State v. Tolliver, Unpublished Decision (5-11-2006)

2006 Ohio 2312
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 11, 2006
DocketNo. 86121.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2006 Ohio 2312 (State v. Tolliver, Unpublished Decision (5-11-2006)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Tolliver, Unpublished Decision (5-11-2006), 2006 Ohio 2312 (Ohio Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION
{¶ 1} Melvin Tolliver appeals following his jury conviction on charges of aggravated burglary, kidnapping and rape. He claims that prosecutorial misconduct deprived him of a fair trial and that his conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence. We affirm.

{¶ 2} The record reveals that fifteen-year-old M.H.1 lived with her mother in a duplex in the city of Euclid. M.H.'s mother would leave for work early each morning, as was her routine, and M.H. would leave her bed and go to the living room couch where she would sleep until her friends came in the house to wake her.

{¶ 3} At the end of June 2004, M.H. was asleep on her couch when she awoke to find her friend, "Rommel," standing above her, naked from the waist down, and pulling down her sweat pants. Rommel removed her sweat pants and underwear, held her hands above her head and vaginally raped her. M.H. tried to resist and attempted to free herself, but was unable to do so. Rommel told her that "this will last forever" and that if she told anyone what he had done, he would tell them that she "wanted it."

{¶ 4} After the rape, Rommel left the house and M.H. ran to the bathroom to shower for an extended period of time because she felt "dirty." When M.H.'s mother returned from work, out of fear, M.H. did not tell her what had happened.

{¶ 5} Approximately two weeks after the incident, M.H. confided in her friend, who then persuaded M.H. to tell her mother. Her mother told M.H. that there was no need to involve the police and that she would personally handle it. M.H.'s mother then arranged a meeting with Tolliver and armed herself with a knife. During the meeting, Tolliver warned her not to use the knife because he had a gun. The meeting ended without incident, and M.H.'s mother returned home.

{¶ 6} In July, 2004, M.H.'s mother took her to the doctor for unrelated medical issues, and M.H. then told her doctor that she had been raped. The doctor contacted a social worker who then informed the police.

{¶ 7} Patricia Altiere is an intake sex abuse social worker with the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services. Altiere interviewed M.H. who told her that she was raped by Rommel Tolliver but could not tell her the exact date of the rape.

{¶ 8} Shortly after telling Ms. Altiere what happened, M.H. also told her juvenile probation officer, Steven Schubert, about the incident. Officer Schubert spoke with both M.H. and her mother and was told that the perpetrator's name was "Rommel" and that his last name was either "Tolliver" or "Pryor." Officer Schubert then searched the police database and determined that the proper name was "Melvin Tolliver," and that he was 38 years old, not 22, as M.H. and her mother had been told. Tr. 172-173. The case was then turned over to Detective Joseph Rodriguez of the Euclid Police Department.

{¶ 9} Detective Rodriguez interviewed M.H., her mother, and two of M.H.'s friends. He then reviewed the report of CCDCFS. Tolliver was then taken into custody and charged.

{¶ 10} In September 2004, Tolliver was indicted on one count of aggravated burglary, in violation of R.C. 2911.11; one count of kidnapping, in violation of R.C. 2905.01, which additionally carried a sexual motivation specification under R.C. 2941.147; one count of rape, in violation of R.C. 2907.01, and one count of intimidation, in violation of R.C. 2921.04.

{¶ 11} The case proceeded to trial, and, following a Crim.R. 29 motion, the court dismissed the fourth count of intimidation and the case proceeded on the remaining three charges. The jury found Tolliver guilty on all counts, including the sexual motivation specification, and sentencing was scheduled.

{¶ 12} At sentencing, the trial court imposed a five-year sentence on each charge, all counts to run concurrent, and imposed a five-year period of post-release control. Tolliver was also adjudicated a sexually oriented offender and ordered to register as such for ten years. Tolliver appeals from this conviction and sentence in the assignments of error set forth in the appendix to this opinion.

I. PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT

{¶ 13} In his first assignment of error, Tolliver asserts that he was deprived of a fair trial because of prosecutorial misconduct in three instances: the prosecutor's reference to his post-arrest silence, the prosecutor's questioning of a police officer which elicited testimony that the officer learned Tolliver's name through computer research, and the prosecutor's questioning of an alibi witnesses' alcohol-related convictions.

{¶ 14} The standard of review for prosecutorial misconduct is whether the comments and questions by the prosecution were improper, and, if so, whether they prejudiced appellant's substantial rights. State v. Treesh, 90 Ohio St.3d 460, 480, 2001-Ohio-4. Prosecutorial misconduct will not provide a basis for reversal unless the misconduct can be said to have deprived the appellant of a fair trial based on the entire record. Statev. Lott (1990), 51 Ohio St.3d 160, 166. "The touchstone of analysis `is the fairness of the trial, not the culpability of the prosecutor.'" State v. Gapen, 104 Ohio St.3d 358,2004-Ohio-6548, at paragraph 92, quoting Smith v. Phillips (1982), 455 U.S. 209, 219.

{¶ 15} Tolliver first contends that the following exchange with the prosecutor and Detective Rodriguez improperly referred to his post-arrest silence, and cites to the following exchange:

"Q: Do you know, if you, at anytime, had any contact withMelvin Tolliver? A: Yes. Q: Where did that take place at? A: That took place at the police station. Q: Was Mr. Tolliver in custody, at that time? A: Yes. Q: Did you advise Melvin Tolliver of his constitutionalrights? A: Yes. Q: Did you advise Melvin Tolliver that he had a right to makea statement? A: Yes." Tr. 184-185.

{¶ 16} Since Tolliver failed to object to the testimony about which he now complains, he has waived all but plain error. Statev. Slagle (1992), 65 Ohio St.3d 597. "Plain error does not exist unless it can be said that, but for the error, the outcome of the trial would clearly have been otherwise." State v. Moreland (1990), 50 Ohio St.3d 58.

{¶ 17} As this court recognized in State v. Correa (May 15, 1997), Cuyahoga App. No. 70744, quoting State v. Sabbah (1982),13 Ohio App.3d 124

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Smith v. Phillips
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552 N.E.2d 894 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1990)
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555 N.E.2d 293 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1990)
State v. Slagle
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State v. Loza
641 N.E.2d 1082 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Thompkins
678 N.E.2d 541 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Lindsey
721 N.E.2d 995 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Gapen
104 Ohio St. 3d 358 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Loza
1994 Ohio 409 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Thompkins
1997 Ohio 52 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Lindsey
2000 Ohio 465 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Treesh
2001 Ohio 4 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2001)

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2006 Ohio 2312, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tolliver-unpublished-decision-5-11-2006-ohioctapp-2006.