State v. Clemonts

2020 Ohio 685
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 27, 2020
Docket19AP-406, 19AP-407, 19AP-408, & 19AP-409
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2020 Ohio 685 (State v. Clemonts) 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. Clemonts, 2020 Ohio 685 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Clemonts, 2020-Ohio-685.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

State of Ohio, : No. 19AP-406 (C.P.C. No. 18CR-434) Plaintiff-Appellee, : No. 19AP-407 (C.P.C. No. 18CR-238) v. : No. 19AP-408 (C.P.C. No. 17CR-5067) Eric L. Clemonts, : and No. 19AP-409 Defendant-Appellant. : (C.P.C. No. 17CR-2415)

: (REGULAR CALENDAR)

D E C I S I O N

Rendered on February 27, 2020

On brief: Ron O'Brien, Prosecuting Attorney, and Barbara A. Farnbacher, for appellee.

On brief: Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP, Kort Gatterdam, and Erik P. Henry, for appellant.

APPEALS from the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas

LUPER SCHUSTER, J. {¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Eric L. Clemonts, appeals from four separate judgment entries of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas finding him guilty, pursuant to guilty pleas, of aggravated robbery, robbery, and possession of cocaine. For the following reasons, we affirm in part and reverse in part. I. Facts and Procedural History {¶ 2} From May 2017 to January 2018, plaintiff-appellee, State of Ohio, issued four separate indictments against Clemonts. The charges related to robbery and drug possession, and the trial court consolidated all four cases. Nos. 19AP-406, 19AP-407, 19AP-408, and 19AP-409 2

A. The First Indictment – Case No. 17CR-2415 {¶ 3} By indictment filed May 1, 2017, the state charged Clemonts with two counts of aggravated robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.01, felonies of the first degree; three counts of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02, felonies of the second degree; and three counts of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02, felonies of the third degree. The charges related to the robbery of a True North Shell gas station, a CVS store, and a Taco Bell on April 22, 2017. After initially entering a plea of not guilty, Clemonts subsequently entered a guilty plea to Count 2 of the indictment, robbery as a second-degree felony; Count 4 of the indictment, aggravated robbery as a first-degree felony; and Count 8 of the indictment, robbery as a third-degree felony. The trial court entered a nolle prosequi for the remaining five charges in the indictment. {¶ 4} On June 13, 2018, the trial court conducted a sentencing hearing on the four consolidated cases. During the hearing, the trial court sentenced Clemonts to four years on Count 2 and six years on Count 3, ordering the sentences to be served concurrent with each other but consecutive to the sentences in Case Nos. 18CR-238 and 18CR-434. The trial court did not mention Count 8 of the indictment during the sentencing hearing and did not impose a sentence on Count 8 at the sentencing hearing. {¶ 5} Following the sentencing hearing, the trial court issued a June 13, 2018 judgment entry imposing the following sentence: "FOUR (4) YEARS on Count Two; SIX (6) YEARS on Count Four; and TWENTY-FOUR (24) MONTHS on Count Eight to be served concurrent with each other, but consecutive to Case Nos. 17CR-5067, 18CR-238 and 18CR-434." (No. 19AP-409, June 13, 2018 Jgmt. Entry at 2.) B. The Second Indictment – Case No. 17CR-5067 {¶ 6} By indictment filed September 15, 2017, the state charged Clemonts with one count of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse to a specified government facility in violation of R.C. 2921.36, a felony of the third degree; and one count of possession of cocaine in violation of R.C. 2925.11, a felony of the fifth degree. After initially entering a plea of not guilty, Clemonts entered a guilty plea on May 14, 2018 to Count 2 of the indictment, possession of cocaine as a fifth-degree felony. The trial court entered a nolle prosequi of the remaining charge in the indictment. Nos. 19AP-406, 19AP-407, 19AP-408, and 19AP-409 3

