State v. Stekelenburg, 24280 (3-11-2009)

2009 Ohio 1058
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 11, 2009
DocketNo. 24280.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2009 Ohio 1058 (State v. Stekelenburg, 24280 (3-11-2009)) 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. Stekelenburg, 24280 (3-11-2009), 2009 Ohio 1058 (Ohio Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY
{¶ 1} Appellant, Michele Stekelenburg ("Stekelenburg"), appeals the judgment of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, which found her guilty of multiple counts of using deception to obtain a dangerous drug, multiple counts of possession of a dangerous drug, and one count of possession of heroin. This Court affirms in part, and reverses in part.

I.
{¶ 2} On June 8, 2007, Stekelenburg was indicted on ten counts. The first seven counts were separate counts for deception to obtain a dangerous drug in violation of R.C. 2925.22, felonies of the fifth degree. The last three counts were separate counts for possession of a dangerous drug in violation of R.C. 4729.51(C)(3), felonies of the fifth degree. On June 25, 2007, Stekelenburg was arraigned, and pleaded not guilty to all of the counts in the indictment.

{¶ 3} On November 27, 2007, Stekelenburg filed a motion for leave to withdraw her plea of not guilty, and enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. On December 5, 2007, the *Page 2 trial court, by journal entry, ordered that Stekelenburg would be permitted to withdraw her earlier plea, and enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

{¶ 4} On April 7, 2008, a supplemental indictment was filed containing one additional count of possession of heroin in violation of R.C. 2925.11(A)(C)(6), a felony in the fifth degree. The count in the supplemental indictment stemmed from events which occurred on February 28, 2008, when Stekelenburg was found unconscious on the floor of a Walgreen's bathroom, and was taken to the hospital. While at the hospital, in going through Stekelenburg's belongings, hospital security found Ambien pills for which Stekelenburg had a prescription, as well as a powdery white substance wrapped in a tissue in a compartment of her bra.

{¶ 5} On April 23, 2008, Stekelenburg was arraigned on the single count in the supplemental indictment, to which she pleaded not guilty. On May 16, 2008, Stekelenburg filed a motion for leave to withdraw her plea of not guilty on count 11 of the supplemental indictment, and enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The record does not clearly show whether the trial court granted this motion.

{¶ 6} On June 3, 2008, Stekelenburg voluntarily waived her right to a jury trial, and trial commenced. On June 6, 2008, after hearing the evidence and arguments from both parties, the trial court entered a verdict finding Stekelenburg guilty of all charges in the eleven counts of the indictment and supplemental indictment. The trial court also found "that the defense failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence the affirmative defense of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity[,]" and sentenced Stekelenburg to a total of 24 months in the Ohio State Reformatory for Women. Stekelenburg timely appeals setting forth three assignments of error. *Page 3

II.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I
"THE TRIAL COURT'S DETERMINATION THAT THE EVIDENCE WAS IN EQUIPOISE AND THEREFORE, THAT THE DEFENDANT FAILED TO PROVE HER ENTITLEMENT TO A NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY DEFENSE, WAS CONTRARY TO THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE."

{¶ 7} Stekelenburg argues that the trial court's determination that she failed to prove that she was not guilty by reason of insanity beyond a preponderance of the evidence was against the manifest weight of the evidence. This Court disagrees.

{¶ 8} When determining whether a conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence, this Court has held that courts of appeal:

"must review the entire record, weigh the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider the credibility of witnesses and determine whether, in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the trier of fact clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered.' State v. Otten (1986), 33 Ohio App.3d 339, 340." State v. Worrell, 9th Dist. Nos. 23378, 23409, 2007-Ohio-7058, at ¶ 11.

However, "`[t]he discretionary power to grant a new trial should be exercised only in the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the conviction.'" State v. Bethel, 110 Ohio St.3d 416,2006-Ohio-4853, at ¶ 100, quoting State v. Martin (1983),20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175.

{¶ 9} The plea of not guilty by reason of insanity is an affirmative defense. State v. Latham, 9th Dist. No. 07CA0067-M, 2008-Ohio-3050, at ¶ 16, citing State v. Armstrong, 152 Ohio App.3d 579, 2003-Ohio-2154, at ¶ 16. "The burden of going forward with the evidence of an affirmative defense, and the burden of proof, by a preponderance of the evidence, for an affirmative defense, is upon the accused." R.C. 2901.05(A). *Page 4

{¶ 10} "A person is `not guilty by reason of insanity' relative to a charge of an offense only if the person proves, in the manner specified in section 2901.05 of the Revised Code, that at the time of the commission of the offense, the person did not know, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, the wrongfulness of the person's acts." R.C. 2901.01(A)(14). Finally, "[p]roof that a person's reason, at the time of the commission of an offense was so impaired that the person did not have the ability to refrain from doing the person's act or acts, does not constitute a defense." (Internal citations and quotations omitted). Armstrong at ¶ 16.

{¶ 11} Here, Stekelenburg presented one expert witness to bolster her affirmative defense of not guilty by reason of insanity. Stekelenburg called Dr. Clifford Perera, a board certified psychiatrist with extensive experience involving court determinations of not guilty by reason of insanity. Dr. Perera testified that he had worked at Fallsview Psychiatric Hospital for over seventeen years and participated in numerous court hearings for commitment.

{¶ 12} Dr. Perera testified that he began treatment of Stekelenburg on August 2, 2007, which lasted through February of 2008. Dr. Perera also provided that he diagnosed Stekelenburg with bipolar disorder with rapid cycling moods. Dr. Perera testified that he based his diagnosis on multiple factors. The first factor was Stekelenburg's pre-morbid history. This history included Stekelenburg's suffering from symptoms of depression and hypomania as an adolescent and young adult, the prior occurrence of depressive episodes with suicidal feelings, and her suffering from postpartum depression which Dr.

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Related

State v. Armstrong
789 N.E.2d 657 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2003)
State v. Latham, 07ca0067-M (6-23-2008)
2008 Ohio 3050 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Martin
485 N.E.2d 717 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1983)
State v. Otten
515 N.E.2d 1009 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1986)
State v. Worrell, Unpublished Decision (12-28-2007)
2007 Ohio 7058 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2007)
State v. Jones, 23875 (10-22-2008)
2008 Ohio 5443 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Harris, Unpublished Decision (9-21-2005)
2005 Ohio 4935 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2005)

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Bluebook (online)
2009 Ohio 1058, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stekelenburg-24280-3-11-2009-ohioctapp-2009.