State v. Anderson, Unpublished Decision (9-8-2006)

2006 Ohio 4602
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 8, 2006
DocketAppeal No. C-050786.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 2006 Ohio 4602 (State v. Anderson, Unpublished Decision (9-8-2006)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Anderson, Unpublished Decision (9-8-2006), 2006 Ohio 4602 (Ohio Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

DECISION.
{¶ 1} After a plea bargain, defendant-appellant Nichelle Anderson pled guilty to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, and no contest to criminal damaging, a misdemeanor of the second degree. These charges stemmed from Anderson's destruction of her sister's apartment after an argument between the two. Anderson destroyed several of the apartment's windows, a door frame, and furniture.

{¶ 2} The trial court imposed a suspended sentence and placed Anderson on five years' probation. Anderson's probation included a restitution order of $6,510, as well as electronic monitoring. The trial court stated that the electronic monitoring could be suspended upon Anderson's full payment of the ordered restitution.

{¶ 3} Anderson has appealed, raising three assignments of error, which we address in order.

Conditions of Probation/Community Control
{¶ 4} In her first assignment of error, Anderson argues that the trial court erred in imposing an excessive amount of restitution and in ordering her to be placed on electronic monitoring for five years.

A. Restitution
{¶ 5} Anderson alleges that restitution in the amount of $6,510 was excessive and was not supported by the evidence.

{¶ 6} R.C. 2929.28 governs a trial court's imposition of restitution for a misdemeanor offense. R.C. 2929.28(A)(1) provides that a court may base the amount of restitution "on an amount recommended by the victim, the offender, a presentence investigation report, estimates or receipts indicating the cost of repairing or replacing the property, and other information * * *." The amount of restitution must be based on the victim's economic loss.1

{¶ 7} The trial court determined the amount of Anderson's restitution based upon an invoice provided by the victim. This invoice was introduced at the same hearing where Anderson pled guilty and sentence was imposed, although the invoice was not made a part of the record for this court to review. Anderson did not object during this hearing to the proffered amount of restitution.

{¶ 8} We review restitution-based sentencing errors for plain error when no objection is raised in the trial court.2 Plain error only serves as a ground for reversal when exceptional circumstances require it to prevent a manifest miscarriage of justice.3

{¶ 9} We find no plain error in the circumstances before us. The trial court was permitted by statute to rely on an amount of restitution recommended by the victim. Anderson caused excessive damage to her sister's apartment, and the record does not indicate that the amount of restitution ordered was not based on the victim's economic loss. And, most telling, Anderson did not contest the amount when it was proffered.

{¶ 10} We further note that the amount of restitution was not affected by the fact that Anderson destroyed rental furniture. Even though the furniture was rented, her sister was responsible for the damage.

{¶ 11} We conclude that no error resulted from the trial court's order of restitution.

B. Electronic Monitoring
{¶ 12} Anderson additionally argues that the imposition of five years of electronic monitoring violated her rights to due process. She argues that it was cruel and unusual punishment because she only faced a maximum of 90 days' incarceration for a misdemeanor of the second degree.

{¶ 13} We faced a similar issue in State v.Downey.4 In Downey, the defendant pled no contest to a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. The trial court imposed a suspended sentence and placed Downey on one year of community control, including electronically monitored house arrest. Downey argued that because he only faced a maximum of 30 days' incarceration for a fourth-degree misdemeanor, he could have only been placed on electronic monitoring for 30 days.

{¶ 14} We found Downey's argument to be without merit, stating that "R.C. 2929.25(A)(1)(b) permits a trial court to impose a jail term upon an offender convicted of a misdemeanor and then suspend all or a portion of that term and place the offender under community-control sanctions. R.C. 2929.27(A)(2) permits a sentencing court to impose a term of house arrest with electronic monitoring as a nonresidential community-control sanction on an offender convicted of a misdemeanor. [R.C.2929.25(A)(2) provides that] [c]ommunity-control sanctions may last up to five years."5

{¶ 15} We further reasoned in Downey that "because community-control sanctions may last up to five years, it is reasonable to conclude that the state legislature must have intended to give sentencing courts a limited way to retain control over offenders convicted of misdemeanors for a period longer than the authorized maximum jail term."6

{¶ 16} The analysis in Downey is sound and well reasoned. We hold that it applies to the case presently before us. A trial court may suspend the sentence of an offender convicted of a misdemeanor and then impose up to five years of electronic monitoring as a community-control sanction, even though that time exceeds the authorized maximum jail term for the misdemeanor offense.

{¶ 17} But we are mindful that the probation, or community-control, sanctions imposed must be related to the "interests of doing justice, rehabilitating the offender, and insuring his good behavior."7 To determine whether a sanction is so related, we must consider whether the sanction "(1) is reasonably related to rehabilitating the offender, (2) has some relationship to the crime of which the offender was convicted, and (3) relates to conduct which is criminal or reasonably related to future criminality and serves the statutory ends of probation."8

{¶ 18} After considering these guiding principles, we conclude that electronic monitoring was an appropriate community-control sanction in this case. Anderson committed a violent and destructive act against her sister's property. Her sister was forced to hide in her bedroom while Anderson destroyed the apartment. Electronic monitoring was a rational and reasonable method of maintaining some degree of control over Anderson, and it helped to ensure that she complied with the court-ordered restitution.

{¶ 19} Anderson further argues that post-trial electronic monitoring constituted detention and maintains that time spent on electronic monitoring should have counted towards her sentence. As a result, she argues, five years of electronic monitoring exceeded the maximum permissible sentence.9 Although our preceding discussion determines this issue, we briefly address Anderson's contention.

{¶ 20}

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Bluebook (online)
2006 Ohio 4602, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-anderson-unpublished-decision-9-8-2006-ohioctapp-2006.