Hamilton v. Purvis

2018 Ohio 2881, 117 N.E.3d 828
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 23, 2018
DocketNO. CA2017-09-134
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2018 Ohio 2881 (Hamilton v. Purvis) 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
Hamilton v. Purvis, 2018 Ohio 2881, 117 N.E.3d 828 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

HENDRICKSON, J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, David E. Purvis, appeals from his conviction in the Hamilton Municipal Court for domestic violence. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm his conviction.

{¶ 2} Following an incident that occurred between appellant and his 14-year-old daughter, E.P., at E.P.'s friend's home in New Miami, Ohio on May 13, 2017, appellant was arrested and charged with one count of domestic violence in violation of R.C. 2919.25(A), a misdemeanor of the first degree. Appellant pled not guilty to the charge and the matter proceeded to a bench trial before a magistrate.

{¶ 3} At trial, the state presented testimony from E.P., New Miami Police Officer Joseph Snyder, and Matthias Jones, an eyewitness to the incident. E.P. testified *830 she did not have permission to be at her friend's house on May 13, 2017, and her parents had demanded that she leave. E.P. refused and appellant and his wife went to E.P.'s friend's house to escort E.P. home.

{¶ 4} E.P. testified that once appellant arrived, he grabbed her by the back of the neck "really hard" and started to walk her towards the door. E.P. did not like being forced out of the house and shrugged her shoulders to try to get appellant to release her. Appellant, still holding E.P. by the neck, responded to E.P.'s efforts by hitting her in the mouth. E.P. could not recall which hand appellant used to hit her in the mouth but stated the hit "felt more [like] a punch than a slap." E.P. did not suffer any bruising or cuts to her mouth, but she claimed her face was swollen the following morning. She did not, however, take any photographs of her swollen face.

{¶ 5} After appellant struck E.P. in the mouth, he continued to force E.P. out of her friend's home. Once E.P. was outside, appellant attempted to push her into his vehicle. E.P. resisted and appellant and his wife, E.P.'s mother, held E.P. against the side of the car so that she could not get away. While appellant attempted to force E.P. into his vehicle, E.P.'s friend's stepfather, Jones, called 9-1-1 to report the incident. After officers arrived on the scene, E.P. spoke with an officer about appellant hitting her in the mouth.

{¶ 6} Jones testified he was present when appellant tried to force E.P. out of his home. Jones observed appellant grab E.P. and try to shove her out the door. He also saw appellant "haul off and punch" E.P. with his closed, right fist. Jones testified that "no child should be hit like that," and he called the police to report appellant's actions.

{¶ 7} Officer Snyder responded to Jones' home around 11:00 p.m. after receiving notice of the domestic dispute. When he arrived on scene, he observed appellant, E.P., and E.P.'s mother in Jones' driveway near a vehicle. Appellant had his arms around E.P. and appeared to be restraining her. Snyder instructed appellant to release E.P. and then spoke to appellant, E.P., and Jones.

{¶ 8} During Snyder's conversation with appellant, appellant stated that E.P. struck him when he was trying to get her to leave Jones' house. Appellant also told Snyder that he "smacked [E.P.] with an open hand" and that he did so because "he was allowed to discipline his * * * daughter." Snyder then spoke with a hysterical E.P. and obtained her version of events.

{¶ 9} Snyder testified that as someone who deals with domestic violence calls on a "regular basis," he is familiar with what a person looks like after a person has been punched in the face, and he did not see any marks on E.P. that were consistent with being punched in the face. As Snyder did not observe any redness or visible injuries to E.P.'s face, no photographs were taken at the scene. Nonetheless, based on Jones' and E.P.'s statements, Snyder arrested appellant for domestic violence.

{¶ 10} Following Snyder's testimony, defense counsel moved for acquittal pursuant to Crim.R. 29. His motion was denied, and appellant presented testimony from E.P.'s mother and grandmother on behalf of his defense. Mother testified that when she and appellant arrived at Jones' residence to take E.P. home, E.P. used foul language and refused to leave. When appellant put his hand behind E.P.'s head to usher her out the house, E.P. "started fighting him and she cussed and then she threw her hand up and hit him." Mother then saw appellant "smack" E.P. with an open hand. Mother opined that the hit "wasn't anything major" and was an appropriate form of discipline. Mother believed *831 the hit "was warranted" given E.P.'s actions that evening and her history of unruly behavior, which had required Mother to call the police on E.P. "several times" in the past.

{¶ 11} After the incident, E.P. stayed at her grandmother's home. Grandmother testified that she did not see any marks or swelling to E.P.'s face in the days that followed the May 13, 2017 incident.

{¶ 12} After considering the forgoing testimony, the magistrate found appellant guilty of domestic violence. Appellant was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 88 days suspended and jail-time credit for two days, and two years of nonreporting community control. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $100 and court costs.

{¶ 13} The magistrate's decision was filed on July 25, 2017. Appellant did not file objections and the trial court adopted the magistrate's decision. Appellant timely appealed his conviction, raising the following as his sole assignment of error:

{¶ 14} [APPELLANT'S] CONVICTION WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.

{¶ 15} In his sole assignment of error, appellant argues his conviction for domestic violence should be reversed as it is against the manifest weight of the evidence. Appellant contends the weight of the evidence demonstrates he did not punch his daughter in the face but, rather, properly disciplined his daughter when he smacked her in the face with his open palm.

{¶ 16} We must first determine whether appellant's assignment of error is properly before this court. As this was a bench trial held before a magistrate, the provisions set forth in Crim.R. 19 apply. Pursuant to Crim.R. 19(3)(D)(B)(iv), a party forfeits appellate review of an issue, except for a claim of plain error, unless the party files objections to the magistrate's decision within 14 days of its issuance. This rule, however, is affected when a magistrate's decision does not comply with the requirements set forth in Crim.R. 19(D)(3)(a)(iii).

{¶ 17} Crim.R. 19(D)(3)(a)(iii) provides as follows:

A magistrate's decision shall be in writing, identified as a magistrate's decision in the caption, signed by the magistrate, filed with the clerk, and served by the clerk on all parties or their attorneys no later than three days after the decision is filed. A magistrate's decision shall indicate conspicuously that a party shall not assign as error on appeal the court's adoption of any factual finding or legal conclusion, whether or not specifically designated as a finding of fact or conclusion of law under Crim.R. 19(D)(3)(a)(ii), unless the party timely and specifically objects to that factual finding or legal conclusion as required by Crim.R. 19(D)(3)(b) .

(Emphasis added.) The purpose of the procedures set forth in in Crim.R.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2018 Ohio 2881, 117 N.E.3d 828, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamilton-v-purvis-ohioctapp-2018.