State v. Stafford

817 N.E.2d 411, 158 Ohio App. 3d 509, 2004 Ohio 3893
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 23, 2004
DocketNo. C-030297.
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 817 N.E.2d 411 (State v. Stafford) 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. Stafford, 817 N.E.2d 411, 158 Ohio App. 3d 509, 2004 Ohio 3893 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

*514 Mark P. Painter, Judge.

{If 1} Defendant-appellant Darrin Stafford appeals his conviction for aggravated vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault. We affirm the trial court’s decisions regarding the pretrial motions and the findings of guilt.

{¶ 2} But we must vacate the sentence and remand for resentencing because the trial court improperly impinged on Stafford’s right to a jury trial. The right to a jury trial is a fundament of American law. We will not permit a trial court to threaten a defendant with a harsher sentence if he exercises a fundamental right.

I. A Tragic Accident

{¶ 3} In November 2001, Stafford and Frederick Shipman, a coworker and friend, decided to attend a Cincinnati Bengals football game. They lived in Evansville, Indiana, which is a several hours’ drive from Cincinnati. The two got into Shipman’s Kia Sportage, and Shipman started driving to Cincinnati the morning of the game.

{¶ 4} Stafford is a paraplegic who cannot voluntarily move his legs. He was licensed to drive, but only if the vehicle was equipped with special adaptations such as hand controls for the accelerator and brake. But Stafford’s driver’s license had been suspended under Indiana law earlier that year because he had failed to appear in court for a traffic violation.

{¶ 5} On the road near Louisville, Shipman was having trouble driving because he had been drinking heavily the night before. So Stafford and Shipman switched places and Stafford continued to drive to Cincinnati. He drove along Interstate 71 and Interstate 75, over the Brent Spence Bridge, and exited at Second Street.

{¶ 6} As the Kia approached an intersection on Second Street, the vehicle went through a red light. Unfortunately, there were many pedestrians crossing the street who were also headed to the Bengals game. The Kia struck Scott Asbrock, Stewart Williams, Kyle Fields, and Officer Jon Harris. Asbrock died as a result of his injuries. Williams was knocked unconscious, but was revived and taken to the hospital. He suffered multiple skull fractures and brain trauma and was in a coma for several months before finally regaining consciousness. Williams has had to undergo extensive rehabilitation. Fields suffered a broken leg, along with various cuts and bruises. The Kia clipped Officer Harris, who was assisting pedestrians across the street, and injured his wrist. Other pedestrians may have sustained minor injuries, but none of those injuries led to criminal charges.

*515 {¶ 7} Officer Harris ran after the Kia, which came to a stop after a block or two. Officer Harris, with his gun drawn, opened the driver-side door to see Stafford in the driver’s seat, bent over with his hands on the brake pedal. Stafford screamed, “Please don’t shoot me. I’m handicapped.” And Shipman added, “I told his ass to stop.”

{¶ 8} Officer Gregory Toyeas, who arrived at the scene within 30 to 45 minutes after the accident, took and recorded Stafford’s statement about the accident. On the tape, Stafford stated that he had begun driving the Kia near Louisville and that he was the one driving when the accident occurred.

{¶ 9} Officer Melissa Cummins was dispatched to the scene with a police scout car, which is a large vehicle similar to a Ford Explorer. Sometime after Officer Toyeas had questioned Stafford, Officer Cummins helped Stafford into the back of her vehicle. She then asked him what had happened. At a pretrial hearing, Officer Cummins testified that she had not read Stafford his Miranda rights. But at trial, she testified that she had since remembered that she had, in fact, read Stafford his Miranda rights. Officer Cummins then testified that Stafford told her that he had begun driving the Kia just outside Louisville.

{¶ 10} Stafford was arrested and later charged with one count of aggravated vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault. At trial, Stafford argued that he had not been driving the Kia at the time of the accident. Instead, he said that Shipman had been driving at the time of the accident. Stafford claimed (and still claims) that Shipman forced him to switch places after the accident but before Officer Harris arrived at the vehicle. Stafford argued that his statements to the police were to protect Shipman and that he was not aware of the seriousness of the accident until after the questioning.

{¶ 11} The jury did not believe Stafford’s story and found him guilty of all four counts. The trial court sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment.

{¶ 12} On appeal, Stafford assigns seven errors: (1) the trial court should have granted his motion to modify the indictment and his motion in limine regarding his Indiana license suspension, (2) Stafford’s statements to the police should have been suppressed, (3) it was error to allow the jury to view the Kia without authenticating it, (4) he was denied due process when the trial court threatened him with the choice of pleading guilty or facing the maximum sentence, (5) Shipman’s hearsay statement should not have been admitted, (6) the verdict was against the sufficiency and the manifest weight of the evidence, and (7) the 20-year sentence was unconstitutional.

II. The Sentence

{¶ 13} In his seventh and final assignment of error, Stafford argues that his sentence violated his due-process rights. We agree. The trial court imposed *516 a harsher sentence because Stafford had asserted his right to a jury trial. This was reversible error.

{¶ 14} A criminal defendant is guaranteed the right to a jury trial and should never be punished for exercising that right or for refusing to plead guilty. 1

{¶ 15} Once the record shows that (1) the trial court engaged in plea or sentence bargaining, (2) a tentative sentence was discussed, and (3) a harsher sentence followed a breakdown in negotiations, there is a presumption that the harsher sentence was a result of the defendant’s failure to plead guilty. To overcome this presumption, the record must show that no improper weight was given to the failure to plead guilty, and it must also affirmatively show that the court sentenced the defendant solely upon the facts of his case and his personal history — not as punishment for asserting his right to a jury trial. 2

{¶ 16} A harsher sentence following a trial is sometimes justified because the trial court usually has access to more relevant sentencing information after a trial than it had before the trial. 3 But that was not the case here.

{¶ 17} After the state had made its opening statement, the trial court excused the jury from the courtroom and had a plea discussion with Stafford on the record. The trial court urged Stafford to plead guilty, suggesting, “I would probably sentence you to a term in the Department of Corrections of 11 years.” The court continued, “And I don’t think you should gamble 12 years of your life on what [criminals and jail-house lawyers] try and tell you.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
817 N.E.2d 411, 158 Ohio App. 3d 509, 2004 Ohio 3893, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stafford-ohioctapp-2004.