State v. Shelton, 88477 (8-2-2007)

2007 Ohio 3900
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 2, 2007
DocketNo. 88477.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2007 Ohio 3900 (State v. Shelton, 88477 (8-2-2007)) 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. Shelton, 88477 (8-2-2007), 2007 Ohio 3900 (Ohio Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Errick Shelton, appeals his conviction and sentence from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. After reviewing the facts of the case and the pertinent law, we affirm.

{¶ 2} On September 27, 2005, the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury indicted Shelton on twenty-two counts, including three counts of aggravated burglary, with repeat violent offender ("RVO") specifications and notice of prior conviction ("NPC") specifications, one count of kidnaping, with RVO and NPC specifications, two counts of domestic violence, one count of felonious assault, with RVO and NPC specifications, five counts of felonious assault, with one- and three-year firearm specifications, as well as RVO and NPC specifications, one count of assault, two counts of having weapons while under disability, one count of attempted murder, with *Page 3 one- and three-year firearm specifications, and RVO and NPC specifications, four counts of improperly discharging firearm at or into a habitation, with one- and three-year firearm specifications, and RVO and NPC specifications, one count of menacing by stalking, with one- and three-year firearm specifications, and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. Shelton entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.

{¶ 3} A jury trial commenced on May 15, 2006. The following testimony was presented at trial.

{¶ 4} The state called Janiera Levert ("Janiera") first to testify. She lives on the southeast side of Cleveland with her six children. Janiera stated that Shelton lived with her and her children from September 2004 to June 2005. She further stated, however, that once he moved out, Shelton was not welcome in her home and that he no longer possessed a key to her house.1

{¶ 5} Janiera testified that on the day in question, August 22, 2005, Shelton followed her, pushed his way into her home, and a fight ensued. She said that Shelton grabbed her hair and pulled out about thirty-five micro braids that were "all the top [of her head]." Next, he bit her on the shoulder and she fell to the floor. Shelton then left her home. Janiera also testified that two of her children, M.L. and *Page 4 Do.L, her niece, T.L., and her nephew were also involved in the fight.2 Janiera stated that the wound on her shoulder was, "like, real open and you could tell there was teeth marks, but it was like my bone right here was kind of open and it was just like a bite mark." She also testified that her head "felt like somebody was just pulling it from the roots and [her] shoulder was burning and just sore."

{¶ 6} Two days later, on August 24, 2005, Janiera was sitting on her front porch when Shelton pulled up in front of her house in a 1996 rusty-orange Cavalier. She recognized the vehicle because Shelton had originally bought it for her, but had taken it back two days earlier. He said, "[c]ome here, bitch" and she replied, "[n]o." He then stated, "[y]ou better not be here when I get back." Janiera went inside her house because she was scared.

{¶ 7} Her niece came into the house "real fast" and Janiera ran to the basement. Janiera heard Shelton say, "[w]here that bitch at?" When she was in the basement, she heard a loud "pow" from a gun and debris fell on her head "real fast like the bullet." She also testified that the bullet passed by the top of her head "real close"and that she "could feel the wind." Janiera did not see the gun. When she came up from the basement, the police were at her house.

{¶ 8} Next, Janiera testified that early in the morning on August 25, 2005, she was sleeping in her bed and woke up to a noise. She called the police. *Page 5

{¶ 9} On cross-examination, Janiera acknowledged that she had told defense counsel prior to trial that she never saw Shelton shoot a gun on any of the days in question. She further agreed that she never saw Shelton in her basement on August 22, 2005, or saw him on August 25, 2006.

{¶ 10} The state then presented thirteen-year-old Do.L, who is Janiera's daughter. She testified that on August 22, 2005, she tried to get Shelton off of her mother. Do.L. said that Shelton bit her on the wrist which caused a cut. She then went to her grandmother's house and called the police.

{¶ 11} She stated that on August 24, 2005, she was looking out her bedroom window and saw Shelton walk up to the house. She did not see anything in Shelton's hands, but said, "[a]s soon as he walk in the house, that's when I heard it." The prosecutor asked, "[w]hat did you hear?" Do.L. replied, "a gunshot."

{¶ 12} On cross-examination, Do.L. said that on August 22, 2005, Shelton was already inside of the house when Janiera went into the house. During the fight, neither Janiera nor Shelton fell or got pushed to the floor. She also stated that the fight lasted a couple of minutes.

{¶ 13} M.L., who is fourteen years old, testified after Do.L. M.L. stated that on August 22, 2005, she witnessed Shelton grab her mother's hair, bite her mom on the shoulder, and bite Do.L. M.L. then called the police. Shelton left before the police arrived. *Page 6

{¶ 14} M.L. said that on August 24, 2005, she saw Shelton come inside her house, load a gun, and walk into the kitchen. She then heard a gun shot. She described the gun as being black, not small and not big. She then made an in-court identification of the gun.

{¶ 15} M.L. testified that on August 25, 2005, she was in her room when she looked out her window and saw Shelton in front of the house. She saw him pull a gun from his waistband, aim it at her mother's room, and shoot it.

{¶ 16} On cross-examination, M.L. stated that on August 22, 2005, Shelton was already inside her house when Janiera got home. During the fight, Janiera was on the floor. She also testified that the fight lasted forty minutes. M.L. agreed that she never actually saw Shelton shoot the gun on August 24, 2005 or on August 25, 2005, but rather, saw Shelton point the gun "close by my mom's room" and then heard a shot. She also said that Janiera was in that bedroom.

{¶ 17} The next witness to testify was T.L. She is sixteen years old. Janiera is her aunt and T.L. lived with her from June 2005 to August 24, 2005. T.L. was present during the August 22, 2005 and August 24, 2005 events and confirmed Janiera's version of what occurred those days.

{¶ 18} T.L. said that on August 24, 2005, Shelton pulled up to Janiera's house in a red vehicle. She testified that Shelton had a gun, pulled the slide back, and put it in his pants. T.L. said that she then went into the kitchen and said to Janiera, *Page 7 "[y]ou better run, because [Shelton is] coming with a gun." T.L. ran out the back door and heard one gunshot.

{¶ 19} On cross-examination, T.L. testified that on August 22, 2005, Janiera had been inside the house when Shelton arrived. She further said that the physical fight lasted twenty minutes.

{¶ 20} D.F. testified after T.L. He is fifteen years old. He stated that on August 24, 2005, Shelton came to Janiera's house in a burgundy Cavalier. He saw Shelton cock a gun and go inside the house.

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Related

State v. Shelton
876 N.E.2d 967 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Blade, Unpublished Decision (10-4-2007)
2007 Ohio 5323 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2007)

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Bluebook (online)
2007 Ohio 3900, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-shelton-88477-8-2-2007-ohioctapp-2007.