State v. Brown
State v. Brown
Opinion
[Cite as State v. Brown,
2020-Ohio-3568.]
COURT OF APPEALS LICKING COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
STATE OF OHIO : JUDGES: : Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J. Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J. : Hon. Earle E. Wise, Jr., J. -vs- : : JEFFREY S. BROWN : Case No. 2020 CA 0016 : Defendant-Appellant : OPINION
CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 2018 CR 0015
JUDGMENT: Affirmed
DATE OF JUDGMENT: June 29, 2020
APPEARANCES:
For Plaintiff-Appellee For Defendant-Appellant
PAULA M. SAWYERS JAMES A. ANZELMO 20 South Second Street 446 Howland Drive Fourth Floor Gahanna, OH 43230 Newark, OH 43055 Wise, Earle, J.
{¶ 1} Defendant-Appellant, Jeffrey S. Brown, appeals the January 23, 2020
judgment entry of the Court of Common Pleas of Licking County, Ohio, denying his motion
to correct his sentence. Plaintiff-Appellee is the state of Ohio.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
{¶ 2} On June 15, 2018, appellant pled guilty to one count of aggravated
trafficking in drugs in violation of R.C. 2925.03, and one count of having weapons while
under disability in violation of R.C. 2923.13. By judgment entry filed same date, the trial
court sentenced appellant to two years on the trafficking count and three years on the
weapons count, to be served consecutively, plus an additional two years for committing
the offenses while on post-release control, also to be served consecutively, for a total
term of seven years in prison.
{¶ 3} On March 6, 2019, appellant's convictions and sentence were affirmed on
appeal. State v. Brown, 5th Dist. Licking No. 18-CA-53,
2019-Ohio-1210.
{¶ 4} On December 6, 2019, appellant filed in the trial court a motion to correct
his sentence, arguing the adult parole authority had already imposed two sanctions for
violating the terms of his post-release control, one for 150 days on January 12, 2016, and
one for 180 days on April 26, 2017. Appellant sought credit for having served those days.
By judgment entry filed January 23, 2020, the trial court denied the motion, finding the
two year sentence imposed for the post-release control violation was less than the
available amount remaining, and the issue was res judicata.
{¶ 5} Appellant filed an appeal and this matter is now before this court for
consideration. Assignment of error is as follows: I
{¶ 6} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY DENYING BROWN'S MOTION TO
CORRECT HIS SENTENCE."
{¶ 7} Preliminarily, we note this case is before this court on the accelerated
calendar which is governed by App.R. 11.1. Subsection (E), determination and judgment
on appeal, provides in relevant part: "The appeal will be determined as provided by
App.R. 11.1. It shall be sufficient compliance with App.R. 12(A) for the statement of the
reason for the court's decision as to each error to be in brief and conclusionary form."
{¶ 8} One of the important purposes of the accelerated calendar is to enable an
appellate court to render a brief and conclusory decision more quickly than in a case on
the regular calendar where the briefs, facts, and legal issues are more complicated.
Crawford v. Eastland Shopping Mall Assn.,
11 Ohio App.3d 158,
463 N.E.2d 655(10th
Dist. 1983).
{¶ 9} This appeal shall be considered in accordance with the aforementioned
rules.
I
{¶ 10} In his sole assignment of error, appellant claims the trial court erred in
denying his motion to correct his sentence. We disagree.
{¶ 11} In his motion, appellant argued because he previously served 330 days
under two administratively imposed sanctions by the Adult Parole Authority, the two years
imposed by the trial court for committing the offenses while under post-release control
should have been reduced by said amount. Attached to his motion were two Sanction
Receipt and Prison Term Orders showing the two administrative sanctions. {¶ 12} During the sentencing hearing, the issue of the imposition of the post-
release control sanction was discussed between the trial court and defense counsel.
Defense counsel questioned the remaining time available, and appellant stated "I've done
two sanctions, two years out of a four-year sentence." June 15, 2018 T. at 22. Defense
counsel continued arguing the available amount, stating she wanted "to get the research
and see * * * how much time he has left * * * [b]ecause I just don't think he has two years
or I need to figure it out." T. at 24. The trial court noted appellant's "got more than two
years," and stated "I'm giving him two out of the four that he has, yeah."
Id.Defense
counsel objected to the two year sanction and the consecutive nature of the sentences.
Id. at 23-24. At the conclusion of the hearing, defense counsel asked "for the purposes
of the PRC issue and the consecutive issue, will the Court appoint appellate counsel for
that?" T. at 25-26. The trial court agreed to do so. Id.
{¶ 13} A motion to correct appellant's sentence with the two aforementioned prison
term orders was not filed after the sentencing hearing. Instead, appellant chose to file a
direct appeal, listing three assignments of error, the closest to challenging his sentence
was his argument that his plea was not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary because he
did not understand the consequences of his plea. State v. Brown, 5th Dist. Licking No.
18-CA-53,
2019-Ohio-1210. Appellant argued "the trial court did not indicate how much
prison time it could impose for a post-release control sanction and that he did not
understand the maximum sentence that he faced or the type of sanction he faced for
violating post-release control." Id. at ¶ 12. This court reviewed the plea hearing transcript
and found the trial court complied with Crim.R. 11 and "appellant was advised of the
consequences of his plea." Id. at 15-16. Appellant did not contest the imposition of the two year post-release control sanction, even though it was an issue raised during the
sentencing hearing.
{¶ 14} As found by the trial court in its January 23, 2020 judgment entry, appellant's
motion to correct his sentence was precluded by the doctrine of res judicata. In State v.
Perry,
10 Ohio St.2d 175,
226 N.E.2d 104(1967), paragraph nine of the syllabus, the
Supreme Court of Ohio held the following:
Under the doctrine of res judicata, a final judgment of conviction bars
the convicted defendant from raising and litigating in any proceeding, except
an appeal from that judgment, any defense or any claimed lack of due
process that was raised or could have been raised by the defendant at the
trial which resulted in that judgment of conviction or on an appeal from that
judgment.
{¶ 15} In State v. O'Neal, 5th Dist. Muskingum No. CT2008-0051, 2009-Ohio-
2670, ¶ 15, this court found res judicata applied to the appellant's argument that the trial
court "miscalculated the remaining time to be served under the PRC imposition,
particularly as to a claimed 120-day administrative imposition." "We thus hold that res
judicata indeed applies to appellant's '60(B)' post-conviction motion to correct sentence,
as this mathematical issue could have been raised on direct appeal." Id. at ¶ 18.
{¶ 16} As in O'Neal, appellant herein had the opportunity to raise the issue on
direct appeal, but chose not to do so.
{¶ 17} Upon review, we find the trial court did not err in denying appellant's motion
to correct his sentence. {¶ 18} The sole assignment of error is denied.
{¶ 19} The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Licking County, Ohio is
hereby affirmed.
By Wise, Earle, J.
Gwin, P.J. and
Delaney, J. concur.
EEW/db
Reference
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- motion to correct sentence res judicata