State v. Pettyjohn

2011 Ohio 4461
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 6, 2011
Docket10CA009777, 10CA009894
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2011 Ohio 4461 (State v. Pettyjohn) 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. Pettyjohn, 2011 Ohio 4461 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Pettyjohn, 2011-Ohio-4461.]

STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS )ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF LORAIN )

STATE OF OHIO

Appellee

v.

DAVID LLOYD PETTYJOHN

Appellant C.A. Nos. 10CA009777 10CA009894

APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT ENTERED IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS COUNTY OF LORAIN, OHIO CASE No. 98-CR-052622

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY

Dated: September 6, 2011

Per Curiam.

{¶1} Defendant-Appellant David Pettyjohn appeals the judgments of the Lorain

County Court of Common Pleas. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm in part, vacate in

part, and remand the matter for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I.

{¶2} In October 2000, a jury convicted Mr. Pettyjohn of five counts of gross sexual

imposition and two counts of intimidation of a witness. That same month, the trial court

sentenced him to 19 years in prison. This Court upheld his convictions on appeal. State v. 2

Pettyjohn (July 1, 2001), 9th Dist. Nos. 00CA007714, 00CA007719. In August 2009, Mr.

Pettyjohn filed a motion for resentencing, arguing that the court’s sentencing entry did not

properly impose post-release control under Section 2967.28 of the Ohio Revised Code or comply

with Crim.R. 32(C). In January 2010, the trial court “vacated” its sentencing entry because it did

not correctly impose post-release control or include Mr. Pettyjohn’s manner of conviction under

Crim.R. 32(C). The court held another sentencing hearing and entered a new sentencing entry,

this time sentencing Mr. Pettyjohn to only 15 years in prison. Mr. Pettyjohn has appealed,

assigning three errors regarding the merits of his convictions. The case number for that appeal is

10CA009777.

{¶3} In March 2010, Mr. Pettyjohn moved the trial court for a nunc pro tunc order,

noting that its most recent sentencing entry did not dispose of any specifications. In April 2010,

the trial court issued a “corrected” sentencing entry, which explained that all of the specifications

had been dismissed. In August 2010, Mr. Pettyjohn moved for another nunc pro tunc entry,

arguing that the jury’s verdict forms were deficient. The trial court denied that motion. Mr.

Pettyjohn has appealed the denial of his second motion for a nunc pro tunc entry, assigning

additional errors. The case number for that appeal is 10CA009894. We are consolidating the

appeals.

II.

Case Number 10CA009777

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I

“APPELLANT’S CONVICTION FOR OBSTRUCTING OFFICIAL BUSINESS WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE IN VIOLATION OF ARTICLE IV, SECTION 3, OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.”

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR II 3

“APPELLANT’S CONVICTION SHOULD BE REVERSED AS THE TRIAL COURT ALLOWED UNQUALIFIED EXPERTS TO TESTIFY WITHOUT AN EXPERT REPORT IN VIOLATION OF LOCAL RULE 11(1)(A).”

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR III

“APPELLANT’S CONVICTION SHOULD BE REVERSED AS THE STATE’S WITNESSES WERE ALLOWED TO TESTIFY OUTSIDE THEIR PROFESSED AREA OF EXPERTISE AND TO TESTIFY TO MATTERS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT FOR THE JURY TO DECIDE.”

{¶4} Mr. Pettyjohn’s assignments of error related to case number 10CA009777 all

challenge the merits of his conviction. The State has argued that we should not consider his

arguments because this appeal is limited to issues regarding his resentencing. However, as the

trial court exceeded its jurisdiction in resentencing Mr. Pettyjohn and we are required to remand

the matter to the trial court for the issuance of a nunc pro tunc entry, we do not reach the merits

of Mr. Pettyjohn’s assignments of error.

{¶5} The trial court resentenced Mr. Pettyjohn because the judgment entry contained

improper post-release control notification and was not final and appealable as it failed to include

the manner of conviction as required by State v. Baker, 119 Ohio St.3d 197, 2008-Ohio-3330, at

syllabus; see, also, State ex rel. DeWine v. Burge, 128 Ohio St.3d 236, 2011-Ohio-235 at ¶13.

We begin with a discussion of the appropriate way in which the trial court should have remedied

the defects at issue.

