State v. O'Brien

508 N.E.2d 144, 30 Ohio St. 3d 122, 30 Ohio B. 436, 1987 Ohio LEXIS 276
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedMay 20, 1987
DocketNo. 86-1732
StatusPublished
Cited by173 cases

This text of 508 N.E.2d 144 (State v. O'Brien) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. O'Brien, 508 N.E.2d 144, 30 Ohio St. 3d 122, 30 Ohio B. 436, 1987 Ohio LEXIS 276 (Ohio 1987).

Opinions

Douglas, J.

The case at bar poses two questions for the court. The first question is whether R.C. 2919.22(B)(3), endangering children, is a strict liability offense. The second issue is whether an indictment may be amended to include an essential element of the offense charged.

As to the first question, appellant asks this court to expressly overrule its holding in State v. Adams (1980), 62 Ohio St. 2d 151, 16 O.O. 3d 169, [124]*124404 N.E. 2d 144, and find that the crime of endangering children under R.C. 2919.22(B)(3) is now a strict liability offense. We decline to make such a finding.

In State v. Adams, supra, this court considered the identical argument made by appellant herein and, in an opinion written by Justice Sweeney, stated that:

“R.C. 2919.22(B)(2) * * * does not ‘specify any degree of culpability’ nor does it ‘plainly indicate] a purpose to impose strict criminal liability for the conduct described in such section.’ R.C. 2901.21(B). Recklessness therefore is sufficient culpability to commit the offense.” Id. at 152-153, 16 O.O. 3d at 170, 404 N.E. 2d at 145-146.

Appellant has not persuaded this court to deviate from the rule set forth in Adams, supra. We, therefore, reaffirm our holding in Adams, supra, that the culpable mental state of recklessness is an essential element of the crime of endangering children under R.C. 2919.22(B)(3).

The second issue before this court is whether an indictment may be amended to include an essential element of the offense. For the following reasons, we answer in the affirmative.

We agree with the appellate court’s determination that recklessness is the culpable mental state for the crime of endangering children under R.C. 2919.22(B)(3). We also agree that an indictment charging an offense solely in the language of a statute is insufficient when a specific intent element has been judicially interpreted for that offense. See State v. Adams, supra; State v. Ross (1967), 12 Ohio St. 2d 37, 41 O.O. 2d 220, 231 N.E. 2d 299. We do not agree, however, that the omission of such intent element necessarily precludes a later amendment to the indictment.

Crim. R. 7 controls the sufficiency of and amendments to criminal indictments. Crim. R. 7(B) deals with sufficiency of indictments and provides in pertinent part:

“The indictment * * * shall contain a statement that the accused has committed some public offense therein specified. Such statement may be made in ordinary and concise language without any technical averments or any allegations not essential to be proved. It may be in the words of the applicable section of the statute as long as the words of that statute charge an offense, or in any words sufficient to give the accused notice of all the elements of the offense with which he is charged. * * *”

The indictment in the instant case provided in pertinent part that:

“* * * JAMES R. O’BRIEN * * * did commit the crime of ENDANGERING CHILDREN in that he did repeatedly administer unwarranted disciplinary measures to Brian Blair, a child under eighteen years of agen [sic], when there was a substantial risk that such conduct, if continued, would seriously impair or retard the child’s mental health or development, in violation of Section 2919.22 of the Ohio Revised Code[.] * * *” (Emphasis added.)

The indictment is set forth in the words of the applicable endangering [125]*125children statute. Further, this indictment substantially follows the form of indictment set forth in R.C. 2941.06.4 However, our analysis does not conclude here. This court, as previously noted, has provided an additional essential element for the offense of child endangering, the mental state of “recklessness.” State v. Adams, supra. Thus, any indictment charging endangering children solely in the language of that statute necessarily omits an essential element of the offense, i.e., recklessness. As such, the indictment does not give the accused notice of all the elements of the offense with which he is charged. Therefore, the indictment in its original form was insufficient under Crim R. 7(B). Accord State v. Ross, supra, a preCriminal Rules case, wherein a similar result was obtained through interpretation of R.C. 2941.05, the predecessor statute to Crim. R. 7(B).5 If the question before us today were solely one regarding the sufficiency of the initial indictment, we would affirm the court of appeals and our analysis would be at an end.

That, however, is not the question before us, as appellant sought and was granted the right to amend the indictment. Therefore, we must consider whether the amendment comported with Crim. R. 7(D), which sets forth the procedures for amending indictments. This rule provides in part:

“The court may at any time before, during, or after a trial amend the indictment, information, complaint or bill of particulars, in respect to any defect, imperfection, or omission inform or substance, or of any variance with the evidence, provided no change is made in the name or identity of the crime charged. * * *” (Emphasis added.)

The rule clearly permits errors of omission to be corrected during the [126]*126course of or even after the trial, as long as such amendment makes no change in the name or identity of the crime charged. Crim. R. 7(D). Accordingly, provided that appellant’s amendment herein changed neither the name nor the identity of the'crime charged, such amendment will have passed the first stage of our Crim. R. 7(D) analysis.

We believe the addition of the term “recklessness” changed neither the name nor the identity of the crime charged herein. Both before and after the amendment of the indictment, the name of the crime remained the same: endangering children. Likewise, the identity of this crime was not changed by the addition of “recklessness” to the indictment. Neither the penalty nor the degree of the offense was changed as a result of the amendment. Since the addition of the culpable mental state of “recklessness” did not change the name or the identity of the crime of endangering children, the amendment was proper pursuant to Crim. R. 7(D).

Crim. R. 7(D) further provides, however, that:

“* * * If any amendment is made to the substance of the indictment, * * * the accused is entitled to a discharge of the jury on his motion, if a jury has been impanelled, and to a reasonable continuance, unless it clearly appears from the whole proceedings that he has not been misled or prejudiced by the defect or variance in respect to which the amendment is made, or that his rights will be fully protected by proceeding with the trial, or by a postponement thereof to a later day with the same or another jury. * * *” (Emphasis added.)

Therefore, if the amendment herein was made to the substance of the indictment, appellee was entitled to both a discharge of the jury and a reasonable continuance if he was misled or prejudiced by the amendment.

We believe the addition of an essential element to an indictment necessarily amends the substance of the indictment. Thus, appellee was entitled to move, pursuant to Crim. R. 7(D), for a discharge of the jury if he was misled or prejudiced by the amendment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
508 N.E.2d 144, 30 Ohio St. 3d 122, 30 Ohio B. 436, 1987 Ohio LEXIS 276, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-obrien-ohio-1987.