State v. Warren

696 N.E.2d 1111, 91 Ohio Misc. 2d 8, 1997 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 317
CourtLucas County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedMarch 26, 1997
DocketNo. CR80-6914
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 696 N.E.2d 1111 (State v. Warren) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Lucas County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Warren, 696 N.E.2d 1111, 91 Ohio Misc. 2d 8, 1997 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 317 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1997).

Opinion

FREDERICK H. McDonald, Judge.

This case is before the court on Ralph D. Warren’s petition for postconviction relief filed pursuant to R.C. 2953.21. The state of Ohio has filed a memorandum in opposition to Warren’s petition for postconviction relief. For the reasons that follow, I find that Warren’s motion for postconviction relief should be denied.

I.FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On November 26,1980, Warren was indicted in Lucas County on one count of aggravated trafficking in cocaine in violation of R.C. 2925.03(A)(1).

2. Warren was represented at trial by attorney Terry Jones.

3. On May 28, 1981, a jury found Warren guilty of aggravated trafficking.

4. On July 22, 1981, Warren was sentenced by the court to incarceration for a period of eighteen months to ten years. The court, however, suspended the [10]*10sentence and placed Warren on probation for two years upon the condition that he serve thirty days at the Lucas County Correctional Center.

5. Warren was notified by the court at sentencing of his right to appeal his conviction. However, no direct appeal was ever filed by Warren.

6. A portion of the court reporter’s notes for the 1981 aggravated drug trafficking case was accidentally destroyed, along with other notes taken in other cases, by water in the basement of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas and, therefore, is unavailable for transcription and review by this court.

7. In 1986, Warren pled guilty to drug abuse in this court. The 1981 conviction was used to raise the drug abuse offense from a first-degree misdemeanor to a felony.

8. In 1991, Warren was convicted of various offenses in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The 1981 and 1986 convictions were used to enhance Warren’s federal sentence.

9. On November 7, 1994, Warren filed a petition for postconviction relief pursuant to R.C. 2953.21, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel in the 1981' aggravated drug trafficking case.

10. In an August 14, 1996 opinion and judgment entry, Warren was granted an evidentiary hearing on the issue of whether his attorney’s failure to interview or subpoena a witness constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. The defense of laches was also an issue at the hearing. The state was granted summary judgment on all remaining issues in Warren’s petition for postconviction relief.

11. On October 10, 1996, an evidentiary hearing was ultimately held and testimony was presented on the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel and the defense of laches. Both Warren and the state were ordered to submit post-hearing briefs.

II. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

In support of his petition for postconviction relief, Warren argues that his Sixth Amendment right to effective counsel was violated when his attorney failed to interview and subpoena his brother, Charles Warren, as a witness for his 1981 trial. The state, however, counters that Warren has not met his burden of establishing that his attorney’s refusal to interview or subpoena Charles constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel. The state further argues that it has established that Warren’s petition for postconviction relief should be barred by the defense of laches.

[11]*11A. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

The Ohio Supreme Court in State v. Bradley (1989), 42 Ohio St.3d 136, 538 N.E.2d 373, paragraph two of syllabus, rehearing denied (1989), 43 Ohio St.3d 712, 541 N.E.2d 78, certiorari denied (1990), 497 U.S. 1011, 110 S.Ct. 3258, 111 L.Ed.2d 768, rehearing denied (1990), 497 U.S. 1050, 111 S.Ct. 16, 111 L.Ed.2d 830, applied a two-prong test announced by the United States Supreme Court in Strickland v. Washington (1984), 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674, rehearing denied, 467 U.S. 1267, 104 S.Ct. 3562, 82 L.Ed.2d 864, for determining ineffective assistance of counsel. In Bradley, the court held:

“Counsel’s performance will not be deemed ineffective unless and until counsel’s performance is proved to have fallen below an objective standard of reasonable representation and, in-addition, prejudice arises from counsel’s performance. (State v. Lytle [1976], 48 Ohio St.2d 391, 2 O.O.3d 495, 358 N.E.2d 623; Strickland v. Washington [1984], 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674, followed.)” Id. at paragraph two of the syllabus.

In order to satisfy the prejudice requirement, “[t]he defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would be different.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068, 80 L.Ed.2d at 698. The United States Supreme Court defines a reasonable probability as “a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” Id. Both prongs of the Strickland test (counsel’s performance falling below reasonable representation and prejudice) must be met in order to deem counsel ineffective. Id.

Additionally, there is a presumption in Ohio that a licensed attorney is competent, and, as a result of this presumption, the petitioner must prove that counsel was ineffective. State v. Pattin (Aug. 7, 1992), Lucas App. No. L-91-339, unreported, 1992 WL 185664, citing State v. Hamblin (1988), 37 Ohio St.3d 153, 155-156, 524 N.E.2d 476, 478-480, certiorari denied (1988), 488 U.S. 975, 109 S.Ct. 515, 102 L.Ed.2d 550, rehearing denied (1989), 488 U.S. 1051, 109 S.Ct. 886, 102 L.Ed.2d 1008. Furthermore, there is also a “strong presumption that counsel’s conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance.” Bradley, 42 Ohio St.3d at 142, 538 N.E.2d at 380. An attorney has a “duty to make reasonable investigations or to make a reasonable decision that makes particular investigations unnecessary.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 691, 104 S.Ct. at 2066, 80 L.Ed.2d at 695. When a decision not to investigate is made by an attorney, that decision must be “directly assessed for reasonableness in all the circumstances, applying a heavy measure of deference to counsel’s judgments.” Id.

Warren alleges that his attorney’s refusal to interview or subpoena his brother Charles as a witness for his 1981 trial constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel. [12]*12Specifically, Warren contends that his attorney’s refusal to interview his brother Charles based on the belief that Charles would lie for Warren violates the duty to make reasonable investigations. Warren also contends that his attorney’s refusal to listen to Charles was not based on any “reasonable decision that makes particular investigations unnecessary.” Additionally, Warren contends that he was prejudiced by his attorney’s alleged ineffectiveness, since Charles’s testimony would have assisted in his defense.

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696 N.E.2d 1111, 91 Ohio Misc. 2d 8, 1997 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-warren-ohctcompllucas-1997.