State v. Bergandine

2020 Ohio 2922
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided May 12, 2020·No. 19 CAC 10 0054·Published

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

DELAWARE COUNTY, OHIO

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

STATE OF OHIO : JUDGES:

:

: Hon. John W. Wise, P.J.

Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J.

: Hon. Earle E. Wise, Jr., J.

-vs- :

: Case No. 19 CAC 10 0054 :

ALYSON S. BERGANDINE :

:

:

Defendant-Appellant : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Delaware Municipal Court, Case No. 19CRB01833

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: May 12, 2020

APPEARANCES: For Plaintiff-Appellee: For Defendant-Appellant:

AMELIA BEAN-DEFLUMER ALYSON S. BERGANDINE, PRO SE ASSISTANT PROSECUTING ATTORNEY 175 S. SANDUSKY STREET DELAWARE CITY PROSECUTOR DELAWARE, OHIO 43015 70 NORTH UNION STREET DELAWARE, OHIO 43015

Delaware County, Case No. 19 CAC 10 0054 2

Delaney, J.

{¶1} Defendant-Appellant Alyson S. Bergandine appeals her October 8, 2019 conviction and sentence by the Delaware Municipal Court for a violation of 192.99(d)(13) of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Delaware.

{¶2} Preliminarily, we note this case is before this court on the accelerated calendar which is governed by App.R. 11.1. Subsection (E), determination and judgment on appeal, provides in pertinent part: “The appeal will be determined as provided by App.R. 11.1. It shall be sufficient compliance with App.R. 12(A) for the statement of the reason for the court's decision as to each error to be in brief and conclusionary form.”

{¶3} One of the most important purposes of the accelerated calendar is to enable an appellate court to render a brief and conclusory decision more quickly than in a case on the regular calendar where the briefs, facts, and legal issues are more complicated. Crawford v. Eastland Shopping Mall Assn., 11 Ohio App.3d 158, 463 N.E.2d 655 (10th Dist.1983).

{¶4} This appeal shall be considered in accordance with the aforementioned rules.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

{¶5} On August 1, 2019, W.S. Clinger, an employee of the City of Delaware Income Tax Department, filed a Complaint with the Delaware Municipal Court against Defendant-Appellant Alyson S. Bergandine. The complaint alleged:

Complainant being duly sworn states that Alyson Bergandine on or about the 8th day of JULY, 2019, in Delaware County, Ohio, did attempt to do anything whatsoever to avoid the payment of the whole or any part of the

Delaware County, Case No. 19 CAC 10 0054 3

tax, penalties, or interest imposed by Chapter 192 of the Delaware Codified Ordinances, to wit: Failure to File/Failure to Pay 2016 & 2017 Delaware City Income Taxes. In violation of No. 192.99(d)(13) Del. Cod. Ord., 4th degree misdemeanor.

{¶6} The Delaware Municipal Court clerk of court signed the complaint as sworn and subscribed before her on August 1, 2019. The complaint was served by certified mail on Bergandine on August 5, 2019.

{¶7} On August 26, 2019, Bergandine entered a written plea of not guilty. She also demanded that her case be tried within the time required by law. The trial court set the matter for a pretrial on September 9, 2019. At the pretrial, Bergandine signed a written waiver of her right to an attorney. On September 13, 2019, the matter was set for a jury trial to be held on September 17, 2019. The scheduling order noted it was served by telephone and email.

{¶8} Bergandine filed a Request for Leave to File Pre-Trial Motions Out of Rule on September 16, 2019. In her motion, she acknowledged on September 13, 2019, she received email notice from the State that a jury trial was scheduled for September 17, 2019. She requested leave to file a Crim.R. 12(C) Motion to Dismiss.

{¶9} The Crim.R. 12(C) Motion to Dismiss was filed on September 16, 2019. In her motion, she argued the Complaint was not valid because the complainant, W.S. Clinger, was not authorized to file the complaint, and therefore the trial court did not have subject matter jurisdiction over the criminal matter.

Delaware County, Case No. 19 CAC 10 0054 4

{¶10} On September 17, 2019, Bergandine filed a Motion for Continuance for additional time to prepare her defense. The trial court granted the motion. The jury trial was continued to October 8, 2019.

