State v. Freed, Unpublished Decision (10-30-2006)
State v. Freed, Unpublished Decision (10-30-2006)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Although originally placed on our accelerated calendar, we have elected, pursuant to Local Rule 12(5), to issue a full opinion in lieu of a judgment entry. Defendant-Appellant, James Freed ("Freed") appeals from the May 9, 2006 judgment of the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas, Putnam County, Ohio overruling Freed's Petition for Post Conviction Relief to Correct a Manifest Injustice in Sentencing.{¶ 2} On June 15, 1998 the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas sentenced Freed to six years in prison for his conviction of Aggravated Robbery, a violation of R.C.
{¶ 3} On May 9, 2006 Freed filed a Motion for Post Conviction Relief to Correct a Manifest Injustice in Sentencing with the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas. This motion was overruled by the court on the same date.
{¶ 4} Freed now appeals, asserting six assignments of error.
{¶ 5} Prior to addressing Freed's assignments of error, we must first address the nature of this appeal as Freed has appealed the denial of his Petition for Post Conviction Relief to Correct a Manifest Injustice in Sentencing pursuant to R.C.
Except as otherwise provided in section
{¶ 6} In this case, Freed was convicted of Aggravated Robbery and sentenced by the Putnam County Court of Common Pleas on June 15, 1998. The record reflects that Freed never filed a direct appeal of his conviction or sentence pursuant to App.R.4(A). Pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 7} We note that the trial court's May 9, 2006 Judgment Entry is silent as to whether Freed's petition was timely filed pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 8} Although Freed's Petition for Post Conviction Relief was untimely, in the interests of justice we shall address his first, second, and fourth assignments of error. In his first assignment of error, Freed alleges that the Putnam County court erred when it failed to notify him of the mandatory nature of the post release control requirement for the Robbery charge and failed to properly incorporate said notification in its June 15, 1998 Judgment Entry of Sentence. In his second assignment of error, Freed alleges that the Putnam County court also erred when it failed to notify him of the post release control requirement at any time during his six year sentence. In his fourth assignment of error, Freed alleges that the Adult Parole Authority lacks the authority to impose and enforce post release control requirements upon offenders when said requirements are not properly imposed by the sentencing court and incorporated into the journal entry on sentencing.
{¶ 9} In the present case, it does not appear that the June 15, 1998 Judgment Entry of Sentence precisely conforms to the provisions of R.C.
{¶ 10} Specifically, R.C.
(A) Except as provided in division (C), (D)(2), (D)(3),(D)(4), or (G) of this section and except in relation to anoffense for which a sentence of death or life imprisonment is tobe imposed, if the court imposing a sentence upon an offender fora felony elects or is required to impose a prison term on theoffender pursuant to this chapter and is not prohibited bydivision (G)(1) of section
{¶ 11} Additionally, R.C.
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Post-release control" means a period of supervision bythe adult parole authority after release from imprisonment thatincludes one or more post-release control sanctions imposed underthis section.
(2) "Post-release control sanction" means a sanction that isauthorized under sections
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(B) Each sentence to a prison term for a felony of the firstdegree, for a felony of the second degree, for a felony sexoffense, or for a felony of the third degree that is not a felonysex offense and in the commission of which the offender caused orthreatened to cause physical harm to a person shall include arequirement that the offender be subject to a period ofpost-release control imposed by the parole board after theoffender's release from imprisonment. Unless reduced by theparole board pursuant to division (D) of this section whenauthorized under that division, a period of post-release controlrequired by this division for an offender shall be of one of thefollowing periods: (1) For a felony of the first degree or for a felony sexoffense, five years;
* * *
(D)(1) Before the prisoner is released from imprisonment, theparole board shall impose upon a prisoner described indivision (B) of this section, may impose upon a prisonerdescribed in division (C) of this section, and shall impose upona prisoner described in division (B)(2)(b) of section
{¶ 12} The findings required by the sentencing statutes may be made either orally at the sentencing hearing or in written form in the judgment entry. State v. Seitz (2001),
{¶ 13} Subsequent to the language ordering Freed to a term of six years in prison, the June 15, 1998 Judgment Entry contains the following language regarding post release control:
"Defendant is notified that as part of this sentence, theparole board may extend prison time up to 50% of the stated termin 15, 20, 60 or 90 day increments for crimes committed while inprison. After prison release, if post-release control isimposed, for violating post release control conditions, theadult parole authority or parole board may impose a morerestrictive or longer control sanction, return defendant toprison for up to nine months for each violation, up to a maximumof 50% of the stated term. If the violation is a new felonydefendant may receive a new prison term of the greater of oneyear or the time remaining on post release control." (Emphasisadded).
