State v. Todd

2025 Ohio 2559
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided July 21, 2025·No. CA2024-07-046·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO WARREN COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO, :

Appellee, : CASE NO. CA2024-07-046

: OPINION AND

- vs - JUDGMENT ENTRY : 7/21/2025

LAURA L. TODD, :

Appellant. :

CRIMINAL APPEAL FROM WARREN COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS Case No. 23CR41117

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

Christopher Bazeley, for appellant.

OPINION

BYRNE, P.J.

{¶ 1} Laura Todd appeals from her convictions for menacing by stalking in the Warren County Court of Common Pleas. For the reasons that follow, we affirm Todd's

convictions.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

{¶ 2} In October 2023, a Warren County grand jury indicted Todd on (1) two felony counts of violating a protection order, (2) one felony count of menacing by stalking, and (3) one misdemeanor count of menacing by stalking.

{¶ 3} The indictment arose following allegations that Todd was stalking her ex-

boyfriend ("the victim") after their relationship ended. Todd texted the victim numerous times in a harassing manner and appeared at times to know his location. The victim subsequently obtained a protection order against Todd and she stopped the harassing communications. However, Todd later learned that the victim took a job as a property manager at his apartment complex. And over a year later, during routine maintenance on the victim's vehicle, mechanics uncovered a tracking device. Two other tracking devices were subsequently found on the victim's second vehicle. The tracking devices were linked to Todd.

{¶ 4} The matter proceeded to a bench trial. The following is a summary of the testimony relevant to this appeal.

A. Evidence at Trial

1. The Victim's Testimony

{¶ 5} The victim testified that he was employed as a deputy sheriff with the Warren County Sheriff's Office. The victim and Todd began a romantic relationship in 2019. In 2020, they moved in together, leasing a condominium for three years.

{¶ 6} In August 2021, the relationship deteriorated. The victim suggested that he and Todd move on from one another. He assumed that he and Todd could be civil with one another, and he proposed that they would continue living in the same condominium and he would sleep in the condominium's spare bedroom. Todd disagreed with this plan

and wanted the victim to move out, immediately.

{¶ 7} The state introduced numerous text messages sent by Todd to the victim during the time of the breakup. The text messages are generally harassing and uncivil. Todd repeatedly demanded that the victim move out of the condominium. According to the victim, the nature of these texts was "open-ended threats" and "get out, or else." In this regard, in the text messages, Todd repeatedly threatened to release embarrassing information about the victim, including by posting the information on Facebook. At one point, Todd mentioned that she was contemplating buying a gun. The victim perceived this as a threat because Todd had never mentioned wanting a gun during their relationship.

{¶ 8} The victim stated that he tried not to respond to the victim's text communications, in order to avoid escalation. However, he did not block her text messages because he wanted to keep a record.

{¶ 9} Among the many texts that Todd sent to the victim were internet links to a number of apartments/residences where the victim could potentially move. Among those was a link to an apartment complex called Orchards of Landen.

{¶ 10} On August 22, 2021, some of the victim's coworkers took him out to a bar.

He had been at the bar for three minutes when he received a text message from Todd stating, "Might want to get out of there, people know." The victim had no idea how Todd knew he was at the bar. He suspected a coworker had informed Todd. He began questioning his coworkers, which created animosity between him and his coworkers.

{¶ 11} The victim moved out of the condominium at the end of August 2021.

{¶ 12} On August 25, 2021, the victim petitioned the Warren County Court of Common Pleas for a domestic violence civil protection order against Todd. The victim testified that he did so because Todd's threats against him had progressed. Specifically,

Todd posted information about him online. Todd had also appeared at the Warren County Sheriff's Office and requested the victim's personnel file. On August 25, 2021, the court issued an ex parte temporary protection order, which was in effect for one year, or until August 25, 2022.

{¶ 13} Todd ceased all communication with the victim after the issuance of the protection order. However, in December 2021, Todd sent a letter to the Warren County Sheriff's Office alleging that the victim had engaged in improper conduct while performing his duties as a deputy sheriff. As a result of Todd's letter and a subsequent investigation by the sheriff's department, the victim was reprimanded and had to take counseling.

{¶ 14} The victim testified that Todd's actions to this point had caused him "more stress at the work place, more stress at home" and loss of sleep. He was also concerned about the safety of his three children.

{¶ 15} The parties appeared with counsel for several hearings on the protection order, but the matter was repeatedly continued.

{¶ 16} The victim testified that in November 2021, he moved into a residence located at the Orchards of Landen. Upon moving in, he took a job as the "courtesy officer." In this role, the victim would patrol the grounds and would be available for resident concerns, such as noise complaints.

{¶ 17} In January 2022, the victim was patrolling Orchards at Landen. He stopped by the management office and found that the doors were locked. This was unusual; it was the first time that he had ever encountered locked doors at the management office. Outside the office, he noticed a white Jeep that appeared similar to Todd's vehicle. He ultimately ran the plate and found that the Jeep was Todd's. He contacted his supervisor and let her know that Todd's jeep was on site and the protection order was still in effect.

{¶ 18} That night he went home and was concerned enough to clear his apartment

with his gun. He could not sleep that night. He later asked for permission to install security cameras outside his residence.

{¶ 19} The victim's protection order against Todd expired on August 25, 2022. The court never held a full hearing on the petition. The victim stated that he allowed the petition to expire on the advice of counsel.

{¶ 20} In December 2022, the victim took his police cruiser into the sheriff's garage for routine maintenance. He was subsequently informed that mechanics had located a tracking device on his cruiser. He then brought his personal vehicle to the garage and had it inspected. Mechanics located a second tracking device. Later, a third tracking device was found on the victim's personal vehicle after he took it to a car dealership for maintenance.

{¶ 21} The victim testified that after the discovery of the tracking devices, he was constantly looking over his shoulder. He was concerned for the safety of his children and informed their mother of what was going on with Todd.

2. Sergeant John Smith's Testimony

{¶ 22} Sergeant John Smith testified that he was assigned to criminal investigations with the Warren County Sheriff's Office. On December 21, 2022 he began an investigation after tracking devices were found on the victim's vehicle. He issued grand jury subpoenas to the manufacturer of the tracking devices and was able to identify Todd as the purchaser of the devices. He discovered that the email address associated with the purchase was Todd's mother's email address. Sergeant Smith was also able to connect internet protocol addresses associated with Todd's residence and workplace to logins at the manufacturer's tracking website.

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