State v. Canfield, Unpublished Decision (4-28-2004)

2004 Ohio 2123
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 28, 2004
DocketNo. 02-CR-0081.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2004 Ohio 2123 (State v. Canfield, Unpublished Decision (4-28-2004)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Canfield, Unpublished Decision (4-28-2004), 2004 Ohio 2123 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY
{¶ 1} Defendant-Appellant Jeffery C. Canfield has appealed from the decision of the Medina County Court of Common Pleas. This Court affirms.

I
{¶ 2} On February 27, 2002, Appellant was indicted by the Medina County Grand Jury on four counts of rape with force, in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(b) and (A)(2); and one count of sexual battery, in violation of R.C. 2907.03(A)(5). Appellant was charged for acts that allegedly occurred from September 1, 1993 through June 1, 1995. The victim was Appellant's daughter, who was under the age of thirteen when the sexual relationship began. Appellant initially entered a plea of not guilty and the matter was set for a jury trial. Seven days before the first day of trial was scheduled to occur, Appellant filed a motion for leave to file a motion to suppress. The trial court granted the motion and Appellant filed a motion to suppress on May 14, 2002. A hearing was held on Appellant's motion to suppress 1 and the trial court denied the motion on July 2, 2002.

{¶ 3} On November 8, 2002, Appellant changed his plea and pleaded no contest to four counts of rape, in violation of R.C.2907.02(A)(2),2 an aggravated felony of the first degree; and one count of sexual battery, in violation of R.C.2907.03(A)(5), a third degree felony. A sentencing hearing and sexual predator hearing were held on May 23, 2003. Appellant was adjudicated a sexual predator and he was sentenced to not less than eight years and not more than twenty-five years on each count of rape and a period of not less than one year on the one count of sexual battery. The trial court ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

{¶ 4} Appellant has timely appealed the trial court's decision, asserting three assignments of error.

II
Assignment of Error Number One
"The court erred in sentencing, as a matter of law, when it failed to consider sentencing [appellant] to a term of actual incarceration pursuant to [R.C. 2929.11(B)(1)(a).]"

{¶ 5} In Appellant's first assignment of error, he has argued that the trial court erred when it sentenced him to an indefinite term of eight to twenty-five years incarceration. This Court disagrees.

{¶ 6} In reviewing sentencing decisions, the Ohio Supreme Court has held that "an appellate court will not review a trial court's exercise of discretion in sentencing when the sentence is authorized by statute and is within the statutory limits." Statev. Hill (1994), 70 Ohio St.3d 25, 29. Thus, this Court will not disturb the trial court's sentencing decision unless we find that the trial court abused its discretion when it imposed sentence upon Appellant. Abuse of discretion connotes more than an error of law or judgment; it implies that the court's attitude is unreasonable, arbitrary, or unconscionable. State v. Adams (1980), 62 Ohio St.2d 151, 157.

{¶ 7} In determining whether the trial court abused its discretion when it sentenced Appellant to an indefinite term of incarceration, this Court must first determine which version of R.C. 2929.11 should be applied to the instant case. Effective July 1, 1996, R.C. 2929.11 was amended by Am.Sub.S.B. No. 2. After July 1, 1996, subsections (A) and (B) of R.C. 2929.11 no longer contained the same language; specifically, R.C.2929.11(B)(1)(a) no longer contained the language that allowed a trial court to impose an actual term of incarceration on a first time offender. Appellant has argued that the trial court should have applied the version of R.C. 2929.11 that was in effect prior to July 1, 1996. The State, in its appellate brief, agreed that the trial court should have applied the version of R.C. 2929.11 in effect before Am.Sub.S.B. No. 2 was effective.

{¶ 8} Appellant was charged for crimes that occurred between 1993 and 1995, which was before Am.Sub.S.B. No. 2 changed R.C.2929.11. However, Appellant was not convicted of the crimes for which he was charged until May of 2003. Because the date of Appellant's offense is before 2929.11 was amended and he was convicted after the amendments, this Court must look to the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in State v. Rush (1998),83 Ohio St.3d 53, certiorari denied (1999), 525 U.S. 1151, 119 S.Ct. 1052,143 L.Ed.2d 58. In that case, the Ohio Supreme Court had to determine "whether the amended sentencing provisions of S.B. 2 are applicable to those defendants who committed crimes prior to, but were convicted after, its July 1, 1996 effective date." Id. at 55. The court concluded that the Am.Sub.S.B. No. 2 sentencing provisions were inapplicable to defendants that committed crimes before July 1, 1996, but were convicted of those crimes after July 1, 1996. Id. at 55. Am.Sub.S.B. No. 2 applied "only to those crimes committed on or after July 1, 1996." Id. at paragraph two of the syllabus.

{¶ 9} Based upon the Ohio Supreme Court's holding in Rush, we conclude that the trial court should have applied the pre-S.B.2 version of R.C. 2929.11. Prior to July 1, 1996, R.C.2929.11(A), provided, in material part:

"(A) Whoever is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony other than aggravated murder or murder, except as provided in [R.C.2929.11 (D), (E), or (H)] or [R.C. 2929.23], shall be imprisoned for an indefinite term and, in addition, may be fined or required to make restitution, or both. The indefinite term of imprisonment shall consist of a maximum term as provided in this section and a minimum term fixed by the court as provided in this section. The fine and restitution shall be fixed by the court as provided in this section.

"Whoever is convicted of or pleads guilty to committing, attempting to commit, or complicity in committing a felony violation of [R.C. 2909.02 or R.C. 2909.03] and is sentenced to an indefinite term of imprisonment shall be required to reimburse agencies for their investigation or prosecution costs in accordance with [R.C. 2929.28]."

{¶ 10} Prior to July 1, 1996, R.C. 2929.11(B)(1)(a) also provided:

"(B) Except as provided in [R.C. 2929.11(D) or (H)], [R.C.2929.71 and R.C. 2929.72], and Chapter 2925 of the Revised Code, terms of imprisonment for a felony shall be imposed as follows:

"(1) For an aggravated felony of the first degree:

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Bluebook (online)
2004 Ohio 2123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-canfield-unpublished-decision-4-28-2004-ohioctapp-2004.