State ex rel. Roberts v. Maxwell

189 N.E.2d 736, 90 Ohio Law. Abs. 481, 1962 Ohio App. LEXIS 778
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 3, 1962
DocketNo. 6883
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 189 N.E.2d 736 (State ex rel. Roberts v. Maxwell) 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
State ex rel. Roberts v. Maxwell, 189 N.E.2d 736, 90 Ohio Law. Abs. 481, 1962 Ohio App. LEXIS 778 (Ohio Ct. App. 1962).

Opinions

Bryant, J.

This is an original action in habeas corpus brought by Theodore Roberts, an inmate of the Ohio Penitentiary, relator, against E. L. Maxwell, Warden of the Ohio Penitentiary, respondent. It is the claim of Roberts that he has served the maximum sentence imposed by the Common Pleas Court of Scioto County, Ohio, that he is therefore entitled to his freedom and to enforce this claimed right, he asks for a writ of habeas corpus.

The facts are somewhat involved in this case, some of them are admitted and others are disputed, making a brief reference to the facts and what has gone on before necessary. [483]*483Although three separate indictments were returned against Roberts for three offenses between April 22, 1953 and April 26, 1953, the principal controversy relates to but one of them.

For easier reference, we shall refer to them as the first, second and third indictments. As the nature of the charge in case of the third indictment is in dispute, we shall set forth as to each indictment, the case number in the trial court, the court term when voted by the grand jury, -the name of the offense as certified to on the back thereof by both the prosecuting attorney and the foreman of the grand jury, the name of the offense as shown in large capital letters in the caption of the indictment, and the section number of the General Code, now Revised Code, which described and penalized the offense charged:

Called Here Com. Pls. Ct. No. Term of Indict. Crime As Certified by Grand Jury Foreman Crime As Named In Indictment Caption Gen’l Code Section Violated Per Caption Offense Defined In Such Section
1st Ind. 16,616 May ’53 Burglary 6s Larceny Burglary 6s Larceny G. C. 12,438 Burglary
2nd Ind. 16,625 May ’53 Burglary Burglary G. C. 12,438 Burglary
3rd Ind. 16,700 Sept. ’53 Burglary 6s Larceny Burglary 6s Larceny G. C. 12,438 Burglary

In the case of the first indictment, it was alleged that a warehouse building was broken into on April 24, 1953 and $60 in stamps were stolen; in the second indictment, it was alleged that a store building was broken into with intent to steal but nothing was alleged to have been stolen, while in the third indictment, it was alleged that a certain building (at the same address as that named in the first indictment) was broken into and miscellaneous property of a total value of $10 was taken. In the first and second indictments, the offenses were alleged to have taken place “in the night season,” while in the third indictment, there is no such allegation but, on the contrary, it is alleged that the offense took place “in the day season.”

Two sections of the criminal code are involved. As the Revised Code did not become effective until October 1, 1953, the [484]*484indictments refer to criminal code sections as numbered in the General Code. One of them is Section 12,438, General Code (Section 2907.10, Revised Code), defining and penalizing burglary of an uninhabited dwelling or other building in the night season and will hereinafter be referred to as the burglary section. The other is Section 12,442, General Code (Section 2907.15, Revised Code), penalizing breaking and entering a dwelling house or other building in the daytime, hereinafter referred to as the housebreaking section.

It appears that Roberts pleaded not guilty to the first and second indictments returned at the May 1953 term and later, when at the September 1953 term, the third indictment was returned, he also pleaded not guilty to it. It was on November 13, 1953, while the first and second indictments were still pending, that Roberts was tried by a jury on the third indictment, was found guilty and sentenced to an indeterminate term in the Ohio Penitentiary.

It is undisputed that four days later, on November 17, 1953, Roberts withdrew his former pleas of not guilty to the two burglary charges set forth in the first and second indictments, the charge in each of said indictments was reduced from burglary to house breaking, whereupon Roberts pleaded guilty to the two reduced charges of housebreaking and was sentenced to indeterminate terms in the Ohio Penitentiary of from one to five years each, the sentence under the first indictment to run concurrently with the sentence under the second indictment.

Sentences in criminal cases are pronounced orally by the court with the defendant present. It is the duty of the clerk of courts to make a record of the sentence which is pronounced. The indeterminate sentence for burglary in the night season of an uninhabited dwelling or other building (Section 12,438, supra, General Code) is from one to fifteen years, while the indeterminate sentence for housebreaking in the day season of a dwelling house or other building (Section 12,442, supra, General Code), is from one to five years.

In the return filed by the respondent in this case, reference is made to and there are attached photographic copies of the indictments, of certified copies of sentence and of journal entries made by the trial court in each of the three cases-with "the [485]*485appropriate certificates and, in the case of the third indictment, an additional entry filed on July 17, 1961 and labeled, “entry nunc pro tunc.”

As heretofore indicated, it is admitted by all concerned that as to the first and second indictments, Roberts received indeterminate sentences of one to five years in the penitentiary on each charge, these two sentences to be served concurrently. The principal questions now before the court relate to what offense was charged in the third indictment, what offense Roberts was convicted of and sentenced to under this charge and what effect should be given to the 1961 ‘ ‘ entry nunc pro tunc. ’ ’

It is of course well-settled that there are no common law crimes in Ohio and that the General Assembly has preempted the fields of both substantive and procedural criminal law in Ohio. In the case of Eastman v. State, 131 Ohio St., 1 (1936), the court in the ninth branch of the syllbus held as follows:

“In the exercise of the legislative power vested in it by the Constitution of Ohio, the General Assembly has preempted the fields of both substantive and procedural criminal law in this state. (Paragraph one of the syllabus in the case of Municipal Court of Toledo v. State, ex rel. Platter, 126 Ohio St., 103, approved and followed.)”

At page eight of the Eastman case, supra, in the opinion by Weygandt, C. J., it is stated:

“It must be remembered that there are no common-law crimes in Ohio. 12 Ohio Jurisprudence, 48; Vanvalkenburg v. State, 11 Ohio, 404; Mitchell v. State, 42 Ohio St., 383. It is likewise ordinarily true that the General Assembly has provided its own definitions and procedure with the result that criminal procedure in this state is regulated entirely by statute. 12 Ohio Jurisprudence, 49; Winn v. State, 10 Ohio, 345; Municipal Court of Toledo v. State, ex rel. Platter, 126 Ohio St., 103, 184 N. E., 1. Therefore the search for the answer to this question must be conducted accordingly."

In our opinion, the third indictment was intended to charge the offense of burglary under the provisions of Section 12,438, supra, General Code, which is a breaking in the night season.

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Bluebook (online)
189 N.E.2d 736, 90 Ohio Law. Abs. 481, 1962 Ohio App. LEXIS 778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-roberts-v-maxwell-ohioctapp-1962.