State v. Tucker, Unpublished Decision (11-14-2003)

2003 Ohio 6056
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 14, 2003
DocketAppeal No. C-020821, Trial No. B-0205503.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 2003 Ohio 6056 (State v. Tucker, Unpublished Decision (11-14-2003)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Tucker, Unpublished Decision (11-14-2003), 2003 Ohio 6056 (Ohio Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

DECISION.
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant Douglas Tucker appeals from his conviction, after a jury trial, on one count each of aggravated burglary, attempted rape, kidnapping and felonious assault, along with two repeat-violent-offender specifications. After reviewing the errors assigned on appeal, we affirm.

I. Attempted Rape
{¶ 2} In the early morning hours of June 28, 2002, Jeresha Norviel, a young female college student, awakened in her Clifton apartment to find a man with a knife sitting on her bed. He threatened her with the knife and touched her breast while holding her neck locked in his arm. When he let go of her and turned his attention momentarily to undo his pants, Norviel ran free. Her intruder caught up with her at her bedroom door and punched her, causing her to fall to the floor. He continued to hit her, but she hit and kicked back and dug her nails into his face. He let up, and she ran out the front door of her apartment, out of the apartment complex, and across the street to another apartment building. The intruder exited from the back door of her apartment to the back staircase of the apartment complex, and then out a back door that led to the rear parking lot.

{¶ 3} Once across the street, Norviel began to pound on the door of Hien Pham and awakened her with her screams. Pham called the police at 2:49 a.m., and Detective Kelly DaCulvey arrived at Pham's apartment soon after the call. Upon arrival, Detective DaCulvey found Norviel hysterical. Norviel stated that a man had broken into her apartment and had tried to rape her. She identified the intruder as Doug, the maintenance man of the apartment complex where she lived. Detective DaCulvey accompanied Norviel back into her apartment, where Norviel found the name of the apartment caretaker, "Geralyn Tucker," entered in her address book. Norviel explained that she thought Geralyn and Doug were married. This information allowed Detective DaCulvey to obtain a photograph of Doug Tucker that she showed to Norviel. After Norviel identified the man in the photograph as her attacker, a radio broadcast was sent out identifying Douglas Wayne Tucker, a white male, 52, as a wanted suspect for the attack. The police learned later that Geralyn and Doug had lived together as caretakers of the apartment complex, but were never married, and that Geralyn's last name was really Thompson.

{¶ 4} Norviel was eventually transported to the Cincinnati Police Criminal Investigation Section, and then later to University Hospital for a rape examination. A serologist analyzed nail scrapings, pulled hairs and blood specimens taken from Norviel, but none of the samplings produced a result identifying a suspect. The police dusted for fingerprints in Norviel's apartment and in the apartment complex, but none of the prints were identifiable.

{¶ 5} Detective Mike Miller, an investigator with the Personal Crimes Unit of the Cincinnati Police Division, arrived at Norviel's apartment complex around 4:30 a.m. Having been informed of the suspected perpetrator, Detective Miller went to the caretaker's apartment, where he found only Geralyn's granddaughter. Detective Miller learned that Douglas Tucker no longer lived with Geralyn in the caretaker's apartment, but resided with his brother, Jerry, on Selim Avenue. The police eventually took Tucker into custody after he arrived in his red truck at the Selim Avenue residence of his brother at 5:30 a.m. The left side of his face was scratched, as if he had been in a struggle. The police advised him of his rights and obtained Tucker's signature on a consent-to-search form. A subsequent search of Tucker's truck revealed keys to the main door of Norviel's apartment complex and to Geralyn's apartment, but not a key to Norviel's individual apartment.

{¶ 6} Tucker was then transported to a Personal Crimes Unit interview room where he was again advised of his rights. After answering a few preliminary questions and allowing the police to take a few photographs, Tucker asked for an attorney. Later, Detective Miller told Tucker that he was being charged with aggravated burglary and rape. Tucker then asked, "Rape, don't that mean penetration?"

{¶ 7} Tucker was subsequently charged in a four-count indictment with aggravated burglary, attempted rape, kidnapping, and felonious assault. Each count was accompanied by a specification that Tucker was a "Repeat Violent Offender," as defined in R.C. 2929.01. Tucker waived his right to a jury trial on the specifications.

II. Changing Lawyers
{¶ 8} The trial court appointed Peter Rosenwald to represent Tucker, but Tucker later filed a pro se motion to discharge him. Rosenwald withdrew, and the court appointed Thomas Rolfes to represent Tucker. After an unsuccessful hearing on Tucker's motion to suppress his statement to Detective Miller, Tucker's jury trial began. Before testimony commenced the following day, Tucker requested that Rolfes be removed as trial counsel, and that he be permitted to proceed pro se. But after discussing the issue with the trial court, Tucker decided that he did not want to proceed pro se. His request to remove defense counsel was denied, and the trial continued. Tucker was found guilty as charged on all counts. The court then continued the case for a hearing on the repeat-violent-offender specifications.

{¶ 9} Prior to the hearing, Tucker filed a pro se motion for a new trial and a document captioned "motion for acquittal." As these motions contained unfavorable allegations against trial counsel, Rolfes was permitted to withdraw, and Chris McEvilley was assigned to the case. Subsequently, the court overruled Tucker's motions and found him guilty of the repeat-violent-offender specifications accompanying the attempted-rape and felonious-assault counts. The other two specifications were dismissed. Finally, the court found Tucker to be a sexual predator and imposed a 36-year term of incarceration for the convictions. On appeal, Tucker now raises six assignments of error.

III. The Motion to Suppress the "Penetration" Statement
{¶ 10} Tucker invoked his right to counsel after answering preliminary questions and allowing the police to take a few photographs. At that point, questioning ceased. Later, when told that he was being charged with aggravated burglary and rape, Tucker asked, "Rape, don't that mean penetration?" Tucker sought to suppress this statement below. The trial court's denial of Tucker's motion to suppress is the subject of Tucker's first assignment of error.

{¶ 11} Appellate review of a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress is a two-step process. First, the trial court's findings of facts are given deference and reviewed only for clear error.1 Second, the appellate court engages in a de novo review, without deference to the trial court's conclusions, as to whether those facts meet the applicable legal standards.2 We begin with a review of an accused's privilege against self-incrimination — in a custodial setting after an attorney has been requested.

{¶ 12}

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Bluebook (online)
2003 Ohio 6056, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tucker-unpublished-decision-11-14-2003-ohioctapp-2003.