{¶ 14} We find that the foregoing did not expressly comply with the mandatory requirements of R.C.
{¶ 15} However, in Watkins v. Collins, ___ Ohio St.3d ___,
The sentencing entries for the petitioners specified that postrelease control was, at a minimum, discretionary and was part oftheir sentences. Specifically, the trial courts involved insentencing petitioners Watkins, Streeter, Moore, McGlone,Gaskins, and Kearns stated that these petitioners were "[o]rderedto serve as part of this sentence any term of post releasecontrol imposed by the Parole Board, and any prison term forviolation of that post release control." The sentencing entriesfor petitioners Ivy and Ramey stated that "[f]ollowing thedefendant's release from prison, the defendant will/may serve aperiod of post-release control under the supervision of theparole board." For petitioner Maddox, the sentencing entrylikewise provided that "defendant is subject to post-releasecontrol which is (mandatory/optional) for up to (three/five)years." The sentencing entry for petitioner McGowan stated thathe "may be subject to a period of three (3) years of post-releasecontrol by the parole board." Finally, for petitioners Bowlingand Abbott, the trial court sentencing entries stated that "ifpost release control is imposed, for violation of post releasecontrol conditions, the Adult Parole Authority or Parole Boardcould * * * return defendant to prison * * *." Watkins at ¶ 50.
{¶ 16} The Ohio Supreme Court noted that "while these entries erroneously refer to discretionary instead of mandatory post release control, they contain significantly more information than any of the sentencing entries previously held by this court to be insufficient." See e.g. Hernandez v. Kelly,
"The sentencing entries at issue are sufficient to affordnotice to a reasonable person that the courts were authorizingpost release control as part of each petitioner's sentence. Areasonable person in the position of any of the petitioners wouldhave had sufficient notice that post release control could beimposed following the expiration of the person's sentence. Anychallenged to the propriety of the sentencing court's impositionof post release control in the entries could have been raised onappeal." Watkins at ¶ 51.
{¶ 17} Therefore, the Ohio Supreme Court found that the petitioners' sentencing entries, although they mistakenly included wording that suggested that imposition of post release control was discretionary, contained sufficient language to authorize the Adult Parole Authority to exercise post release control over the petitioners and denied the writ. Watkins at ¶ 53.
{¶ 18} Accordingly, pursuant to the ruling of the Ohio Supreme Court in Watkins v. Collins, supra, Freed's first, second, and fourth assignments of error must be overruled, notwithstanding the untimeliness of the petition in this case.
{¶ 19} Turning our attention to Freed's third, fifth, and sixth assignments of error, we note that these assignments of error directly relate to the Journal Entry on Sentence rendered by the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas on November 4, 2005. However, we note that Freed has not filed an appeal from the Auglaize County Journal Entry. Therefore, the Auglaize County Journal Entry is not currently before us on appeal and is thus not subject to our review. For that reason, we find that Freed's third, fifth, and sixth assignments of error relate to matters outside the jurisdiction of this court pertaining to this appeal and must be overruled.
{¶ 20} Accordingly, the May 9, 2006 Judgment Entry is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed. Rogers and Cupp, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Ohio v. James Freed
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Unpublished