State v. Gibson

2014 Ohio 3421
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided August 7, 2014·No. 100727·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

Court of Appeals of Ohio

EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION No. 100727

STATE OF OHIO

PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE

vs.

KENNETH GIBSON

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT

JUDGMENT:

AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART AND REMANDED

Criminal Appeal from the

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CR-12-563845-A

BEFORE: Blackmon, J., S. Gallagher, P.J., and E.A. Gallagher, J.

RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: August 7, 2014 ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT

Robert L. Tobik Chief Public Defender

Cullen Sweeney Assistant Public Defender 310 Lakeside Avenue Suite 200 Cleveland, Ohio 44113

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE

Timothy J. McGinty Cuyahoga County Prosecutor

By: Marc D. Bullard Assistant County Prosecutor 9th Floor Justice Center 1200 Ontario Street Cleveland, Ohio 44113

PATRICIA ANN BLACKMON, J.:

{¶1} Appellant Kenneth Gibson appeals his convictions for gross sexual imposition and kidnapping and assigns the following four assigned errors:

I. Defendant was denied his right to a speedy trial in violation of R.C.

2945.71 and the State of Ohio and United States Constitutions.

II. Defendant was denied effective assistance of counsel in violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 10 of the Ohio Constitution.

III. Kenneth Gibson’s convictions for kidnapping and gross sexual imposition are against the manifest weight of the evidence.

IV. The trial court erred in concluding that Kenneth Gibsons’s kidnapping and gross sexual imposition convictions were not allied offense of similar import.

{¶2} Having reviewed the record and pertinent law, we conclude the trial court erred by failing to conclude that the gross sexual imposition charges and the kidnapping with sexual motivation charge were allied offenses of similar import; therefore, we reverse and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. The apposite facts follow.

{¶3} The Cuyahoga County Grand Jury indicted Gibson for one count of kidnapping with a sexual motivation specification and two counts of gross sexual imposition. The charges were based on the allegation that Gibson forcibly engaged in sexual contact with his 29-year-old niece. Gibson waived his right to a jury trial, and the matter was conducted before the bench.

{¶4} Gibson’s niece lived next door to Gibson. She and Gibson often spent time drinking together at Gibson’s house along with Gibson’s girlfriend. On June 16, 2012, the niece went over to Gibson’s house for drinks. According to the niece, it was just her and Gibson there because he had just broken up with his girlfriend. They drank three to four bottles of wine over an eight or nine-hour period of time. She could not recall how many glasses she drank, but stated she was not impaired.

{¶5} The niece stated that at one point, Gibson walked over to her, bent down, and kissed her foot. She asked Gibson what he was doing, but Gibson did not respond. She “shook it off” and continued to drink.

{¶6} Between midnight and 1:00 a.m., the niece decided to leave because Gibson had kissed her inner thigh. Gibson promised to give her everything he owned if she would “have sex with him.” The niece walked to the front door, but she could not open the door because it was locked, although the key was in the lock.

Gibson pulled her away from the door and stood in front of her, blocking the door. He then “dropped his pants and his underwear.” He grabbed his niece’s hand and “made me stroke his penis twice.” Gibson also pulled her close and placed his hand underneath her dress and underwear and “stuck his finger around my anus.” Gibson would not let her leave until she promised not to tell anyone what had occurred.

{¶7} When the niece returned home, she told her cousin who lived with her what happened and called her aunt, uncle, and mother. Her aunt then called 911. Cleveland Police responded to the call and arrived at the niece’s house around 2:00 a.m. Officer Dickens took a statement from the niece. He believed she was intoxicated because she smelled of alcohol and her eyes were red. However, he said her speech was not slurred and that “she knew what was going on.” The niece told him that Gibson made sexual advances towards her and that he kissed her feet and legs and went up her dress to touch her anal area.

{¶8} Officer Dickens went next door to speak with Gibson. Officer Dickens stated that Gibson “looked like he just woke up,” and was “heavily intoxicated.” Gibson was only wearing underwear. Gibson allowed the officer into his apartment. The officer observed five bottles of wine, a key in the lock of the inside door, and jeans lying on the floor.

{¶9} The niece was transported to Hillcrest Hospital for a sexual assault examination by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (“SANE”) trained in the collection of sexual assault evidence. The SANE nurse collected dry swabs from the victim’s foot, inner thigh, and anal area. The nurse also took a dry swab of the victim’s right breast because the victim had told her that Gibson placed his mouth on her breast.

{¶10} Analysis of the swabs from the breast and perianal showed it contained only the niece’s DNA. The swab from the foot showed DNA consistent with Gibson’s, and Gibson could not be excluded as a possible contributor to the DNA on the swabs from the left hand and inner thigh.

{¶11} The trial court found Gibson guilty of all three counts. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court concluded that the charges were not allied offenses and did not merge the sentences. The trial court sentenced Gibson to three years in prison for the kidnapping with sexual motivation count, and one year each for the gross sexual imposition counts. All of the counts were ordered to be served concurrently.

Speedy Trial Violation

{¶12} In his first assigned error, Gibson argues that his statutory and constitutional rights to a speedy trial were violated. Gibson was in jail for 479 days until his trial commenced.

{¶13} Gibson filed a pro se motion to dismiss based on the violation of his right to a speedy trial. However, he did this at a time that he was represented by counsel. The trial court did not rule on the motion, and no mention of it was made prior to trial. This did not constitute error by the trial court because a defendant cannot act as co-counsel on a case in which he has counsel. It is well established that although a defendant has the right to counsel or the right to act pro se, a defendant does not have any right to “hybrid representation.” State v. Martin, 103 Ohio St.3d 385, 2004-Ohio-5471, 816 N.E.2d 227, paragraph one of the syllabus; State v. Thompson, 33 Ohio St.3d 1, 6-7, 514 N.E.2d 407 (1987). The right to counsel and the right to act pro se “are independent of each other and may not be asserted simultaneously.” Martin, paragraph one of the syllabus.

{¶14} As a result, when counsel represents a criminal defendant, a trial court may not entertain a defendant’s pro se motion. State v. Washington, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga Nos. 96565 and 96568, 2012-Ohio-1531, ¶ 11 (“Because [defendant] chose to proceed with legal representation, the court could not consider [defendant]’s motion to withdraw his plea, which his appointed counsel did not agree with.”); State v. Pizzarro, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 94849, 2011-Ohio-611, ¶ 9 (“Had the trial court entertained defendant’s pro se motion while defendant was simultaneously being represented by appointed counsel, this would have effectively constituted hybrid representation in violation of the established law.”).

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