State v. Robinson

2022 Ohio 1311
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided April 21, 2022·No. 110467·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

STATE OF OHIO, :

Plaintiff-Appellee, :

No. 110467

v. :

DAVID E. ROBINSON, :

Defendant-Appellant. :

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED AND REMANDED RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: April 21, 2022

Criminal Appeal from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CR-19-643101-A

Appearances:

Michael C. O’Malley, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, and Fallon Radigan, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

David E. Robinson, pro se.

FRANK DANIEL CELEBREZZE, III, J.:

Defendant-appellant David Robinson brings this appeal challenging his convictions and sentence for endangering children and obstructing official business. Appellant’s appointed counsel filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967), seeking leave to withdraw as counsel.

Appellant filed a pro se brief arguing that he was denied his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel, his guilty plea was not knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily entered, he was prejudiced by the prosecution’s improper remarks at sentencing and misrepresentation of the evidence, his speedy trial rights were violated, the trial court erred in ordering him to pay restitution without considering his ability to pay, and the trial court erred in imposing a five-year prison sentence. After a thorough review of the record and law, this court grants counsel’s motion to withdraw. Furthermore, this court affirms the trial court’s judgment and remands the matter to the trial court for the limited purpose of issuing a nunc pro tunc sentencing journal entry correcting the amount of restitution.

I. Factual and Procedural History On August 12, 2019, officers from the Bedford Police Department responded to the home of appellant and his wife and codefendant, Cherie Terrell. Appellant and his wife were concerned that the wife’s children, N.T.1 (female) and J.P.2 (male), were missing. They reported that they were unable to locate the children after searching for approximately four hours.

Several law enforcement agencies assisted with the search for the children. The following day, authorities were contacted by the children’s uncle,

1 D.O.B. August 2, 2009.

2 D.O.B. January 23, 2006.

Earnest Mack, who advised authorities that the children walked to his house, which was approximately three miles away, barefoot, the previous night.

During the ensuing investigation, officers determined that appellant and his wife had not been truthful about the circumstances under which the children left the house on August 12, 2019. When appellant and his wife reported that the children were missing, they did not mention the fact that the children had been “disciplined” earlier in the day and kicked out of the house for going to Giant Eagle without permission.

Appellant was arrested on August 13, 2019. During the course of the investigation, officers learned about two additional incidents involving appellant’s wife’s children. First, on May 15, 2018, appellant shaved the pubic regions of both children. Appellant’s wife was not home at the time. In a subsequent interview, appellant acknowledged that his finger may have went into N.T.’s vagina as he was shaving. N.T. was approximately eight years old at the time of this incident. The Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services initiated an investigation into the allegation, but the allegation was determined to be “unsubstantiated.”

Second, in February 2019, appellant used an electrical cord to “discipline” J.P. Appellant’s wife was present at the time and watched as appellant whipped J.P. J.P. sustained scarring on his legs that was still observable when Bedford police officers took photographs of J.P.’s injuries in August 2019.

On September 11, 2019, appellant and his wife were charged in a seven-

count indictment for their involvement in the May 2018, February 2019, and August 2019 incidents. Appellant was charged with five counts of endangering children (one second-degree felony count, two third-degree felony counts, and two first- degree misdemeanor counts), one third-degree felony count of gross sexual imposition, and one fifth-degree felony count of obstructing official business. Appellant pled not guilty to the indictment during his arraignment on September 16, 2019.

The parties negotiated a package plea agreement during pretrial proceedings. On August 4, 2020, appellant pled guilty to endangering children, a second-degree felony in violation of R.C. 2919.22(B)(1), as charged in Count 1, subject to a definite prison term between 2 and 8 years; endangering children, a third-degree felony in violation of R.C. 2919.22(B)(3), as charged in Count 3, subject to a definite prison term between 9 and 36 months; and obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony in violation of R.C. 2921.31(A), as charged in Count 7, subject to a definite prison term between 6 and 12 months. The remaining counts were nolled. The trial court accepted appellant’s guilty plea.

As part of the plea agreement, appellant and his codefendant wife agreed to pay restitution, jointly and severally, in the amount of $1,205.68 to the police departments that responded to the missing children report.3

3 Maple Heights Police Department, Solon Police Department, Oakwood Police Department, Walton Hills Police Department, Garfield Heights Police Department, and Bedford Police Department.

The trial court ordered a presentence-investigation report (“PSI”) and set the matter for sentencing. Both the defense and the state filed sentencing memorandums.

The trial court held a sentencing hearing on September 3, 2020. The trial court sentenced appellant to five years in prison on the second-degree felony endangering children offense on Count 1 and 18 months in prison on the third- degree felony endangering children offense on Count 3. The trial court ordered Counts 1 and 3 to run concurrently with one another. The trial court sentenced appellant to 60 months (or five years) of community control on the fifth-degree felony obstruction offense on Count 7. The trial court ordered the community control sentence on Count 7 to run concurrently with the concurrent five-year prison sentence on Counts 1 and 3. The trial court ordered appellant to pay $1,205.58 in restitution and court costs. The trial court’s sentencing journal entry was filed on September 10, 2020.

On April 28, 2021, appellant, acting pro se, filed a notice of appeal, affidavit of indigency, a motion for appointment of counsel, a motion for preparation of the transcript at the state’s expense, and a motion for leave to file a delayed appeal. On May 17, 2021, this court granted appellant’s motions for leave to file a delayed appeal, appointment of counsel, and preparation of transcript at the state’s expense. This court appointed counsel to represent appellant.

On August 30, 2021, appointed counsel filed a motion to withdraw from the representation and a brief pursuant to Anders, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493. Therein, counsel presented the following three potential errors to raise on appeal: (1) whether appellant’s guilty plea was voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently entered, (2) whether the trial court ordered appellant to pay restitution without considering appellant’s ability to pay, and (3) whether the trial court erred in sentencing appellant to a total of five years of incarceration. Counsel believed, however, that no prejudicial error occurred in the trial court and that an appeal would be frivolous.

On September 9, 2021, this court advised appellant that he could file a pro se appellate brief on or before October 18, 2021. This court granted appellant an extension on October 5, 2021, ordering appellant to file his pro se brief on or before November 10, 2021.

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