City of Westlake v. Kilbane

765 N.E.2d 986, 146 Ohio App. 3d 308
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 15, 2001
DocketNo. 77881.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 765 N.E.2d 986 (City of Westlake v. Kilbane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Westlake v. Kilbane, 765 N.E.2d 986, 146 Ohio App. 3d 308 (Ohio Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

*310 Timothy E. McMonagle, Judge.

Defendant-appellant, Thomas J. Kilbane, appeals the decision of the Rocky River Municipal Court finding him guilty of violating Westlake Codified Ordinance 333.01(d)(1), physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, after entering a plea of no contest. For the reasons that follow, we vacate appellant’s conviction.

A review of the record reveals that the Westlake Police Department received an anonymous telephone call informing them that an individual matching appellant’s description carried a gun and drugs in his vehicle and was en route home to kill his wife. Police observed appellant’s vehicle as described by the caller a short distance from its destination, at which time the police officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Appellant continued driving, nonetheless, but was eventually apprehended in his driveway shortly' after midnight on December 15, 1999.

The officer detected a moderate odor of alcohol and noted appellant’s bloodshot eyes. While the police officer’s report reveals that appellant refused all field sobriety tests, the prosecutor’s remarks in court suggest that appellant may have been physically limited and was therefore incapable of performing at least some of these tests. Appellant was subsequently placed under administrative license suspension (“ALS”) pursuant to R.C. 4511.191 and arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the officer found a handgun and loaded magazine in a briefcase on the vehicle’s front passenger seat.

Appellant was eventually charged in municipal court with driving under the influence of alcohol, a violation of R.C. 4511.19(A)(1). 1 Appellant filed a motion to suppress but later withdrew that motion upon agreeing to plead no contest to a charge of physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a violation of Westlake Codified Ordinances 333.01(d)(1). The court thereafter found appellant guilty of the amended charge, reversed the ALS, and sentenced him accordingly.

Appellant now appeals and assigns three errors for our review.

I

Appellant’s second assignment of error is dispositive of this appeal and, as such, will be discussed out of turn. Succinctly, appellant challenges his conviction on the basis that his no contest plea was not made in compliance with Crim.R. 11(E). We agree.

*311 Crim.R. 11(E) governs a criminal defendant’s rights upon entering a no contest plea and provides:

“In misdemeanor cases involving petty offenses the court may refuse to accept a plea of * * * no contest, and shall not accept such pleas without first informing the defendant of the effect of the plea of * * * no contest * *

A violation of Westlake Codified Ordinances 333.01(d)(1) is a third-degree misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of sixty days in jail and a $500 fine. See Westlake Codified Ordinance 333.99(c); R.C. 2929.21(B)(3) and (C)(3). As such it is a petty offense as defined by Crim.R. 2(D).

Crim.R. 11(E) imposes a mandatory duty on the trial court to advise the accused, and the record must affirmatively demonstrate that the court discharged that duty. Toledo v. Chiaverini (1983), 11 Ohio App.3d 43, 11 OBR 76, 463 N.E.2d 56; see, also, Cleveland v. Wanzo (1998), 129 Ohio App.3d 664, 667, 718 N.E.2d 982. Because a no contest plea waives several constitutional rights, including the right to a trial, the privilege against self-incrimination and the right to confront accusers, the record must also affirmatively demonstrate that such a plea was entered voluntarily, intelligently, and knowingly. Chiaverini, 11 Ohio App.3d at 43, 11 OBR 76, 463 N.E.2d 56; see, also, Garfield Hts. v. Brewer (1984), 17 Ohio App.3d 216, 218, 17 OBR 458, 479 N.E.2d 309; see, generally, Boykin v. Alabama (1969), 395 U.S. 238, 243, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274. “Where the possibility of incarceration exists, for even six months or less, constitutional rights attach unless validly waived.” Brewer, 17 Ohio App.3d at 219, 17 OBR 458, 479 N.E.2d 309.

“The court, when informing a defendant of the effect of a plea of guilty, no contest or not guilty, pursuant to Crim.R. 11(E), should advise the defendant of his right to a trial by jury or to the court; the burden upon the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt if he were to go to trial; his right to cross-examine the witnesses called against him; his right not to testify; and his right to subpoena any witness he may have in his own defense. The court should further advise the defendant that, if he pleads no contest, the court will make a finding with regard to the defendant’s guilt or innocence, based upon an explanation of the circumstances as they are set forth in the complaint, as they are presented by the prosecution, or as they are presented by the complainant.” Chiaverini, 11 Ohio App.3d at 44, 11 OBR 76, 463 N.E.2d 56.

A trial court must strictly comply with Crim.R. 11 as it pertains to the waiver of federal constitutional rights. These include the right to trial by jury, the right of confrontation, and the privilege against self-incrimination. Boykin v. Alabama (1969), 395 U.S. 238, 243-244, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 1712-1713, 23 L.Ed.2d 274, 279-280; see, also, Cleveland v. Wanzo, 129 Ohio App.3d at 666-667, 718 N.E.2d *312 982. Strict compliance is also required when waiving the right of compulsory process. See State v. Ballard (1981), 66 Ohio St.2d 473, 478, 20 O.O.3d 397, 423 N.E.2d 115. On the other hand, substantial compliance with this rule is sufficient when waiving nonconstitutional rights. Id. See, also, State v. Nero (1990), 56 Ohio St.3d 106, 108, 564 N.E.2d 474; see, also, Garfield Hts. v. Mancini (1997), 121 Ohio App.3d 155, 699 N.E.2d 132. Substantial compliance “means that under the totality of the circumstances the defendant subjectively understands the implications of his plea and the rights he is waiving.” Nero, 56 Ohio St.3d at 108, 564 N.E.2d 474.

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Bluebook (online)
765 N.E.2d 986, 146 Ohio App. 3d 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-westlake-v-kilbane-ohioctapp-2001.