State v. Cheza

2025 Ohio 3127
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 25, 2025
Docket24 MA 0105
StatusPublished

This text of 2025 Ohio 3127 (State v. Cheza) 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. Cheza, 2025 Ohio 3127 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Cheza, 2025-Ohio-3127.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT MAHONING COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

KYLE ROBERT CHEZA,

Defendant-Appellant.

OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY Case No. 24 MA 0105

Criminal Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas of Mahoning County, Ohio Case No. 2023 CR 00838

BEFORE: Cheryl L. Waite, Mark A. Hanni, Katelyn Dickey, Judges.

JUDGMENT: Affirmed.

Atty. Lynn Maro, Mahoning County Prosecutor, Atty. Ralph M. Rivera and Atty. Kristie M. Weibling, Assistant Prosecutors, for Plaintiff-Appellee

Atty. Donald K. Pond, Jr., for Defendant-Appellant

Dated: August 25, 2025 –2–

WAITE, J.

{¶1} Appellant Kyle Robert Cheza appeals a December 2, 2024, judgment entry

of the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas denying his motion to withdraw his guilty

plea. Appellant contends that the trial court’s decision was in error, as he established a

viable defense that drugs located during the search of a vehicle belonged to his

codefendant, not him. He also contends that he felt pressured into accepting the plea

offer because he sought to be temporarily released from jail, and knew the only way he

would be released was to plead guilty. Because the trial court’s decision is reasonable

based on the record, Appellant’s argument is without merit and the judgment of the trial

court is affirmed.

Factual and Procedural History

{¶2} On October 27, 2023, Appellant operated a vehicle on W. Indianola Street

in Youngstown. He had a female passenger in the vehicle. Officer Amir Khan initiated a

traffic stop of that vehicle after observing it make a turn without first using a turn signal.

When Officer Khan approached the vehicle and began speaking with Appellant, he

detected the odor of marijuana and inquired about the odor, causing Appellant to become

defensive.

{¶3} Officer Khan ordered Appellant to exit the vehicle. At first Appellant refused,

however Officer Khan was eventually able to persuade him to comply. Officer Khan

conducted a pat down on Appellant’s person and felt what he described as an “abnormal

object” in Appellant’s left pants’ pocket. Based on his training and experience, Officer

Khan believed that object to be packaged drugs. (Preliminary Hrg. Tr., p. 12.) When

Officer Khan asked Appellant about the object, Appellant again became defensive, and

Case No. 24 MA 0105 –3–

told the officer he could not search the pocket. At some point, Appellant claimed that the

object was a rubber glove. As the officer could not be certain the object was contraband,

he proceeded to search the vehicle. No rubber glove was discovered at any point during

the proceedings.

{¶4} While Officer Khan searched the vehicle, he noticed Appellant turn away

from him and say something to the female passenger. He was suspicious of Appellant’s

behavior and continued to watch him while completing the search. That search produced

two methamphetamine pipes found underneath the passenger seat, methamphetamine

found in the center console, and marijuana contained in the glove box.

{¶5} Thereafter, Officer Khan approached the two codefendants and noticed that

Appellant’s left pants pocket, where he felt the suspicious object during the pat down, was

now turned inside out, as if an object had hastily been removed from the pocket. Officer

Khan questioned Appellant about his pocket, but did not receive a satisfactory

explanation. He then began questioning Appellant’s codefendant, who eventually

admitted that Appellant had given her the object. She then retrieved this object,

methamphetamine, from a “personal area.” (Preliminary Hrg. Tr., p. 17.) The

codefendant was charged with possession of the two methamphetamine pipes found

underneath the vehicle’s passenger seat.

{¶6} On January 4, 2024, Appellant was indicted on one count of aggravated

possession of drugs, a felony of the third degree in violation of R.C. 2925.11(A), (C)(1)(b),

and one count of tampering with evidence, a felony of the third degree in violation of R.C.

2921.12(A)(1), (B).

Case No. 24 MA 0105 –4–

{¶7} Appellant was to appear at a pre-trial hearing on March 13, 2024, but did

not appear at the scheduled time. The court issued a bench warrant for his arrest, and

his bond was revoked. Appellant appeared at the court later that day and was arrested

pursuant to the bench warrant.

{¶8} On March 18, 2024, Appellant pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of

drugs. The state agreed to dismiss the remaining charge. In accepting his change of

plea, the court held a Crim.R. 11 hearing and engaged in the appropriate colloquy with

Appellant. Appellant’s bond was reinstated pending his sentencing hearing.

{¶9} While awaiting sentencing, Appellant retained new counsel. On April 12,

2024, Appellant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. The basis for the motion was

two-fold. First, Appellant claimed to have a valid defense to the charges, as he now

contended that the drugs discovered when the parties were stopped belonged to, and

were in possession of, his codefendant. Second, he asserted that his only reason for

entering his guilty plea was because he desired to be released from jail, and he

understood the only way to secure his immediate release was to plead guilty.

{¶10} On May 14, 2024, the trial court scheduled a hearing on Appellant’s motion

to withdraw his guilty plea. However, Appellant again failed to appear, and a bench

warrant was issued for his arrest. Apparently, Appellant appeared at some time later that

day, and the warrant was recalled.

{¶11} On June 5, 2024, the court overruled Appellant’s motion to withdraw his

guilty plea. The court scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 18, 2024. The record is

unclear whether some written or oral motion to reconsider the court’s earlier decision was

entered, however, the court held an additional hearing for purposes of allowing

Case No. 24 MA 0105 –5–

Appellant’s former counsel to testify on the issue of Appellant’s request to withdraw his

plea. At the hearing, Appellant declined to waive attorney-client privilege. Hence, in his

testimony counsel stated only that he believed Appellant would not have been released

pending sentencing if he had not agreed to plead guilty.

{¶12} On August 5, 2024, the court denied the motion to reconsider. The court

scheduled a new date for the sentencing hearing, but Appellant again failed to appear for

sentencing and the court issued yet another bench warrant. On November 21, 2024,

Appellant’s bond company sent a letter to the court which was filed in the record. The

letter contained a request that Appellant’s bond be revoked and the company be relieved

of its duty. The company claimed it had good cause to believe Appellant was evading

arrest and collecting funds to leave town. Appellant was found, arrested, and jailed

pending sentencing.

{¶13} On December 2, 2024, the court sentenced Appellant to thirty-six months

of incarceration with an optional two-year postrelease control period.

{¶14} After the notice of appeal was filed in this matter, Appellant filed a motion to

supplement the record with his Presentence Investigation Report (“PSI”), which this Court

granted.

General Law

{¶15} Crim. R. 32.1 states: “A motion to withdraw a plea of guilty or no contest

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Bluebook (online)
2025 Ohio 3127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cheza-ohioctapp-2025.