State v. Tomlinson

2021 Ohio 1301
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 15, 2021
Docket109614
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 2021 Ohio 1301 (State v. Tomlinson) 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. Tomlinson, 2021 Ohio 1301 (Ohio Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Tomlinson, 2021-Ohio-1301.]

COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

STATE OF OHIO, :

Plaintiff-Appellee, : No. 109614 v. :

JAMES TOMLINSON, :

Defendant-Appellant. :

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: April 15, 2021

Criminal Appeal from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CR-19-637535-A

Appearances:

Michael C. O’Malley, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, and Ryan Bokoch, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

Allison F. Hibbard; and Friedman & Gilbert, L.L.C., and Mary Catherine Corrigan, for appellant.

LARRY A. JONES, SR., P.J.:

Defendant-appellant James Tomlinson (“Tomlinson”) appeals his

convictions that were rendered after a jury trial. For the reasons that follow, we

affirm. Procedural History

Tomlinson was charged in a 28-count indictment with crimes

relating to three shootings that occurred in Cleveland, Ohio over an approximate

four-month period, as well as crimes arising from his arrest and an alleged attempt

to intimidate victims.

The first shooting occurred on March 29, 2018, and the charges

relative to it were as follows: Counts 1 and 2, attempted murder of Carl Willis

(“Willis”) and Kenneth Dunnican (“Dunnican”), respectively; and Counts 3 and 4,

felonious assault of Willis and Dunnican, respectively. Counts 1 through 4

contained one-, three-, and five-year firearm specifications. Tomlinson was also

charged with Counts 5 and 6, felonious assault of Willis and Dunnican,

respectively; and Counts 7 and 8, discharge of firearm on or near prohibited

premises, with Willis and Kenneth Dunnican, respectively, as the victims. Counts

5 through 8 contained one- and three-year firearm specifications.

The second shooting occurred on June 10, 2018, and the charges

relative to that incident were as follows: Counts 9, 10, and 11, attempted murder of

Willis, Dajah Carter (“Carter”), and Tamara Lee (“Lee”), respectively; and Counts

12, 13, and 14, felonious assault of Willis, Carter, and Lee, respectively. Counts 9

through 14 contained one- and three-year firearm specifications. Tomlinson was

also charged in Counts 15 and 16 with intimidation of crime victim or witness. The

charges were related to alleged threats he made against Carter and Lee that were

recorded in jail calls. The last shooting occurred on July 30, 2018, and resulted in a single

charge, Count 17, discharge of firearm on or near prohibited premises, with no

named victim. The count contained one- and three-year firearm specifications.

When Tomlinson was arrested, drugs, money, and a cell phone were

found on his person, and resulted in the following charges: Count 18, trafficking;

Count 19, drug possession; and Count 20, possessing criminal tools. Counts 18

through 20 contained forfeiture of money and forfeiture of cell phone

specifications.

Tomlinson was further charged in Count 21 with tampering with

evidence. The charge related to the weapon that was linked to the crimes and

found hidden in his mother’s house that was searched pursuant to a warrant. The

remaining counts, Counts 22 through 28, charged having weapons while under

disability.

Prior to trial, Tomlinson filed a motion for relief from prejudicial

joinder and a motion to suppress. A hearing was held on both motions, at the

conclusion of which they were denied. The matter then proceeded to a jury trial.

Prior to the jury’s deliberations, the state dismissed Counts 15 and 16, the two

intimidation counts. The jury found Tomlinson not guilty of Counts 9 and 10,

attempted murder of Willis and Carter (June 10, 2018 shooting), but found him

guilty of the remaining counts and specifications. The trial court sentenced

Tomlinson to a 31-year prison term. Factual Background

The state presented numerous witnesses at trial, consisting of

several law enforcement officials, a forensic scientist from the Cuyahoga County

Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, and a forensic firearm and tool-marks

scientist from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. None of the

victims to the crimes testified. The state had subpoenaed victims Carter and Lee

but they failed to appear. The testimony presented at trial demonstrated the

following.

March 29, 2018 Drive-by Shooting

Sergeant Christopher Mobley (“Sergeant Mobley”), a Cleveland

police detective in the gang-impact unit, testified that he had been monitoring the

Instagram accounts of Tomlinson, who goes by the nickname “Whoadie,” and

another individual named Datuan Whitfield (“Whitfield”). He monitored the

accounts because of feuds among different neighborhood groups. On the day of

the March shooting, Sergeant Mobley was viewing a live video on Tomlinson’s

Instagram account driving in a vehicle and “posting” with firearms. The sergeant

recorded the video on his phone; it was played for the jury at trial and admitted

into evidence.

During the course of the video, Gray Avenue was mentioned.

Sergeant Mobley was aware that there had recently been a murder on Gray

Avenue, and he was also aware that Tomlinson and Whitfield were illegally

possessing the firearms. As such, Sergeant Mobley proceeded to the area and advised a unit to respond as well. Just prior to arriving to the area, dispatch

informed the sergeant that there had been a shooting in the area on East 115th

Street that intersects with Gray Avenue.

Members of the gang-impact unit responded to the scene and

learned that a resident’s home security camera had captured the shooting. The

police recovered the footage that showed a vehicle driving northbound on East

115th Street past a parked car and someone in the moving vehicle shooting several

times into the parked car.

Two people were shot: Willis and Dunnican. The vehicle in which

Willis and Dunnican had been in had multiple bullet defects. The police recovered

14 nine millimeter cartridge casings from the scene, ten of which it was determined

had been discharged from a specific 9 mm Glock-26 weapon. Sergeant Mobley

testified that five days after the shooting, Tomlinson stated in a video on his

Instagram account, registered as “whoadiebackhome,” “we don’t miss bitch. Ask

Ken bitch.”

June 10, 2018 Shooting

The June 10, 2018 shooting happened near a gas station on St. Clair

Avenue in Cleveland. There were three victims ─ Carter, Lee, and Willis ─ who

were shot at while they were in a vehicle. After the shooting, Carter and Lee called

the police and remained on the scene. Cleveland Police officer Orlando Rivera

(“Officer Rivera”) arrived on the scene and spoke with Carter and Lee; the officer’s

interaction with them was recorded on his body camera. Carter and Lee told the officer that the shooter was “Whoadie.” The officer testified that the two victims

were “very excited and emotional about what had just happened to them.” At the

time Carter and Lee identified the shooter, approximately 40 minutes had passed

since the shooting had occurred. Footage from Officer Rivera’s body camera was

played for the jury.

Detectives Donald Kopchak (“Detective Kopchak”) and Kevin

Warnock (“Detective Warnock”) of the Cleveland Police Department were assigned

to investigate the June shooting. Like Sergeant Mobley, Detective Kopchak had

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Bluebook (online)
2021 Ohio 1301, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tomlinson-ohioctapp-2021.