State v. Carrick

2012 Ohio 608, 131 Ohio St. 3d 340
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 22, 2012
Docket2011-0230
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 2012 Ohio 608 (State v. Carrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Carrick, 2012 Ohio 608, 131 Ohio St. 3d 340 (Ohio 2012).

Opinion

Cupp, J.

I. Facts and Procedural History

{¶ 1} Appellant, Jason Carrick, hosted a Halloween party on October 31, 2009, in a building he owned outside the city limits of Wooster.

{¶ 2} That evening, beginning around 8:00 p.m. and continuing into the early morning hours of November 1, neighbors Sonia Golgosky and Joshua Klenz, who each live approximately a quarter of a mile from Carrick’s property, were disturbed by very loud music coming from Carrick’s property. Golgosky testified that she had been able to hear the bass of the music in her home with the windows closed. She also stated that the music had been so loud that she could clearly hear the words to the music when she stepped out on her deck.

{¶ 3} Klenz, who lives 100 to 200 feet away from Golgosky, testified that he had heard the repeated booms of a loud bass in his home and that the sound had come from Carrick’s property. He stated that the noise caused the windows on his house to vibrate. Klenz testified that he had been able to hear the music clearly enough to identify the song that was playing when he stepped outside his house.

{¶ 4} Golgosky and Klenz were upset because the music prevented them and their young children from sleeping. Therefore, each called the sheriffs office multiple times after 11:00 p.m. to complain about the music. They each testified that the music had stopped a few times but then started back up again at a loud level and did not end until the early morning hours of November 1.

{¶ 5} Juan McCloud, an off-duty Wooster police officer, testified that he was at his home inside Wooster city limits that evening when he heard the repeated thumping of a bass. McCloud called a colleague, Sergeant Conwill, to ask him to determine the source of the noise. Conwill notified McCloud that several complaints had already been made, that the music was coming from outside the city limits, and that deputies had been dispatched to the area. McCloud then called the dispatcher, who advised him that deputies were on the scene. Approxi *341 mately ten minutes later, the music stopped, only to start up again five minutes later. McCloud called dispatch again and was informed that deputies would again be sent to the property.

{¶ 6} Deputy Daniel Vaughn of the Wayne County Sheriffs Office was the first officer to respond to the noise complaints. He testified that he had notified Carrick of the complaints and had given him a verbal warning. While the officer was at Carrick’s property, the noise level was reduced, but the music was still playing. Vaughn informed Carrick that if he had to return, he would issue a citation.

{¶ 7} Vaughn stated that the noise level had increased soon after he left the property. He talked with one of the complainants, Golgosky, at her residence, and while he was taking Golgosky’s written statement, Klenz came over and also provided a written statement. Vaughn heard the music emanating from Car-rick’s property during the 25 minutes that he was at Golgosky’s home taking these statements.

{¶ 8} After the statements were completed, Vaughn and three other deputies returned to Carrick’s property. At that time, Vaughn issued a minor-misdemeanor citation to Carrick for disorderly conduct. He again cautioned him, and the noise level was reduced. Carrick was also told that if the deputies had to return, he would be arrested.

{¶ 9} Vaughn testified that he had returned a third time to Carrick’s property after receiving a complaint at approximately 1:30 a.m. As he approached the property, he could hear the bass of the music. Vaughn placed Carrick under arrest for disorderly conduct.

{¶ 10} Carrick was charged with and convicted of disorderly conduct in violation of R.C. 2917.11(A)(2). He appealed to the Ninth District Court of Appeals. The court of appeals held that R.C. 2917.11(A)(2) was not unconstitutionally vague. State v. Carrick, 9th Dist. No. 09CA0077, 2010-Ohio-6451, 2010 WL 5549046, ¶ 15.

{¶ 11} Thereafter, the court of appeals found its judgment in this case to be in conflict with the judgment of the Fourth District Court of Appeals in State v. Compher, 4th Dist. Nos. 1174 and 1175, 1985 WL 17456 (Dec. 9, 1985), and certified the record to this court for review. We recognized that a conflict exists on the issue “ ‘[wjhether the “making unreasonable noise” provision of [R.C.] 2917.11(A)(2) is unconstitutionally void for vagueness.’ ” State v. Carrick, 128 Ohio St.3d 1443, 2011-Ohio-1618, 944 N.E.2d 693.

{¶ 12} At issue is whether R.C. 2917.11(A)(2) provides sufficient notice for a person of ordinary intelligence to understand what he or she is required to do under the law. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that R.C. 2917.11(A)(2) *342 does provide sufficient notice and thus is not void for vagueness. Therefore, Carrick’s due-process rights were not violated and we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals.

II. Analysis

{¶ 13} R.C. 2917.11(A)(2) states, “No person shall recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by * * * [mjaking unreasonable noise % % »

{¶ 14} Carrick claims that R.C. 2917.11(A)(2) is unconstitutionally void for vagueness. “Under the vagueness doctrine, statutes which do not fairly inform a person of what is prohibited will be found unconstitutional as violative of due process.” State v. Reeder, 18 Ohio St.3d 25, 26, 479 N.E.2d 280 (1985), citing Connolly v. Gen. Constr. Co., 269 U.S. 385, 46 S.Ct. 126, 70 L.Ed. 322 (1926); Columbus v. Thompson, 25 Ohio St.2d 26, 266 N.E.2d 571 (1971). However, “ ‘[impossible standards of specificity are not required. * * * The test is whether the language conveys sufficiently definite warning as to the proscribed conduct when measured by common understanding and practices.’ ” Id., quoting Jordan v. De George, 341 U.S. 223, 231-232, 71 S.Ct. 703, 95 L.Ed. 886 (1951).

{¶ 15} Carrick argued to the lower courts that the statute was unconstitutional on its face and as applied. However, it is not clear from his brief whether he is asserting both arguments to this court. A facial challenge requires that “the challenging party * * * show that the statute is vague ‘not in the sense that it requires a person to conform his conduct to an imprecise but comprehensible normative standard, but rather in the sense that no standard of conduct is specified at all’ ” State v. Anderson, 57 Ohio St.3d 168, 171, 566 N.E.2d 1224 (1991), quoting Coates v. Cincinnati, 402 U.S. 611, 614, 91 S.Ct. 1686, 29 L.Ed.2d 214 (1971).

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Bluebook (online)
2012 Ohio 608, 131 Ohio St. 3d 340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-carrick-ohio-2012.