State v. Gibson

2017 Ohio 691
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 24, 2017
Docket2016-CA-12
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2017 Ohio 691 (State v. Gibson) 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. Gibson, 2017 Ohio 691 (Ohio Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Gibson, 2017-Ohio-691.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT CHAMPAIGN COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO : : Plaintiff-Appellee : Appellate Case No. 2016-CA-12 : v. : Trial Court Case Nos. 2012-CR-260 : and 2013-CR-64 ASHLEY N. GIBSON : : (Criminal Appeal from Defendant-Appellant : Common Pleas Court) :

...........

OPINION

Rendered on the 24th day of February, 2017.

JANE A. NAPIER, Atty. Reg. No. 0061426, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Champaign County Prosecutor’s Office, 200 North Main Street, Urbana, Ohio 43078 Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellee

AMY E. FERGUSON, Atty. Reg. No. 0088397, 130 West Second Street, Suite 1818, Dayton, Ohio 45402 Attorney for Defendant-Appellant

.............

WELBAUM, J. -2-

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Ashley N. Gibson, appeals from the sentence she

received in the Champaign County Court of Common Pleas for violating the felony

community control sanctions that were imposed on her in Case Nos. 2012-CR-260 and

2013-CR-64. Gibson specifically argues that the trial court abused its discretion in

imposing a 33-month prison term and consecutive sentences. For the reasons outlined

below, the judgment of the trial court will be affirmed.

Facts and Course of Proceedings

{¶ 2} In Champaign County Case No. 2012-CR-260, Gibson pled guilty to two

counts of possessing criminal tools in violation of R.C. 2923.24(A) and one count of

possessing heroin in violation of R.C. 2925.11(A), (C)(6)(a), all felonies of the fifth degree.

The trial court sentenced Gibson for those offenses on January 31, 2013, by imposing

five years of community control sanctions with several conditions. The trial court advised

Gibson that if she violated the conditions of community control, the court may impose a

longer time under the same sanction, more restrictive sanctions, or a prison term of 11

months.

{¶ 3} In Champaign County Case No. 2013-CR-64, Gibson pled guilty to various

offenses that she had committed before she was sentenced in Case No. 2012-CR-260,

but while she was released on personal recognizance and awaiting sentencing.

Specifically, Gibson pled guilty to five counts of forgery in violation of R.C. 2913.31(A)(1),

all felonies of the fifth degree, one count of possessing heroin in violation of R.C.

2925.11(A), (C)(6)(a), also a felony of the fifth degree, and one count of petty theft in -3-

violation of R.C. 2913.02(A)(1), a misdemeanor of the first degree. The trial court

sentenced Gibson for those offenses on March 20, 2013, by imposing three years of

community control sanctions with several conditions. The trial court advised Gibson that

if she violated the conditions of community control, the court may impose a longer time

under the same sanction, more restrictive sanctions, or a prison term of 4 years that would

run consecutive to the 11-month prison term in Case No. 2012-CR-260.

{¶ 4} On June 2, 2014, Gibson’s probation officer filed a notice of supervision

violation for both Case Nos. 2012-CR-260 and 2013-CR-64. The notice alleged that

Gibson violated the conditions of her community control by changing her residence

without permission from her supervising officer and by failing to report to her supervising

officer as ordered.

{¶ 5} Following the violation notice, on June 10, 2014, the trial court held a hearing

on the merits of the alleged violations. During the hearing, Gibson admitted to both

violations and the trial court proceeded to sentencing. After the State recommended that

Gibson be returned to community control, and after the trial court considered the possible

penalties under R.C. 2929.15(B)(1), the purposes and principles of sentencing in R.C.

2929.11, and the seriousness and recidivism factors in R.C. 2929.12, the trial court

decided to return Gibson to community control under the same conditions previously

imposed without any additional penalty. However, the court once again advised Gibson

that if she violated the conditions of community control, the court may impose a longer

time under the same sanction, more restrictive sanctions, or a prison term of 4 years and

11 months.

{¶ 6} Approximately two years later, on May 23, 2016, Gibson’s probation officer -4-

filed a second notice of supervision violation for both Case Nos. 2012-CR-260 and 2013-

CR-64. Like the first notice, the second notice alleged that Gibson violated the

conditions of her community control by changing her residence without permission from

her supervising officer and by failing to report to her supervising officer as ordered.

{¶ 7} Following the second violation notice, on June 6, 2016, the trial court held a

hearing on the merits of the alleged violations. At the hearing, Gibson once again

admitted to both violations and the trial court once again proceeded to sentencing.

During sentencing, the court considered the purposes and principles of sentencing in R.C.

2929.11, weighed the seriousness and recidivism factors in R.C. 2929.12, and

determined that it had discretion to impose a prison term pursuant to R.C.

2929.13(B)(1)(b)(xi). In exercising its discretion, the trial court revoked community

control and imposed a term of imprisonment for Gibson’s community control violations.

{¶ 8} For Case No. 2012-CR-260, the trial court sentenced Gibson to serve 11

months in prison for both counts of possessing criminal tools, as well as for the count of

possessing of heroin. The trial court then ordered the 11-month sentences to run

concurrently with each other for a total prison term of 11 months.

{¶ 9} For Case No. 2013-CR-64, the trial court sentenced Gibson to serve 11

months in prison for each of her five forgery counts, as well as for the count of possessing

heroin. For the petty theft count, the trial court ordered Gibson to serve five months in

jail. The trial court then ordered the 11-month prison sentences for forgery and the five-

month jail sentence for petty theft to run concurrently with each other, but consecutively

to the 11-month prison sentence for possessing heroin. Accordingly, Gibson was

sentenced to a total term of 22 months in prison in Case No. 2013-CR-64. -5-

{¶ 10} The trial court ordered the 22-month prison term in Case No. 2013-CR-64

to be served consecutively with the 11-month prison term in Case No. 2012-CR-260.

Therefore, Gibson was sentenced to a total of 33 months in prison for both cases, a

sentence which was significantly less than the four year and 11 month prison sentence

the trial court had originally indicated it would impose upon revoking community control.

{¶ 11} Despite receiving a significantly reduced prison sentence, Gibson now

appeals from the trial court’s sentencing decision, raising a single assignment of error for

review.

Assignment of Error

{¶ 12} Gibson’s sole assignment of error is as follows:

A JUDGMENT REVOKING DEFENDANT’S COMMUNITY CONTROL AND

SENTENCING HER TO PRISON WAS IMPROPER.

{¶ 13} Under her sole assignment of error, Gibson concedes that a prison term is

an appropriate sanction for violating community control sanctions, but claims that under

the circumstances of this case, the trial court’s decision to impose a 33-month prison term

and consecutive sentences was an abuse of discretion because her violations did not

involve new crimes, were not egregious or violent in nature, and were the result of a drug

relapse.

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