State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999)

CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 22, 1999
DocketCourt of Appeals No. OT-99-014. Trial Court No. 98-CR-160.
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999) (State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999), (Ohio Ct. App. 1999).

Opinions

OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY
This is an appeal from a February 25, 1999 judgment of the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas sentencing appellant, Jose Sanchez, to serve the maximum sentence of twelve months in prison for a violation of R.C. 2921.34(A), escape. Appellant has presented two assignments of error for consideration that are:

"1. The Defendant's sentence consisted of the maximum prison term allowed for the offense by division (A) of § 2929.14 O.R.C. and was not imposed pursuant to division (D)(3)(b) of § 2929.14, and the sentence was imposed for only one offense.

"2. The Trial Court failed to advise Defendant that the Parole Board may extend the stated prison term under O.R.C. § 2929.19(A)(3)(b)."

The record in this case shows that appellant was charged by information in the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas on November 20, 1998 for escape, a violation of R.C. 2921.34(A). Appellant entered a guilty plea to the charge on November 23, 1998. The written guilty plea form signed by appellant contains the following statement:

"I know any prison term stated will be the term served without good time credit. If I commit a crime in prison, the parole board could increase my prison time in 15, 30, 60 or 90 day increments or up to 50% of my term. After prison release, I may have up to 3 or 5 years of post-release control. If I violate post-release control conditions, I could be returned to prison for up to another nine months."

On November 24, 1999, the trial court filed a judgment entry accepting appellant's guilty plea and finding him guilty of escape. The court also ordered a pre-sentence investigation report.

On February 25, 1999, the trial court filed a judgment entry in which it said:

"The Court has considered the record, oral statements, any victim impact statement and presentence report prepared, as well as the principles and purposes of sentencing under Ohio Revised Code Section 2929.11, and has balanced the seriousness and recidivism factors under Ohio Revised Code 2929.12. The Court finds that the more serious factors out weigh [sic] the less serious factors and that the Defendant is more likely to commit future crimes than less likely to commit future crimes."

The court noted, pursuant to R.C. 2929.13(B), that appellant previously served a prison term, was not amenable to community control, and ruled that a prison term in this case was consistent with the purpose of R.C. 2929.11. The court also said: "The Court further finds that the maximum prison term is appropriate as the Defendant poses the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes based upon his prior history * * *." The court then ordered appellant to serve twelve months in prison, the maximum sentence for appellant's crime. Appellant filed his notice of appeal from that order in this court on March 10, 1999.

In support of his first assignment of error, appellant argues that the record does not support the findings made by the trial court to explain its decision to order appellant to serve the maximum sentence for his crime. Specifically, appellant says that the trial court did not impose the maximum sentence because of the seriousness of appellant's crime. He argues that R.C.2929.14(C) contains a two-part requirement before a trial court can impose the maximum sentence for a crime. He says the trial court must find: 1) the defendant committed the worst form of the offense; and 2) the defendant posed the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes. He says that in this case, the trial court only found the second requirement, not the first, so the court was barred from imposing a maximum sentence.

In support of his argument that two requirements must be met before a maximum sentence can be imposed by a trial court pursuant to R.C. 2929.14(C), appellant cites a case decided by the Ninth District Court of Appeals, State v. Garrard (1997),124 Ohio App.3d 718. In that case, the Ninth District Court of Appeals quoted portions of R.C. 2929.14 prefaced by the introduction: "R.C. 2929.14 governs the imposition of prison terms for felony convictions, providing in part * * *." Id. at 721 (emphasis added). The court then quoted several paragraphs of the statute in question, and quoted paragraph C as follows:

"`(C) The court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony may impose the longest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section only upon offenders who committed the worst forms of the offense [and] upon offenders who pose the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes.'" Id.

A review of the remainder of the opinion shows that the trial court in that case considered and cited two factors as support for its decision to impose the maximum sentence on the defendant in that case. Id. at 722. On appeal, the defendant argued that the maximum sentence should not have been imposed in his case. The appellate court therefore considered both factors cited by the trial court and included both factors in its quote of R.C.2929.14(C). Id. at 721-724.

R.C. 2929.14(C) provides, in whole:

"Except as provided in division (G) of this section or in Chapter 2925. of the Revised Code, the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony may impose the longest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section only upon offenders who committed the worst forms of the offense, upon offenders who pose the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes, upon certain major drug offenders under division (D)(3) of this section, and upon certain repeat violent offenders in accordance with division (D)(2) of this section."

When the entire section is read, the only conclusion that can be reached is that the legislature intended to authorize trial courts to impose a maximum sentence on persons who met one or more of the factors listed in the section. Accordingly, the State v.Gerrard court would have more accurately reflected the true meaning of the section if it had added in the conjunction "or" rather than the conjunction "and" when it quoted a shortened version of R.C. 2929.14(C). We are not persuaded by appellant's argument that the inadvertent use of the conjunction "and" in a shortened quote of the statute in a case where two of the factors listed applied demonstrates that two factors must always be met before a trial court can impose a maximum sentence pursuant to R.C. 2929.14(C). The record supports the trial court's conclusion in this case that one factor, that appellant poses the greatest likelihood of committing future crimes, existed in this case. The pre-sentence investigation report included in the record shows that appellant has a long history of committing criminal offenses and of resisting authority and rehabilitation. Accordingly, appellant's first assignment of error is not well-taken.

In support of his second assignment of error, appellant argues: "Under § 2929.19

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Related

State v. Wilson
379 N.E.2d 273 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1978)
State v. Mascaro
610 N.E.2d 1031 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1991)
State v. Garrard
707 N.E.2d 546 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1997)
City of Garfield Heights v. Gipson
669 N.E.2d 264 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1995)
State v. Joseph
542 N.E.2d 690 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1988)
State v. Summers
444 N.E.2d 1041 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1981)
City of Garfield Heights v. Brewer
479 N.E.2d 309 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Strawther
383 N.E.2d 900 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1978)

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Sanchez, Unpublished Decision (10-22-1999), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sanchez-unpublished-decision-10-22-1999-ohioctapp-1999.