State v. Rognon

2019 Ohio 4222
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 15, 2019
Docket8-19-14
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2019 Ohio 4222 (State v. Rognon) 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. Rognon, 2019 Ohio 4222 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Rognon, 2019-Ohio-4222.]

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

STATE OF OHIO,

PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE, CASE NO. 8-19-14

v.

CAMERON ROGNON, OPINION

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

Appeal from Logan County Common Pleas Court Trial Court No. CR 18 08 0242

Judgment Affirmed

Date of Decision: October 15, 2019

APPEARANCES:

Charles A. Koenig for Appellant

Alice Robinson-Bond for Appellee Case No. 8-10-14

PRESTON, J.

{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Cameron Rognon (“Rognon”), appeals the

February 28, 2019 judgment of sentence of the Logan County Court of Common

Pleas. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

{¶2} On August 14, 2018, the Logan County Grand Jury indicted Rognon on

nine counts: Count One of rape against K.H. in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(b),

(B), a first-degree felony; Count Two of attempted rape against K.H. in violation of

R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(b), (B) and R.C. 2923.02(A), (E)(1), a second-degree felony;

Counts Three through Five of gross sexual imposition against K.H. in violation of

R.C. 2907.05(A)(4), (C)(2), third-degree felonies; and Counts Six through Nine of

public indecency in violation of R.C. 2907.09(B)(4), (C)(5), first-degree

misdemeanors. (Doc. No. 2). On August 17, 2018, Rognon appeared for

arraignment and entered pleas of not guilty. (Doc. No. 10).

{¶3} On October 9, 2018, the Logan County Grand Jury issued a superseding

indictment1 wherein Rognon was indicted on the nine counts in the initial indictment

and two additional counts: Count Ten of gross sexual imposition against D.R. in

violation of R.C. 2907.05(A)(5), (C)(1), a fourth-degree felony and Count Eleven

of public indecency in violation of R.C. 2907.09(B)(4), (C)(5), a first-degree

1 Hereinafter, all references to the “indictment” are referring to the superseding indictment filed on October 9, 2018. (See Doc. No. 24).

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misdemeanor. (Doc. No. 24). On October 12, 2018, Rognon appeared for an

arraignment and entered pleas of not guilty. (Doc. No. 31).

{¶4} On January 25, 2019, under a negotiated plea agreement, Rognon

withdrew his pleas of not guilty and enter pleas of guilty to Counts Five and Ten of

the indictment. (Doc. No. 122). In exchange, the State agreed to recommend

dismissal of the remaining counts in the indictment. (Id.). The trial court accepted

Rognon’s guilty pleas, found him guilty of both counts, and ordered a presentence

investigation (“PSI”). (Id.). In addition, the trial court dismissed the remaining

counts of the indictment. (Id.).

{¶5} On February 28, 2019, the trial court sentenced Rognon to 60 months

in prison on Count Five and 12 months in prison on Count Ten and ordered that

Rognon serve the sentences consecutively. (Doc. No. 123).

{¶6} Rognon filed his notice of appeal on March 27, 2019. (Doc. No. 136).

He raises three assignments of error for our review. We begin by addressing

Rognon’s first assignment of error. Then, we will address his second and third

assignments of error together because they concern related issues.

Assignment of Error No. I

The trial court erred when it exercised venue over Appellant with respect to Count 10, notwithstanding the State’s failure to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the Logan County Court of Common Pleas had venue over the underlying offense, which had occurred solely in Union County, and, accordingly, its

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conviction of Appellant for Gross Sexual Imposition occurring outside the boundaries of Logan County, Ohio is void.

{¶7} In his first assignment of error, Rognon argues that the trial court erred

by exercising venue over him with respect to Count Ten because the activity

involved in Count Ten occurred entirely in Union County and the State did not

establish that the offense occurred as part of a criminal course of conduct that

included crimes in Logan County.

{¶8} As an initial matter, Rognon appears to conflate subject matter

jurisdiction and venue. Rognon argues that because he objected to venue for the

first time on appeal, this court should apply a plain error standard of review in

determining whether the Logan County Court of Common Pleas had venue over

Count Ten. State v. Jackson, 141 Ohio St.3d 171, 2014-Ohio-3707, ¶ 142.

However, “[i]n contrast with subject matter jurisdiction, which may be challenged

at any time, venue is not jurisdictional.” State v. Buoni, 10th Dist. Franklin Nos.

11AP-111, 11AP-148, and 11AP-149, 2011-Ohio-6665, ¶11, citing State v.

Andrews, 148 Ohio App.3d 92, 2002-Ohio-787, ¶ 20 (10th Dist.). “A defendant

‘waives the right to challenge venue when the issue is raised for the first time on

appeal.’” Id., quoting State v, Wheat, 10th Dist. Franklin No. 05AP-30, 2005-Ohio-

6958, ¶ 10, citing State v. Loucks, 28 Ohio App.2d 77, 78 (4th Dist.1971). See State

v. Montgomery, 3d Dist. Putnam No. 12-13-11, 2014-Ohio-1789, ¶ 14 (finding that

the defendant waived the issue of venue by failing to raise it at the trial court level).

-4- Case No. 8-10-14

See also State v. Brady, 3d Dist. Crawford No. 3-92-23, 1992 WL 368772, *1 (Dec.

1, 1992).

{¶9} Moreover, not only did Rognon waive venue by failing to challenge it

before the trial court, he also admitted venue by entering guilty pleas to Counts Five

and Ten. “Venue is not a material element of any offense charged.” Jackson at ¶

143, citing State v. Smith, 87 Ohio St.3d 424, 435 (2000), citing State v. Headley, 6

Ohio St.3d 475, 477 (1983). “Nevertheless, venue is a fact that must be proved

beyond a reasonable doubt unless it is waived by the defendant.” Id., citing Headley

at 477. Here, the State attempted to establish venue under R.C. 2901.12(H), which

provides that “[w]hen an offender, as part of a course of criminal conduct, commits

offenses in different jurisdictions, the offender may be tried for all of those offenses

in any jurisdiction in which one of those offenses or any element of one of those

offenses occurred.” Rognon argues that the State failed to prove beyond a

reasonable doubt that the activity constituting Count Ten of the indictment was

committed as part of a course of criminal conduct with the activity constituting

Count Five of the indictment, which occurred in Logan County. (Appellant’s Brief

at 5-10).

{¶10} However, Rognon entered guilty pleas to Counts Five and Ten of the

indictment, and the indictment included language specifying that Count Ten

occurred “as part of a course of criminal conduct * * * and the victim involved is of

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the same type or same group as the victim in Counts 1 through 9, and/or the offense

was committed by the offender in the victim’s same capacity or relationship to the

victim in Counts 1 through 9, and/or the offenses were committed in furtherance of

the same purpose or objective as that found in Counts 1 through 9, and/or the offense

involved the same or similar modus operandi as the offenses in Counts 1 through

9.” (Doc. No. 24). (See Doc. No. 122). Because Rognon entered a guilty plea to

Count Ten, the State was no longer required to prove venue beyond a reasonable

doubt. See Montgomery at ¶14, citing State v. McCartney, 55 Ohio App.3d 170 (9th

Dist.1988), syllabus (“Quite simply, Montgomery’s guilty plea precludes the venue

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Related

State v. Rognon
2021 Ohio 4564 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2021)
State v. Thompson
2020 Ohio 4016 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2019 Ohio 4222, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rognon-ohioctapp-2019.