State v. Vintson, Unpublished Decision (11-19-2007)

2007 Ohio 6141
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 19, 2007
DocketNo. 06CA009066.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2007 Ohio 6141 (State v. Vintson, Unpublished Decision (11-19-2007)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Vintson, Unpublished Decision (11-19-2007), 2007 Ohio 6141 (Ohio Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY
This cause was heard upon the record in the trial court. Each error assigned has been reviewed and the following disposition is made:

{¶ 1} Appellant, Sheldon Vintson, appeals from his convictions in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas. This Court affirms.

I.
{¶ 2} In the early morning hours of November 7, 2005, Appellant, Sheldon Vintson, was riding his bicycle home from the Oberlin Inn, where he had spent the evening drinking and watching a football game. Vintson rode past 66 N. Pleasant St., where three Oberlin College students were playing a drinking game on the porch. The students had been throwing beer bottles off the porch and into the street and sidewalk. Vintson stopped in front of the house to confront the students *Page 2 because he thought they were throwing bottles at him. Vintson accused the students of throwing beer bottles at him and popping the tires on his bike. A verbal confrontation ensued. Vintson told them "I'll show you." Vintson left the house and went to his home to retrieve his shotgun. Shortly thereafter, Vintson returned to 66 N. Pleasant St. and fired a shot into the house. Vintson claims that the shot was fired accidentally. He then remounted his bicycle and rode towards his house.

{¶ 3} One of the students immediately called the police to report that Vintson had shot at them. The police arrived at Vintson's house shortly before he returned. He saw the police as he approached his house. Vintson held the shotgun behind his back with his left hand and maneuvered the bicycle with his right hand. After repeated police orders to stop bicycling and lower himself and his gun to the ground, Vintson eventually complied. The police arrested Vintson.

{¶ 4} In December of 2005, Vintson was indicted on one count of having a weapon while under disability, in violation of R.C. 2923.13(A)(2), a felony of the third degree, one count of obstructing official business, in violation of R.C. 2921.31(A), a felony of the fifth degree, one count of improper discharge of a firearm into a habitation, in violation of R.C. 2923.161(A)(1), a felony of the second degree, and one count of unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance, in violation of R.C.2923.17(A), a felony of the fifth degree. All charges contained firearm specifications. *Page 3

{¶ 5} Vintson's case proceeded to trial before a jury on August 7, 2006. On the second day of trial, the State moved to dismiss the unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance charge. The jury convicted Vintson on the remaining three counts. On October 16, 2006, Vintson was sentenced to three years incarceration on the having a weapon while under disability conviction, eight months incarceration on the obstructing official business conviction and six years incarceration for the improper discharge of a firearm into a habitation conviction. Vintson was ordered to serve these sentences concurrently. Vintson was sentenced to an additional three years incarceration for the firearm specifications for an aggregate sentence of nine years incarceration. Vintson timely appealed his convictions, raising three assignments of error for our review. We have combined two of Vintson's assignments of error to facilitate our review.

II.
ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR I
"THE CONVICTION FOR IMPROPERLY DISCHARGING A FIREARM AT OR INTO A HABITATION WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE."

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR II
"THE CONVICTION FOR OBSTRUCTING OFFICIAL BUSINESS WAS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE AND AGAINST THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE."

{¶ 6} In his first assignment of error, Vintson contends that his conviction for improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation was against the *Page 4 manifest weight of the evidence. In his second assignment of error, Vintson asserts that his conviction for obstructing official business was against the manifest weight of the evidence and was not supported by the sufficiency of the evidence. We disagree.

{¶ 7} Crim.R. 29(A) provides that a trial court "shall order the entry of a judgment of acquittal * * * if the evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction of such offense or offenses." A trial court may not grant an acquittal by authority of Crim.R. 29(A) if the record demonstrates that reasonable minds can reach different conclusions as to whether each material element of a crime has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Wolfe (1988), 51 Ohio App.3d 215, 216. In making this determination, all evidence must be construed in a light most favorable to the prosecution. Id.

{¶ 8} "While the test for sufficiency requires a determination of whether the state has met its burden of production at trial, a manifest weight challenge questions whether the state has met its burden of persuasion." State v. Gulley (Mar. 15, 2000), 9th Dist. No. 19600, at *1, citing State v. Thompkins (1997), 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 390 (Cook, J., concurring). Further,

"[b]ecause sufficiency is required to take a case to the jury, a finding that a conviction is supported by the weight of the evidence must necessarily include a finding of sufficiency. Thus, a determination that [a] conviction is supported by the weight of the evidence will also be dispositive of the issue of sufficiency." (Emphasis omitted.) State v. Roberts (Sept. 17, 1997), 9th Dist. No. 96CA006462, at *2.

*Page 5

Therefore, we will address Vintson's claims that his convictions for improperly discharging a firearm and obstructing official business are against the manifest weight of the evidence first, as they are dispositive of both Vintson's first assignment of error and his claim of insufficiency in his second assignment of error.

{¶ 9} When a defendant asserts that his conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence,

"an appellate court must review the entire record, weigh the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider the credibility of witnesses and determine whether, in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the trier of fact clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered." State v. Otten (1986), 33 Ohio App.3d 339, 340.

This discretionary power should be invoked only in extraordinary circumstances when the evidence presented weighs heavily in favor of the defendant. Id. The Ohio Supreme Court recently examined the criminal manifest weight of the evidence standard in State v. Wilson,113 Ohio St.3d 382, 2007-Ohio-2202. In Wilson, the Court reaffirmed theThompkins standard, explaining:

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Bluebook (online)
2007 Ohio 6141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-vintson-unpublished-decision-11-19-2007-ohioctapp-2007.