State v. O'Donnell

2021 Ohio 3253
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 17, 2021
Docket2020-CA-26
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2021 Ohio 3253 (State v. O'Donnell) 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. O'Donnell, 2021 Ohio 3253 (Ohio Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. O'Donnell, 2021-Ohio-3253.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT CHAMPAIGN COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO : : Plaintiff-Appellee : Appellate Case No. 2020-CA-26 : v. : Trial Court Case No. 2020-CR-89 : SCOTT DOUGLAS O’DONNELL : (Criminal Appeal from : Common Pleas Court) Defendant-Appellant : :

...........

OPINION

Rendered on the 17th day of September, 2021.

JANE A. NAPIER, Atty. Reg. No. 0061426, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Champaign County Prosecutor’s Office, 200 North Main Street, Urbana, Ohio 43078 Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellee

CHARLES M. BLUE, Atty. Reg. No. 0074329, 401 East Stroop Road, Kettering, Ohio 45429 Attorney for Defendant-Appellant

............. -2-

WELBAUM, J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Scott Douglas O’Donnell, appeals from his conviction

in the Champaign County Court of Common Pleas after a jury found him guilty of one

count of grand theft. In support of his appeal, O’Donnell contends that his conviction

was not supported by sufficient evidence and was against the manifest weight of the

evidence. O’Donnell also contends that the trial court’s jury instructions were erroneous,

that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance, and that the cumulative effect of all

the errors deprived him of a fair trial. Because the record establishes that O’Donnell’s

grand theft conviction was not supported by sufficient evidence, O’Donnell’s conviction

for grand theft will be vacated.

Facts and Course of Proceedings

{¶ 2} On May 11, 2020, a Champaign County grand jury returned an indictment

charging O’Donnell with one count of grand theft in violation of R.C. 2913.02(A)(2), a

felony of the fourth degree. The charges stemmed from a botched home construction

project that O’Donnell agreed to perform for Richard and Amelita King in exchange for

$93,700. It was alleged that O’Donnell knowingly used $41,000 of the project funds in a

manner that went beyond the scope of the Kings’ consent with the purpose to deprive the

Kings of those funds. O’Donnell pled not guilty to the charge, and the matter proceeded

to a jury trial. The following is a summary of the testimony and evidence that was

presented at trial.

{¶ 3} O’Donnell is a contractor in Urbana, Ohio, who owns Landon Lee

Construction. In the summer of 2017, the Kings approached O’Donnell to remodel their -3-

Urbana residence. After discussing the project, the parties agreed that O’Donnell would

install a front porch onto the Kings’ residence; extend the Kings’ living room to create an

open concept kitchen, dining, and living room area; move the Kings’ master bedroom to

the back of the house; and install a walk-in closet and sunroom to the Kings’ home.

{¶ 4} The parties did not execute a written construction contract but orally agreed

that the Kings would pay O’Donnell $93,700 for performing the aforementioned work to

their home. O’Donnell did, however, provide the Kings with a “Construction Cost

Breakdown” that generally itemized the cost of the entire project. See State’s Ex. 2.

O’Donnell also provided the Kings with a series of invoices that divided the work into four

phases. See State’s Ex. 3. The invoices listed the work that was to be performed during

each phase of the project and set forth the specific cost of each phase.

{¶ 5} The Kings worked with their bank, specifically loan officer Kerri Beavers, to

refinance their home so that they could obtain a loan to pay for the construction project.

The Kings successfully refinanced their home and Beavers placed the loan money in a

“construction process” account. From that account, the Kings could request the bank to

disburse funds to O’Donnell for the construction project as each phase of the project was

completed.

{¶ 6} On October 29, 2018, the Kings authorized their bank to pay O’Donnell

$24,000 to complete Phase I of the project, and the bank disbursed a check to O’Donnell

in that amount. The Phase I work included demolishing the front and rear of the Kings’

house, excavating for the footer and foundation, pouring the concrete footer and walls,

installing rebar reinforcement and window vents, laying pea gravel with a vapor barrier,

and relocating the gas line to the north end of the house. O’Donnell completed all of the -4-

work listed under Phase I by February 2019. After this work was completed, O’Donnell

requested funds for Phase II of the project.

{¶ 7} On February 6, 2019, the Kings authorized their bank to pay O’Donnell

$41,000 to complete Phase II of the project, and the bank disbursed a check to O’Donnell

in that amount. The Phase II work included purchasing materials for framing, purchasing

and installing doors and windows, pouring a concrete porch, installing insulation,

purchasing and installing roofing materials, and installing plumbing, electrical, and

drywall. However, after O’Donnell received the $41,000, the work on the Kings’ home

came to a halt.

{¶ 8} On June 18, 2019, after no work had been completed for four months, the

Kings received a letter from the Champaign County Building Regulations Department

(“Building Department”) stating that an application had been submitted on June 4, 2019,

for the “construction of room additions.” Defendant’s Ex. A. The letter advised that:

“The plans as submitted need additional information” and that “a site inspection by the

building inspector indicates the footing and foundation has already been installed without

the approval of the documents or required inspections.” Id. The letter directed the

Kings “to either secure the services of a registered design professional who shall provide

written verification that the work installed complies with the Residential Code of Ohio, or

remove the footing/foundation work and request a field inspection by [the Building

Department] after the plans have been approved and permit issued.” Id.

{¶ 9} It was not until the Kings received the Building Department’s letter that they

realized O’Donnell had completed Phase I of the project without obtaining the necessary

permit. The Kings provided a copy of the Building Department’s letter to both O’Donnell -5-

and Beavers. When Beavers learned of the letter, she became concerned because the

letter indicated that the Kings would not be able to move forward with Phase II of the

project, which had already been paid for. Shortly after receiving the letter, Beavers

contacted O’Donnell and asked him to redeposit the $41,000 until the issue with the

Building Department was resolved. O’Donnell, however, assured Beavers that he was

working with his engineer to resolve the foundation permit issue so that he could move

forward with the project.

{¶ 10} On July 20, 2019, after O’Donnell failed to follow-up with Beavers, Beavers

sent a letter to O’Donnell requesting him to return the $41,000. See State’s Ex. 5.

Beavers and O’Donnell thereafter exchanged several text messages regarding the matter

and scheduled a meeting with the Kings. On August 20, 2019, Beavers and O’Donnell

met the Kings at the bank in order to discuss the Building Department’s letter. During

that meeting, Beavers and the Kings once again requested O’Donnell to return the

$41,000. In response, O’Donnell advised that he did not have the $41,000 because “he

had invested it in his business.” Trial Trans. Vol. I (Aug. 26, 2020), p. 261.

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

Related

State v. Wells
2012 Ohio 5529 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2021 Ohio 3253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-odonnell-ohioctapp-2021.