State v. Croff

2017 Ohio 8629
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided November 20, 2017·No. 2017-T-0005·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

ELEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO

STATE OF OHIO, : OPINION

Plaintiff-Appellee, :

CASE NO. 2017-T-0005

- vs - :

VINCENT ARTEZ CROFF, :

Defendant-Appellant. :

Criminal Appeal from the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 2015 CR 00105.

Judgment: Affirmed.

Dennis Watkins, Trumbull County Prosecutor, and Ashleigh Musick, Assistant Prosecutor, Administration Building, Fourth Floor, 160 High Street, N.W., Warren, OH 44481-1092 (For Plaintiff-Appellee).

David L. Engler, Engler Law Firm, 181 Elm Road, N.E., Warren, OH 44483 (For Defendant-Appellant).

THOMAS R. WRIGHT, J.

{¶1} Appellant, Vincent Artez Croff, appeals his conviction for possession of cocaine in violation of R.C. 2925.11, a fifth-degree felony with a forfeiture specification. We affirm.

{¶2} Croff raises four assigned errors:

{¶3} “[1.] The court erred in dismissing appellant’s motion to dismiss for speedy trial violation.

{¶4} “[2.] The court erred in overruling appellant’s motion to suppress the statements, flight of the appellant and discovery of contraband that were all discovered as a result of an unconstitutional search by the arresting officers.

{¶5} “[3.] The court erred in finding that Officer Edwards’ K-9 use reports were not clearly probative of Officer Edwards’ character for truthfulness or untruthfulness.

{¶6} “[4.] The guilty conviction entered by the court is against the weight of the evidence.”

{¶7} Croff first argues the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion to dismiss the charges based on a speedy trial violation. He claims the delay between the second mistrial and the commencement of his third trial was unreasonable. We disagree.

{¶8} A criminal defendant is guaranteed the right to a speedy trial by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and the same right is conferred by Section 10, Article I of the Ohio Constitution. State v. O’Brien, 34 Ohio St.3d 7, 8, 516 N.E.2d 218 (1987).

{¶9} Croff was convicted following a third jury trial. His first two trials ended in mistrials resulting from hung juries.

{¶10} Ohio’s speedy trial statute, R.C. 2945.71, only applies to the initial adjudication following arrest, not to subsequent trials after a jury fails to reach a verdict. State v. Hull, 110 Ohio St.3d 183, 2006-Ohio-4252, 852 N.E.2d 706, ¶14, citing State v. Fanning, 1 Ohio St.3d 19, 21, 437 N.E.2d 583 (1982). Instead of R.C. 2945.71, the

standard to apply is reasonableness under federal and state constitutions. Fanning at 21; State v. Iapaola, 11th Dist. Ashtabula No. 91-A-1649, 1992 WL 192134, *2 (June 16, 1992). We assess the reasonableness of the delay pursuant to Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182 (1972). We apply the de novo standard of review to questions of law upon reviewing speedy trial issues. State v. Downing, 9th Dist. Summit No. 22012, 2004-Ohio-5952, ¶36; State v. Wilson, 11th Dist. Trumbull No. 2015-T-0082, 2017-Ohio-502, ¶39.

{¶11} The Ohio Supreme Court in Hull spelled out the required analysis,

{¶12} “In Barker * * *, the court identified four factors to be assessed in determining whether an accused had been constitutionally denied a speedy trial: (1) the length of the delay, (2) the reason for the delay, (3) the defendant's assertion of his right to a speedy trial, and (4) the prejudice to the defendant. Id. at 530, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101. Even though no single factor controlled, the court in Barker stated that the length of the delay is particularly important:

{¶13} “‘The length of the delay is to some extent a triggering mechanism. Until there is some delay which is presumptively prejudicial, there is no necessity for inquiry into the other factors that go into the balance. Nevertheless, because of the imprecision of the right to speedy trial, the length of delay that will provoke such an inquiry is necessarily dependent upon the peculiar circumstances of the case.’ (Emphasis added and footnote omitted.) Id. at 530–531, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101.

