State v. Strattman

Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided July 27, 2026·No. CA2025-08-066; CA2025-08-067·Published

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO WARREN COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO, :

CASE NOS. CA2025-08-066

Appellee, : CA2025-08-067

vs. : OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY

DAZION TERRELL ANTONIO : 7/27/2026 STRATTMAN, :

Appellant.

:

CRIMINAL APPEAL FROM WARREN COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS Case Nos. 24CR42129; 25CR42718

David P. Fornshell, Warren County Prosecuting Attorney, and Kirsten A. Brandt, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

Johnna M. Shia, for appellant.

OPINION

PIPER, J.

{¶ 1} Appellant, Dazion Strattman, appeals his conviction and sentence in the Warren County Court of Common Pleas following a jury trial. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand to the trial court for further

CA2025-08-067

proceedings.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

{¶ 2} On October 20, 2024, Strattman, Jeremy Evans, and Devontrae Williams robbed the Verizon store on Towne Boulevard in Middletown, Ohio. Evans and Strattman entered the store at approximately 4:15 p.m. wearing hoodies, masks, and gloves, while Williams remained in a white sedan as the getaway driver.

{¶ 3} At that time, store manager Jamarcus Crosby, employee Alex Phifer, other Verizon employees, and customers were present inside. Upon entering, Evans went directly to the door to the inventory room at the back of the store. Strattman approached Crosby on the sales floor and demanded, "Where the phones at?" "We're not here to play," and "Take me to the phones." Evans and Strattman kept their hands in their pockets, leading Crosby and the other store occupants to believe they had guns. Crosby then led Strattman to the inventory room.

{¶ 4} After Crosby opened the inventory room, Evans began placing phones into a trash bag. Strattman handed another trash bag to Crosby and ordered him to fill it with phones. Unknown to Evans and Strattman, Crosby had activated a panic button when he admitted them into the inventory room and had placed a GPS tracking device disguised as a phone into the bag he was filling. Evans and Strattman then exited through the store's rear door near the inventory room, entered the white sedan, and fled.

{¶ 5} At the same time that Evans, Strattman, and Crosby were in the inventory room, Phifer directed everyone else in the store outside and called 9-1-1 to report the robbery. Middletown Police Officer Brian Singleton responded to the store at 4:17 p.m., while Phifer remained on the 9-1-1 call. Singleton and another officer checked the store, but the robbers had already left.

CA2025-08-067

{¶ 6} Using security-camera recordings and the tracking device, officers traced the robbers to a Star Wireless store in Green Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. Green Township police responded to the store and found Strattman, Evans, and Williams inside. Strattman was wearing a backpack, and two trash bags containing cell phones were lying on the counter.

{¶ 7} Strattman, Evans, and Williams fled on foot. Officer Tyler Bridwell eventually arrested Strattman, seized his backpack, and quickly checked inside seeing cell phones. Middletown police later obtained a warrant to search the backpack. The search revealed cell phones taken from the Verizon store and other evidence connected to the robbery.

{¶ 8} Strattman was indicted by the Warren County Grand Jury on November 12, 2024 for first-degree felony aggravated robbery, first-degree felony kidnapping, fourth- degree felony theft, and fifth-degree felony possession of criminal tools (Case No. 24CR42129). Strattman entered not guilty pleas and, on March 21, 2025, filed a motion to suppress the evidence discovered in the search of his backpack. The trial court conducted an evidentiary hearing on Strattman's motion to suppress on April 15, 2025. By entry of May 6, 2025, the trial court denied Strattman's motion to suppress.

{¶ 9} Strattman waived his right to a jury trial and the matter proceeded to a joint bench trial involving Strattman, Evans, and Williams on May 12-13, 2025. The trial court found Strattman guilty of second-degree felony robbery, as a lesser included offense of the aggravated robbery charge returned in the indictment, second-degree felony kidnapping as the victim was released in a safe place unharmed, theft as charged, and possession of criminal tools as charged.

{¶ 10} While Strattman's sentencing was pending he was indicted in a separate case with third-degree felony bribery (Case No. 25CR42718). On July 31, 2025,

CA2025-08-067

Strattman entered a guilty plea to the bribery charge. The trial court then proceeded to conduct a sentencing hearing for both the Verizon store robbery and the bribery cases. The trial court merged the theft and robbery convictions and sentenced Strattman to a six- to eight-year prison term for robbery, a consecutive two-year prison term for kidnapping, and a concurrent twelve-month prison term for possession of criminal tools. The trial court sentenced Strattman to a nine-month prison term for the bribery offense, which was ordered to be served consecutively to the prison terms imposed in the Verizon store robbery case.

{¶ 11} Strattman filed a notice of appeal on August 1, 2025. On appeal, he raises six assignments of error for our review.1 II. Legal Analysis

{¶ 12} Assignment of Error No. 1:

{¶ 13} THE COURT ERRED WHEN IT OVERRULED STRATTMAN'S MOTION TO SUPPRESS.

{¶ 14} In his first assignment of error, Strattman asserts the police did not have probable cause to arrest him and search his backpack without a warrant. Strattman contends that Officer Bridwell unlawfully searched his backpack at the time of the arrest because there was no probable cause for the arrest, and the search warrant that was obtained after the fact did not cure the warrantless search because it relied in part upon the stolen cell phones that were observed inside the backpack by Bridwell.

{¶ 15} Appellate review of a ruling on a motion to suppress presents a mixed question of law and fact. State v. Hentenaar, 2020-Ohio-4503, ¶ 8 (12th Dist.). The trial

1. On April 22, 2026, Strattman filed a motion for leave to supplement his brief with the sixth assignment of error, which this court granted. Strattman filed his supplemental brief on May 20, 2026, and the State filed a supplemental brief in response on June 1, 2026.

CA2025-08-067

court serves as the trier of fact and is therefore best positioned to resolve factual questions and evaluate witness credibility. We must accept the trial court's findings of fact if supported by competent, credible evidence. Id. But we independently review the trial court's application of law to those facts, without deference, to determine whether the facts satisfy the applicable legal standard. Id.

{¶ 16} "It is well established that searches conducted without a warrant are per se unreasonable, subject to certain 'jealously and carefully drawn' exceptions." State v. Smith, 2009-Ohio-6426, ¶ 10, quoting Jones v. United States, 357 U.S. 493, 499 (1958). A "search incident to arrest" is a well-established exception to the general rule against warrantless searches that allows arresting officers to search both an arrestee's person and the area within the arrestee's immediate control. Smith at ¶ 11, citing Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 762-763 (1969). "The exception derives from interests in officer safety and evidence preservation that are typically implicated in arrest situations." Arizona v. Gant, 556 U.S. 332, 338 (2009).

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