State v. Hendricks

2017 Ohio 259
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided January 18, 2017·No. CT2016-0010·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

STATE OF OHIO : JUDGES:

:

: Hon. Sheila G. Farmer, P.J.

Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. William B. Hoffman, J.

: Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J.

-vs- :

: Case No. CT2016-0010

:

CHRISTOPHER HENDRICKS :

:

:

Defendant-Appellant : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. CR 2015-0161

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND REMANDED FOR

RESENTENCING

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: January 18, 2017

APPEARANCES: For Plaintiff-Appellee: For Defendant-Appellant:

D. MICHAEL HADDOX RICHARD L. CROSBY IIII MUSKINGUM CO. PROSECUTOR RENDIGS, FRY, KIELY & DENNIS LLP GERALD V. ANDERSON II 600 Vine Street, Ste. 2650 27 North Fifth St., P.O. Box 189 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Zanesville, OH 43702-0189 0010 2

Delaney, J.

{¶1} Appellant Christopher Hendricks appeals from the January 13, 2016 Entry of the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas. Appellee is the state of Ohio.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

{¶2} This case arose when appellant and co-defendant Randall Cremeans entered a house shared by Brent Mayle and Tameka Alexander.1 The defendants sought Mayle and items of appellant’s that had allegedly been stolen. Present were Alexander, several adult friends, and her two minor children. The two defendants drew firearms and threatened Alexander into calling Mayle and telling him to come home. Appellant put his gun to Alexander’s pregnant stomach and to her two minor children to convince her to reveal Mayle’s whereabouts. Appellant threatened Mayle that if he didn’t come home, he would find “seven stinking bodies.” The adult witnesses were tied up and their cell phones seized. Appellant wanted to take the victims with them as they left the scene, but Cremeans told him there wasn’t enough room and suggested they take the victims’ I.D.s instead to identify “snitches” later.

{¶3} Appellant was charged by indictment as follows: Count I, aggravated burglary pursuant to R.C. 2911.11(A)(2), a felony of the first degree; Counts II through V, kidnapping pursuant to R.C. 2905.01(A)(2), all felonies of the first degree; Counts VI through VIII, kidnapping pursuant to R.C. 2905.01(A)(3), all felonies of the first degree; Counts IX through XIII, aggravated robbery pursuant to R.C. 2911.01(A)(1), all felonies of the first degree; and Count XIV, having weapons while under disability pursuant to R.C.

1The co-defendant’s direct appeal from his convictions and sentence is State v. Cremeans, 5th Dist. Muskingum No. CT2015–0062, 2016-Ohio-7930.

0010 3 2923.13(A)(2), a felony of the third degree. Counts I through XIII are accompanied by firearm specifications pursuant to R.C. 2941.145.

{¶4} Appellant entered pleas of not guilty and moved for a change of venue. The motion was later withdrawn.

{¶5} On November 16, 2015, appellant appeared before the trial court and changed his pleas of not guilty to ones of guilty as charged in the indictment. The trial court deferred sentencing pending a pre-sentence investigation. On January 12, 2016, appellant was sentenced to an aggregate prison term of 30 years.

{¶6} Appellant now appeals from the trial court’s sentencing entry of January 13, 2016.

{¶7} Appellant raises six assignments of error:

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

{¶8} “I. THE SENTENCE IS DISPROPORTIONATE/INCONSISTENT CONTRARY TO R.C. 2929.11(B).”

{¶9} “II. APPELLANT WAS DENIED THE EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL IN VIOLATION OF THE SIXTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 10 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION WHEN HIS ATTORNEY FAILED TO FILE A MOTION TO SUPPRESS THE ALLEGED VICTIM’S IDENTIFICATION AS THE STATE CLEARLY VIOLATED THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF A PHOTO IDENTIFICATION SET FORTH IN R.C. 2933.03.

{¶10} “III. APPELLANT WAS DENIED THE EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL IN VIOLATION OF THE SIXTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 10 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION WHEN 0010 4 HIS ATTORNEY FAILED TO ADVISE HIM OF THE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM PENALTIES HE FACED UPON PLEADING GUILTY.”

{¶11} “IV. THE TRIAL COURT VIOLATED APPELLANT’S STATE AND FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND CRIM.R. 11 BY FAILING TO ENSURE THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE MAXIMUM PENALTIES HE FACED UPON PLEADING GUILTY.”

{¶12} “V. APPELLANT WAS DENIED DUE PROCESS OF LAW WHEN THE COURT DID NOT PROPERLY ADVISE DEFENDANT CONCERNING COMPULSORY PROCESS.”

{¶13} “VI. APPELLANT’S SENTENCE SHOULD BE VOIDED AS THE COURT FAILED TO INCLUDE THE DETAILS OF POST RELEASE CONTROL INTO THE SENTENCING ENTRY AS REQUIRED BY R.C. 2929.19(B)(3).”

ANALYSIS

I.

{¶14} In his first assignment of error, appellant argues his sentence is disproportionate when compared to that of his co-defendant. We disagree.

{¶15} Appellant summarily argues his sentence is disproportionate to the severity of his conduct when compared with the conduct of Cremeans.2 We note both defendants claimed the other was more culpable; in the instant case, despite appellant’s disavowals of terrorizing the victims, he pled guilty to the offenses. Appellee’s recitation of the facts established appellant was at least as culpable as Cremeans. A felony sentence should

2 Appellant’s co-defendant also received an aggregate term of 30 years following his convictions after trial by jury. Cremeans, supra, 2016-Ohio-7930, ¶ 29.

0010 5 be proportionate to the severity of the offense committed so as not to “shock the sense of justice in the community.” State v. Chaffin, 30 Ohio St.2d 13, 17, 282 N.E.2d 46 (1972); R.C. 2929.11(B). A defendant alleging disproportionality in felony sentencing has the burden of producing evidence to “indicate that his sentence is directly disproportionate to sentences given to other offenders with similar records who have committed these offenses * * *.” State v. Ewert, 5th Dist. Muskingum No. CT2012–0002, 2012-Ohio-2671, 2012 WL 2196326, ¶ 33, citing State v. Breeden, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 84663, 2005- Ohio-510, 2005 WL 315370, ¶ 81.

{¶16} Appellant has not provided any evidence his sentence is constitutionally disproportionate. Instead, he argues no one was harmed and the victims lied. We find the conduct alleged here, combined with appellant's significant criminal record, support the trial court's sentence. We reject appellant’s comparison of the instant case with State v. Moore, in which one co-defendant pled guilty to three charged offenses and was sentenced to 30 years, when the second co-defendant went to trial, was convicted, and was sentenced to consecutive terms totaling 27 years. 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 99788, 2014-Ohio-5135, 24 N.E.3d 1197, cause dismissed, 141 Ohio St.3d 1433, 2015-Ohio- 168, 23 N.E.3d 1178, and appeal not allowed, 142 Ohio St.3d 1475, 2015-Ohio-2104, 31 N.E.3d 654. In Moore, the appellate court determined the actions of the former were “more egregious" than the actions of the latter, “so the large disparity in the sentences raise[d] questions for appellate review.” Id. at ¶ 9. In the instant case, the record does not support appellant’s assertion that he is less culpable than Cremeans.

0010 6

{¶17} Appellant also ignores a fact significant to the trial court at sentencing:

appellant committed these crimes while awaiting sentencing upon a felony conviction of aggravated assault in Franklin County.

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