{¶14} “In State v. O’Brien (1987), 34 Ohio St.3d 7, 516 N.E.2d 218, we considered and applied the Barker v. Wingo analysis to a case involving the waiver of speedy trial for a first-degree misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of

alcohol, and we concluded that a 138-day delay could not be ‘regard[ed] [as] “presumptively prejudicial” under [the] circumstances.’ Id. at 10, 516 N.E.2d 218. Further, in State v. Madden, 10th Dist. No. 04AP–1228, 2005-Ohio-4281, 2005 WL 1983376, and State v. Webb, 4th Dist. No. 01CA32, 2002-Ohio-3552, 2002 WL 1565686, courts have concluded that delays of five months and six months are not presumptively prejudicial for the prosecution of a first-degree misdemeanor charge involving driving under the influence.” State v. Hull, supra, at ¶22-24.

{¶15} “A delay becomes presumptively prejudicial as it approaches one year in length. Doggett v. United States, 505 U.S. 647, 652, 112 S.Ct. 2686, 120 L.Ed.2d 520 (1992), fn. 1.” State v. Adams, 144 Ohio St.3d 429, 2015-Ohio-3954, 45 N.E.3d 127, ¶90, reconsideration denied, 144 Ohio St.3d 1480, 2016-Ohio-467, 45 N.E.3d 246.

{¶16} Here, the trial court declared a second mistrial July 29, 2016. Croff’s second jury trial was conducted almost immediately after the first mistrial.

{¶17} Accordingly, Croff’s third trial was set October 24, 2016, but was continued due to the unavailability of the state’s key witness. Croff’s third trial commenced November 8, 2016, 102 days after the second mistrial, or approximately three and a half months later. As noted, the Ohio Supreme Court referenced, with approval, the holdings in Madden and Webb, supra, which concluded that five- and six- month delays are not presumptively prejudicial for prosecuting first-degree misdemeanors. Croff was facing a fifth-degree drug possession offense. Thus, consistent with Hull, Madden, and Webb, the less than three and one-half month delay is not presumptively prejudicial for the prosecution of Croff’s fifth-degree drug possession offense.

{¶18} Because the delay here was not presumptively prejudicial, we do not undertake the rest of the Barker analysis, and as such, find the delay in Croff’s retrial constitutionally reasonable. State v. Hull, supra. Croff’s first assigned error lacks merit.

{¶19} Croff’s second argument asserts the trial court erred in failing to suppress his statements, flight after his stop, and discovery of narcotics because each followed his unconstitutional search and seizure.

{¶20} Appellate review of a ruling on a motion to suppress presents a mixed question of law and fact. State v. Burnside, 100 Ohio St.3d 152, 2003-Ohio-5372, 797 N.E.2d 71, ¶8. We must accept the trial court's findings of fact if they are supported by competent, credible evidence. Because the trial court acts as the trier of fact in a motion to suppress evidence, it is in the best position to assess witness credibility. State v. Taylor, 159 Ohio App.3d 629, 2005-Ohio-804, 824 N.E.2d 1057, ¶16 (2d Dist.) Upon accepting these facts as true, we independently determine whether the facts satisfy the applicable legal standard. State v. Polk, 150 Ohio St.3d 29, 2017-Ohio-2735, 78 N.E.3d 834, ¶35.

{¶21} Croff’s motion to suppress contains two main arguments. First he argues the initial traffic stop was pretextual and unlawful since the mobile video recorder footage demonstrates that he stopped at the stop sign, and as such, the patrolman lacked a reasonable basis to initiate the traffic stop. He also claims that the patrolman impermissibly extended the stop to conduct a dog sniff because the time it took the patrolmen to initiate the dog sniff was sufficient to issue the traffic citation and because the patrolman based his decision to conduct the dog sniff, in part, on Croff’s declining to consent to a search.

{¶22} The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868 (1968); Polk at ¶12.

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