State v. Videen

2013 Ohio 1364
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 5, 2013
Docket25183
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 2013 Ohio 1364 (State v. Videen) 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. Videen, 2013 Ohio 1364 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Videen, 2013-Ohio-1364.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT MONTGOMERY COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO : : Appellate Case No. 25183 Plaintiff-Appellee : : Trial Court Case No. 11-CR-3378 v. : : LANCE G. VIDEEN : (Criminal Appeal from : (Common Pleas Court) Defendant-Appellant : : ...........

OPINION

Rendered on the 5th day of April, 2013.

...........

MATHIAS H. HECK, JR., by KIRSTEN A. BRANDT, Atty. Reg. #0070162, Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Appellate Division, Montgomery County Courts Building, P.O. Box 972, 301 West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio 45422 Attorney for Plaintiff-Appellee

BRENT E. RAMBO, Atty. Reg. #0076969, Flanagan, Lieberman, Hoffman & Swaim, 15 West Fourth Street, Suite 250, Dayton, Ohio 45402 Attorney for Defendant-Appellant

.............

FAIN, P.J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant Lance G. Videen appeals from his conviction and

sentence, following a trial to the bench, upon two counts of Illegal Use of a Minor in 2

Nudity-Oriented Material or Performance, in violation of R.C. 2907.323(A)(3). Videen

contends that the trial court erred by overruling his motion to suppress evidence obtained from

the search of his laptop computer hard drive. Although Videen consented in writing to the

search, he contends that his will was overborne during custodial interrogation, as a result of

which his consent to the search was not knowing and voluntary. We conclude that the record,

which includes an audiovisual recording of the custodial interrogation, does not support

Videen’s claim.

{¶ 2} Videen also contends that the trial court erred in overruling his motion for a

judgment of acquittal, under Crim.R. 29. Specifically, he contends that the photographs

forming the basis for the charges, while constituting photographs of nude underage boys, do

not satisfy the requirement that the “nudity constitutes a lewd exhibition or involves a graphic

focus on the genitals,” which was engrafted upon the statute by State v. Young, 37 Ohio St.3d

249, 525 N.E.2d 1363 (1988), paragraph one of syllabus. We agree in part. One of the two

photographs, Exhibit 6 in the trial court, satisfies the requirement beyond a reasonable doubt,

based upon the prominence of the boy’s nude buttocks and his provocative stance. The other

photograph, which features another, nude underage boy in a bathroom, turned sideways, but

slightly away from the camera, does not satisfy the requirement beyond a reasonable doubt.

{¶ 3} Videen also claims that there is insufficient proof that the images stored on his

computer were of real, as opposed to virtual, children. We disagree. The images appear to

be photographs of real children, and the finder of fact is competent to make that

determination. State v. Tooley, 114 Ohio St.3d 366, 2007-Ohio-3698, 872 N.E.2d 894, ¶ 54.

{¶ 4} Next, Videen contends that the trial court, in its questioning of the State’s 3

witness (after questioning by both parties), crossed the line and became less than fair and

impartial, by supplying, through its questioning, evidence on the element of recklessness.

Videen contends that the State had presented no evidence that he recklessly possessed or

viewed the photographs stored on his laptop computer hard drive. We disagree. From both

Videen’s custodial interrogation, the audiovisual record of which had been received in

evidence, and the direct testimony of the State’s witness, it was clear that Videen knowingly

possessed the photographs. The trial court’s questions merely clarified evidence that had

already been received concerning the files in which the photographs were stored on the hard

drive, Videen’s familiarity with the files, and the fact that the file names were originated by

him.

{¶ 5} Finally, Videen contends that the indictment is defective, because it fails to

allege that the photographs forming the basis for the indictment constitute a lewd depiction or

involve a graphic focus on the genitals. The indictment charged both offenses in the words of

the statute. This is sufficient. State v. Sullivan, 2d Dist. Montgomery No. 23948,

2011-Ohio-2976, ¶ 27, followed.

{¶ 6} Accordingly, Videen’s conviction based upon Exhibit 5 is Reversed, his

conviction based upon Exhibit 6 is Affirmed, and this cause is Remanded for re-sentencing,

the trial court having imposed a single period of community control sanctions for both

offenses.

I. Videen Is Arrested for Disorderly Conduct, Is Interrogated, and

Gives Written Consent for a Search of his Laptop Computer [Cite as State v. Videen, 2013-Ohio-1364.] {¶ 7} Videen was arrested by a Riverside police officer for Disorderly Conduct, as a

result of an offer he had made in a park to an eleven-year-old boy to cause the boy’s penis to

grow larger. In a room at the Riverside police station, Videen was interrogated by Sergeant

Harold Jones. The entirety of the interrogation was the subject of an audiovisual recording,

which was admitted in evidence both at a suppression hearing and at trial.

{¶ 8} Jones reviewed with Videen a written form reciting, and waiving, Videen’s

rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966).

Videen expressed concern about the phrasing “anything you say can and will be used against

you in [sic] court of law.” Videen said he understood the concept, but that this part of the

form was phrased badly. Jones agreed with him. Videen said that he understood everything

else in the form.

{¶ 9} Although Videen said he had no problem with the form, he kept failing to sign

it, while talking about other things. More than once, Jones told Videen that he could not

continue to talk with Videen unless Videen signed the consent. Jones told Videen that he

could decline to talk, in which event, Jones would turn him over to other police officers for

transportation to jail. When Videen complained that he was being threatened with going to

jail unless he signed the Miranda waiver, Jones clarified that Videen was going to go to jail on

the Disorderly Conduct charge in any event, but that if he wanted to talk with Jones first, he

needed to sign the waiver.

{¶ 10} The waiver form specified that Videen was being interviewed “in regards to

the crime(s) of computer crimes possible porn issues.” Videen complained that this was

inaccurate, since he had only been arrested for Disorderly Conduct. Jones responded by

telling Videen that “you may be in deeper water than you think.” After some further 5

discussion, Jones reiterated that he could not continue talking to Videen without Videen’s

signing the waiver form. Finally, when Jones said he would have to leave unless Videen

signed the waiver, Videen signed it. This was almost seven minutes after the Miranda waiver

was first presented to Videen. As Videen signed the waiver, he complained that Jones was

being “pushy,” and was not being fair to him.

{¶ 11} After talking with Videen for a while, Jones told Videen that he thought

Videen liked little boys, and had child porn on his computer. Jones told Videen that unless

Videen could persuade him otherwise, Jones would proceed with child pornography charges.

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Related

State v. Johnson
2020 Ohio 4928 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2020)
State v. Vaughn
2019 Ohio 1026 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Videen
2017 Ohio 8608 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2017)
State v. Cassel
2016 Ohio 3479 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2016)

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2013 Ohio 1364, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-videen-ohioctapp-2013.