State v. Eberth Iv., Unpublished Decision (9-8-2006)
State v. Eberth Iv., Unpublished Decision (9-8-2006)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Appellant Martin Eberth IV appeals the sentence imposed on him as a result of a probation violation for a misdemeanor offense of driving while under the influence of alcohol ("DUI"). He was originally sentenced in Mahoning County Court No. 4 to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended, and was given twelve months of reporting probation. During the probation period he was arrested for rape, and was subsequently charged with violating his probation. He was resentenced to an indefinite term of electronically monitored house arrest ("EMHA"), pending the outcome of Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 2004 CR 618, the rape case. Appellant contends that the sentence is contrary to law because it is indefinite and extends beyond his original probation period. The record reflects that the trial court never changed the definite term of twelve months of probation, and that this time period had expired by the time Appellant was resentenced. Since there is no other specific term of probation listed in the record, Appellant's sentence has expired. Therefore, the judgment of the trial court is hereby vacated.{¶ 2} Appellant was charged on April 14, 2003, with DUI in violation of R.C. §
{¶ 3} On May 6, 2004, Appellant was summoned to appear for a probation violation hearing. The probation violation appears to be based on the fact that Appellant was arrested for, and eventually charged with, two counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition while he was on probation. The rape case remains pending in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, under Case No. 2004 CR 618. The probation violation hearing was postponed numerous times, and appears to have been finally held on June 20, 2005. No transcript of that hearing has been requested or provided as part of the record on appeal. The trial court filed its judgment entry on June 23, 2005. The court found Appellant to be in violation of his probation. The court ordered Appellant to be placed on EMHA within seven days. The court also held that: "EMHA to remain on defendant pending outcome of common pleas case # 04CR618." This timely appeal filed. Appellant presents two related assignments of error, which will be treated together.
{¶ 5} "APPELLANT WAS DENIED DUE PROCESS OF LAW IN THAT THE SENTENCE OF THE TRIAL COURT WAS VAGUE, INDEFINITE, UNCERTAIN, AND EXTENDED BEYOND ITS ORIGINAL TERM."
{¶ 6} This appeal involves a challenge to a sentence imposed in a misdemeanor case, which is reviewed for abuse of discretion.City of Youngstown v. Glass, 7th Dist. No. 04MA155,
{¶ 7} "When a defendant on probation is brought before the judge or magistrate under section
{¶ 8} The former sentencing statute is cited because, generally, the statutes in effect at the time the crime is committed govern the disposition of the case. See R.C. §
{¶ 9} "(B)(1) Except as provided in division (A)(1) of this section, Chapter 2951. of the Revised Code, as it existed prior to January 1, 2004, applies to a person upon whom a court imposed a sentence for a misdemeanor offense prior to January 1, 2004, and a person upon whom a court, on or after January 1, 2004, and in accordance with law existing prior to January 1, 2004, imposed a sentence for a misdemeanor offense that was committed prior to January 1, 2004."
{¶ 10} Appellant bases the majority of his argument on statutes that did not exist at the time he committed his crime, or that have since been repealed. In fact, it is difficult to even address many of the specifics of his alleged error because his argument sometimes relies on the former statute (R.C. §
{¶ 11} It should be noted that the trial court's June 23, 2005, judgment entry did not expressly revoke the terms of Appellant's prior probation order. Although former R.C. §
{¶ 12} According to former R.C. §
{¶ 13} It is clear that the trial judge originally had the authority to impose up to five years of probation. Pursuant to former R.C. §
{¶ 14} Additional support for Appellant's argument comes from former R.C. §
{¶ 15} Appellee does not directly address the main thrust of what is apparently Appellant's argument. Instead, Appellee first contends that Appellant agreed to the sentence and cannot now challenge it on appeal. There is nothing in the record that supports Appellee's conclusion. Although the June 23, 2005, judgment entry does indicate that copies of the judgment entry were sent to Appellant and his counsel, the judgment entry does not indicate that Appellant agreed with it or waived any rights as part of the judgment.
{¶ 16} Appellee next contends that Appellant was properly found to be in violation of his probation, and that electronic house arrest is a permitted form of punishment available to the trial court. Assuming that these assertions are true (and there is no indication that Appellant would disagree with these conclusions), Appellee still has not addressed the relevant issue on appeal, which is: Appellant's original term of probation has expired and was never extended by the trial court.
{¶ 17} Appellee also argues that Ohio law allows a defendant to be placed under pretrial EMHA for an indefinite period of time. Appellee cites a number of cases, including one from this Court, State v. Sullivan, 7th Dist. No. 01 CO 66, 2002-Ohio-5225. In Sullivan, the defendant was attempting to receive jail-time credit for the time he spent under EMHA prior to trial, and we concluded that, "when electronic house arrest is a condition of bail, there is no confinement for purposes of receiving credit for time served." Id. at ¶ 7. Appellee also relies on State v. Sutton, 6th Dist. No. L-03-1104,
{¶ 18} Appellee seems to imply that Mahoning County Court No. 4 had the authority to order indefinite pretrial EMHA for a completely separate felony rape case being conducted in a different court, and that such a pretrial order in the rape case was impliedly issued in the resentencing judgment entry for Appellant's probation violation. Appellee presents no authority for these assertions and we can certainly find none.
{¶ 19} Although Appellant has raised a vague additional error involving constitutional due process, this appeal really concerns statutory interpretation rather than constitutional law. Based on the former misdemeanor sentencing statutes applicable to this appeal, and based on the specific language used in the trial court's judgment entries, a portion of Appellant's arguments are persuasive, and the June 23, 2005, judgment entry issued by Mahoning County Court No. 4 is hereby vacated.
Vukovich, J., concurs.
DeGenaro, J., concurs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.