In Re Young, Unpublished Decision (8-31-2007)
In Re Young, Unpublished Decision (8-31-2007)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 3} The police retrieved the vehicle from Young's apartment several days later. Young never attempted to return the vehicle. *Page 3
{¶ 5} State v. Ranee3 is the law that we must apply. UnderRanee, the court must first determine whether the statutorily defined elements of each offense, compared in the abstract, "`correspond to such a degree that the commission of one crime will result in commission of the other.'"4 "If the elements do not so correspond, the offenses are of dissimilar import and the court's inquiry ends-the multiple convictions are permitted. "5 But if the elements do correspond, the court must decide whether the crimes were committed separately or with a separate animus.6 If the crimes were committed separately or with a separate animus, then the defendant may be convicted and sentenced for both offenses, but if not, then the defendant cannot be convicted for both offenses.7
{¶ 6} While Ranee has been questioned, distinguished, and criticized as repealing the Double Jeopardy Clauses of the Ohio and the United States Constitutions,8 we are mandated to follow it until the Ohio Supreme Court overrules it, or until the issue goes to the United States Supreme Court.
{¶ 7} Robbery is (1) actual physical harm, or an attempt of or threat of physical harm, (2) occurring during the commission or attempted commission of a theft offense.9 *Page 4 Receiving stolen property entails (1) receiving, retaining, or disposing of property of another (2) when the defendant knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the property has been obtained through the commission of a theft offense.10
{¶ 8} Receiving stolen property necessarily requires a completed theft offenseor else there would be no property to receive-but a robbery offense can be committed even when there is only threatened harm during an attempted theft offense. The completion of a theft as part of a robbery offense is what makes the added offense of receiving stolen property a hard pill to swallow. That is why analyzing the elements "in the abstract" is wrong-crimes happen in the real world, not in a judicial abstract. But under Rance, robbery and receiving stolen property are not allied offenses of similar import because a defendant may be guilty of robbery for an attempted theft offense when physical harm was threatened, but the attempt would be insufficient to sustain a conviction for receiving stolen property-the commission of one does not necessarily entail the commission of the other. Moreover, robbery requires an additional physical-harm element not present for a receiving-stolen-property offense.
{¶ 9} Under these facts, this result is anomalous, but we are constrained to follow Rance in analyzing the elements in the abstract.11 The trial court therefore could impose separate sentences. The first assignment of error is overruled-and the issue of whether counsel was ineffective is moot. We affirm the trial court's judgment.
Judgment affirmed.
HILDEBRANDT, J., concurs.
DINKELACKER, J., concurs in judgment only.
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