State v. Michalski

CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 24, 2026
Docket25-COA-023
StatusPublished

This text of State v. Michalski (State v. Michalski) 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. Michalski, (Ohio Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Michalski, 2026-Ohio-2398.]

IN THE OHIO COURT OF APPEALS FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT ASHLAND COUNTY, OHIO

STATE OF OHIO, Case No. 25-COA-023

Plaintiff - Appellee Opinion And Judgment Entry

-vs- Appeal from the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 24-CRI-236 ROBERT MICHALSKI, JR., Judgment: Affirmed Defendant - Appellant Date of Judgment Entry: June 24, 2026

BEFORE: Andrew J. King; William B. Hoffman; Robert G. Montgomery, Judges

APPEARANCES: CHRISTOPHER R. TUNNELL, Ashland County Prosecuting Attorney by JAMES B. REESE III, for Plaintiff-Appellee; BRIAN A. SMITH, for Defendant-Appellant.

Montgomery, J.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

{¶1} On August 17th, 2024, the child victim, who was 6 years old at the time, was

on his annual two week visit with his mother. The child’s mother was residing with

Appellant, who they call “Uncle Bob,” in a home that Appellant owns. On the day in

question, the child and several other individuals were present. The child’s mother,

Angelina, told the child victim to go pick up dog excrement in the yard. The child refused. {¶2} After this refusal, the child was instructed to go inside. The child’s hands

and feet were ultimately handcuffed to a chair in a back room and Appellant’s pit bull

named Mason, entered the room to terrorize the child. Appellant ordered his sister to

stay in the room with the child but did not restrain the dog in any manner. The door to

the room closed. The pit bull went for the child’s throat, latched on, and began to bite the

child viciously. Individuals outside the home heard screaming and commotion, rushed

into the house, eventually got the pit bull released, and called 911. Ashland County

Sheriff’s Deputy, Asa Derry (“Deputy Derry”), responded to the 911 call. The Deputy was

flagged down by the caller at Cattleman’s Restaurant. The Deputy provided life sustaining

care on the child’s deep neck lacerations until EMS arrived to transport the child to the

emergency room.

{¶3} Dylan Olivas (“Olivas”), was in a relationship with the child victim’s mother,

Angelina Williams (“mother”). Olivas testified that he was outside when he heard

“screaming and commotion inside of the house,” and when he went inside, he saw

Appellant’s pit bull attached to the throat of child victim. Olivas testified that handcuffs

were on the child but he did not know who put them there. Deputy Rondal Stone

(“Stone”) of the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office testified that he spoke with Taylor

Marvin-Brown (“Marvin-Brown”), who told Stone that the bite happened inside

Appellant’s home. Stone testified, “you could see multiple blood stains leaving from the

front door out to the steps on the front porch.” Deputy Derry testified that “we received

three different stories,” one from Laura Williams (“Laura”) the child’s grandmother and Appellant’s sister; another from the child’s mother (“Angelina”); and another from co-

defendant Taylor Marvin-Brown.1

{¶4} Law enforcement ultimately determined that Appellant owned the dog.

Within 24-hours, they executed a search warrant and found the dog in the upstairs

portion of the home in what Deputy Derry described as an attic “cubby hole.” The deputy

who found the dog had to pull away chairs and other items to get to the dog. Deputy Derry

testified that when they arrived at the house to execute the warrant, Appellant was

uncooperative. Detective Jump testified as follows:

Q: And Robert Michalski was there?

A: Yes.

Q: Did you get to speak with him at all?

A: Yes, I did.

Q: Tell us about that?

A: At first he was upset, irate that they were there to do a search warrant,

and he had to be restrained several times, and one point threatened to

actually put him in the car, and he kept trying to go up on the porch and

walking behind the officers, and he was told to sit in the chair or he was

going to be put in a chair.

Q: He has been quiet throughout this trial, you are saying that he wasn't

then?

A: No.

Q: Was he helpful?

1 Angelina and Marvin-Brown pled guilty prior to trial. Marvin-Brown pled guilty to “kidnapping”

and “child endangering,” and was awaiting sentencing at the time of Appellant’s trial. A: No.

Q: Did he tell you that the dog was in the house?

Q: Do you know were the handcuffs and tie ropes were found?

A: Immediately right inside of the main entrance door, immediately within

like five to ten feet of the door that we went in.

Trial Tr., Day 2, pp. 29-30.

{¶5} Appellant denied owing the handcuffs stating they were left at the home by

a previous resident.

{¶6} Appellant was charged with multiple crimes and pled not guilty. The matter

proceeded to trial and the jury found Appellant guilty of the following: (1) Count Four,

Complicity to Commit Endangering Children (first child victim who was bitten by the

dog), a third-degree felony and violation of R.C. 2919.22(B)(3), (E)(3); (2) Count Five,

Complicity to Commit Endangering Children (second child victim), a third degree felony

and violation of R.C. 2919.22(B)(3), (E)(3); and (3) Count Six, Tampering With Evidence,

a third-degree felony and violation of R.C. 2921.12(A)(1), (B).

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

{¶7} “I. APPELLANT’S CONVICTIONS WERE AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.”

{¶8} “II. THE FAILURE OF APPELLANT’S TRIAL COUNSEL TO FILE A MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE THE STATE’S EXHIBITS CONSTITUTING DUPLICATE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE BLOOD, KEYS, HANDCUFFS, AND ROPE CONSTITUTED INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, IN VIOLATION OF APPELLANT’S RIGHT TO COUNSEL UNDER THE SIXTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 10 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.” {¶9} “III. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION IN NOT ALLOWING A PHYSICAL DEMONSTRATION OF WHETHER DEPUTY CURTIS HALL COULD PLACE HANDCUFFS ON APPELLANT’S TRIAL COUNSEL WITHOUT DEPUTY CURTIS HALL USING HIS FINGERS, IN VIOLATION OF APPELLANT’S RIGHT TO CONFRONTATION OF WITNESSES UNDER THE SIXTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND APPELLANT’S RIGHT AGAINST SELF-INCRIMINATION UNDER THE FIFTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 16 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.”

{¶10} “IV. THE TRIAL COURT’S DECISION TO ADMIT DUPLICATE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE BLOOD, KEYS, AND HANDCUFFS, OVER APPELLANT’S OBJECTION, VIOLATED EVID.R. 403(A), EVID.R. 403(B), AND APPELLANT’S RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AND A FAIR TRIAL UNDER THE FIFTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 16 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.”

{¶11} “V. THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR IN IMPOSING CONSECUTIVE SENTENCES ON APPELLANT, BECAUSE ITS FINDINGS UNDER R.C. 2929.14(C)(4) WERE NOT SUPPORTED BY THE RECORD.”

LAW AND ANALYSIS

Manifest Weight of the Evidence

{¶12} In his first assignment of error, Appellant claims the jury clearly lost its way

in finding him guilty of endangering children either as a principal offender or under a

theory of complicity, and in finding him guilty of tampering with evidence. In support,

Appellant claims that various testimony is inconsistent with or contrary to other

testimony, and/or that the State failed to present direct evidence of Appellant’s guilt.

Appellant’s arguments are wholly without merit.

{¶13} Weight of the evidence addresses the evidence's effect of inducing belief.

State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 387 (1997); State v. Williams, 2003-Ohio-4396,

¶ 83.

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Michalski, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-michalski-ohioctapp-2026.