{¶ 7} At the June 13, 2018 consolidated sentencing hearing, the trial court stated, "obviously six months on the F5 cocaine charge to run concurrent with the other sentences." (No. 19AP-408, June 13, 2018 Tr. at 11.) In the subsequent June 13, 2018 judgment entry, the trial court imposed a sentence of "TWELVE (12) MONTHS on Count Two to be served concurrent with Case Nos. 17CR-2415, 18CR-238, and 18CR-434." (No. 19AP-408, June 13, 2018 Jgmt. Entry at 1.) C. The Third Indictment – Case No. 18CR-238 {¶ 8} By indictment filed January 17, 2018, the state charged Clemonts with two counts of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02, felonies of the second degree; and two counts of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02, felonies of the third degree. The charges related to the robbery of a CVS pharmacy and a Dunkin Donuts on January 8, 2018. After initially entering a plea of not guilty, Clemonts entered a guilty plea on May 14, 2018 to Count 2, robbery as a third-degree felony; and to Count 3, robbery as a second-degree felony. The trial court entered a nolle prosequi of the remaining charges. {¶ 9} At the June 13, 2018 consolidated sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced Clemonts to two years on Count 2 and four years on Count 3, and the trial court ordered the sentences to run concurrent with each other but consecutive to the sentences in Case Nos. 17CR-2415 and 18CR-434. (No. 19AP-407, June 13, 2018 Tr. at 11.) In the subsequent June 13, 2018 judgment entry, the trial court imposed a sentence of "TWENTY- FOUR (24) MONTHS on Count Two; and FOUR (4) YEARS on Count Three to be served concurrent with each other but consecutive to Case Nos. 17CR-2415, 17CR-5067, and 18CR- 434." (No. 19AP-407, June 13, 2018 Jgmt. Entry at 2.) D. The Fourth Indictment – Case No. 18CR-434 {¶ 10} By indictment filed January 26, 2018, the state charged Clemonts with one count of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02, a felony of the second degree; and one count of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02, a felony of the third degree. The charges related to the robbery of Sheila K. Greth on or about January 8, 2018. After initially entering a plea of not guilty, Clemonts entered a guilty plea on May 14, 2018 to Count 1, robbery as a second-degree felony. The trial court entered a nolle prosequi on the remaining charge. {¶ 11} At the June 13, 2018 consolidated sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced Clemonts to four years on Count 1 of the indictment and ordered the sentence to Nos. 19AP-406, 19AP-407, 19AP-408, and 19AP-409 4

run consecutive to the sentences in Case Nos. 17CR-2415 and 18CR-238. In the subsequent June 13, 2018 judgment entry, the trial court imposed a sentence of "FOUR (4) YEARS on Count One to be served consecutive to Case Nos. 17CR-2415, 17CR-5067 and 18CR-238." (No. 19AP-406, June 13, 2018 Jgmt. Entry at 2.) E. The First Appeal {¶ 12} Clemonts appealed from all four judgment entries, and, in a consolidated appeal decision, this court determined that discrepancies in the judgment entries and the pronouncements made during the June 13, 2018 sentencing hearing necessitated resentencing. State v. Clemonts, 10th Dist. No. 18AP-490, 2019-Ohio-1425, ¶ 27. Specifically, this court held that "the proper course is to reverse the trial court's sentence in the judgment entries in Case No. 17CR-2415, Count 8 of the indictment and Case No. 17CR- 5067, Count 2 of the indictment and remand these cases back to the trial court for resentencing on those two counts." Id. Further, this court directed that "[a]fter resentencing Clemonts on the remanded counts, the trial court must determine de novo whether the three counts in Case No. 17CR-2415 should run concurrent or consecutive to one another and whether the sentences imposed in the four consolidated cases should run concurrent or consecutive to one another." Id. F. The Remanded Sentencing {¶ 13} Although the cases originally appeared in the trial court of the Honorable Charles Schneider, the cases on remand took place before a different judge, the Honorable Daniel R. Hawkins. The trial court conducted a resentencing hearing on May 30, 2019.

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Bluebook (online)
2020 Ohio 685, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-clemonts-ohioctapp-2020.