State v. Huckleby

2018 Ohio 4438
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 18, 2018
Docket16CA15
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2018 Ohio 4438 (State v. Huckleby) 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. Huckleby, 2018 Ohio 4438 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Huckleby, 2018-Ohio-4438.] IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT GALLIA COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO, :

Plaintiff-Appellee, : Case Nos. 16CA15 16CA16 vs. :

MICHAEL M. HUCKLEBY, : DECISION & JUDGMENT ENTRY

Defendant-Appellant. :

_________________________________________________________________

APPEARANCES:

Timothy P. Gleeson, Logan, Ohio, for appellant.

Jason D. Holdren, Gallia County Prosecuting Attorney, and Jeremy Fisher, Gallia County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Gallipolis, Ohio, for appellee.

CRIMINAL APPEAL FROM COMMON PLEAS COURT DATE JOURNALIZED:10-18-18 ABELE, J.

{¶ 1} This is an appeal from a Gallia County Common Pleas Court judgment of conviction and

sentence. The jury found Michael M. Huckleby, defendant below and appellant herein, guilty of (1)

failure to appear in violation of R.C. 2937.99(A), (2) obstruction of official business in violation of

R.C. 2921.31(A), and (3) vandalism in violation of R.C. 2909.05(B)(2).1

{¶ 2} In Case Number 16CA16, appellant assigns five errors for review:

1 The charge that initiated appellant’s contact with the trial court is the charge for the assault of an emergency medical service worker. See R.C. 2903.13(A). When appellant did not timely appear in court for his trial on the assault charge, additional charges were brought against him that form the basis of this appeal. Appellant was also convicted of the assault charge, but he did not appeal that judgment. GALLIA, 16CA15 & 16CA16 2

FIRST ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR:

“THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE CONVICTION OF FAILURE TO APPEAR, R.C. 2937.99.”

SECOND ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR:

“AN ERRONEOUS JURY INSTRUCTION OMITTING THREE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE OFFENSE OF FAILURE TO APPEAR DEPRIVED HUCKLEBY OF DUE PROCESS, WHETHER BY PLAIN ERROR ANALYSIS OR BY INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL FOR FAILING TO OBJECT.”

THIRD ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR:

“THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE CONVICTION OF VANDALISM, R.C. 2909.05(B)(2).”

FOURTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR:

“AN ERRONEOUS JURY INSTRUCTION OMITTING THE DEFINITION OF SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM TO PROPERTY, AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF VANDALISM, DEPRIVED HUCKLEBY OF DUE PROCESS, WHETHER BY PLAIN ERROR ANALYSIS OR BY INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL FOR FAILING TO OBJECT.”

FIFTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR:

“HUCKLEBY WAS DENIED HIS RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS WHEN HIS TRIAL ATTORNEY PROVIDED INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL WHEN HE FAILED TO MOVE THE TRIAL COURT TO WAIVE THE IMPOSITION OF COURT COSTS.”

In Case Number 16CA15, appellant assigns one error for review:

“MICHAEL M. HUCKLEBY WAS DENIED HIS RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS WHEN HIS TRIAL ATTORNEY PROVIDED INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL WHEN HE FAILED TO MOVE THE TRIAL COURT TO WAIVE THE IMPOSITION OF COURT COSTS.”

{¶ 3} On December 8, 2015, a Gallia County Grand Jury returned an indictment that charged GALLIA, 16CA15 & 16CA16 3

appellant with one count of the assault of an emergency medical service worker in violation of R.C.

2903.13(A). Appellant entered a not guilty plea and the trial court released him on his own

recognizance. The court also found appellant to be indigent and appointed counsel to represent him.

{¶ 4} The trial court scheduled appellant’s jury trial for April 20, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Later, the

court continued the trial date to June 1, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. The court once again continued the case to

June 13, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. On June 13, 2016, the court issued an entry that provides:

“This matter came on for a jury trial on the 13th day of June, 2016. Present was Eric. R. Mulford, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and W. Graham Woodyard, Attorney for Defendant. The Defendant, Michael M. Huckleby, failed to appear. It is, therefore, ordered that a warrant be issued for the arrest of the Defendant for failure to appear.”

{¶ 5} Subsequently, a Gallia County Grand Jury returned an indictment that charged appellant

with (1) one count of failure to appear in violation of R.C. 2937.99(A), (2) one count of obstruction of

official business in violation of R.C. 2921.31(A), and (3) one count of vandalism in violation of R.C.

2909.05(B)(2). Appellant pled not guilty to the charges. Also, on July 1, 2016 appellant’s counsel

filed a motion to withdraw because he was no longer a subcontractor for the Gallia County Criminal

Defense Group. The trial court substituted another appointed counsel to represent appellant.

{¶ 6} At appellant’s jury trial, several witnesses testified about the assault charge (the charge

that is not the subject of this appeal) and the additional charges. Gallia County Deputy Sheriff Sgt.

Eric Werry testified that he had been dispatched to the scene of the assault, and was also scheduled as

a witness for appellant’s June 13, 2016 trial. Werry stated that the trial was scheduled to begin at

9:00 a.m., but appellant did not appear. Werry testified that “the defendant called in and said he’d be

here like within 15 minutes uh, so we waited around until like a quarter after uh, twenty after and then

probably around 9:30 that’s when I was released” from the subpoena and “the defendant still wasn’t GALLIA, 16CA15 & 16CA16 4

here.”

{¶ 7} Gallia County Sheriff’s Detective Deputy Chris Gruber testified that he assisted with

booking appellant into jail on June 13, 2016, after appellant’s arrest for failing to appear at trial.

Gruber spoke to appellant for approximately fifteen minutes in an attempt to de-escalate the volatile

situation, and to gain appellant’s cooperation. Gruber testified that when he attempted to book

appellant, he, appellant and Deputy Nick Clagg fell onto a cell bunk-bed while wrestling with

appellant. Later, Gruber stated that he became aware that the facilities, including the bunk-bed and

the toilet assembly, had been vandalized. Gruber testified that due to this damage, the cell block had

to be taken out of operation for an extended period of time.

{¶ 8} Appellant testified that after his release on his own recognizance for the assault charge,

he returned to Sidney, Ohio and returned to work. Appellant stated that he periodically received calls

from his attorney, who told him that the case had been continued a few times, and that his trial was

scheduled on June 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m., and that he should plan to arrive at least thirty minutes

early. Appellant stated that on his trial date, he traveled from Sidney and arrived in Gallipolis at

approximately 9:20 a.m. When appellant did not see anyone in the hallway, he visited the Clerk’s

Office and learned that his trial had been scheduled for 9:00 a.m. At that point, appellant testified, he

was taken downstairs and, as he tried to contact his attorney, deputies placed him in a holding cell.

Appellant stated that after he was in the cell for 15 to 30 minutes, he became angry and confused, and

asked again to see his attorney. Appellant stated that seven officers then entered the cell and “beat

the hell out of me. They tackled me onto the bed, the Jerry Darst guy was punching me in my ribs

telling me to stop resisting.” Appellant testified that the officers punched him, choked him and

eventually strapped him onto a chair. Appellant stated that three days later, authorities charged him GALLIA, 16CA15 & 16CA16 5

with vandalism, obstructing official business and the failure to appear for his trial.

{¶ 9} At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found appellant guilty of assault of an emergency

medical worker in Case No. 15CR183. Also, in Case No.

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2018 Ohio 4438, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-huckleby-ohioctapp-2018.