State v. Gesell, Unpublished Decision (7-17-2006)

2006 Ohio 3621
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 17, 2006
DocketNo. CA2005-08-367.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 2006 Ohio 3621 (State v. Gesell, Unpublished Decision (7-17-2006)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Gesell, Unpublished Decision (7-17-2006), 2006 Ohio 3621 (Ohio Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Michael Gesell, appeals his conviction and sentence in the Butler County Area I Court for assault and sexual imposition.

{¶ 2} In the early morning hours of October 31, 2003, Emilie Wolf, then 22 years old, was with her boyfriend and other friends at "First Run," a bar in Oxford, Ohio. Also at the bar that evening was Michael Gesell (hereinafter "appellant"), then 39 years old. Appellant was one of the managers at First Run, but was "off the clock" this evening, drinking with his friends. At the time, neither Emilie nor appellant were acquainted with each other.

{¶ 3} Emilie was dressed in a Halloween costume that night and she had two mixed drinks. As she was leaving the bar's lower floor area by walking up a set of stairs, appellant grabbed Emilie's buttocks. Emilie turned around, stepped down from the stairs and confronted appellant, asking him, "What do you think you're doing?" Appellant reached behind Emilie and grabbed her buttocks again, telling her, "I'll grab your butt if I want to." Emilie slapped appellant across his face with her right hand. When she tried to slap him again, appellant blocked the slap and then grabbed her left hand and bent it backward.

{¶ 4} Appellant began pushing Emily backward. She started punching him, even biting him at one point, to get him off of her. While this was occurring, appellant told Emilie, "You don't know who you're messing with." Appellant wound up on top of Emilie on the ground. He got off her when the bar's "crowd control" personnel came over to them. Emilie went to the manager in charge at First Run, who told Emilie to go the police station and bring the police back. But when Emilie returned with the police, appellant was no longer there.

{¶ 5} Later that morning, at 7:15 a.m., appellant voluntarily came to the Oxford Police Department and spoke with Detective Dennis Barter. Appellant told Detective Barter that he had been partying at First Run the night before and that an incident had occurred that evening, which "he didn't remember having anything to do with[.]"

{¶ 6} After Detective Barker read the incident report, he advised appellant of his Miranda rights. He then informed appellant that he had been accused of "grabbing a young lady's buttocks." Appellant said that he "didn't remember anything like that," but did remember being "struck by the young lady." Appellant also remembered grabbing "her wrist so that she wouldn't strike him again." Appellant admitted to Detective Barter that he had been "drinking heavily" at the party, and that he was "hung over."

{¶ 7} Appellant was charged by way of complaint with assault in violation of R.C. 2903.13, a misdemeanor of the first degree, and sexual imposition in violation of R.C. 2907.06, a misdemeanor of the third degree. Appellant agreed to have his case heard by a magistrate.

{¶ 8} A trial was held on the matter on February 27, 2004. At the conclusion of evidence, the magistrate found appellant guilty of both charges. Appellant filed objections to the magistrate's recommendation. On March 28, 2005, the trial court overruled those objections and adopted the magistrate's decision finding appellant guilty as charged.

{¶ 9} On May 12, 2005, the magistrate recommended that appellant receive a suspended jail sentence of 180 days and a fine of $1,000, with $500 of the fine suspended, for his conviction on the assault charge, and that appellant receive a suspended jail sentence of 60 days and a fine of $600, with $400 of the fine suspended, for his conviction on the sexual imposition charge. On July 26, 2005, the trial court adopted the magistrate's sentencing recommendations.

{¶ 10} Appellant now appeals, raising the following assignments of error:

{¶ 11} Assignment of Error No. 1:

{¶ 12} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT OF ACQUITTAL PURSUANT TO CRIMINAL RULE 29 AND THE DECISION WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE CHARGE OF SEXUAL IMPOSITION."

{¶ 13} Appellant argues that the trial court erred in overruling his Crim.R. 29 motion for acquittal on the sexual imposition charge because the state failed to present sufficient evidence to convict him of that offense. He also argues that his conviction on the sexual imposition charge was contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. We disagree with these arguments.

{¶ 14} Crim.R. 29(A) states, in pertinent part:

{¶ 15} "The court on motion of a defendant or on its own motion, after the evidence on either side is closed, shall order the entry of a judgment of acquittal of one or more offenses charged in the * * * complaint, if the evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction of such offense or offenses."

{¶ 16} Although appellant raises both challenges in one assignment of error, a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence differs from a challenge to the manifest weight of the evidence. State v. McKnight, 107 Ohio St.3d 101, 112,2005-Ohio-6046, citing State v. Scott, 101 Ohio St.3d 31,2004-Ohio-10.

{¶ 17} "In reviewing a claim of insufficient evidence, `[t]he relevant inquiry is whether, after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.'" McKnight, 2005-Ohio-6046 at ¶ 70, quoting State v. Jenks (1991), 61 Ohio St.3d 259, 574, paragraph two of the syllabus.

{¶ 18} In reviewing a claim that a conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence, an appellate court applies a different test. McKnight, 2005-Ohio-6046 at ¶ 71. In considering a manifest weight of the evidence challenge, an appellate court, "reviewing the entire record, weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of witnesses and determines whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the jury [or trier of fact] clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered. The discretionary power to grant a new trial should be exercised only in the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the conviction.'" State v. Thompkins,78 Ohio St.3d 380, 387, 1997-Ohio-52, quoting State v. Martin (1983),20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175

{¶ 19} Appellant was convicted of sexual imposition in violation of R.C. 2907.06(A)(1). That section states, in pertinent part:

{¶ 20} "(A) No person shall have sexual contact with another, not the spouse of the offender * * * when any of the following applies:

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Bluebook (online)
2006 Ohio 3621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gesell-unpublished-decision-7-17-2006-ohioctapp-2006.