State v. Plymale

2020 Ohio 1190
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 30, 2020
Docket6-19-05
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2020 Ohio 1190 (State v. Plymale) 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. Plymale, 2020 Ohio 1190 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Plymale, 2020-Ohio-1190.]

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

STATE OF OHIO,

PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, CASE NO. 6-19-05

v.

ADAM GRANT PLYMALE, OPINION

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

Appeal from Hardin County Common Pleas Court Trial Court No. CRI 20182136

Judgment Affirmed

Date of Decision: March 30, 2020

APPEARANCES:

Todd A. Workman for Appellant

Jason M. Miller for Appellee Case No. 6-19-05

PRESTON, J.

{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Adam G. Plymale (“Plymale”), appeals the March

18, 2019 judgment of sentence of the Hardin County Court of Common Pleas. For

the reasons that follow, we affirm.

{¶2} Plymale was released from the Ohio State Penitentiary on April 16,

2017 after serving time for a previous criminal conviction. Upon his release,

Plymale was placed on postrelease control (“PRC”), a form of supervised release.

This case arises from Plymale’s failure to report to his parole officer as directed

from November 9, 2018 through December 8, 2018.

{¶3} On December 12, 2018, the Hardin County Grand Jury indicted

Plymale on one count of escape in violation of R.C. 2921.34(A)(3), a fifth-degree

felony. (Doc. No. 1). On December 21, 2018, Plymale appeared for arraignment

and entered a plea of not guilty. (Doc. No. 5).

{¶4} A jury trial was held on March 13, 2019. (Doc. No. 24); (Mar. 13, 2019

Tr., Vol. I, at 6).1 At the close of the State’s case, Plymale made a motion for

acquittal under Crim.R. 29, which the trial court denied. (Doc. No. 24); (Mar. 13,

2019 Tr., Vol. II, at 4-7). (See Mar. 13, 2019 Tr., Vol. I, at 132). On March 13,

2019, the jury found Plymale guilty of escape in violation of R.C. 2921.34(A)(3).

1 The transcript of the March 13, 2019 jury trial is divided into two separate volumes. Although the volumes are not designated as such, for clarity and ease of discussion, we will refer to the volume containing the proceedings occurring in the courtroom as Volume I and the volume containing the proceedings occurring in the judge’s chambers as Volume II.

-2- Case No. 6-19-05

(Doc. No. 23); (Mar. 13, 2019 Tr., Vol. I, at 171). On March 14, 2019, the trial

court filed its judgment entry of conviction. (Doc. No. 24).

{¶5} On March 13, 2019, immediately following the jury trial, the trial court

sentenced Plymale to 12 months in prison as to the single count of escape. (Doc.

No. 28); (Mar. 13, 2019 Tr. at 191-192). Additionally, Plymale’s PRC was

terminated, and he was sentenced to 426 days in prison to be served prior to and

consecutively to the 12-month term imposed for the escape charge. (Id.); (Id. at

192-194). On March 18, 2019, the trial court filed its judgment entry of sentence.

(Doc. No. 28).

{¶6} On March 28, 2019, Plymale filed a notice of appeal. (Doc. No. 31).

He raises one assignment of error.

Assignment of Error

The verdict reached by the Jury in this case was not supported by sufficient legal evidence and was against the manifest weight of the evidence presented at trial.

{¶7} In his assignment of error, Plymale argues that his escape conviction is

based on insufficient evidence and against the manifest weight of the evidence.

{¶8} Manifest “weight of the evidence and sufficiency of the evidence are

clearly different legal concepts.” State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 389

(1997). Accordingly, we address each legal concept individually.

-3- Case No. 6-19-05

{¶9} “An appellate court’s function when reviewing the sufficiency of the

evidence to support a criminal conviction is to examine the evidence admitted at

trial to determine whether such evidence, if believed, would convince the average

mind of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio

St.3d 259 (1991), paragraph two of the syllabus, superseded by state constitutional

amendment on other grounds, State v. Smith, 80 Ohio St.3d 89 (1997). Accordingly,

“[t]he relevant inquiry is whether, after viewing the evidence in a light most

favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential

elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id. “In deciding if the

evidence was sufficient, we neither resolve evidentiary conflicts nor assess the

credibility of witnesses, as both are functions reserved for the trier of fact.” State v.

Jones, 1st Dist. Hamilton Nos. C-120570 and C-120571, 2013-Ohio-4775, ¶ 33,

citing State v. Williams, 197 Ohio App.3d 505, 2011-Ohio-6267, ¶ 25 (1st Dist.).

See also State v. Berry, 3d Dist. Defiance No. 4-12-03, 2013-Ohio-2380, ¶ 19

(“Sufficiency of the evidence is a test of adequacy rather than credibility or weight

of the evidence.”), citing Thompkins at 386.

{¶10} On the other hand, in determining whether a conviction is against the

manifest weight of the evidence, a reviewing court must examine the entire record,

“‘weigh[ ] the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider[ ] the credibility of

witnesses and determine[ ] whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the [trier

-4- Case No. 6-19-05

of fact] clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that

the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered.’” Thompkins at 387,

quoting State v. Martin, 20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175 (1st Dist.1983). A reviewing

court must, however, allow the trier of fact appropriate discretion on matters relating

to the weight of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses. State v. DeHass,

10 Ohio St.2d 230, 231 (1967). When applying the manifest-weight standard

“[o]nly in exceptional cases, where the evidence ‘weighs heavily against the

conviction,’ should an appellate court overturn the trial court’s judgment.” State v.

Haller, 3d Dist. Allen No. 1-11-34, 2012-Ohio-5233, ¶ 9, quoting State v. Hunter,

131 Ohio St.3d 67, 2011-Ohio-6524, ¶ 119.

{¶11} Plymale was convicted of escape in violation of R.C. 2921.34(A)(3),

which provides, “No person, knowing the person is under supervised release

detention or being reckless in that regard, shall purposely break or attempt to break

the supervised release detention * * *.” R.C. 2921.34(D) defines “supervised

release detention” as

[D]etention that is supervision of a person by an employee of the

department of rehabilitation and correction while the person is on any

type of release from a state correctional institution, other than

transitional control under section 2967.26 of the Revised Code or

-5- Case No. 6-19-05

placement in a community-based correctional facility by the parole

board under section 2967.28 of the Revised Code.

{¶12} “A person acts purposely when it is the person’s specific intention to

cause a certain result, or, when the gist of the offense is a prohibition against conduct

of a certain nature, regardless of what the offender intends to accomplish thereby, it

is the offender’s specific intention to engage in conduct of that nature.” R.C.

2901.22(A). “‘“The purpose with which a person does an act is determined from

the manner in which it is done, the means used, and all other facts and circumstances

in evidence.”’” State v. Swaney, 3d Dist. Auglaize No. 2-18-20, 2019-Ohio-3141,

¶ 11, quoting State v. Puterbaugh, 142 Ohio App.3d 185, 189 (4th Dist.2001),

quoting State v. Hardin, 16 Ohio App.3d 243, 245 (10th Dist.1984). “Purpose can

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2020 Ohio 1190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-plymale-ohioctapp-2020.