State v. Nolan

2016 Ohio 2985
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 16, 2016
Docket9-15-48
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 2016 Ohio 2985 (State v. Nolan) 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. Nolan, 2016 Ohio 2985 (Ohio Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Nolan, 2016-Ohio-2985.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT MARION COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO,

PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, CASE NO. 9-15-48

v.

KELLI L. NOLAN, OPINION

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

Appeal from Marion Municipal Court Trial Court No. CRB15-1256

Judgment Affirmed in Part, Reversed in Part and Cause Remanded

Date of Decision: May 16, 2016

APPEARANCES:

Sheena Bateman-Carothers and M. Galen Billow for Appellant

Mark D. Russell for Appellee Case No. 9-15-48

SHAW, P.J.

{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Kelli L. Nolan, appeals the November 13, 2015

judgment of the Marion Municipal Court accepting her plea of no contest,

convicting, and sentencing her on one count of failure to confine her dog, in

violation of R.C. 955.22(C), a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. On appeal,

Nolan assigns several errors with the trial court’s sentence.

{¶2} On June 3, 2015, Nolan was cited for failing to confine her dog. The

charge stemmed from Nolan’s dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named “Lacy,”

becoming loose from her tether in Nolan’s backyard and attacking Ann B.’s dog, a

fox terrier named “Foxy.”1 Foxy suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack,

which required Ann B. to incur a significant veterinary bill to mend Foxy’s

wounds. The citation noted that this was Nolan’s second offense. The record

indicates that the first offense occurred four months prior and involved a similar

set of circumstances with Foxy.

{¶3} On September 10, 2015, Nolan entered a plea of no contest. The trial

court accepted her plea and found Nolan guilty.

{¶4} On November 13, 2015, the trial court conducted a sentencing hearing

where three witnesses testified. Two neighbors of Nolan and Ann B. testified for

the prosecution and expressed their concern for safety with Lacy in the

1 Ann B. is Nolan’s neighbor.

-2- Case No. 9-15-48

neighborhood. One witness, Robert Peters, recalled an incident where Lacy was

unrestrained and charged him and his dog as they walked past Nolan’s house. He

explained that when his dog immediately rolled on its back into a submissive

position, Lacy sniffed his dog, did not attack, eventually lost interest, and walked

away. Peters also recalled his encounters with Foxy and stated that she always

played well with his dog. Since Lacy’s last attack on Foxy, Peters no longer

passed Nolan’s property on his walks with his dog. He also “forbid” his

grandchildren from venturing near Nolan’s house because of Lacy. (Tr. at 8).

{¶5} The other witness, Jack Bull, stated he was concerned for the

neighborhood’s safety reputation with Lacy present and worried about the re-sale

value of his home. He further recalled seeing Lacy off her tether a few months

prior to the November hearing—and after the second incident with Foxy.

However, he conceded that he never saw Lacy attack anyone or be aggressive.

{¶6} Nolan also provided testimony. She explained that during the first

incident in February 2015, the hook on the tether had broken allowing Lacy to run

into Ann B.’s yard. Nolan claimed that she immediately paid the veterinary bill

for the injuries Foxy sustained from the first incident and took measures to more

securely confine Lacy. Specifically, she purchased a body harness and a triple

braided boat rope with an industrial clip to tether Lacy to a horse hitch in the

ground. She had placed Lacy on the tether on the date of the second incident.

-3- Case No. 9-15-48

Nolan recalled that on that day the doorbell rang and when she answered the door,

two older children were there holding Lacy by her body harness and informed

Nolan that Lacy had just attacked Foxy again. Nolan inspected the tether and

body harness which appeared to be intact. Nolan expressed her disbelief as to how

Lacy had broken free from the tether for a second time. According to Nolan, Lacy

had never shown aggression toward humans and usually played well with other

dogs. She explained that Lacy does not like other aggressive animals and claimed

that she observed Foxy showing aggression toward people and other dogs while

tethered in Ann B.’s front yard.

{¶7} Nolan acknowledged that at a pre-trial in June for the second offense,

the trial court instructed her to obtain a muzzle for Lacy, with which she complied.

She also claimed that Lacy had been constantly supervised since the second

incident and muzzled while outside. Nolan relayed her efforts to install a fence on

her property and indicated there were some obstacles in completing that task. She

explained that there was no survey of her property on record and she was informed

by the zoning authorities that her property would have to be resurveyed. She also

contemplated linking a fence to some of her neighbors’ existing fences but

explained that one of her neighbors had recently sold the property and she would

have to wait to discuss the matter with the new owner. As a result, Nolan claimed

these setbacks had prevented her from installing a fence on her property.

-4- Case No. 9-15-48

{¶8} In closing statements, the prosecutor explained that the victim, Ann

B., decided to install a fence around the rear perimeter of her property after the

second offense and submitted a copy of the invoice. The prosecutor claimed that

Ann B. installed the fence because Nolan had failed to install her own and

requested that the trial court order Nolan to pay for Ann B.’s fence in the amount

of $3,160.00, along with other recommendations, which were considered by the

trial court. The trial court then sentenced Nolan to the following.

1.) The Defendant shall be sentence [sic] to 30 days in jail with 20 days suspended. If fence is completed within 90 days, 10 day jail sentence shall be suspended.

2.) The Defendant shall be fined 250.00 with 100.00 suspended, plus court costs.

3.) The Defendant shall be placed on 3 years community control with all the ordinary terms and conditions related thereto, with reporting probation.

4.) During the period of CCS the Defendant shall obey the laws of the State of Ohio and its subdivisions.

5.) The Defendant shall make restitution to [sic] through the Municipal Court Probation Department which shall be forwarded to the victim for the veterinary bill of $850.30 within 30 days.

6.) The Defendant shall make restitution to [sic] through the Municipal Court Probation Department which shall be forwarded to the victim [sic] for the costs incurred to protect the victim [sic] dog from further attacks associated with their having to complete their rear yard fencing in the amount of $3,160.00 which shall be paid at the rate of no less than $200.00 per month starting within 30 days of the date of this Entry.

-5- Case No. 9-15-48

7.) The Defendant shall stay no less than 150 feet away from the victims, Foxey [sic], Ann [B.], Sarah [B.] or their family members.

8.) Within 24 hours (by 1 p.m. Saturday November 14, 2015) the Defendant shall place her canine Lacey [sic] at another safe environment which has a proper fence to keep the dog confined. Whenever the dog is off the premises of its placement or its habitat it shall be muzzled and on a short tether maintained by an adult.

9.) The dog shall not return to the Defendant’s residence until she has constructed an adequate fence of no less than 4 feet in height from which the dog may not escape.

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2016 Ohio 2985, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-nolan-ohioctapp-2016.