State v. Jenkins

5 Ohio App. Unrep. 145
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 5, 1990
DocketCase No. 57220, 57221
StatusPublished

This text of 5 Ohio App. Unrep. 145 (State v. Jenkins) 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. Jenkins, 5 Ohio App. Unrep. 145 (Ohio Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

FORD, J.

Defendant-appellant, William Jenkins a.k.a Billy Winter, appeals from his convictions in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Case No. CR230019 for the following offenses occurring on July 20, 1988:

1) carrying a concealed weapon, R.C. 2923.12, with violence specifications for prior convictions of armed robbery and manslaughter;

[146]*1462) possessing criminal tools, R.C. 2923.24, with the same violence specifications; and

3) having a weapon while under disability, R.C. 2923.13, with gun and violence specifications. Appellant was found not guilty of possessing cocaine, R.C. 2925.11.

Additionally, in Case No. CR229784, appellant entered a plea of guilty to the July 12,1988 offense of drug trafficking, R.C. 2925.03. The two cases were consolidated for purposes of this appeal, although appellant does not appear to have assigned any error relative to CR229784. That case is affirmed accordingly.

I. THE FACTS, GENERALLY

The state presented the testimony of Cleveland Police Patrolman Michael Olenick, who testified that he received a police radio call to go to 2375 East 40 Street, where an automobile accident had Occurred. When Patrolman Olenick arrived at that location, he noticed that the fire department and EMS were already on the scene, and a crowd had gathered around two badly damaged automobiles. One automobile, a Chevrolet Citation, had been parked at the curb and was struck from behind, while the other automobile, a 1979 Oldsmobile Toronado, had extensive front-end damage and was up on the treelawn and sidewalk of an adjacent yard. The police were questioning members of the crowd when appellant approached Patrolman Olenick and his partner, and freely admitted that he was the owner and operator of the Oldsmobile.

Patrolman Olenick testified that appellant and the owner of the Chevrolet were placed in the zone car in order to fill out an accident report, and appellant's inoperable automobile was to be prepared for towing. The owner of the Chevrolet arranged for private towing services.

Appellant was issued traffic citations for failure to control his vehicle and for displaying fictitious license tags (appellant's 30-day tags had not been issued for a 1979 Oldsmobile Toronado). Patrolman Olenick, pursuant to filling out a standard police vehicle tow authorization form, or "tow sheet", approached appellant's automobile in order to obtain a description of the damage to the car, and to take an inventory of the property within the car.

Patrolman Olenick testified that he first looked through the window of the car and saw two clear plasticpackages of syringes, one on the front driver's side floor and one on the front seat. On the front passenger's side floor, Patrolman Olenick saw a black camera or binocular casea He picked the case up off of the floor and opened it, finding a fully loaded .38 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun. State's Ex. 1. Patrolman Olenick then took inventory of the contents of the trunk of appellant's car, where he discovered a white shopping bag containing four or five smaller paper bags in which there was found many freebase pipes, wire mesh, and a bottle of alcohol. Cleveland Police Detective Bruce Taylor testified that he had test-fired the handgun and determined it to be operable. Cleveland Police Scientific Examiner Cynthia Lewis testified that one of the freebase pipes held a residue of a white substance testing positive for cocaine

Patrolman Olenick told the jury that he asked appellant about the handgun, and appellant stated that it was his and that he carried it for protection at the little store he works at located at East 55 Street and Outhwaite. Appellant further stated that the syringes and other drug paraphernalia were indeed his. At that time, appellant was read his Miranda rights and arrested.

For the defense, Nathaniel Day testified that he often helps appellant at Swanson and Co. carryout store at East 55 Street and Outhwaite. Mr. Day said that appellant called for his services on July 19 or 20, 1988. Mr. Day testified that the handgun, State's Ex. 1, was left to him 12 years ago by his deceased father, and he carried it in a camera case to appellant's store that day for protection. While sweeping at the store, Mr. Day removed the gun because it was in the way, and allegedly placed it on the passenger's side floor of appellant's automobile, parked nearby. Mr. Day later had a few beers and forgot about the gun. Mr. Day further testified that he never loaded the handgun, and that the bullets must have been in the gun since his father had it, 12 years prior.

Appellant testified on his own behalf, stating that he left Swanson's at approximately 11:30 p.m. on the night in question, and was at fault in the accident, which occurred just around the corner from his home. Appellant further testified that he denied ownership of the handgun at the scene Regarding the drug paraphernalia, appellant testified that either his girlfriend put it in the car, or such items had been in the car since "back in the days when (he) was a drug addict." Appellant testified that the syringes were in the trunk, not the front seat, and Patrolman Olenick was mistaken.

On cross-examination, appellant admitted that he still uses cocaine, but insisted that he "shoots" it, and does not smoke it. Moreover, [147]*147appellant admitted that he did, in fact, know that the freebase pipes were in his car, but only-intended to sell them in his store. He also admitted that he put the syringes in the car, and that he had prior convictions for aggravated robbery, manslaughter, drug abuse and possessing criminal tools.

Appellant was found guilty on three of the four counts of the indictment, and timely filed notice of appeal to this court, assigning four errors for our review.

II. INVENTORY SEARCH

In his first assignment of error, appellant argues:

"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY OVERRULING MR. JENKINS' MOTION TO SUPPRESS THE FRUITS OF THE WARRANTLESS SEARCH OF THE CONTENTS OF MR. JENKINS' VEHICLE OBTAINED UNDER THE GUISE OF AN INVENTORY SEARCH, VIOLATING MR. JENKINS' RIGHTS UNDER ARTICLE I, §14 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION, AND THE FOURTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION."

Appellant filed a motion to suppress evidence recovered from the search of his automobile, which search was without warrant or probable cause A hearing on appellant's motion was held on November 21, 1988, ending with a denial of such motion, the trial court having found that the search was an inventory search, permissible under the United States Supreme Court decision of Colorado v. Bertine (1987), 479 U.S. 367.

In Bertine, the high court recognized that "inventory searches are now a well-defined exception of the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment. "*** The policies behind the warrant requirement are not implicated in an inventory search nor is the related concept of probable causa" Id. at 371; South Dakota v. Opperman (1976), 428 U.S. 364; Illinois v. Lafayette (1983), 462 U.S. 640; State v. Robinson (1979), 58 Ohio St. 2d 478. The court noted the policy considerations behind the inventory search exception:

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Bluebook (online)
5 Ohio App. Unrep. 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jenkins-ohioctapp-1990.