State v. Riley

756 N.E.2d 676, 142 Ohio App. 3d 580
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided April 6, 2001·No. Appeal No. C-000081, Trial No. B-7903683.·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Doan, Presiding Judge.

On January 31, 1980, defendant-appellant, David C. Riley, pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition, in violation of R.C. 2907.05. He was sentenced to one to five years’ incarceration. After serving eighteen months, he was paroled in 1982. While on parole, Riley committed an aggravated burglary, for which he was convicted and sentenced to seven to twenty-five years’ incarceration. The sentence on the gross sexual imposition expired in 1985. Riley was paroled on the aggravated robbery in 1990, and that parole was revoked in 1991. He was again paroled in February 1996, and his parole was revoked in November 1996.

On January 31, 2000, Riley appeared for a sexual-offender-classification hearing. The state’s evidence at the sexual-offender-classifieation hearing consisted of the following: (1) a copy of the entry of judgment on Riley’s gross-sexual-imposition conviction, (2) Riley’s criminal record at the time of his gross-sexual-imposition conviction, (3) Riley’s stipulation to his 1982 aggravated-robbery conviction, and (4) the grand jury transcript on the gross-sexual-imposition charge. The circumstances surrounding the charge of gross sexual imposition were that, on October 3, 1979, Riley, who was then twenty years old, and two juveniles had pulled a twelve-year-old girl into an apartment in a building in which all of them lived. They removed the girl’s shirt and pants, but not her underpants. Riley touched the girl on her breast and buttocks. When the girl screamed, she was released.

Riley testified that he had participated in a four-month sexual-offender program. According to Riley’s testimony, when he was paroled to a halfway house *582 in 1996, it was determined that he did not need sexual-offender counseling. When he returned to Hamilton County, his parole officer advised him to participate in sex-offender counseling. Riley’s testimony was unclear as to whether he was attending some type of counseling when his parole was violated. It appears from Riley’s testimony that he was attending psychological counseling that was terminated by the counselor due to a dispute between them over Riley’s need for counseling.

Riley was found to be a sexual predator on February 3, 2000. Riley has appealed that finding, raising one assignment of error. After reviewing the record, we asked counsel to file supplemental briefs on the issue of whether the trial court had the authority to adjudicate Riley a sexual predator and to require him to register.

Riley was convicted of gross sexual imposition, a sexually oriented offense under R.C. 2950.01(D)(1), prior to January 1, 1997. When, on February 3, 2000, Riley was adjudicated a sexual predator, he was serving a term of imprisonment for aggravated robbery, which is not a sexually oriented offense. The parties stipulated that Riley’s sentence on the gross sexual imposition had expired in 1985, and that he was serving time on the aggravated robbery.

R.C. 2950.09(C)(1) provides:

“If a person was convicted of or pleaded guilty to a sexually oriented offense prior to January 1, 1997, if the person was not sentenced for the offense on or after January 1,1997, and if, on or after January 1,1997, the offender is serving a term of imprisonment in a state correctional institution, prior to the offender’s release from the term of imprisonment, the department of rehabilitation and correction shall determine whether to recommend that the offender be adjudicated as being a sexual predator.”

R.C. 2950.01(G)(3) states:

“An offender is ‘adjudicated as being a sexual predator’ if any of the following applies:
“(3) Prior to January 1, 1997, the offender was convicted of or pleaded guilty to, and was sentenced for a sexually oriented offense, the offender is imprisoned in a state correctional institution on or after January 1, 1997, and, prior to the offender’s release from imprisonment, the court determines pursuant to division (C) of section 2950.09 of the Revised Code that the offender is a sexual predator.”

In State v. Benson (Aug. 28, 2000), Butler App. No. CA99-11-194, unreported, 2000 WL 1221851, the Twelfth District Court, of Appeals held:

*583 “R.C. 2950.01(G)(3) and 2950.09(C)(1) require only that the offender be ‘serving a term of imprisonment in a state correctional institution’ before the offender may be deemed eligible for status as a sexual predator. The statutes are clear and unambiguous as to this point. In no way do they impose a more restrictive condition that the term of imprisonment be for a sexually-oriented offense.”

Benson had pleaded guilty in 1975 to gross sexual imposition. He was sentenced to a term of two to five years’ incarceration. His sentence was suspended, and he was indefinitely committed to Lima State Hospital. In March 1977, he was released from the hospital, and he was placed on probation for five years. In August 1977, he was found to have violated his probation by committing petty theft. His original sentence of two to five years’ incarceration was imposed. He was released on parole in March 1980. In June 1980, he was convicted of burglary and sentenced to three to fifteen years’ incarceration. In 1985, he was granted parole, which he violated that same year. In September 1988, he was again placed on parole, which he violated by exposing himself to a woman. In 1999, the trial court held a sexual-predator-determination hearing, and found Benson to be a sexual predator. Benson appealed, alleging that the trial court had no jurisdiction to hold the sexual-predator-determination hearing because he had completed his sentence for gross sexual imposition. The Twelfth District Court of Appeals held that the trial court had jurisdiction to hold the sexual-predator determination hearing and adjudicate Benson a sexual predator because Benson was “serving time in a state correctional institution” at the time his sexual-predator-determination hearing was held, even though Benson was not serving time for a sexually oriented offense.

In State v. Wilson (Oct. 26, 2000), Cuyahoga App. No. 77530, unreported, 2000 WL 1594577, the defendant had been convicted in 1987 of aggravated burglary and theft, with specifications that he had previous convictions for kidnapping, rape, and aggravated robbery. The record also contained evidence showing that Wilson had had prior convictions for sexual battery and gross sexual imposition, and that he had been paroled on various sex offenses in 1985. Wilson was sentenced to fifteen to twenty-five years’ incarceration for aggravated burglary and one year for theft. On November 16, 1999, the trial court held a sexual-predator hearing. The trial court adjudicated Wilson a sexual predator on December 20, 1999. Wilson argued on appeal that the trial court had erred in holding a sexual-predator hearing pursuant to R.C. 2950.09(C)(1) because, at the time the hearing was held, he was not serving a prison term for a sexually oriented offense. The Eighth Appellate District held that the trial court had the authority to hold a sexual-predator hearing and to adjudicate Wilson a sexual predator because R.C. 2950.09(C)(1) required only that the offender be serving a *584

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State v. Riley, 756 N.E.2d 676, 142 Ohio App. 3d 580 (Ohio Ct. App. 2001).

756 N.E.2d 676 (State v. Riley) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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