor violation of section
{¶ 23} In the nunc pro tunc sentencing judgment entry, the trial court specifically ordered appellant to serve the six-month prison term for leaving the scene of the accident consecutive to the sentences appellant received for tampering with evidence and aggravated vehicular homicide. Nunc Pro Tunc Sentencing Judgment Entry, July 22, 2005, at 3. Pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 24} We acknowledge the Ohio Supreme Court, in State v.Butts (1991),
{¶ 25} Therefore, the version of the statute the trial court relied upon when it sentenced appellant provided that the mandatory concurrent sentence for a felony and misdemeanor charge only applied to a jail term or sentence of imprisonment for a felony served in a state or federal correctional institution. It did not apply to any terms served in any other facilities. In the sentencing judgment entry, the trial court ordered appellant to serve his term of imprisonment at the Orient Correctional Facility, a state penal institution. Accordingly, under R.C.
{¶ 26} However, following his sentencing, as noted above, the Ohio Supreme Court declared R.C.
{¶ 27} Appellant's Second Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 29} The disposition of appellant's Fourth Assignment of Error concerning the imposition of non-minimum sentences on an offender who has never served a prison term is controlled by the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in State v. Foster, supra. InFoster, the Court found R.C.
{¶ 30} Appellant's Third Assignment of Error is related to his Fourth Assignment of Error as it concerns the reduction of his prison term by the amount of time served in jail in lieu of bail. R.C.
{¶ 31} In State v. Reichelderfer (Apr. 30, 1999), Montgomery App. No. 17445, the Second District Court of Appeals discussed the nature of the trial court's obligation with respect to the calculation of jail time credit. The court stated as follows:
{¶ 32} Formerly, trial courts were required by Crim.R. 32.2 to recite, in the termination entry, the amount of time that a convicted defendant spent incarcerated before sentencing. However, Crim.R. 32.2 was amended, effective July 1, 1998, and no longer contains this requirement. The Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections [sic] understandably would appreciate a trial court's recitation, in its termination entry, of the amount of time that a convicted defendant has spent in jail upon a charge for which he was convicted, so that the Department may perform its duty pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 33} Although not required to do so, in the nunc pro tunc sentencing judgment entry, the trial court credited appellant 72 days as of April 14, 2005, along with future custody days while he awaited transportation to the appropriate state institution. Nunc Pro Tunc Sentencing Judgment Entry, July 22, 2005, at 4. From the record, it appears that appellant has been continuously incarcerated since August 6, 2005, when he turned himself into the authorities. We are unclear why the trial court only granted appellant 72 days credit for time served. However, since this matter is remanded for resentencing pursuant to Foster, the trial court at that time shall determine the correct amount of time appellant served in lieu of bail and credit him accordingly.
{¶ 34} Appellant's Third and Fourth Assignments of Error are sustained.
{¶ 36} Appellant concedes the trial court was required to impose a driver's license suspension of a definite term of three years to life. See R.C.
{¶ 37} A sentence that is within the statutory limitations is not excessive. See State v. Juliano (1970),
{¶ 38} We conclude that because appellant pled guilty to an offense that permits a lifetime driver's license suspension and the record contains evidence that appellant was intoxicated at the time of the accident, the trial court did not commit prejudicial error when it imposed a lifetime driver's license suspension.
{¶ 39} Appellant's Fifth Assignment of Error is overruled.
{¶ 40} For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, Morrow County, Ohio, is hereby affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
By: Wise, P.J. Farmer, J., and Edwards, J., concur.
Costs to be split equally between the parties.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Ohio v. Brian M. Elkins
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Unpublished