State v. Mason

2017 Ohio 7065
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided August 3, 2017·No. 104533·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

Court of Appeals of Ohio

EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION No. 104533

STATE OF OHIO

PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE

vs.

RODERICK J. MASON

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT

JUDGMENT:

AFFIRMED AS MODIFIED AND REMANDED

Criminal Appeal from the

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CR-16-602780-A

BEFORE: Laster Mays, J., McCormack, P.J., and Stewart, J.

RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: August 3, 2017 -i-

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT

Paul A. Mancino, Jr. Mancino Mancino & Mancino 75 Public Square Bldg., Suite 1016 Cleveland, Ohio 44113

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE

Michael C. O’Malley Cuyahoga County Prosecutor

By: Marc Bullard Assistant County Prosecutor Justice Center, 9th Floor 1200 Ontario Street Cleveland, Ohio 44113

ANITA LASTER MAYS, J.:

{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Roderick J. Mason (“Mason”), appeals his conviction for drug-related charges. Mason contends that the trial court erred by: (1) denying his motion to suppress without a hearing; (2) failing to inform him of the effect of a no contest plea; (3) misstating the term of postrelease control; and (4) failing to record a pretrial proceeding. We affirm the trial court’s decision. I. Facts and Background

{¶2} Mason was indicted on January 29, 2016, for:

Count 1: Trafficking (Cocaine), R.C. 2925.03(A)(2), felony of the first degree, with one-year firearm specification and forfeiture specifications;

Count 2: Drug Possession (Cocaine), R.C. 2925.11(A), felony of the first degree, with one-year firearm specification, forfeiture specifications, and major drug offender specification;

Count 3: Trafficking (Marijuana), R.C. 2925.03(A)(2), felony of the third degree, with one-year firearm specification and forfeiture specifications;

Count 4: Drug Possession (Marijuana), R.C. 2925.11(A), felony of the third degree, with one-year firearm specification and forfeiture specifications;

Count 5: Having Weapons While Under Disability, R.C. 2923.13(A)(3), felony of the third degree, with forfeiture specifications;

Count 6: Possessing Criminal Tools, R.C. 2923.24(A), felony of the fifth degree, with forfeiture specifications.

{¶3} The indictments stemmed from a search warrant issued on January 14, 2016, based on an affidavit reciting a series of controlled drug transactions between Mason and several confidential informants. Mason drove a 1999 GMC Yukon and a 2005 Infiniti FX45 to the meetings. The scope of the warrant included Mason’s residence on Shawnee Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio (“Premises”) and the vehicles.

{¶4} Mason entered a plea of not guilty at the arraignment. On March 23, 2016, Mason filed several motions including a motion to suppress charging that the search warrant was based on an insufficient affidavit. The two-page motion listed the factual grounds for the deficiency and properly referenced Crim.R. 12(C)(3), but was not filed with a supporting brief of legal authorities.

{¶5} On April 22, 2016, the state filed a motion to strike the suppression motion due to the lack of legal citation. See Crim.R. 47. The afternoon of April 25, 2016, the court granted the state’s motion. Approximately an hour later, Mason filed a document entitled “motion to suppress” in a brief format that lacked the requisite motion pages citing Crim.R. 12(C)(3), but contained the arguments and supporting law (“Motion”).

{¶6} On April 27, 2016, Mason filed a “supplemental motion to suppress and for the return of illegally seized property (Franks hearing requested),”1 consisting of a cover motion citing the applicable rules and specifying the activities complained of, a supporting brief, a copy of the state-redacted search warrant affidavit, and Mason’s affidavit challenging specific portions of the warrant affidavit (“supplemental motion,” the motion and supplemental motion collectively referred to herein as the “Motions”).

{¶7} On May 3, 2016, the state filed a brief in opposition to the Motions. The parties agreed that a hearing and unrecorded side bar took place on May 4, 2016. The trial court agreed to review the filings and rule on the motion by May 6, 2016. However, Mason argues the trial court agreed to review the filings and to reset the matter for hearing. The state disagrees.

