State v. Peeples

2025 Ohio 677
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 28, 2025
Docket2024-CA-13
StatusPublished

This text of 2025 Ohio 677 (State v. Peeples) 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. Peeples, 2025 Ohio 677 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Peeples, 2025-Ohio-677.]

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

STATE OF OHIO : : Appellee : C.A. No. 2024-CA-13 : v. : Trial Court Case No. 22 CR 514 : DERRICK D. PEEPLES : (Criminal Appeal from Common Pleas : Court) Appellant : :

...........

OPINION

Rendered on February 28, 2025

ADAM JAMES STOUT, Attorney for Appellant

MATTHEW C. JOSEPH, Attorney for Appellee

.............

LEWIS, J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-Appellant Derrick D. Peeples appeals from a judgment of the

Miami County Court of Common Pleas convicting him of attempted aggravated murder

following his guilty pleas to several offenses, which were merged for sentencing. For the -2-

reasons that follow, we will affirm the judgment of the trial court.

I. Facts and Course of Proceedings

{¶ 2} On November 10, 2022, Peeples was indicted by a Miami County grand jury

on one count of attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony in violation of R.C.

2923.02 and 2903.01; one count of conspiracy, a second-degree felony in violation of

R.C. 2923.01; and one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony in violation of

R.C. 2903.11. A firearm specification was attached to the attempted aggravated murder

count. Peeples pleaded not guilty to these charges.

{¶ 3} A jury trial was scheduled for August 29, 2023. However, on August 24,

2023, the trial court issued an order vacating the jury trial because Peeples had decided

to change his pleas from not guilty to guilty. On August 29, 2023, the trial court held a

plea hearing and then a sentencing hearing. Prior to the plea hearing, Peeples had an

opportunity to review the guilty plea form with his attorney. According to the State at the

plea hearing, Peeples agreed to plead guilty as charged in the indictment, and the State

agreed to jointly recommend a four-year minimum term on Count 1, which would run

concurrently to the sentence in Wood C.P. No. 2022-CR-354 but consecutively to the

three-year firearm specification attached to Count 1 of the indictment. The State also

agreed that the three counts of the indictment would merge for the purpose of sentencing.

Peeples stated that his understanding of the plea agreement was the same as the State’s

understanding.

{¶ 4} Peeples signed the written guilty plea form, which provided, in part: -3-

I understand that the Court will select the minimum term from a range

of 3-11 years on Count 1 and from 2-8 years on Counts 2 and 3. I

understand the maximum term is automatically the minimum term plus 50%.

I understand the maximum penalty I could face is 16 ½ years on Count 1

and 12 years each on Counts 2 and 3. I will be subject to a mandatory

period of up to 5 years but not less than 2 years of post-release control.

The maximum term is only imposed upon the most serious offense, or a

felony of the first degree.

...

No promises have been made for my plea of guilty except as part of

this plea agreement which is stated entirely as follows: In exchange for

Defendant’s guilty pleas to all charges in the Indictment, the State agrees

to jointly recommend with the Defense a four year minimum term on Count

One, agreeing that all counts merge for purposes of sentencing. The

parties further jointly recommend the sentence run concurrent to Wood

County Common Pleas Court Case No. 2022CR354, but consecutive to the

Firearm Specification of Count One of the Indictment of three years as

required by law. However, I understand the Court is not required to follow

the agreement between the parties and is only limited to the penalties as

outlined above.

(Emphasis in original.)

{¶ 5} At the plea hearing, the trial court engaged in a plea colloquy with Peeples. -4-

After asking questions about his physical and mental status, the court inquired whether

anyone had threatened him to enter into the guilty pleas or promised him anything other

than what was contained in the written plea form. Peeples responded in the negative.

The court then asked Peeples, “Do you understand that despite that recommendation in

the plea form, which included a total of seven-year sentence, the court does not have to

accept that, but can sentence you under the law?” Peeples replied, “Yes, ma’am.” Aug.

29, 2023 Tr. 7. The court also went over each count of the indictment with Peeples and

explained the range within which the court could select a minimum sentence for each

offense. Peeples replied in the affirmative when the court asked him whether he

understood that the trial court would select the minimum prison term. Id. at 11. Peeples

also stated that he understood that the three-year prison term on the firearm specification

would need to be served consecutively to the prison sentence for his attempted

aggravated murder offense. Id. at 14-15.

{¶ 6} The trial court also explained the constitutional rights Peeples would be

waiving by entering guilty pleas. At the end of the plea hearing, the trial court accepted

the guilty pleas and found Peeples guilty as charged. The trial court then proceeded with

the sentencing hearing.

{¶ 7} During the sentencing hearing, the trial court allowed Peeples and his

counsel to make statements in support of the jointly-recommended sentence. The trial

court explained to Peeples his appellate rights and advised him about post-release

control. The trial court explained the information and statutory factors it had considered

and that it had decided to impose a sentence greater than the jointly-recommended -5-

sentence. The court then imposed the following sentence:

As already indicated and agreed to, there’s no sentencing on Count

2 conspiracy or Count 3 felonious assault as they merge into Count 1. The

court also imposes on the firearm specification the mandatory three years.

It does run consecutive and prior to Count 1, the attempted aggravated

murder. It cannot run concurrent to Wood County. That must be

consecutive as well. . . . [O]n Count 1, aggravated murder, indefinite

sentencing, there will be a six-year mandatory minimum term, which means

a nine-year maximum term. That will run concurrent to Wood County,

Case No. 2022 CR 354. It does run consecutive after the firearm

specification. It is a mandatory minimum, as well as the mandatory firearm

specification, so you will have a mandatory nine-year term because of the

three-year firearm spec and then six years on Count 1. . . . The

specification is not part of that indefinite term. It must be served prior to

and consecutive to the indefinite sentence.

Aug. 29, 2023 Tr. 39-41.

{¶ 8} On September 19, 2023, the trial court held a status conference with the

parties. According to the court, when it was preparing its entry, it realized that due to the

attempted aggravated murder conviction, Peeples would automatically be considered a

violent offender by statute, which carried a registration requirement of ten years in the

violent offender database. Therefore, the trial court contacted counsel to determine their

views on whether Peeples had to be informed of this violent offender status as part of his -6-

plea hearing. Counsel for Peeples stated that his client objected to proceeding because

“[s]ection 2943.42(A)(1)(a) states that the advice regarding the violent offender database

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

Related

State v. Latham
2026 Ohio 6 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2026)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2025 Ohio 677, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-peeples-ohioctapp-2025.