State v. Fields, Unpublished Decision (11-28-2005)

2005 Ohio 6270
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 28, 2005
DocketNos. CA2005-03-067, CA2005-03-068.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 2005 Ohio 6270 (State v. Fields, Unpublished Decision (11-28-2005)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Fields, Unpublished Decision (11-28-2005), 2005 Ohio 6270 (Ohio Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Timothy Fields, appeals the sentence imposed by the Butler County Court of Common Pleas after his convictions for felony nonsupport of dependents. We affirm the decision of the trial court.

{¶ 2} In February 2003, as part of a plea agreement, appellant pled guilty to three counts of nonsupport of dependents, all fifth-degree felonies. The court sentenced appellant to three years of community control. In September 2004, appellant violated his community control by failing to report to his probation officer and by failing to pay child support on two other children. As a result of the failure to pay support, appellant was indicted on three counts of felony nonsupport and, as part of a plea agreement, he pled guilty to one count of non-support, a fourth-degree felony.

{¶ 3} The trial court held a sentencing hearing on both the community control violation and appellant's subsequent conviction for nonsupport. The court began with sentencing in the 2004 case, and imposed a 15-month prison term. The trial court then turned to the 2003 case, and appellant then admitted to the community control violation. The court revoked appellant's community control and sentenced him to six months in prison on each of the three counts, to run concurrently. Finally, the court ordered the 2004 sentence to run consecutive to the 2003 sentence. Appellant appealed both sentences and the cases were consolidated on appeal.

{¶ 4} On appeal, appellant presents a single assignment of error in which he argues that the trial court erred in finding that he was not amenable to community control and in imposing a prison term. He raises various issues in support of this argument.

{¶ 5} The majority of appellant's argument on appeal focuses on the trial court's determination that appellant was not amenable to community control. Appellant argues that this finding was not supported by the facts presented at the sentencing hearing. Specifically, appellant argues that the trial court ignored the fact that he is an alcohol addict, has never had treatment, was accepted into a community control correctional facility, and expressed a willingness to complete treatment. He argues that a community control sentence was more likely to result in restitution to the victims than sentencing him to prison. He also argues that the trial court did not consider his statements that he was now engaged to the mother of the children in the 2004 case, and that he thought he could get his job back.

{¶ 6} R.C. 2929.13(B) governs the sentencing of an offender who is convicted of a fourth or fifth-degree felony. The statute does not create a presumption that an offender who commits a fourth-degree felony should be sentenced to community control instead of prison, but instead gives general guidance against imprisonment for such offenders. See State v.Carr (Jan. 31, 2000), Butler App. No. CA99-02-034.

{¶ 7} Under R.C. 2929.13(B), the trial court is first required to determine whether any of the factors enumerated in R.C. 2929.13(B)(1) are applicable. If the court finds that at least one of the factors is applicable, the court then reviews whether a prison term is consistent with the purposes and principles of sentencing set forth in R.C. 2929.11. See R.C. 2929.13(B)(2)(a). In doing so, the court is guided by the pertinent seriousness and recidivism factors set forth in R.C. 2929.12.State v. Beckman, Butler App. No. CA2003-02-033, 2003-Ohio-5003, ¶ 11. If the trial court finds after this review that the offender is not amenable to community control and that a prison term is consistent with R.C. 2929.11 purposes and principles of felony sentencing, then the court is required to impose a prison term. R.C. 2929.13(B)(2)(a).

{¶ 8} The trial court found that appellant committed the most recent offense while on a community control sanction, which is one of the factors enumerated in R.C. 2929.13(B)(1). The court also reviewed the seriousness and recidivism factors, finding several factors that indicated recidivism was more likely. Specifically, the court stated that appellant was on community control when the most recent offenses were committed, that appellant had multiple prior convictions, including one for the same offense of nonsupport, and that there was a failure to respond favorably to past sanctions for criminal convictions.

{¶ 9} The court also found several factors indicating that this was a more serious form of the offense, including that the victims were very young, and there were multiple victims, leaving a mother to try and support the children herself. The court also found that the victims suffered serious economic harm because the money was needed, that the offense was related to appellant's position of trust as the father of the children and that the relationship facilitated the offense. The trial court also looked at the fact that appellant had a prior conviction that involved an assault charge and two charges of domestic violence, with at least one resulting in a conviction. The court then found that appellant was not amenable to community control.

{¶ 10} We find no merit to appellant's argument that the trial court erred in finding that he was not amenable to community control. While appellant stated that he had been accepted into a community correctional facility and desired to undergo treatment and obtain employment, the court was not required to find he was amenable to community control on this basis. Instead, other factors as discussed above, supported the trial court's finding that appellant was not amenable to community control.

{¶ 11} Appellant also argues in his brief that the trial court failed to state various findings on the record at the sentencing hearing. He argues that in the 2004 case, the court failed to state that "prison was consistent with R.C. 2929.11." In the 2003 case, appellant argues that the court failed to make any findings that it had considered the purposes and principles of sentencing or any of the seriousness or recidivism factors, or that it considered the victim statements or the presentence investigation.

{¶ 12} The trial court began the hearing by stating that the purpose of the hearing was for disposition of both the 2003 and 2004 cases. The court further stated that it had reviewed the presententence investigation report prepared in the 2004 case1 and then asked appellant for any argument in favor of mitigation. After listening to the arguments of appellant's counsel, the court discussed the seriousness and recidivism factors at issue in the two cases. Although some of the factors, such as the fact that appellant was on a community control sanction at the time of the offense, were pertinent only to the 2004 case, most of the factors were applicable to both cases. After finding that appellant was not amendable to community control and pronouncing a 15-month sentence on the 2004 case, the court turned to sentencing in the 2003 case.

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Bluebook (online)
2005 Ohio 6270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fields-unpublished-decision-11-28-2005-ohioctapp-2005.