State v. Callihan

608 N.E.2d 1136, 80 Ohio App. 3d 184, 1992 Ohio App. LEXIS 2840
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 20, 1992
DocketNo. 1947.
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 608 N.E.2d 1136 (State v. Callihan) 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. Callihan, 608 N.E.2d 1136, 80 Ohio App. 3d 184, 1992 Ohio App. LEXIS 2840 (Ohio Ct. App. 1992).

Opinions

Peter B. Abele, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of conviction and sentence entered by the Scioto County Common Pleas Court. The jury found John R. Callihan, defendant below and appellant herein, guilty of aggravated trafficking in drugs in violation of R.C. 2925.03, a felony of the first degree.

Appellant’s counsel assigns three errors, and appellant, pro se, assigns four additional errors which we number four through seven:

First Assignment of Error:

“The trial court committed reversible error when it overruled defendant’s motion to suppress the statement made by the defendant for the following reasons. The state did not meet its burden of proving that Mr. Callihan had been advised of his constitutional rights pursuant to Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 [86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694] (1966). That statement that defendant owned the motorcycle containing the cocaine made at the time of defendant’s arrest was not provided to defendant until the morning the trial began. Finally the court re-opened the evidence after the motion was sustained in violation of the doctrine of res judicata without the state moving for relief pursuant to Criminal Rule 33 or requesting any other appropriate relief from the court’s decision pursuant to Criminal Rule 12(J).”

Second Assignment of Error:

“The failure of the prosecutor to provide the defendant with the names of two (2) key witnesses before the first (1st) day of trial constituted reversible error, inasmuch as said failure denied defendant his right to a fair trial.”

Third Assignment of Error:

“The trial court committed reversible error when it denied defendant’s motions for mistrial inasmuch as certain testimony — some of which the court admitted and some of which the court was required to strike from the record after the jury heard it — was so inflammatory that the impartiality of the jury must have been affected.”

Fourth Assignment of Error (pro se):

“The defendant-appellant’s conviction was obtained in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; accord: Sections 10 and 16, Article I to the Ohio Constitution, in that said conviction is based upon perjured testimony of prosecution witnesses.”

*187 Fifth Assignment of Error (pro se):

“The defendant-appellant’s conviction was obtained in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; accord: Sections 10 and 16, Article I to the Ohio Constitution, in that said conviction is based upon prosecutorial misconduct of coerced perjured testimony of prosecution witnesses.”

Sixth Assignment of Error (pro se):

“The defendant-appellant’s conviction was obtained in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; Accord: Sections 10 and 16, Article I to the Ohio Constitution, in that said conviction is based upon police misconduct of coerced perjured testimony of key prosecution witnesses.”

Seventh Assignment of Error (pro se):

“The defendant-appellant’s conviction was obtained in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; Accord: Sections 10 and 16, Article I to the Ohio Constitution, in that said conviction is based upon prosecutorial misconduct of withholding ‘material’ exculpatory evidence in favor of the defense.”

On April 29, 1990, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant and found cocaine in appellant’s residence and in the foot pegs of a motorcycle parked in a carport attached to the residence. On May 14, 1990, the grand jury indicted appellant for aggravated trafficking in cocaine in violation of R.C. 2925.03(A)(4), (C)(4) and (D)(6).

On October 1, 1990, appellant filed a motion to suppress the cocaine found in the motorcycle. Appellant argued the search warrant did not grant the law enforcement officers authority to search the motorcycle found in the carport attached to the residence. Appellant argued the officers should have obtained a separate search warrant to search the motorcycle.

On October 16, 1990, the court held a hearing on the motion to suppress. Detective William Meixner testified the search warrant authorized the officers to search not only the residence, but also to search “the curtilage thereof.” Detective Meixner testified the curtilage in this case included the carport. Sheriff John Hull similarly testified the search of the motorcycle was part of the search of the residence. Both officers testified the carport is attached to the house. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court denied appellant’s motion to suppress the cocaine found in the motorcycle.

On October 17 and 18, 1990, the court conducted a jury trial. During the lunch recess on the first day, the prosecutor provided appellant’s attorney with supplemental discovery indicating appellant had stated he owned the *188 motorcycle. The court noted the late discovery on the record and sua sponte proceeded to hold a hearing on whether the statement was made voluntarily and after appellant had been advised of his Miranda rights.

During that hearing, Sheriff John Hull testified that after another officer had read appellant his Miranda rights, appellant admitted he owned the motorcycle. Detective Meixner testified he heard appellant make the admission, but did not know whether anyone had read appellant his Miranda rights prior to the admission.

After Hull and Meixner’s testimony, the court invited appellant to make a formal motion to suppress. Appellant accepted the invitation and moved to suppress the statement. Appellant based his motion on two grounds: (1) the lack of a Miranda warning, and (2) the late discovery. The court sustained the motion after finding appellant was not informed of his Miranda rights prior to admitting he owned the motorcycle.

Immediately after the court sustained the motion, appellee requested the court to reopen the evidence on the motion. The court granted the request and permitted appellee to call Sheriffs Department employee Marty Donini to the witness stand. Donini testified that someone read appellant his Miranda rights before appellant admitted he owned the motorcycle. Donini further testified that he himself might have been the one who advised appellant of his Miranda rights. After Donini’s testimony, the court overruled appellant’s motion to suppress his statement admitting he owned the motorcycle.

The state presented eight witnesses during the trial on the merits. Detective Meixner identified various photographs taken during the search of appellant’s residence. One photograph depicted the motorcycle with a piece of leather on the gas tank.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
608 N.E.2d 1136, 80 Ohio App. 3d 184, 1992 Ohio App. LEXIS 2840, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-callihan-ohioctapp-1992.