State v. Mauder

2016 Ohio 7114
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided September 30, 2016·No. L-15-1171, L-15-1172·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

LUCAS COUNTY

State of Ohio Court of Appeals Nos. L-15-1171 L-15-1172

Appellee Trial Court Nos. CR0201501602 v. CR0201501266

Joshua Lee Mauder DECISION AND JUDGMENT Appellant Decided: September 30, 2016

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Julia R. Bates, Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney, and Rebecca A. Facey, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

Mollie B. Hojnicki-Mathieson, for appellant.

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SINGER, J.

{¶ 1} Appellant, Joshua L. Mauder, appeals the June 11, 2015 judgment of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas convicting him of two counts of domestic violence in violation of R.C. 2919.25(A) and (D)(3), felonies of the fourth degree, and one count of aggravated burglary in violation of R.C. 2911.11(A)(1), a felony of the first degree, in this consolidated appeal. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

Assignments of Error

{¶ 2} Appellant sets forth the following assignments of error:

1. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT DENIED APPELLANT’S MOTION TO SUPRESS.

2. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT GRANTED THE STATE’S MOTION FOR JOINDER.

3. APPELLANT’S CONVICTIONS ARE AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.

4. APPELLANT WAS DENIED EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL AS GUARANTEED BY THE UNITED STATES AND OHIO CONSTITUTIONS.

5. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT IMPOSED CONSECUTIVE SENTENCES.

6. APPELLANT WAS DENIED A FAIR TRIAL DUE TO PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT.

Background Facts

{¶ 3} Appellant was charged following three incidents. The first occurred January 28, 2015. Appellant was living with the victim. The victim testified appellant woke her up and punched her three times, causing her lip to bleed. This occurred within their apartment. The police were called but the couple left before they arrived. The abuse allegedly continued as the couple walked to McDonald’s. Although the victim denied this, a witness, T.F., testified to seeing the abuse in public.

{¶ 4} After arriving at McDonald’s, appellant returned to their apartment but the victim stayed because her mother was picking her up. The victim’s mother, the responding officer, and T.F. all testified to observing the victim’s beaten face. Appellant was arrested and indicted for domestic violence in case No. CR0201501266. Appellant posted bond February 4, 2015. After release, appellant and the victim moved into appellant’s grandmother’s house.

{¶ 5} On February 20, 2015, appellant and the victim were in another physical altercation. Appellant punched her in the forehead. After this, the victim decided she wanted to escape appellant and the abuse. The victim called her parents, who lived within walking distance, and asked them to gather some of her clothes. This request was a cover for her plan to “take a break, get away.” In response to her request, her father said there would be a box on the porch. When she arrived, she entered an enclosed porch to retrieve the box. Appellant joined her but was not close behind because he was not welcomed in the home. As the victim exited the porch through the screen door, she handed the box to appellant. As appellant began to walk away from the porch, she went back inside the enclosed porch and locked the screen door behind her.

{¶ 6} Realizing the victim’s attempt to get away, appellant tore open the screen door and wrestled the victim to the floor. Appellant then raised his hand to strike her.

After hearing the commotion, the victim’s father grabbed his bat and entered the porch. Just as appellant’s hand was reaching back to strike the victim, the father struck appellant with his bat. Appellant then left the porch and premises altogether. Appellant was later arrested and indicted for domestic violence and aggravated burglary in case No. CR0201501602.

{¶ 7} Appellant entered pleas of not guilty to all charges in both cases. On April 13, 2015, appellant moved to suppress evidence related to the identification of appellant by witness, T.F., arguing the identification was “inherently unreliable” because it resulted from an “unnecessarily suggestive” photo array. On April 14, 2015, the state requested joinder of the cases. Appellant argued joinder was unduly prejudicial. The trial court granted the state’s request for joinder and denied appellant’s request for suppression on May 7, 2015. The consolidated cases proceeded to joint trial by jury.

{¶ 8} The trial took place between May 26 -28, 2015. Notably, during voir dire, the state questioned the jurors regarding their thoughts on domestic violence. The trial court interrupted and requested a sidebar to express its concerns and sustain an objection. Ultimately, appellant was found guilty on all counts on May 28, 2015. Sentences were imposed June 11, 2015.

{¶ 9} For case No. CR0201501266, appellant was ordered to serve 17 months for domestic violence. For case No. CR0201501602, appellant was ordered to serve seven years for aggravated burglary and 14 months for the second domestic violence conviction. The sentences in case No. CR0201501602 were ordered to be served consecutively to each other and to the sentence imposed for No. CR0201501266. The trial court’s judgment was journalized and timely notices of appeal were filed June 22, 2015.

Assignment of Error No. 1

{¶ 10} In the first assignment of error, appellant argues the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress T.F.’s identification violated his right to a fair trial because the procedure allegedly caused irreparable misidentification. Appellee contends the trial court properly denied suppression because the photo array was neither unduly suggestive nor unreliable.

{¶ 11} “[A]ppellate review of a ruling on a motion to suppress presents a mixed question of law and fact.” State v. Johnson, 6th Dist. Lucas No. L-13-1032, 2014-Ohio- 4339, ¶ 8. “[T]he trial court assumes the role of the trier-of-fact and is therefore in the best position to resolve factual questions and evaluate the credibility of a witness.” State v. Mills, 62 Ohio St.3d 357, 366, 582 N.E.2d 972 (1992). Consequently, “an appellate court must accept the trial court’s findings of fact if they are supported by competent, credible evidence.” State v. Guysinger, 86 Ohio App.3d 592, 594, 621 N.E.2d 726 (4th Dist.1993).

{¶ 12} Suppression of an out-of-court identification occurs if the procedure was “unnecessarily suggestive of the suspect’s guilt” and “unreliable under all the circumstances.” See State v. Waddy, 63 Ohio St.3d 424, 438, 588 N.E.2d 819 (1992); Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 196-198, 93 S.Ct. 375, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972). To be suppressed, there must be a “substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.” Simmons v. U.S., 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247 (1968). However, no due process violation occurs when the identification was “the result of observations at the time of the crime.” Coleman v. Alabama, 399 U.S. 1, 5-6, 90 S.Ct. 1999, 26 L.Ed.2d 387 (1970).

{¶ 13} R.C. 2933.83(B) “requires any law enforcement agency that conducts live and photo lineups to adopt ‘specific procedures’ for conducting the lineups.” See Johnson at ¶ 9-12. “Such procedures must provide, at minimum, the use of a ‘blind or blinded’ administrator for the array. Id., quoting R.C. 2933.83(B)(1). Blind or blinded administrators are defined in R.C. 2933.83(A) as follows:

(2) “Blind administrator” means the administrator does not know the identity of the suspect. “Blind administrator” includes an administrator who conducts a photo lineup through the use of a folder system or a substantially similar system. (3) “Blinded administrator” means the administrator may know who the suspect is, but does not know which lineup member is being viewed by the eyewitness. “Blinded administrator”

includes an administrator who conducts a photo lineup through the use of a folder system or a substantially similar system.

{¶ 14} This court has previously addressed an analogous claim. See State v.

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