State v. Maxwell, Unpublished Decision (9-14-2000)

CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 14, 2000
DocketNo. 99AP-1177.
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Maxwell, Unpublished Decision (9-14-2000) (State v. Maxwell, Unpublished Decision (9-14-2000)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Maxwell, Unpublished Decision (9-14-2000), (Ohio Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

OPINION
Defendant-appellant, Mark W. Maxwell, appeals from a judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas whereby appellant was convicted of one count of compelling prostitution, five counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, eight counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, and one count of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance.

Appellant was arrested by officers of the Worthington Police Department ("WPD") on August 20, 1998, as he left the Graeter's Ice Cream store in Worthington, Ohio. At the time of the arrest, appellant was charged with one count of attempted corruption of a minor.1 Appellant posted a $75,000 bond in the Franklin County Municipal Court.

On June 14, 1999, appellant was indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury for two counts of compelling prostitution, in violation of R.C. 2907.21;2 nineteen counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, in violation of R.C. 2907.31; ten counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, in violation of R.C. 2907.321; and two counts of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance, in violation of R.C.2907.323. Following a jury trial, as noted above, appellant was found guilty of one count of compelling prostitution, five counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, eight counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, and one count of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance. The jury found appellant not guilty on eleven counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and two counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor. Upon application of the prosecuting attorney, a nolle prosequi was entered as to one count of compelling prostitution, three counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, and one count of illegal use of a minor in a nudity-oriented material or performance. The trial court revoked appellant's bond and sentenced appellant to serve a total of eighteen years in prison. Appellant was assessed a fine in the amount of $14,000, plus court costs. Following a September 14, 1999 hearing, the trial court found that appellant was a sexual predator.

Appellant appeals, raising ten assignments of error:

FIRST ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

COMPELLING PROSTITUTION (OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.21) AND PANDERING OBSCENITY INVOLVING A MINOR (OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.321), AS APPLIED TO THE CASE AT BAR AND ACTS INVOLVING COMPUTERS IN GENERAL, IS CONSTITUTIONALLY IMPERMISSIBLE AND VIOLATES THE EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, AS WELL AS THE DUE PROCESS CLAUSE OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.

SECOND ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED BY THE STATE OF OHIO IN THIS MATTER IS INSUFFICIENT AS A MATTER OF LAW TO SUSTAIN APPELLANT'S CONVICTION UNDER OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.21, CONTAINED IN COUNT ONE.

THIRD ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED TO THE PREJUDICE OF APPELLANT IN DENYING HIS MOTION TO DISMISS PURSUANT TO THE SPEEDY TRIAL RULE.

FOURTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO ADEQUATELY INSTRUCT THE JURY AS TO THE CULPABLE MENTAL STATE REQUIRED FOR CONVICTION UNDER OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.321 AS TO COUNTS SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, ELEVEN, TWELVE, THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN.

FIFTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED BY THE STATE OF OHIO IN THIS MATTER IS INSUFFICIENT AS A MATTER OF LAW TO SUSTAIN APPELLANT'S CONVICTIONS UNDER OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.321(A)(6), AS TO COUNTS SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, ELEVEN, TWELVE, THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN.

SIXTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO GRANT APPELLANT'S RULE 29 MOTION AS TO COUNT SEVENTEEN, CHARGING APPELLANT WITH ILLEGAL USE OF A IN OR IN A NUDITY ORIENTED MATERIAL OR PERFORMANCE CONTRARY TO OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.323.

SEVENTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED BY THE STATE IS INSUFFICIENT AS A MATTER OF LAW TO SUSTAIN APPELLANT'S CONVICTION UNDER OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 2907.31, CONTINUED IN COUNT TWENTY-ONE.

EIGHTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE COURT ERRED TO THE PREJUDICE OF APPELLANT IN FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY ON COURSE OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT.

NINTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE COURT ERRED TO THE SUBSTANTIAL PREJUDICE OF APPELLANT IN FINDING HIM TO BE A SEXUAL PREDATOR, CONTRARY TO THE STATUTORY MANDATE.
TENTH ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN SENTENCING APPELLANT TO CONSECUTIVE TERMS FOR MULTIPLE COUNTS.

Appellant came to the attention of the WPD on August 20, 1998, when a person named Adam telephoned with information concerning a thirteen-year-old girl named Sarah Reidenbach of Worthington, Ohio in Franklin County. Based upon the information provided from Adam, officers contacted Sarah and her father, Frederick Reidenbach. The police learned from Sarah that she had been contacted, via the Internet, by appellant and that she had agreed to meet him at the Graeter's Ice Cream store in Worthington early that afternoon. Sarah disclosed to the police officers that she and appellant, who had identified himself as a nineteen-year-old male,3 had discussed meeting for the express purpose of engaging in sexual relations. Sarah agreed to meet appellant at Graeter's while wearing a wire so that the police could tape-record her conversation with appellant. Sarah and appellant met at Graeter's and, during the conversation, Sarah brought up their prior discussions concerning going to a hotel room. During this conversation, appellant did not say anything of a sexual nature. Pursuant to the police officer's instructions, Sarah allowed appellant to leave Graeter's before she did. When appellant exited Graeter's, he was immediately arrested.

Following his arrest, the police obtained a search warrant for appellant's car and his apartment in Oxford, Ohio. In his car, the police found Sarah's name, telephone number, and information relating to their meeting at Graeter's. In his apartment, the police confiscated his computer.

A mirror image of appellant's computer's hard drive was made by a member of the FBI's computer analysis and response team.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State v. Maxwell, Unpublished Decision (9-14-2000), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-maxwell-unpublished-decision-9-14-2000-ohioctapp-2000.