State v. Staley, Ca 2006-10-045 (6-25-2007)
State v. Staley, Ca 2006-10-045 (6-25-2007)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} Appellant was convicted in 1986 of felonious assault and sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of seven to 15 years. He was eventually placed at the Madison Correctional Institution in November 1998. In January 1999, appellant walked away from a *Page 2 prison related job, but was apprehended in Nevada in February 1999. Appellant was subsequently indicted on one count of escape, a felony of the second degree. He was sentenced to eight years in prison by entry dated May 3, 1999. It is undisputed that the trial court failed to notify appellant, both at the sentencing hearing and in its sentencing entry, that he would be subject to post-release control upon release from prison. Appellant appealed his conviction but not his sentence. The state did not appeal appellant's sentence. We upheld appellant's conviction. State v. Staley (May 8, 2000), Madison App. No. CA99-08-019.
{¶ 3} In 2006, prior to the expiration of appellant's eight-year prison term for escape, the state moved the trial court for a hearing to resentence appellant to include post-release control. On September 22, 2006, appellant appeared before the trial court at which time the court advised appellant that he would be subject to a mandatory three years of post-release control. The trial court did not explain the requirements of post-release control or advise appellant of the possible penalties for violating post-release control. By nunc pro tunc entry filed October 2, 2006, the trial court sentenced appellant to a mandatory three-year post-release control. The nunc pro tunc entry does explain the requirements of post-release control, including the possible penalties for violating post-release control. This appeal follows, in which appellant raises four assignments of error.
{¶ 4} Assignment of Error No. 1:
{¶ 5} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED TO PREJUDICE RESENTENCING APPELLANT RANSOM STALEY APPELLANTS SENTENCE CANNOT BE CORRECTED BY ENTERING A NUNC PRO TUNC HEARING ORDER AFTER THE SENTENCE HAS BEEN COMMENCED 7 AND HALF YEARS." [SIC]
{¶ 6} Assignment of Error No. 2:
{¶ 7} "THE DOCTRINE OF RES JUDICATA BARS SUBJECT ACTION BASED *Page 3 UPON ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THE TRANSACTION OR OCCURRENCE THAT WAS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF A PREVIOUS ACTION DECIDED ON THE MERITS IN THIS CASE THE PREVIOUS ACTION WAS A SENTENCING HEARING THAT HAPPEN MAY 3, 2006." [SIC]
{¶ 8} Assignment of Error No. 3:
{¶ 9} "THE
{¶ 10} In his first three assignments of error, appellant argues that the trial court erred by resentencing him to a term of mandatory post-release control. Appellant argues that (1) because the trial court failed to impose post-release control in 1999, it could not do so through a nunc pro tunc entry at a later date; (2) the trial court's after-the-fact resentencing violated his double jeopardy rights under the Ohio and United States Constitutions by increasing his sentence after it had become final; and (3) because the state failed to appeal the trial court's failure to provide the requisite post-release control notice in 1999, the doctrine of res judicata bars relief through a resentencing hearing and entry.
{¶ 11} It is true that "trial courts lack authority to reconsider their own valid final judgments in criminal cases." State ex rel.Cruzado v. Zaleski,
{¶ 12} "It is equally true, however, that this general rule is subject to two exceptions under which the trial court retains continuing jurisdiction." Cruzado at ¶ 19. First, a trial court retains jurisdiction to correct a void sentence. Id. Second, a trial court retains jurisdiction to *Page 4 correct clerical errors in judgments. Id. "The term `clerical mistake' refers to a mistake or omission, mechanical in nature and apparent on the record, which does not involve a legal decision or judgment. * * * Although courts possess inherent authority to correct clerical errors in judgment entries so that the record speaks for the truth, `nunc pro tunc entries' are limited in proper use to reflecting what the court decided, not what the court might or should have decided." Id.
{¶ 13} The Ohio Supreme Court unequivocally held that a trial court's failure to properly notify a defendant about post-release control renders the sentence void, State v. Jordan,
{¶ 14} In the case at bar, the trial court failed to notify appellant in 1999, both at the sentencing hearing and in its sentencing entry, that he would be subject to post-release control upon release from prison. As a result, appellant's 1999 sentence for escape was *Page 5 void. Appellant was brought before the trial court in 2006 prior to the completion of his eight-year prison term, that is, while he was still incarcerated on the escape conviction. The trial court then sentenced appellant to three years of post-release control. In light ofJordan, Cruzado, and Hernandez, we find that the trial court had jurisdiction and was authorized to correct the sentence to include post-release control.
