State v. Lober, 22021 (7-25-2008)
State v. Lober, 22021 (7-25-2008)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} On November 1, 2006, Lober filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in Case No. 2005-CR-1916, one of the criminal cases in which he was sentenced to *Page 2
prison and his commercial driver's license was suspended. The petition asked the trial court to vacate the judgment of conviction due to his counsel's alleged ineffective assistance. Lober requested a hearing on his petition. The State moved to dismiss the petition, asserting that the petition failed to satisfy any of the requirements of R.C.
{¶ 3} On January 10, 2007, the trial court granted the State's motion to dismiss. The court concluded that Lober had failed to "state with particularity the extraordinary circumstances entitling him to habeas corpus relief." It further stated that a habeas corpus petition is not a substitute for an appeal or post-conviction relief.
{¶ 4} Lober appeals, claiming that the trial court erred in dismissing his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Although Lober's brief is difficult to decipher, he appears to argue that extraordinary relief in habeas corpus was proper because: (1) his commercial driver's license remains suspended; (2) his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance; (3) his sentence was contrary to pretrial agreements; (4) his sentence violated State v. Foster,
{¶ 5} "A writ of habeas corpus is warranted in certain extraordinary circumstances `where there is an unlawful restraint of a person's liberty and there is no adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law.'"Johnson v. Timmerman-Cooper,
{¶ 6} In order to apply for a writ of habeas corpus, the applicant must comply with R.C.
{¶ 7} "(A) That the person in whose behalf the application is made is imprisoned, or restrained of his liberty;
{¶ 8} "(B) The officer, or name of the person by whom the prisoner is so confined or restrained * * *;
{¶ 9} "(C) The place where the prisoner is so imprisoned or restrained, if known;
{¶ 10} "(D) A copy of the commitment or cause of detention of such person shall be exhibited, if it can be procured without impairing the efficiency of the remedy; or, if the imprisonment or detention is without legal authority, such fact must appear."
{¶ 11} Upon review, we find no error in the trial court's dismissal of Lober's petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
{¶ 12} First, Lober's petition failed to comply with R.C.
{¶ 13} Second, a petition for a writ of habeas corpus is not the appropriate vehicle for Lober to raise his challenges to his conviction and sentence. "Habeas *Page 4
corpus may not be used as a substitute for appeal nor may it be resorted to where an adequate statutory remedy for review of the questions presented exists." In re Piazza (1966),
{¶ 14} Because Lober's petition for a writ habeas corpus, on its face, did not state a claim for extraordinary relief, the trial court did not err in dismissing the petition without a hearing.
{¶ 15} Finally, Lober's appeal appears to be moot due to the lack of confinement. Crase v. Bradshaw,
{¶ 16} Lober's assignment of error is overruled.
{¶ 17} The judgment of the trial court will be affirmed.
*Page 1BROGAN, J. and DONOVAN, J., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.