State v. Lockett

358 N.E.2d 1062, 49 Ohio St. 2d 48, 3 Ohio Op. 3d 27, 1976 Ohio LEXIS 772
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 1976
DocketNo. 76-424
StatusPublished
Cited by96 cases

This text of 358 N.E.2d 1062 (State v. Lockett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Lockett, 358 N.E.2d 1062, 49 Ohio St. 2d 48, 3 Ohio Op. 3d 27, 1976 Ohio LEXIS 772 (Ohio 1976).

Opinions

Corrigan, J.

I.

Appellant propounds 17 propositions of law in this cause. The following is a summary of the relevant testimony in this court:

A1 Parker testified that, prior to coming to Akron on January 14, 1975, he was a resident of Orange, New Jersey. During the weekend prior to coming to Akron, Parker indicated that he met, for the first time, Joanne Baxter and the appellant in Jersey City, New Jersey (Friday, January 10, 1975). Baxter and the appellant, residents of Akron, were visiting the New Jersey area, and were apparently staying with relatives.

As the weekend progressed, Parker introduced Baxter and the appellant to his friend, Nathan Earl Dew. On Monday, January 13, 1975, Dew borrowed $60 from Parker, so that Dew could make bail for the appellant’s broth[52]*52er, James Lockett. After James Lockett was released from jail, Baxter, the appellant, David Ford (the appellant’s 17-year-old uncle), and James Lockett planned to return to Akron in appellant’s car.

Dew and Parker agreed to lead the appellant to the interstate highway for the return trip to Akron. Because of bad weather, Dew and Parker eventually accompanied the group all the way to Akron.

Parker and Dew arrived in Akron on January 14, 1975, with the appellant, James Lockett, Ford and Baxter; After the appellant was taken to the local Methadone. Clinic for her heroin substitute, Parker and Dew, along with the others, eventually ended up at the Lockett residence.

Because they had no money to go home, Parker and Dew discussed pawning Dew’s ring. When the appellant and James Lockett became part of this conversation (with only Dew, Parker, James Lockett, and the appellant participating), the appellant suggested a robbery. She then proceeded to suggest and'point out certain business establishments that might be suitable as a target for the robbery. Because none of the four had a pistol, James Lockett suggested robbing a pawn shop where they could ask to see a pistol, load it, and then use it to rob the pawn shop. Since Parker already had four cartridges in his possession, he was elected to be the triggerman at the suggestion of James Lockett. Appellant offered to lead the group to the pawn-shop, but suggested that she not actually go in because the pawn shop operator knew her. After it was determined that the robbery would take place the next day, Dew and the appellant, using Parker’s car, dropped Parker off at Baxter’s house.

The next morning, January 15, 1975, Dew, James Lockett and the appellant, using- Parker’s car, picked up Parker at Baxter’s apartment. According to Parker, the robbery plan called for Dew and James Lockett to enter Sy'd’s Market Loan, in downtown Akron, ostensibly to pawn Dew’s ring. Parker was then to follow, look at a pistol, and carry out the robbery. The appellant was to stay in Parker’s car, wait two minutes, and then start the engine.

[53]*53The actual robbery commenced during the noon hour with Dew and James Lockett entering the pawn shop as planned. Approximately a minute later, Parker left the car and entered the pawn shop. Parker indicated that, when he entered, the owner, Sidney Cohen, was the only person present besides Dew and James Lockett. At Parker’s request, Cohen showed him a pistol. Parker returned this pistol, at which point Dew pointed out another pistol, which Parker requested. Parker then took two cartridges out of his pocket, loaded the. pistol, and declared that this was a stickup. The gun was pointed at Cohen with Parker’s finger on the trigger. Parker testified that the weapon went off when Cohen grabbed at the pistol. As Cohen went down, he activated the robbery alarm behind the counter. The trio ran when Parker indicated that the alarm had been pushed. Parker kept the gun as he ran for his car. The appellant was in Parker’s car when he returned. The engine was running, but Dew and James Lockett did not return to Parker’s car. Appellant took the gun Parker had taken from the pawn shop and put it in her purse. Parker and appellant proceeded to the home of appellant’s aunt, during which time Parker explained to appellant what had happened.

After staying a short time at the aunt’s house, Parker and appellant left in a taxi which appellant had called. Parker sat in the back seat on the passenger’s side while appellant sat behind the driver. Appellant then proceeded to give the driver directions to her parents’ home. The taxi was stopped by a police car approximately three or four blocks from the aunt’s house. As the officers approached the taxi, appellant told Parker that the gun was under the seat. Parker and appellant were then taken into custody.

Parker testified that he and the appellant told the police that he was from Chicago and was currently renting a room from appellant’s mother. Appellant and Parker were released a short while later and returned to the Lockett residence where they discovered that Dew and James Lockett had also returned home. The police investigation culminated in the arrests of Parker, Dew, James Lockett and the appellant.

[54]*54The above rendition of facts was presented to the trial court through the testimony of A1 Parker. To corroborate this co-defendant’s testimony, the state presented the testimony of Ethel W. Garrett, Ronda Reed, Joanne Baxter, Lowell Hayes, Billy Ray Berry and James Gasdaglis.

Mrs. Garrett testified that she was an employee of City-Wide Answering Service. Mrs. Garrett further testified that on January 15, 1975, at 12:51 p. m., she received an alarm from Syd’s Market Loan.

Ronda Reed, an employee of the Marine Corps recruiting station near Syd’s Market Loan, testified that she was in front of the pawn shop at the time of the robbery and observed inside, three black males and one white man. Further, Reed noticed a shiny object in the hand of one of the black men. After the three black males ran out of the shop, Reed observed one black subject stuffing a gun into his pants.

Joanne Baxter’s testimony corroborated that given by Parker concerning the trip from New Jersey to Akron. Baxter further testified that the appellant, on the way to the Methadone Clinic on Tuesday, January 14, 1975, told Dew and Parker that- she knew places that they could “knock off.” Baxter testified that, on the return trip from the clinic, the appellant proceeded to show the others a market place as a possible robbery target. Baxter stated that the appellant, Dew, Parker and James Lockett met together on Wednesday morning, January 15, 1975, in one of the bedrooms in Baxter’s apartment. Finally, she testified that she saw Parker Wednesday evening, at which time he informed her of what had happened at Syd’s Market Loan.

Lowell Hayes, a driver for the Yellow Cab Company, testified that on Wednesday, January 15, 1975, at approximately 1:30 p. m., he picked up a man and woman at 168 Nieman Street, Akron, in cab No. 52. Hayes identified the appellant as the woman in question. Hayes then testified that the appellant gave him directions to Tarbell Street which would have been a longer ride than the normal' route. Further, Hayes testified that the normal route from Nieman to Tarbell would have put the cab closer to Syd’s Market [55]*55Loan than the route specified by appellant. Finally,- Hayes testified that' the appellant first sat in the middle of .the back seat, but moved directly behind him when the cab was stopped by the police. Hayes then drove back to the cab company, checked his cab in and left work for the day at approximately 2:00 or 2:30 p. m.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
358 N.E.2d 1062, 49 Ohio St. 2d 48, 3 Ohio Op. 3d 27, 1976 Ohio LEXIS 772, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lockett-ohio-1976.