{¶8} On May 5, 2016, Mason filed a fourth document entitled “supplemental motion to suppress” that appears to be identical to the Motion. The trial court immediately issued an entry striking the filing:

The supplemental motion to suppress filed by defendants after the [5/4/16]

hearing date and after 5/4/16 wherein the parties agreed to the court ruling on the motion on pleadings, and filed without leave is stricken. Should the defendants wish to supplement the original motion, they must first seek leave to do so. The court grants the defendants until 5/9/16 at noon to file a motion for leave to file a supplemental motion to suppress. In the event they fail to timely file said motion for leave to supplement, the court will rule on the motion and brief in opp[osition] previously submitted.

Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 155, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 57 L.Ed.2d 667 (1978) (“a 1

defendant * * * [has] the right, under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, subsequent to the ex parte issuance of a search warrant, to challenge the truthfulness of factual statements made in an affidavit supporting the warrant.”)

(Emphasis added.). See judgment entry filed on May 5, 2016.

{¶9} A copy of the entry was sent to counsel by regular mail on May 6, 2016.

On May 10, 2016, the trial court issued entries denying the pending motion without recitation of fact or law, and setting the case for trial on May 16, 2016. Counsel discovered the trial court’s May 6 and May 10, 2016 rulings when checking the online docket. Mason filed a motion for reconsideration on May 11, 2016, advising the court that: (1) counsel had not received the trial court’s rulings, (2) counsel had not waived the suppression hearing, and (3) the facts mandated a hearing. Mason also filed a motion to continue the trial date. On May 12, 2016, both motions were denied.

{¶10} Mason entered a plea of no contest on May 16, 2016. The court found him guilty and sentenced him as follows: Count 1 merged with Count 2, and Mason was sentenced on Count 2 to 11 years plus one year for the firearm specification. Counts 3 and 4 merged, and Mason was sentenced on Count 3, to two years. Mason received nine months on Count 6 and two years on Count 5, for a total sentence of 16 years (Counts 2, 3, 5, and the firearm specification are consecutive. Count 6 is served concurrently). Mason’s driver’s license was suspended for four years and asset forfeiture was ordered. The trial court waived fines and costs, and Mason filed the instant appeal.

II. Law and Analysis

{¶11} Mason poses four assignments of error:

I. Defendant was denied due process of law when the court overruled his motion to suppress without conducting an evidentiary hearing.

II. Defendant was denied due process of law when the court failed to inform the defendant of the effect of a plea of no contest.

III. Defendant was denied due process of law when the court misadvised defendant concerning postrelease control for a felony of the first degree.

IV. Defendant was denied due process of law when the court failed to record the proceedings on May 4, 2016.

{¶12} We first acknowledge the propriety of this appeal under the facts of this case. Crim.R. 12(I) states, a “plea of no contest does not preclude a defendant from asserting upon appeal that the trial court prejudicially erred in ruling on a pretrial motion, including a pretrial motion to suppress evidence.” See State v. McCormick, 41 Ohio App.3d 158, 160, 534 N.E.2d 942 (8th Dist.1988).

A. Denial of the Motion to Suppress Without a Hearing

{¶13} We begin with Mason’s argument that his due process rights were violated when the trial court denied his motion to suppress without a hearing. Mason’s arguments are primarily grounded on Franks, 438 U.S. 154, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 57 L.Ed.2d 667, and Bailey v. United States, 568 U.S. 186, 133 S.Ct. 1031, 185 L.Ed.2d 19 (2013).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

State v. Mason, 2017 Ohio 7065 (Ohio Ct. App. 2017).

2017 Ohio 7065 (State v. Mason) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State v. Dudas
2020 Ohio 1323 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2020)
State v. Mason
2019 Ohio 1773 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Rodriguez
2017 Ohio 9130 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2017)
State v. Musleh
2017 Ohio 8166 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2017)