State v. Stewart

701 N.E.2d 1052, 122 Ohio App. 3d 424
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 28, 1997
DocketNo. 96APA11-1574.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 701 N.E.2d 1052 (State v. Stewart) 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. Stewart, 701 N.E.2d 1052, 122 Ohio App. 3d 424 (Ohio Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

Petree, Judge.

Defendant, Peter A. Stewart, appeals from a judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas dismissing his petition for postconviction relief. Defendant sets forth the following three assignments of error:

“[I.] The trial court erred to the prejudice of defendant-appellant in refusing to permit or in denying defendant-appellant’s amendments to the petition for postconviction relief.
“[II.] The trial court erred to the prejudice of defendant-appellant when it denied defendant-appellant a hearing on his petition for postconvietion relief.
“[III.] The trial court erred to the prejudice of defendant-appellant when it failed to make and file findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect to the dismissal of defendant-appellant petition as required by Section 2953.21 Ohio Revised Code.”

0'n September 6, 1985, defendant entered a plea of not guilty to each of the charges set forth in the fifteen-count indictment stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct with his minor stepdaughter. Later, on October 6, 1986, defendant amended his plea and entered a plea of guilty to Count 4 of the indictment, charging him with rape. The trial court convicted defendant of rape and sentenced him to serve a term of imprisonment of not less than five and not more than twenty-five years. An entry of nolle prosequi was journalized as to the other fourteen counts of the indictment. Defendant’s minimum sentence was later amended by the trial court to a term of four years.

Defendant did not timely appeal from a judgment of the common pleas court. However, defendant did file a motion for delayed appeal, which was denied by this court in State v. Stewart (July 18, 1995), Franklin App. No. 95APA02-205, unreported.

Defendant filed his petition for postconviction relief on September 20, 1996. Therein, defendant alleged that his plea was not voluntary due, in part, to the ineffective assistance of trial counsel. The trial court denied defendant’s petition without a hearing by judgment entry dated October 25, 1996. Defendant appeals to this court from the judgment of the trial court.

In defendant’s second assignment of error, defendant contends that the trial court erred by dismissing his petition for postconviction relief without first conducting the evidentiary hearing to determine the truth of his allegations of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. In State v. Jackson (1980), 64 Ohio St.2d 107, 18 O.O.3d 348, 413 N.E.2d 819, the Ohio Supreme Court held at the syllabus:

*426 “In a petition for post-conviction relief, which asserts ineffective assistance of counsel, the petitioner bears the initial burden to submit evidentiary documents containing sufficient operative facts to demonstrate the lack of competent counsel and that the defense was prejudiced by counsel’s ineffectiveness.”

In State v. Kapper (1983), 5 Ohio St.3d 36, 5 OBR 94, 448 N.E.2d 823, the issue for the court was whether the petitioner in a postconviction relief proceeding was entitled to an evidentiary hearing in light of his allegations that his guilty plea was coerced. In that case, as in this case, petitioner relied on off-the-record discussions in support of his claim. In Kapper, the court held:

“[A] petition for post-conviction relief is subject to dismissal without a hearing when the record, including the dialogue conducted between the court and the defendant pursuant to Crim.R. 11, indicates that the petitioner is not entitled to relief and that the petitioner failed to submit evidentiary documents containing sufficient operative facts to demonstrate that the guilty plea was coerced or induced by false promises.” Id. at 38, 5 OBR at 96, 448 N.E.2d at 826.

In this case, defendant alleges that his counsel induced him to plead guilty to the charge of rape by promising him that he would be released on shock probation within one year. He alleges further that he would have never pleaded guilty to the offense of rape if he had known that he would not be eligible for shock probation. In his amended petition, dated October 3, 1996, defendant further alleges that the trial court failed to inform him, prior to accepting his “ plea, that he was ineligible for probation. Attached to defendant’s petition for postconviction relief and his amendment thereto is defendant’s “Affidavit of Verity,” wherein defendant states that “the foregoing statements are well and truly made to the best of his knowledge, belief and memory.”

In State v. Gibson (1992), 78 Ohio App.3d 501, 605 N.E.2d 441, the issue for this court was whether the petitioner was entitled to an evidentiary hearing to determine the truth of his allegations of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Id. at 504, 605 N.E.2d at 442-443. The trial court had dismissed the petition without a hearing, even though the petitioner had, in his verified complaint, set forth sufficient operative facts to demonstrate ineffective assistance of trial counsel and prejudice. Id. On appeal, we held that the trial court erred by dismissing the petition without a hearing. In so holding, we stated:

“ * * * Here, the memorandum, coupled with the petition, states with particularity the contentions of ineffective assistance of counsel and the alleged prejudice resulting therefrom and is not a mere ‘open-ended allegation or conclusory statement concerning competency of counsel.’ * * * In Kapper, the transcript of the guilty plea hearing was available to the trial court and to the appellate courts. In that case, the Supreme Court held that the transcript of the guilty plea *427 hearing indicated that the petitioner was not entitled to relief, and, therefore, an evidentiary hearing upon the petition for post-conviction relief was not required.
“Unfortunately, in this case, we have available in the record on appeal nothing negating defendant’s contentions as to what occurred, there being evidence in that the petition was verified by affidavit. It may well be that, if the prosecution supplies the transcript of the guilty plea hearing or other evidence by affidavit, a motion for summary judgment might be appropriately granted. However, applying the rule of Jackson, we are unable upon the record on appeal before us to find that the mandatory requirement of R.C. 2953.21(E) that there be a hearing can be dispensed with since the files and records of the case do not show that defendant is not entitled to relief but, instead, indicate that there is a possibility that he could be. * * * ” Id. at 505, 605 N.E.2d at 443.

Here, as in Gibson, defendant’s verified memorandum sets forth sufficient operative facts to support his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel and prejudice.

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Bluebook (online)
701 N.E.2d 1052, 122 Ohio App. 3d 424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stewart-ohioctapp-1997.