State v. McSwain

607 N.E.2d 929, 79 Ohio App. 3d 600, 1992 Ohio App. LEXIS 2343
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 18, 1992
DocketNo. 60575.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 607 N.E.2d 929 (State v. McSwain) 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. McSwain, 607 N.E.2d 929, 79 Ohio App. 3d 600, 1992 Ohio App. LEXIS 2343 (Ohio Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

Dyke, Judge.

Appellant, John McSwain, was indicted on one count of aggravated robbery with violence and aggravated felony specifications, one count of kidnapping with violence and aggravated felony specifications, and one count of felonious assault with violence and aggravated felony specifications.

Appellant was acquitted of the second and third counts. However, the trial court found appellant guilty of the first count of aggravated robbery, R.C. 2911.01, with specifications:

“(A) No person, in attempting or committing a theft offense, as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, or in fleeing immediately after such attempt or offense, shall * * * (2) Inflict, or attempt to inflict, serious physical harm on another.”

Appellant was sentenced to a term of ten to twenty-five years, with ten years being actual.

On the evening of December 15, 1989, at approximately 9:00, Van Groves pulled up to a Dairy Mart in Bedford, Ohio, with his seven-year-old son. It was snowing heavily and he had planned to leave his car on while he ran in for a gallon of milk. But then he noticed two suspicious looking men standing inside the phone booth in the parking lot. One man was tall and wearing a long coat and the other man was shorter. He got back in his car to turn off the engine. When he returned home a few minutes later, he learned that the Video Heaven store right next to the Dairy Mart had just been robbed.

Ethyl Darlene Williams was working alone in the Video Heaven store at 9:00 that night. She testified that appellant had walked into the store and looked at the horror videos for a few moments before asking her where the Eddie Murphy movies were. A second man entered the store at about that time. This man was much taller than the first man and wore a long beige-colored coat. Williams left the counter to point out the Eddie Murphy videos to the first man. At this point she was hit from behind. She screamed. The *603 taller man shouted for her to quit and hit her across the mouth with his arm. He then threw Williams to the floor and said, “Junior, get the register.” From where Williams lay on the floor she could hear someone trying to open the computerized cash register. The taller man grabbed her by the hair and forced her over to the register to open it. He told Williams to sit on the floor in front of the counter. She complied. As the taller man was emptying the cash drawer the shorter man left the store. The taller man then demanded more money from Williams, kicked her in the head and told her not to call the police. As soon as he left, she called the police. She then noticed that her purse was gone.

The police arrived and retrieved her purse from behind the store. It was missing sixty dollars, a coupon saver pouch and an Avon manicure kit. The police followed two sets of footprints in the snow from behind the store to a nearby neighborhood. The tracks ended four houses from appellant’s residence. Based upon the proximity of the tracks to his house and the knowledge the police had of prior crimes of a similar nature committed by the appellant, the police included appellant’s photo in a group of six to ten other photos to show to Williams that night. Williams identified the appellant from the photo spread.

Williams was treated at the hospital for a sore arm. Several teeth were chipped and she was badly bruised.

Two days later the police obtained a search warrant for appellant’s home. They retrieved the coupon saver pouch with personal receipts and family photos belonging to Williams and the Avon manicure kit from appellant’s top dresser drawer.

Appellant’s testimony is that he went to Video Heaven to rent a movie that evening. When he walked in, he saw the taller man, who he recognized, strike the clerk. Not wanting to be involved and concerned about his probation status, appellant left right away. As he was nearing his house, the man who he saw in Video Heaven pulled up next to him in a car and gave him the coupon saver pouch containing twenty-seven dollars and the nail kit, to keep his mouth shut. Appellant accepted the items and went home.

Appellant appeals from his conviction of aggravated robbery with specifications. He asserts one assignment of error:

I

“The verdict and judgment below was [sic ] against the manifest weight of the evidence and insufficient as a matter of law.”

*604 Appellant is actually combining two theories into one assignment of error. The first theory is that the verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence. The second theory is that the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to sustain a conviction. We will address the second theory first.

Appellant argues that there was insufficient proof of “serious physical harm” as required by R.C. 2911.01(A)(2). He also asserts that there was insufficient proof that appellant “knowingly” inflicted the physical harm as an aider and abettor.

The standard of review to determine whether or not the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction was set by the Ohio Supreme Court:

“An appellate court’s function when reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a criminal conviction is to examine the evidence admitted at trial to determine whether such evidence, if believed, would convince the average mind of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 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 (1991), 61 Ohio St.3d 259, 574 N.E.2d 492, at paragraph two of the syllabus.

Given the facts of this case, reviewed in a light most favorable to the prosecution, we find that the rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of aggravated robbery proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Appellant’s argument that the evidence was insufficient to prove the element of “serious physical harm” is not well taken. R.C. 2901.01(E) defines “serious physical harm”:

“(E) ‘Serious physical harm to persons’ means any of the following:
“(1) Any mental illness or condition of such gravity as would normally require hospitalization or prolonged psychiatric treatment;
“(2) Any physical harm which carries a substantial risk of death;
“(3) Any physical harm which involves some permanent incapacity, whether partial or total, or which involves some temporary, substantial incapacity;
“(4) Any physical harm which involves some permanent disfigurement, or which involves some temporary, serious disfigurement;
“(5) Any physical harm which involves acute pain of such duration as to result in substantial suffering, or which involves any degree of prolonged or intractable pain.”

The evidence showed that Williams was bruised and sore. She had several chipped teeth.

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

Related

State v. Mays
2013 Ohio 1952 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2013)
State v. Williamson, 22878 (11-26-2008)
2008 Ohio 6246 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Renieker, 2006 Ap 10 0059 (1-22-2008)
2008 Ohio 288 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Salyer, Ca2006-03-039 (4-9-2007)
2007 Ohio 1659 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2007)
State v. Manns
864 N.E.2d 657 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006)
State v. McCoy, Unpublished Decision (1-5-2006)
2006 Ohio 56 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2006)
State v. Garrett, Unpublished Decision (12-10-2004)
2004 Ohio 6876 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2004)
Denver Robertson v. John Morgan, Warden
227 F.3d 589 (Sixth Circuit, 2000)
State v. Wharf
1999 Ohio 112 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
607 N.E.2d 929, 79 Ohio App. 3d 600, 1992 Ohio App. LEXIS 2343, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcswain-ohioctapp-1992.