{¶11} The trial court held an evidentiary hearing on September 17, 2019 on Bergandine’s Motion to Dismiss. On October 1, 2019, Bergandine filed a “Supplement and Motion to Reconsider Defendant’s Criminal Rule 12 Motion to Dismiss or in the Alternative Defendant’s Request for Written Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.” In the motion, Bergandine refers to a transcript of the hearing but Bergandine did not submit a transcript of the hearing with her appeal. According to her motion, the trial court denied her Motion to Dismiss on the record.

{¶12} On October 1, 2019, the trial court denied Bergandine’s motion to reconsider. The judgment entry referred to the September 17, 2019 hearing, “I heard evidence and arguments on the motion to dismiss on September 17, 2019. At the conclusion of the hearing I denied the motion to dismiss and stated the reasons therefore. I need not state any additional reasons and see no reason to reconsider the decision.”

{¶13} Bergandine filed a Motion to Suppress Evidence on October 3, 2019. She moved to suppress the Complaint based on the same issues raised in her Crim.R. 12(C) Motion to Dismiss. She also argued to suppress evidence, “which consists of a screen shot of electronic notes kept by the tax dept, some notices purportedly sent to the Defendant by the tax dept, and the Defendant’s water account information.” (Motion to Suppress Evidence, Oct. 3, 2019).

{¶14} The State responded to the Motion to Suppress with two memorandums.

The first memorandum responded to the merits of Bergandine’s Motion to Suppress. The second memorandum argued that Bergandine’s Motion to Suppress was untimely filed pursuant to Crim.R. 12(D).

{¶15} On October 7, 2019, Bergandine filed Proposed Jury Instructions. The State also filed its Proposed Jury Instructions.

{¶16} A jury trial was held on October 8, 2019. The jury found Bergandine guilty of attempting to Avoid Payment of Income Tax to the City of Delaware, in violation of §192.99(d)(13) of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Delaware. The trial court sentenced Bergandine to pay $200 in fines, suspended upon payment of court costs; 15 days in jail, suspended upon filing of City of Delaware Income Tax Returns within 90 days; and one year of community control.

{¶17} Bergandine filed a notice of appeal on October 14, 2019. She also filed a motion to stay sentence, which the trial court granted.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

{¶18} Bergandine raises nine Assignments of Error:

{¶19} “I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT MR. CLINGER WAS A PRIVATE CITIZEN AND DENYING THE APPELLANT'S SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 MOTION TO DISMISS.

{¶20} II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT W.S. CLINGER WAS AUTHORIZED TO FILE CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS PURSUANT TO CRIMINAL RULE 3.

{¶21} III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT THE COMPLAINT WAS SUFFICIENT AND MET THE REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN R.C. 2935.17 AND THE OHIO CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE IV. §20.

Delaware County, Case No. 19 CAC 10 0054 6

{¶22} IV. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN PROCEEDING IN THE MATTER WITHOUT JURISDICTION.

{¶23} V. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY FAILING TO GIVE THE APPELLANT REASONABLE NOTICE OF THE SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 TRIAL DATE.

{¶24} VI. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR BY ADMITTING A PRIOR PLEA INTO EVIDENCE BEFORE THE JURY, VIOLATING EVIDENTIARY RULE 410.

{¶25} VII. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PREJUDICIAL ERROR WHEN IT OMITTED THE APPELLANT'S JURY INSTRUCTION FOR CRIMINAL LIABILITY UNDER R.C. 2901.21.

{¶26} VIII. THE COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY REFUSING TO PROVIDE WRITTEN FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW IN RESPONSE TO APPELLANT'S MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION AND WRITTEN FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW.

{¶27} IX. THE COURT ERRED WHEN IT ALLOWED W.S. CLINGER, A NON-

ATTORNEY, TO PREPARE, DRAFT, AND FILE LEGAL DOCUMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE STATE OF OHIO IN VIOLATION OF THE STATUTORY PROHIBITION ON THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW.”

ANALYSIS

I. – IV. And IX.

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