State v. Fletcher

2018 Ohio 3726
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 10, 2018
Docket17 MA 0034
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2018 Ohio 3726 (State v. Fletcher) 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. Fletcher, 2018 Ohio 3726 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Fletcher, 2018-Ohio-3726.]

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

STATE OF OHIO,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

JASMIN FLETCHER,

Defendant-Appellant.

OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY Case No. 17 MA 0034

Criminal Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas of Mahoning County, Ohio Case No. 2012 CR 224 A

BEFORE: Gene Donofrio, Cheryl L. Waite, Carol Ann Robb, Judges.

JUDGMENT: Affirmed in Part. Reversed in Part and Remanded.

Atty. Ralph Rivera, Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office, 21 West Boardman Street, 6th Floor, Youngstown, Ohio 44503, for Plaintiff-Appellee, and Atty. Desirae DiPiero, 7330 Market Street, Youngstown, Ohio 44512, for Defendant- Appellant.

Dated: September 10, 2018 –2–

Donofrio, J.

{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Jasmin Fletcher, appeals her convictions and sentence following guilty pleas in the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for one count of tampering with evidence in violation of R.C. 2921.12(A)(1)(B) and one count of obstruction of justice in violation of R.C. 2921.32(A)(5)(C)(4), felonies of the third degree. {¶2} One of the central issues in this appeal was the trial court’s denial of appellant’s motion to withdraw her guilty pleas. Appellant entered her guilty pleas on February 24, 2014. Her motion to withdraw those pleas was filed on January 9, 2017, almost three years after she entered her guilty pleas. {¶3} On March 8, 2012, appellant was indicted on the above listed counts. Appellant was indicted along with a co-defendant, Michael Paige. Paige was indicted on the same counts as appellant but also faced three other counts for aggravated murder, murder, and a separate tampering with evidence count. {¶4} As part of a plea agreement with the plaintiff-appellee, the State of Ohio, appellant agreed to testify against Paige at Paige’s trial. In exchange for testifying against Paige and pleading guilty as charged, the written guilty plea appellant signed provided that the state would “recommend 36 [months] conditioned upon [appellant’s] truthful testimony consistent [with] her proffer given 2/24/14.” According to appellant, her understanding was that the 36 months recommendation from the state would be for probation and not incarceration. Appellant entered her guilty pleas at a hearing on February 24, 2014 and her written guilty plea was dated February 25, 2014. The trial court accepted the guilty pleas and ordered a presentence investigation. The trial court scheduled appellant’s sentencing hearing for April 2, 2014. {¶5} In a judgment entry dated April 3, 2014, the trial court continued the sentencing hearing but did not schedule a date for a new sentencing hearing. On February 22, 2016, appellant’s counsel filed an unopposed motion to withdraw as counsel. In a judgment entry dated March 4, 2016, the trial court granted appellant’s counsel’s motion and appointed appellant a new attorney.

Case No. 17 MA 0034 –3–

{¶6} On January 9, 2017, appellant filed a motion to vacate her guilty pleas. This motion was filed before appellant was sentenced. The basis of appellant’s motion was that her prior attorney did not fully advise her about charges and her prior attorney misadvised her about the state’s sentencing recommendation. The motion also argued that appellant maintained her innocence and a potential meritorious defense was never explored by her prior attorney. Appellant argued that the advice or lack thereof from her prior counsel rendered her guilty plea not voluntary or intelligent. {¶7} The stated filed a memo in opposition to appellant’s motion. In this memo, the state argued that the First District’s decision in State v. Fish, 104 Ohio App.3d 236, 661 N.E.2d 788 (1st Dist. 1995), provided nine factors to consider when a trial court should grant a motion to withdraw a guilty plea. The state argued that all nine of these factors weighed in its favor and the motion to withdraw should be denied. {¶8} On January 26, 2017, a hearing was held on appellant’s motion to withdraw. At this hearing, appellant testified that she was under the impression that the 36 month recommendation from the state would be with the Adult Parole Authority and not with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 10-12). Appellant pointed out that the state’s recommendation in the written guilty plea she signed did not reference prison or the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 7-8). Appellant testified that she also pled guilty because the extended duration of the proceeding was causing a lot of people to suffer. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 9). {¶9} On cross-examination of appellant, the state referenced several sections of the transcript of appellant’s change of plea hearing. These sections indicated that: appellant stated that everything in the written guilty plea was explained to her, appellant read the written guilty plea with her attorney, and she had no questions for her attorney at the change of plea hearing (Plea Tr. 8, Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 13-14). {¶10} The trial court overruled appellant’s motion on the basis that appellant was aware she faced a prison sentence and that she never stated during her plea hearing that she did not agree to a prison sentence. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 18). The trial court immediately proceeded to sentencing. The trial court sentenced appellant to 36 months of incarceration on the tampering with evidence charge and 24 months of

Case No. 17 MA 0034 –4–

incarceration on the obstruction of justice charge. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 28-29). The trial court ordered these sentences to be served consecutively. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 28). The trial court also advised appellant that, upon her release from prison, she was subject to a mandatory post-release control term of three years. (Withdraw/Sentencing Tr. 29). {¶11} Appellant’s sentence and the trial court’s ruling on the motion to withdraw the guilty pleas were memorialized in a judgment entry dated February 6, 2017. Appellant timely filed this appeal on February 21, 2017. Appellant now raises three assignments of error. {¶12} Appellant’s first assignment of error states:

THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT OVERRULED APPELLANT’S MOTION TO WITHDRAW HER PLEAS.

{¶13} Appellant argues that her guilty pleas were based on improper advice given to her by her original counsel. Appellant argues that allowing her to withdraw her plea would not prejudice the state and that her motion was timely filed after her subsequent appointed counsel informed her she faced a prison term. {¶14} Pursuant to Crim.R. 32.1, “[a] motion to withdraw a plea of guilty or no contest may be made only before sentence is imposed; but to correct manifest injustice the court after sentence may set aside the judgment of conviction and permit the defendant to withdraw his or her plea.” {¶15} Appellant’s motion to withdraw her pleas was made prior to sentencing. A pre-sentence motion to withdraw a guilty plea should be freely and liberally granted. State v. Ocel, 7th Dist. No. 08 JE 22, 2009-Ohio-2633, ¶ 21, citing State v. Xie, 62 Ohio St.3d 521, 527, 584 N.E.2d 715 (1992). “A motion made pursuant to Crim.R. 32.1 is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court, and the good faith, credibility and weight of the movant's assertions in support of the motion are matters to be resolved by that court.” Ocel at ¶ 22, citing State v. Smith, 49 Ohio St.2d 261, 264, 361 N.E.2d 1324 (1997), paragraph two of the syllabus.

Case No. 17 MA 0034 –5–

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Bluebook (online)
2018 Ohio 3726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fletcher-ohioctapp-2018.