State v. Swiderski, Unpublished Decision (12-16-2005)

2005 Ohio 6705
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 16, 2005
DocketNo. 2004-L-112.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 2005 Ohio 6705 (State v. Swiderski, Unpublished Decision (12-16-2005)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Swiderski, Unpublished Decision (12-16-2005), 2005 Ohio 6705 (Ohio Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} Appellant, Frank Z. Swiderski, appeals from the judgments of the Lake County Court of Common Pleas, sentencing him to an aggregate prison term of thirty months and adjudicating him as a sexual predator. For the following reasons, we affirm.

{¶ 2} On July 1, 2003, the Lake County Grand Jury indicted appellant on eight counts of gross sexual imposition, each count a fourth degree felony in violation of R.C. 2907.05(A)(1); three counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, each count a fourth degree felony in violation of R.C.2907.322(A)(5); and four counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, each count a fourth degree felony in violation of R.C.2907.321(A)(5). At his arraignment, appellant pleaded not guilty to the foregoing charges.

{¶ 3} On January 12, 2004, appellant entered a written guilty plea to one count of gross sexual imposition and two counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor. The written guilty plea did not include a recommended sentence.

{¶ 4} During a change of plea hearing, the court advised appellant of his constitutional and non-constitutional rights incident to trial. Appellant acknowledged that he understood these rights and that his guilty plea would act to waive these rights. The court then accepted appellant's guilty plea and convicted him on one count of gross sexual imposition and two counts of pandering sexually oriented matter.

{¶ 5} This matter proceeded to a sentencing hearing and sexual offender classification hearing, which were held contemporaneously. During the hearing, the court considered the testimony and report of Dr. John Fabian ("Dr. Fabian"), and the report of Dr. Michael Arnoff ("Dr. Arnoff"), regarding two separate psychological evaluations of appellant. Also, the court considered the submitted pre-sentence investigation report.

{¶ 6} The evidence established that appellant's convictions were based upon his improper sexual contact with a foreign exchange student and his possession of pornographic pictures depicting minor males engaging in various sexual activities. The victim of the improper sexual contact was a seventeen-year-old, male foreign exchange student. Appellant was acting as the victim's host parent when the improper sexual contact occurred.

{¶ 7} At the conclusion of the hearing, the court discussed the relevant sentencing and recidivism factors and pronounced its sentence. The court sentenced appellant to a fifteen-month prison term on each of the two counts of pandering sexually oriented material, with the prison terms to run concurrently. The court also sentenced appellant to a fifteen-month prison term on the single count of gross sexual imposition. The fifteen-month prison term for gross sexual imposition was to be served consecutive to the concurrent fifteen-month prison term for pandering sexually oriented material.

{¶ 8} On June 24, 2004, the court issued a judgment entry which re-stated its findings and sentence. The judgment entry also included the court's determinations with respect to appellant's sexual offender classification. Based upon its findings, the court adjudicated appellant as a sexual predator.

{¶ 9} From this judgment, appellant filed a timely notice of appeal and now sets forth the following five assignments of error:

{¶ 10} "[1.] The trial court's sentence violated Blakely v.Washington * * * and the case must be remanded for a new sentencing hearing.

{¶ 11} "[2.] The trial court's consecutive sentence violated the Ohio Supreme Court's requirement that consecutive sentences are reserved for the worst offenses and worst offenders pursuant to State v. Comer * * *.

{¶ 12} "[3.] The court's conclusion that the appellant is not amenable to an available community control sanction is not supported by the record.

{¶ 13} "[4.] The trial court failed to ensure that the 30 month sentence imposed on the appellant was consistent with similar sentences imposed on similar offenders in violation of R.C. 2929.11(B).

{¶ 14} "[5.] The evidence is insufficient to sustain a finding that the appellant is a sexual predator."

{¶ 15} Under his first assignment of error, appellant contends that, per Blakely v. Washington (2004),124 S.Ct. 2531, the trial court erred by sentencing him to a non-minimum prison term and consecutive prison terms. We disagree.

{¶ 16} In Blakely, the defendant pleaded guilty to kidnapping involving the use of a firearm, a class B felony. In the state of Washington, the statutory maximum for a class B felony was ten years; however, other provisions of Washington law limited the range of sentences a judge could impose. Consequently, the "standard" statutory range for the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty was forty-nine to fifty-three months. Although the guidelines set forth the "standard" sentence, a court could enlarge the "standard" sentence if it found any of a non-exhaustive list of aggravating factors justifying the departure. In Blakely, the trial court determined the defendant acted with "deliberate cruelty" and imposed a sentence of ninety-months, a thirty-seven month upward departure from the "standard."

{¶ 17} The United States Supreme Court reversed the sentence, holding a trial court may not extend a defendant's sentence beyond the statutory maximum when the facts supporting the enhanced sentence are neither admitted by the defendant nor found by the jury. Id. The court defined the statutory maximum as "the maximum sentence a judge may impose solely on the basis of thefacts reflected in the jury verdict or admitted by thedefendant." (Emphasis sic.) Id. at 2537.

{¶ 18} Appellant maintains that the court's imposition of non-minimum prison terms and consecutive prison-terms exceeded the statutory maximum. Therefore, appellant concludes that, in exceeding the statutory maximum, the court made statutory findings not made by a jury or admitted by appellant, thereby violating Blakely and depriving him of due process.

{¶ 19} With respect to the non-minimum prison terms, appellant was convicted on three separate fourth degree felonies. The statutory minimum prison-term for a fourth degree felony is six months, while the statutory maximum prison-term is eighteen months. The trial court sentenced appellant to prison terms of fifteen months on each fourth degree felony.

{¶ 20} R.C. 2929.14(B) states:

{¶ 21} "(B) * * * if the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony elects or is required to impose a prison term on the offender, the court shall impose the shortest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section, unless one or more of the following applies:

{¶ 22} "(1) The offender was serving a prison term at the time of the offense, or the offender previously served a prison term.

{¶ 23}

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Bluebook (online)
2005 Ohio 6705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-swiderski-unpublished-decision-12-16-2005-ohioctapp-2005.