State v. Whitney

• Court: Ohio Court of Appeals
• Decided: April 3, 2026
• Docket: C-250349
• Status: Published

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Whitney, 2026-Ohio-1217.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO

STATE OF OHIO, : APPEAL NO. C-250349 TRIAL NO. B-2000712-G Plaintiff-Appellee, :

vs. : JUDGMENT ENTRY MIGUEL WHITNEY, :

Defendant-Appellant. :

This cause was heard upon the appeal, the record, and the briefs. For the reasons set forth in the Opinion filed this date, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. Further, the court holds that there were reasonable grounds for this appeal, allows no penalty, and orders that costs be taxed under App.R. 24. The court further orders that (1) a copy of this Judgment with a copy of the Opinion attached constitutes the mandate, and (2) the mandate be sent to the trial court for execution under App.R. 27.

To the clerk: Enter upon the journal of the court on 4/3/2026 per order of the court.

By:_______________________ Administrative Judge [Cite as State v. Whitney, 2026-Ohio-1217.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO

STATE OF OHIO, : APPEAL NO. C-250349 TRIAL NO. B-2000712-G Plaintiff-Appellee, :

vs. : OPINION MIGUEL WHITNEY, :

Criminal Appeal From: Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas

Judgment Appealed From Is: Affirmed

Date of Judgment Entry on Appeal: April 3, 2026

Connie Pillich, Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney, and Ronald W. Springman, Jr., Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for Plaintiff-Appellee,

Michael J. Trapp, for Defendant-Appellant. OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

NESTOR, Judge.

{¶1} For violating community control, the trial court sentenced Whitney to

18 months in prison. Whitney appeals the sentence, claiming that the trial court failed

to provide notice of the consequences of a community control violation under R.C.

2929.19(B)(4). Because we conclude that Whitney suffered no prejudice from the trial

court’s failure to comply with the notice requirements, we affirm the judgment of the

trial court.

I. Factual and Procedural History

{¶2} In 2021, Whitney pleaded guilty to one count of theft in violation of R.C.

2913.02, a fourth-degree felony. The trial court sentenced Whitney to a three-year

term of community control. The trial court advised Whitney, “I will tell you that

should you violate the conditions of Community Control, I will send you to prison for

18 months; do you understand?” to which Whitney responded in the affirmative.

Whitney did not appeal at this time.

{¶3} Almost two years later, in July 2023, a community control violation was

filed against Whitney. The violation alleged that Whitney had violated community

control by garnering new felony warrants in several counties,1 failing to provide

contact information to the probation department, failing to report to probation, and

failing to make any restitution payments.

{¶4} In June 2025, Whitney appeared before the trial court to address the

violation. The trial court revoked his community control and imposed the promised

18-month prison sentence.

{¶5} This appeal followed. Whitney challenges the trial court’s judgment

1 Butler County, Ohio, Clermont County, Ohio, and Dearborn County, Indiana.

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sentencing him to prison.

II. Analysis

{¶6} Whitney presents one assignment of error for our review. He argues

that the trial court erred when it sentenced him to prison because in its initial

community control imposition, the trial court failed to provide the warnings required

by R.C. 2929.19(B)(4). Specifically, he asserts that the trial court informed him of the

prison term it would impose, but did not inform him that if he committed any violation

of law, or left the state without permission, he could be sent to prison.

A. First Assignment of Error

{¶7} Whether a trial court has complied with statutory requirements is a

question of law that we review de novo. Dikong v. Ohio Supports, Inc., 2013-Ohio-33,

¶ 16 (1st Dist.), citing Cincinnati v. State, 2012-Ohio-3162, ¶ 9 (1st Dist.).

{¶8} Under R.C. 2929.19(B)(4), when a court imposes a community control

sanction, it must provide notice to the defendant. State v. Thompson, 2023-Ohio-

3722, ¶ 8 (1st Dist.). The notice contains two essential elements. Id. First, the notice

must explain the actions of the defendant that can trigger consequences. Id. These

actions include “violating the conditions of community control, committing a violation

of any law, or leaving the state without the permission of the court or a probation

officer.” Id. Second, the notice must inform the defendant of the potential

consequences for these actions. Id. These consequences include “a longer term of

community control, a more restrictive form of community control, or imprisonment.”

Id.

{¶9} If the trial court fails to provide the notifications required by R.C.

2929.19(B), and a defendant appeals from the initial imposition of community control,

the proper remedy is resentencing. State v. Evans, 2023-Ohio-2854, ¶ 14 (1st Dist.),

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citing State v. Elliott, 2023-Ohio-1459, ¶ 24-25 (1st Dist.). However, when a defendant

does not appeal from the initial imposition of community control, violates community

control, and is subsequently sentenced to a prison term, courts must consider whether

that defendant is prejudiced by the trial court’s failure to provide the requisite

notifications. Elliott at ¶ 29.

{¶10} In Elliott, the defendant, Elliott, pleaded guilty to burglary, a fourth-

degree felony. Id. at ¶ 3. The trial court sentenced Elliott to a three-year period of

community control. Id. The trial court informed Elliott that if he violated the terms

or conditions of his community control, he would be sentenced to a period of anywhere

between six to 18 months in prison. Id. at ¶ 3-4. However, the trial court failed to

inform Elliot of the other two actions that can trigger consequences. Id. at ¶ 22.

{¶11} Two months later, Elliott pleaded no-contest to a community control

violation. Id. at ¶ 5. The trial court restored him to community control under the same

conditions that it had previously imposed. Id. The trial court did not cure the defect

regarding notification. Id. at ¶ 23. Elliot did not appeal the continuation of

community control. Id. at ¶ 28.

{¶12} Two months after the continuation, Elliott pleaded guilty to a second

community control sanction violation, which resulted in the trial court sentencing him

to 18 months’ imprisonment. Elliott, 2023-Ohio-1459, at ¶ 6 (1st Dist.). This time,

Elliott appealed. Id. at ¶ 1.

{¶13} This court held that Elliot suffered no prejudice from the trial court’s

failure to provide the additional notifications in R.C. 2929.19(B)(4). Id. at ¶ 29. If

Elliott were to have suffered any prejudice, it would have been when the trial court

continued him on community control, a sanction that Elliott had not been previously

advised of. Id. at ¶ 28. But in Elliot’s case, the trial court imposed the precise sanction

5 OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

it had previously promised. Id. at ¶ 29. Because Elliott received a sentence that he

had previously been informed of, he suffered no prejudice. Id.

{¶14} In the instant case, the facts are similar to those in Elliott. Though the

trial court here did fail to provide some of the requisite statutory notifications, like

Elliott, Whitney suffered no prejudice from this failure. At the initial imposition of

community control, Whitney was informed that if he violated the conditions of the

community control, he would be sentenced to 18 months in prison. Whitney did not

appeal the initial community control sentence. When Whitney later violated the

community control conditions, he was sentenced to the prison term of which he had

been informed. Therefore, like Elliott, Whitney received the prison sentence promised

by the trial court. Because the trial court imposed a sanction that it had informed

Whitney of, Whitney suffered no prejudice.

{¶15} Therefore, Whitney’s assignment of error is overruled.

III. Conclusion

{¶16} Because we conclude that Whitney was not prejudiced by the trial

court’s error, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Judgment affirmed.

KINSLEY, P.J., and MOORE, J., concur.