{¶6} With respect to the improper post-release control notification, pursuant to State v.

Fischer, 128 Ohio St.3d 92, 2010-Ohio-6238, at ¶29, the new sentencing hearing that Mr.

Pettyjohn was entitled to was “limited to [the] proper imposition of postrelease control.” With

respect to the correction of the Crim.R. 32(C) defect as issue in the instant matter, the Supreme

Court has likewise provided a specific mechanism to remedy the problem. See Burge at ¶¶16-

23. The Supreme Court has concluded that the jurisdiction of the trial court in correcting a 4

sentencing entry that fails to include the manner of conviction is limited to the issuance of a nunc

pro tunc entry. Id.

{¶7} In the instant matter, the trial court did not employ the remedies prescribed by the

Ohio Supreme Court. Rather, the trial court resentenced Mr. Pettyjohn and altered his original

sentence, actions that exceeded its jurisdiction. See Fischer at ¶29; Burge at ¶21. However,

even when a trial court has exceeded its jurisdiction in post-release control cases by issuing a de

novo sentence, this Court has simply vacated the remainder of the court’s sentencing entry and

left the corrected post-release control portion intact. See, e.g., State v. Cool, 9th Dist. Nos.

25135 & 25214, 2011-Ohio-1560, at ¶4-6. Accordingly, we vacate the resentencing entry to

the extent it does anything except properly impose post-release control. Thus, Mr. Pettyjohn’s

original sentence remains intact. Further, as the trial court failed to issue a nunc pro tunc entry to

correct the original sentencing entry’s omission of the manner of conviction we remand the

matter to the trial court to issue a nunc pro tunc entry as contemplated in Baker and Burge.

Baker at ¶19; Burge at ¶¶16-23.

Case Number 10CA009894

“THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AND COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR, CRIM. R. 52(B), IN VIOLATION OF THE OHIO AND UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONS STATE V. PELFREY, 112 OHIO ST.3D 422 R.C. [] 2945.75(A)(2) BY SENTENCING THE APPELLANT FOR 5 COUNTS OF GROSS SEXUAL IMPOSITION, R.C. [] 29705.05 (A)(4) AT F3 WHEN THE VERDICT FORMS DID NOT STATE THE LEVEL OF THE OFFENSE, NOR A STATEMENT THAT AN AGGRAVATING ELEMENT HAS BEEN FOUND TO JUSTIFY CONVICTING A DEFENDANT OF A GREATER DEGREE OF A CRIMINAL OFFENSE AND AS A RESULT, THE GROSS SEXUAL IMPOSITION CHARGES AUTOMATICALLY REDUCE TO THE LESSER OFFENSE OF ‘SEXUAL IMPOSITION’ R.C. [] 2907.06 AT M3.”

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR II 5

“THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AND COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR, CRIM. R. 52 (B) IN VIOLATION OF THE OHIO AND UNITED STATES CONSTIUTIONS BY SENTENCING THE APPLELLANT FOR 2 COUNTS OF INTIMIDATION OF A WITNESS R.C. [] 2921.04 (B) AT F3, AS NEITHER ONE OF THE VERDICT FORMS STATED THE LEVEL OF THE OFFENSE, NOR A STATEMENT THAT AN AGGRAVATING ELEMENT HAS BEEN FOUND TO JUSTIFY CONVICTING A DEFENDANT OF A GREATER DEGREE OF A CRIMINAL OFFENSE, IN VIOLATION OF THE OHIO AND UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONS R.C. [] 2945.75 (A)(2), PURSUANT TO STATE V. PELFREY, 112 OHIO ST.3D 422, STATE V. SESSLER, 119 OHIO ST.3D 9, THEREFORE, INTIMIDATION OF A WITNESS CHARGES AUTOMATICALLY REDUCE TO THE LESSER DEGREE OF THE OFFENSE R.C. [] 2921.04 (D) AT M1.”

“THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION AND COMMITTED PLAIN ERROR, CRIM. R. 52 (B) IN VIOLATION OF THE OHIO AND UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONS BY FAILING TO DISMISS THE ONE COUNT OF INTIMIDATION OF A WITNESS R.C.

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2011 Ohio 4461, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-pettyjohn-ohioctapp-2011.