{¶ 15} Appellant's argument that the trial court's after-the-fact imposition of post-release control constituted double jeopardy was rejected by the supreme court in Jordan: "Jeopardy did not attach to the void sentence, and therefore, the court's imposition of the correct sentence did not constitute double jeopardy." Jordan, 104 Ohio St.3d at ¶ 25. See, also, State v. Rich, Stark App. No. 2006 CA 00171,
{¶ 16} Likewise, Ohio courts have rejected appellant's argument that his 1999 sentence is res judicata because the state failed to raise the issue of post-release control on direct appeal. See Sharpless (the Ohio Supreme Court recognizes an exception to the doctrine of res judicata to correct an invalid sentence); State v. Balderson, Stark App. No. 2006-CA-00226,
{¶ 17} While the trial court was within its authority to correct appellant's sentence to impose post-release control, it is not clear whether the trial court did actually resentence appellant pursuant toJordan (which holds that when a trial court fails to notify an offender about post-release control, the sentence must be vacated and the matter remanded for resentencing). At the September 22, 2006 hearing, the trial court wondered whether *Page 6 resentence under Jordan was "resentence on everything or resentence just on the postrelease control[.]" Upon listening to the state's arguments and appellant's objections, the trial court then stated:
{¶ 18} "It is the judgment of the Court you be sentenced to eight years consecutive to your present term of confinement, taxed the cost, sentenced to three years postrelease control, mandatory. I don't know that it's anything other than superfluous to reimpose the sentence, but it's consecutive to his present term of confinement. I'm only restating it to affirm the fact that that's what the sentence was that was previously imposed. So all we're doing is adding to the journal entry now, three years postrelease control, mandatory."
{¶ 19} The trial court did not actually hold another sentencing hearing. As the First Appellate District noted in a similar case, "[u]nder the recent case law, the trial court should have held a sentencing hearing and actually resentenced [appellant]." State v.Bankhead, Hamilton App. No. C-060480,
{¶ 20} However, the legislature enacted R.C.
{¶ 21} "(A)(1) If, prior to the effective date of this section, a court imposed a sentence including a prison term of a type described in [R.C.
{¶ 22} "* * *
{¶ 23} "(2) If a court prepares and issues a correction to a judgment of conviction as described in division (A)(1) of this section before the offender is released from imprisonment under the prison term the court imposed prior to the effective date of this section, the court shall place upon the journal of the court an entry nunc pro tunc to record the correction to the judgment of conviction and shall provide a copy of the entry to the offender[.] * * * The court's placement upon the journal of the entry nunc pro tunc before the offender is released from imprisonment under the term shall be considered, and shall have the same effect, as if the court at the time of the original sentencing had included the statement in the sentence and the judgment of conviction entered on the journal and had notified the offender that the offender will be so supervised[.]"
{¶ 24} Appellant was convicted of escape, a second-degree felony. As its plain wording indicates, the procedure set forth in R.C.
{¶ 25} In the case at bar, appellant was present at the September 22, 2006 hearing and was allowed to present his objections to the procedure used by the trial court. The court then journalized a nunc pro tunc entry correcting the 1999 sentencing entry as R.C.
{¶ 26} With regard to R.C.
{¶ 27} "* * *
{¶ 28} "The statutory amendments affect only the remedy provided, not the offender's substantive rights. They do not impose new burdens, duties, or obligations related to a past transaction, take away vested rights, or create new rights. Correcting the judgment entry does not prejudice the offender. The court merely gives the offender additional written notice of a legal obligation that is tied to the original conviction before the offender begins post-release control. Nothing extends the duration of imprisonment or of post-release control beyond what was contemplated at the original sentencing." Bankhead at ¶ 11, 13. See, also, State v. Mastin, Stark App. No. 2006CA00262,
{¶ 29} Notwithstanding all of the foregoing, we find that we must nevertheless reverse appellant's sentence for the following reason. Although the trial court notified appellant at the 2006 hearing that he would be subject to a mandatory three-year post-release control upon release from prison, and although the trial court incorporated that notice and the requirements of post-release control, including the possible penalties for violating postrelease *Page 9 control, in its nunc pro tunc entry, the court failed to advise appellant of the post-release control requirements and penalties at the 2006 hearing.
{¶ 30} In State v. Parrett, Fayette App. No. CA2004-09-016,
{¶ 31} Assignment of Error No. 4:
{¶ 32} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO WAIVE COURT COST WHERE DEFENDANT FILED AN AFFIDAVIT OF INDENGENCY."
{¶ 33} Appellant argues that in light of his affidavit of indigency and the fact he paid court costs as ordered in the 1999 sentencing entry, it was error for the trial court to charge court costs in its nunc pro tunc entry. Both the 1999 sentencing entry and the 2006 nunc pro tunc entry state "Cost taxed to defendant for which execution is awarded." The state argues that because a nunc pro tunc entry is simply "a corrected entry [which] restates the original terms plus whatever corrections were made[,] * * * the inclusion of the costs was simply a restatement of the original entry." However, the record indicates that in October 2006, court costs of $162.28 were assessed and a statement was sent to the correctional institution where appellant currently resides.
{¶ 34} In State v. White,
{¶ 35} Two years later, the court reiterated its White holding inState v. Threatt,
{¶ 36} In the case at bar, appellant appeared before the trial court on September 22, 2006 at which time the trial court advised appellant he would be subject to post-release control. Appellant, who was then represented by an attorney, did not move the court to waive payment of costs at the time of sentencing. The issue is therefore waived and the court costs of $162.28 are res judicata. Threatt at ¶ 23. Appellant's fourth assignment is accordingly overruled. See Threatt andWhite.
{¶ 37} Having determined that the trial court erred in its imposition of sentence, we reverse the trial court's nunc pro tunc entry and remand this case for the trial court to conduct either a sentencing hearing under Jordan or a hearing pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 38} Judgment affirmed in part, reversed in part, and cause remanded.
*Page 1WALSH and POWELL, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Ohio v. Ransom B. Staley
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published