State v. K.W.

2016 Ohio 7365
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 17, 2016
DocketCA2016-01-004
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 2016 Ohio 7365 (State v. K.W.) 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. K.W., 2016 Ohio 7365 (Ohio Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. K.W., 2016-Ohio-7365.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO

WARREN COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO, : CASE NO. CA2016-01-004 Plaintiff-Appellee, : OPINION : 10/17/2016 - vs - :

K.W., :

Defendant-Appellant. :

APPEAL FROM WARREN COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS JUVENILE DIVISION Case No. 15N000559

David P. Fornshell, Warren County Prosecuting Attorney, Kathryn M. Horvath, 520 Justice Drive, Lebanon, Ohio 45036, for appellee

CiceroAdams, LLC, Sarah E. Michel, 500 East Fifth Street, Dayton, Ohio 45402, for appellant

S. POWELL, J.

{¶ 1} Appellant, K.W., appeals from the decision of the Warren County Court of

Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, adjudicating him a delinquent child. K.W. also appeals

from the juvenile court's dispositional decision committing him to the Ohio Department of

Youth Services ("ODYS") for a minimum period of two years. For the reasons outlined

below, we affirm. Warren CA2016-01-004

{¶ 2} On May 15, 2015, a detective with the Hamilton Township Police Department

filed a complaint with the juvenile court alleging K.W. was a delinquent child for having

committed acts that if charged as an adult would constitute aggravated burglary in violation of

R.C. 2911.11(A)(1), a first-degree felony, attempted aggravated burglary in violation of R.C.

2911.11(A)(1) and 2923.02(A), a second-degree felony, attempted rape in violation of R.C.

2907.02(A)(2) and 2923.02(A), also a second-degree felony, assault on a police officer in

violation of R.C. 2903.13(A), a fourth-degree felony in accordance with R.C.

2903.13(C)(2)(5), and public indecency in violation of R.C. 2907.09(A)(1), a fourth-degree

misdemeanor.

{¶ 3} The charges stemmed from allegations that on the night of May 9, 2015, K.W.,

while in a drug-induced state, stripped down naked outside his home and proceeded to cross

a nearby field to two neighboring properties. Once there, K.W. began searching for a woman

to have sex with in order to prove he was not a homosexual. K.W. then attempted to rape

one of his neighbors before being shot in the abdomen. After police arrived, K.W. grabbed a

responding officer's groin and pinched the officer's inner thigh while the officer tended to his

injuries. Throughout this entire ordeal, K.W. was yelling obscenities and other vulgarities

about the female genitalia, repeatedly claiming that he was not gay, and masturbating his

erect penis. It is undisputed that K.W. was then just 17 years old and had just graduated

from high school.

{¶ 4} The matter ultimately proceeded to a two-day adjudication hearing that

concluded on November 18, 2005. At that hearing, the juvenile court heard testimony from

K.W., as well as K.W.'s neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs and Mr. and Mrs. Shelley, and Officer

Richard Smith. Officer Smith is a police officer with the Hamilton Township Police

Department who was the first officer to arrive at the scene and who initially tended to K.W.'s

injuries. As part of his testimony, K.W. admitted that he had been celebrating his high school -2- Warren CA2016-01-004

graduation "[e]xtremely" by consuming cocaine, amphetamines, acid, marijuana, and alcohol.

Although admitting to this extensive drug use, K.W. testified that he does not remember

anything else about that night.

{¶ 5} On December 8, 2015, the juvenile court issued a decision adjudicating K.W. a

delinquent child for having committed each of the above named offenses. Thereafter, on

January 4, 2016, the juvenile court held a disposition hearing and issued a dispositional

decision committing K.W. to ODYS for a minimum of two years. As part of his commitment,

the juvenile court ordered K.W. to undergo sex offender treatment and referred him for a

complete psychiatric evaluation and a drug and alcohol assessment. K.W. now appeals,

raising two assignments of error for review.

{¶ 6} Assignment of Error No. 1:

{¶ 7} THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY FINDING THE DELINQUENT CHILD

RESPONSIBLE AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.

{¶ 8} In his first assignment of error, K.W. argues his adjudication as a delinquent

child for having committed acts that if charged as an adult would constitute attempted

aggravated burglary, aggravated burglary, attempted rape, and assault on a police officer,

was not supported by sufficient evidence and otherwise against the manifest weight of the

evidence.1 We disagree.

Standard of Review

{¶ 9} In reviewing whether a juvenile's delinquency adjudication is supported by

sufficient evidence and not against the manifest weight of the evidence, the standard of

review is the same as the standard used in adult criminal cases. In re B.T.B., 12th Dist.

Butler No. CA2014-10-199, 2015-Ohio-2729, ¶ 16.

1. As noted above, K.W. was also adjudicated a delinquent child for committing an act that if charged as an adult would constitute public indecency. However, K.W. did not appeal from that adjudication. -3- Warren CA2016-01-004

{¶ 10} When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence underlying a criminal conviction,

an appellate court examines the evidence in order to determine whether such evidence, if

believed, would convince the average mind of the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable

doubt. State v. Intihar, 12th Dist. Warren No. CA2015-05-046, 2015-Ohio-5507, ¶ 9. The

relevant inquiry is "whether, after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the

prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime

proven beyond a reasonable doubt." State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259 (1991), paragraph

two of the syllabus. In other words, "the test for sufficiency requires a determination as to

whether the state has met its burden of production at trial." State v. Boles, 12th Dist. Brown

No. CA2012-06-012, 2013-Ohio-5202, ¶ 34, citing State v. Wilson, 12th Dist. Warren No.

CA2006-01-007, 2007-Ohio-2298, ¶ 33. When evaluating the sufficiency of the evidence,

this court must "defer to the trier of fact on questions of credibility and the weight assigned to

the evidence." State v. Kirkland, 140 Ohio St.3d 73, 2014-Ohio-1966, ¶ 132.

{¶ 11} On the other hand, a manifest weight of the evidence challenge examines the

"inclination of the greater amount of credible evidence, offered at a trial, to support one side

of the issue rather than the other." State v. Barnett, 12th Dist. Butler No. CA2011-09-177,

2012-Ohio-2372, ¶ 14. To determine whether a conviction is against the manifest weight of

the evidence, the reviewing court must look at the entire record, weigh the evidence and all

reasonable inferences, consider the credibility of the witnesses, and determine whether in

resolving the conflicts in the evidence, the trier of fact clearly lost its way and created such a

manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered.

State v. Morgan, 12th Dist. Butler Nos. CA2013-08-146 and CA2013-08-147, 2014-Ohio-

2472, ¶ 34. However, while appellate review includes the responsibility to consider the

credibility of witnesses and the weight given to the evidence, these issues are primarily

matters for the trier of fact to decide. State v. Barnes, 12th Dist. Brown No. CA2010-06-009, -4- Warren CA2016-01-004

2011-Ohio-5226, ¶ 81. An appellate court will overturn a conviction due to the manifest

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2016 Ohio 7365, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kw-ohioctapp-2016.