State v. Saldivar

2022 Ohio 144
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 21, 2022
DocketL-21-1056
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2022 Ohio 144 (State v. Saldivar) 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. Saldivar, 2022 Ohio 144 (Ohio Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Saldivar, 2022-Ohio-144.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT LUCAS COUNTY

State of Ohio Court of Appeals No. L-21-1056

Appellee Trial Court No. CR0201903071

v.

Vincent Saldivar DECISION AND JUDGMENT

Appellant Decided: January 21, 2022

*****

Julia R. Bates, Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney, and Evy M. Jarrett, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

Brian C. Morrissey, for appellant.

PIETRYKOWSKI, J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Vincent Saldivar, appeals the March 11, 2021

judgment of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas which, following a jury trial

convicting him of three counts of rape and one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a

minor, sentenced him to an indefinite term of 25 to 28.5 years of imprisonment. Because

we find no error, we affirm. I. Facts and Procedural Background

{¶ 2} Appellant was indicted on November 27, 2019, on three counts of rape, first

degree felonies, and three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.1 The

indictment alleged that the acts occurred between July 24, and September 30, 2019, in

Lucas County, Ohio, and involved a minor between the ages of 13 and 16.

{¶ 3} On September 18, 2020, appellant filed a request for a Daubert hearing on

the admissibility of the testimony of the state’s proffered expert, Susan Long, Ph.D.

Appellant indicated that he believed that the testimony was irrelevant as the alleged

victim did not delay reporting the incident thus, such testimony would not aid the jury.

Further, as to partial disclosure, appellant claimed that Dr. Long did not have the

opportunity to interview the alleged victim and, thus, her psychological reasons could not

be evaluated.

{¶ 4} A hearing was held on September 25, 2020, and, after receiving Dr. Long’s

curriculum vitae and trial statement, appellant’s counsel orally argued that she was not

qualified to testify as an expert in delayed disclosure or partial disclosure as she had

neither conducted research in the area nor published any peer-reviewed articles. The

state asserted that Dr. Long’s years of clinical experience where she interviewed and

1 The state ultimately entered a nolle prosequi as to two of the unlawful sexual conduct with a minor counts.

2. counseled sexual abuse victims of the relevant age group would aid the jury in

understanding the phenomenon of delayed or partial disclosure.

{¶ 5} Dr. Long then testified that she is the clinical director of the counselor

education program at The University of Toledo; previously, she counseled approximately

50 three to 18 year-old victims of sexual abuse. Dr. Long testified that based on her

training and experience, she has an understanding of the effects of family member or

authority figure sexual abuse on the psyche of a minor. Dr. Long stated that a delayed

disclosure encompasses anywhere from two weeks to years following the incident(s).

{¶ 6} Dr. Long admitted that she has not conducted research, presented a lecture,

or published any articles regarding delayed or partial disclosure. Dr. Long further

admitted that it was the first time she was testifying as an expert. The trial court

concluded that Dr. Long possessed “the necessary training, knowledge and experience to

testify at trial” and noted that any objections to the substance of her testimony would be

reserved for trial.

{¶ 7} On September 28, 2020, the matter proceeded to a jury trial; a summary of

the evidence presented is as follows. Victim, G.G., testified that she is 15 and currently

lives in Sylvania, Ohio, with her mom and brother. G.G. stated that she has known

appellant since she was nine and that he was like a “father figure” to her. Appellant

would attend family events, would buy her things and take her places, and G.G’s mother

would sometimes enlist his help in enforcing discipline. When G.G. was 11, she and her

3. family moved out of Ohio and lived in multiple states; they stayed with appellant when

visiting Ohio. Appellant did not visit them when they lived out-of-state.

{¶ 8} Relating to the four dates, and corresponding charges, G.G. testified that in

July 2019, she and appellant were alone in the house and appellant inserted his fingers

into her vagina and she performed fellatio. G.G. stated that appellant called her later and

told her not to tell anyone because he could get in trouble. G.G. testified that this scared

her because she “looked up to him so much and he was like a father figure and [she]

didn’t want him getting in trouble.”

{¶ 9} G.G. next testified that in early August 2019, she was working at a

restaurant in Sylvania, where her mother also worked, and was sitting out in her mother’s

car when appellant came up and gave her a hug. He asked to take her to lunch but instead

he took her to the Sylvania police parking lot which, G.G. stated, she initially thought

was just the Ace Hardware store lot. G.G. stated that appellant had her perform fellatio

on him and that he ejaculated. G.G. stated that appellant then drove her to a house near

Northview High School where she again performed fellatio. Appellant then returned her

to the restaurant. G.G. stated that the incident made her feel “disgusting” and that she did

not want it to happen.

{¶ 10} Also in August 2019, on G.G.’s 14th birthday, they were at her house when

appellant told her brother, E.G. that they were going to the carry out. E.G. stated that he

wanted to come along. After they returned from Sylvan Pantry, appellant told E.G. that

4. he wanted to talk with G.G. alone. He then drove G.G. to the Sylvan Elementary School

parking lot where she performed fellatio. Appellant inserted his fingers into her vagina

and touched her breasts. G.G. stated that the incident made her feel disgusting.

{¶ 11} Finally, in September 2019, appellant, G.G., and her mother and brother

were at G.G.’s house and they were watching the movie John Wick in her mother’s

bedroom. G.G. stated that eventually she went to bed and to sleep and that appellant

woke her up by kissing her neck. G.G. again performed fellatio on him. She stated that

she did not want to do it and that she was crying but she believed that he would not let

her stop. Appellant then performed oral sex on her.

{¶ 12} G.G.’s younger brother, E.G., testified that he lives on Brint Road2 with his

sister and mother. E.G. testified that appellant was a “father figure” to him for

approximately eight to nine years. E.G. stated that at some point he noticed that appellant

was trying to spend more time alone with G.G. Specifically, appellant asked how long

E.G. would be at football practice and when his mother would be getting home. On the

night of G.G.’s birthday E.G., appellant, and G.G. went to the Sylvan Pantry carryout.

E.G. stated that appellant took him home and then he and G.G. went for a drive. Further,

on the night the family was watching the movie John Wick in his mother’s bedroom, E.G.

observed his sister leave to go to bed and, shortly thereafter, appellant left. E.G.

acknowledged that he did not know whether appellant actually left the house or just left

2 E.G. specified the street address.

5. the bedroom. E.G. testified that around the time of these events, G.G. was acting out and

being rebellious and had been suspended from school.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Schmelzer
2024 Ohio 5987 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2024)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2022 Ohio 144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-saldivar-ohioctapp-2022.