State v. Burge

2017 Ohio 7862
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided September 26, 2017·No. 2016CA00217·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

STARK COUNTY, OHIO

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

STATE OF OHIO JUDGES:

Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, P.J.

Plaintiff-Appellee Hon. William B. Hoffman, J.

Hon. Craig R. Baldwin, J.

-vs-

Case No. 2016CA00217

CHARLES BURGE

Defendant-Appellant OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Stark County Common Pleas Court, Case No. 2015CR1944

JUDGMENT: Affirmed DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: September 26, 2017 APPEARANCES: For Plaintiff-Appellee For Defendant-Appellant

JOHN D. FERRERO, ANTHONY T. KAPLANIS Prosecuting Attorney, 701 Courtyard Centre Stark County, Ohio 116 Cleveland Avenue, NW Canton, Ohio 44702

By: KRISTINE W. BEARD Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Appellate Section 110 Central Plaza, South – Suite 510 Canton, Ohio 44702

Hoffman, J.

{¶1} Defendant-appellant Charles Burge appeals the judgment entered by the Stark County Common Pleas Court convicting him of two counts of rape (R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(b)) and one count of gross sexual imposition (R.C. 2907.05(A)(4)) and sentencing him to an aggregate term of life imprisonment. Plaintiff-appellee is the State of Ohio.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND CASE

{¶2} Appellant is the natural father of the victim, R.B. During the time of the incidents, R.B. was between the ages of nine and twelve, and resided with Appellant, her mother, and her half-sister.

{¶3} When R.B. was around nine or ten years old, Appellant came into her bedroom prior to a family cookout, and tickled her to wake her up. He put his hands down her shirt and grabbed her breasts. Over time the sexual advances progressed.

{¶4} R.B. and Appellant frequently rode bikes together. On one bicycle ride, Appellant led R.B. to a grassy patch off the trail and began to kiss her. Another time during a camping trip, Appellant came into the tent, kissed R.B., played with her breasts, and “fingered” her. One night while in the basement, Appellant sat R.B. on his lap. He began to kiss and “finger” R.B. R.B.’s half sister came into the room, but R.B. was not sure if she saw anything. During a three year period, Appellant asked R.B. to give him “hand jobs” and oral sex, and he rubbed his penis on her thigh. He fondled her breasts, touched her vaginal area with his mouth and fingers, digitally penetrated her vagina, and kissed her breasts.

Stark County, Case No. 2016CA00217 3

{¶5} When the incidents first began, R.B. asked a friend if it was right for your dad to touch you. Her friend said no, and was upset by the conversation. Police responded to the home and questioned R.B. She denied that anything was occurring because she was afraid that if she disclosed the sexual abuse, something bad would happen to her mom.

{¶6} R.B. loved her father, and he told her if she disclosed what happened, she would never see him again. As the abuse progressed, Appellant became mean. During the last incident of sexual abuse, R.B. laid on top of Appellant and performed oral sex on him. He ejaculated in her mouth, which caused her to become frightened of pregnancy.

{¶7} R.B. disclosed the abuse to her cousins on August 31, 2014. They encouraged her to call her mother. After speaking to R.B., her mother confronted Appellant and ordered him to leave the house. He left and did not return.

{¶8} As a result of the disclosure, the allegations were investigated by the police and the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS). Generally when an allegation of this nature is made, the child is taken to the Children’s Network for a forensic interview. The interview is watched live by medical professionals to reduce the number of interviews of the child. However, because the perpetrator lived in the home and the report was made on Labor Day weekend, the case was handled as an emergency case and Pamela Spencer, a caseworker with JFS, interviewed R.B. at her cousin’s home. R.B. was then referred to Akron Children’s Hospital for a medical examination, and to Northeast Ohio Behavioral Health for a sex abuse evaluation.

{¶9} Alyssa Edgein, a nurse practitioner with Akron Children’s Hospital, conducted the medical examination. She reviewed Spencer’s notes to obtain an initial medical history and guide the focus of her exam. She also interviewed R.B. R.B. noted physical symptoms including vaginal burning, vaginal pain, itching, self-mutilation, and nightmares.

{¶10} Carry Schnirring, a psychological assistant at Northeast Ohio Behavioral health, conducted a sexual abuse assessment and a trauma evaluation of R.B. During their conversations, R.B. became upset and sobbed. R.B. disclosed that she had flashbacks about the sexual incidents, during which she felt dizzy and queasy. She told Schnirring that she felt she was partly to blame because she said yes to Appellant’s requests for sexual behavior, even though she was very young at the time. Schnirring diagnosed R.B. with post traumatic stress disorder.

{¶11} Det. Joseph Hill of the Navarre Police Department interviewed Appellant, who denied all allegations, but admitted to being with R.B. on the bike trail and the camping trip. Hill collected a Disney blanket which had been on R.B.’s bed, but it tested negative for the presence of semen.

{¶12} Appellant was indicted by the Stark County Grand Jury for two counts of rape (one count for digital penetration, one count for oral sex) and for one count of gross sexual imposition, the victim of the offense being less than thirteen years of age at the time of the offenses.

{¶13} Appellant filed a motion in limine prior to trial, moving the court to exclude statements made by the victim during the initial interview with Pamela Spencer pursuant to State v. Arnold, 126 Ohio St. 3d 290, 933 N.E.2d 775, 2010-Ohio-2742. Appellant also argued the admission of the victim’s statements through multiple witnesses would be prejudicially cumulative.

Stark County, Case No. 2016CA00217 5

{¶14} Following an evidentiary hearing, the State agreed to limit the testimony of Pamela Spencer to her investigative actions, and to not elicit her testimony concerning R.B.’s statements to her. The court ruled from the bench Schnirring could only testify to statements she received from the child for purposes of medical treatment. The court’s ruling was not clear as to whether Edgein could testify concerning the contents of Spencer’s notes.

{¶15} The case proceeded to jury trial in the Stark County Common Pleas Court.

Appellant was convicted as charged, and ordered to serve a life sentence of incarceration on each count of rape and an eighteen month sentence for gross sexual imposition, to be served concurrently for an aggregate term of life imprisonment. He was found to be a Tier III sex offender. It is from this entry Appellant prosecutes this appeal, assigning four errors:

{¶16} “I. APPELLANT WAS DENIED A FAIR TRIAL BY THE TRIAL COURT PERMITTING THE STATE TO ALLOW MULTIPLE WITNESSES TO TESTIFY ABOUT THE SAME MATERIAL THEREBY BOLSTERING THE ALLEGED VICTIM’S CREDIBILITY AND ALSO IN VIOLATION OF THE HEARSAY RULES.

{¶17} “II. APPELLANT WAS DENIED A FAIR TRIAL WHEN THE COURT PERMITTED TESTIMONY THAT WENT BEYOND ANY HEARSAY EXCEPTION.

{¶18} “III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT’S CHALLENGE FOR CAUSE OF JUROR 104 THEREBY DENYING APPELLANT A FAIR TRIAL.

Stark County, Case No. 2016CA00217 6

{¶19} “IV. THE TRIAL COURT’S FINDING OF GUILTY OF RAPE AND GROSS SEXUAL IMPOSITION WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE AND WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.”

I.

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