State v. Barnhart

2023 Ohio 3488
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided September 26, 2023·No. 21CA13·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Barnhart, 2023-Ohio-3488.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT ATHENS COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO, : : Case No. 21CA13 Plaintiff-Appellee, : : v. : DECISION AND JUDGMENT : ENTRY SHAYNE BARNHART, : : Defendant-Appellant. : RELEASED 9/26/2023

APPEARANCES:

Eric J. Allen, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellant.

Keller J. Blackburn, Athens County Prosecuting Attorney, and Merry M. Saunders, Athens County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Athens, Ohio, for Appellee.

Smith, P. J.

{¶1} Shane Barnhart appeals the July 26, 2021 judgment entry of the Athens

County Common Pleas Court. After entering guilty pleas to three counts in two

separate criminal cases involving failure to comply with the order or signal of a

police officer and endangering children, the trial court imposed a total sentence of

fifty-four (54) months in prison. On appeal, Barnhart raises two assignments of

error challenging the maximum and consecutive nature of his sentence.

{¶2} However, upon review of Barnhart’s assignments of error, we conclude

that the trial court did not err with regard to imposition of Barnhart’s sentence. Athens App. No. 21CA13 2

Thus, the sole assignment of error is without merit and overruled. The judgment of

the trial court is affirmed.

FACTS

{¶3} On August 14, 2019, Shayne Barnhart led law enforcement officers on

a high-speed pursuit in the Village of Albany. On July 27, 2020, Barnhart was

indicted by the Athens County Grand Jury for Failure to Comply with an Order or

Signal of a Police Officer, R.C. 2921.331(B), a felony of the third degree, and

Endangering Children, R. C. 2919.22(A), a misdemeanor of the first degree. This

indictment was assigned Case Number 20CR0318. During the August 14, 2019

incident, Barnhart fled from officers with his wife, Kayleigh Ryder, and her minor

daughter as passengers in his vehicle.

{¶4} On October 19, 2020, Barnhart was indicted for another violation of

R.C. 2921.331(B) after another high-speed chase which began in the City of

Athens and continued through rural Athens County on September 5, 2020. This

indictment was assigned Case Number 20CR0407. During this incident, Kayleigh

Ryder was again a passenger in the vehicle operated by Barnhart.

{¶5} Eventually, Barnhart was arraigned on both indictments on December

10, 2020, and entered pleas of not guilty to all counts. He was appointed counsel,

ordered held on a cash bond, and remained in jail. The trial court later granted

Barnhart a medical furlough effective December 16, 2020. However, on February Athens App. No. 21CA13 3

3, 2021, the trial court issued a warrant to arrest Barnhart for failing to report back

to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail as ordered upon release from his medical

treatment.

{¶6} On April 21, 2021, the State of Ohio filed a motion to join both

indictments for trial. The trial court granted this request. However, on May 26,

2021, Barnhart entered guilty pleas to the three counts contained in both

indictments. Sentencing was delayed in order to obtain a pre-sentence

investigation report.

{¶7} At sentencing on June 23, 2021, the prosecutor set forth the facts

underlying both pursuits. The prosecutor informed that the August 14, 2019

pursuit began when Albany police officers attempted to stop Barnhart for a minor

traffic violation. Barnhart stopped briefly, but then continued to drive through

Albany in a reckless manner, at times in excess of 90 miles per hour. Barnhart

went left of center, failed to observe stop signs, nearly struck two vehicles in

oncoming lanes of traffic, passed a large utility truck, and also nearly crashed into

a dirt bank during the 14-minute pursuit. The officers lost sight of him.

{¶8} Barnhart was later identified as the driver. Kayleigh Ryder indicated to

officers that the three hid in an open field, at Barnhart’s insistence, during

Barnhart’s attempt to evade law enforcement. Ms. Ryder and her daughter both Athens App. No. 21CA13 4

indicated they were fearful during the pursuit. They held hands and the child

closed her eyes.

{¶9} The prosecutor further advised that the September 5, 2020 pursuit

began when Deputy Banks of the Athens County Sheriff’s Department observed

Barnhart at Kentucky Fried Chicken on Stimson Avenue in Athens, did a warrant

check, and learned there was an active warrant. Deputy Banks activated his

overhead lights and siren but Barnhart did not stop. This time, Barnhart traveled

onto Rock Riffle Road, a curvy and well-traveled rural road, again reaching

dangerous speeds. Eventually, Barnhart crashed into several trees and fled on foot.

Once again, Kayleigh Ryder was with him. She indicated she closed her eyes and

prayed during this chase.

{¶10} At Barnhart’s initial sentencing on June 23, 2021, Barnhart requested

court ordered drug treatment. He indicated he had previously served, in its

entirety, a nine-year prison sentence. Upon his release he had been working for a

concrete business and properly reporting to his probation officer. Barnhart told the

court that after authorities found out Barnhart had been in a fist fight and he was

sent to jail for 90 days, he lost his job and his life thereafter spiraled into drugs and

alcohol. Barnhart’s attorney also requested treatment pursuant to a sentence of

community control. Athens App. No. 21CA13 5

{¶11} Instead, in 20CR0318, the trial court sentenced Barnhart on count

one, failure to comply, to 36 months in prison, and on count two, endangering

children, to 180 days in jail, the sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.

On 20CR0407, the second failure to comply, the court imposed a 36-month prison

sentence to be served consecutively. The total prison sentence was 72 months.

{¶12} During imposition of sentence, the trial court stated:

So what’s in front of the Court, as you heard by the State, is him doing a hundred miles an hour on Fisher Road and getting airborne because he was scared, apparently going left of center on Marion Johnson Road, and it was a fourteen minute pursuit when he could have killed somebody, a family or families, in addition to himself. * * * [T]hat even happened with his wife * * * but also [a] young child in the car who could have been similarly killed at any long distance among a fourteen-mile chase. In 20CR0318, count one, the Court orders you to serve thirty-six months in prison. Count two, orders you to serve a hundred and eighty days in jail. Count two and one will run concurrent to one another. * * * You’re also ordered to a lifetime operator’s suspension, as you’ve demonstrated an inability to show that you can responsibly operate a motor vehicle and * * * the Court doesn’t see any future that you’ll be able to operate a motor vehicle with any reasonable adult responsibility after those antics of a fourteen-minute pursuit where you put the whole community in jeopardy in Albany, especially at 7:00 p.m. at night. It wasn’t like this was at two in the morning * * * when nobody’s on the road.

{¶13} Regarding the second failure to comply incident and criminal case,

the court continued:

So now we turn our attention to 20CR0407. * * * And this happened at 6:43 p.m. Again, early evening in the fall, people going to football games, going shopping. And again, where do Athens App. No. 21CA13 6

we find Mr. Barnhart? Ninety miles an hour on Rock Riffle Road, which unlike most of Fisher or semi parts of Fisher, is not very straight.

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