State v. Williams, Unpublished Decision (11-14-2003)

2003 Ohio 6093
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 14, 2003
DocketCase No. 2002-T-0043.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2003 Ohio 6093 (State v. Williams, Unpublished Decision (11-14-2003)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Williams, Unpublished Decision (11-14-2003), 2003 Ohio 6093 (Ohio Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} Appellant, Charles J. Williams, appeals from the March 14, 2002 judgment entry of the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas, in which appellant was sentenced for aggravated robbery, felonious assault, and complicity to tampering with evidence.

{¶ 2} On November 20, 2001, appellant was indicted by the Trumbull County Grand Jury on three counts of aggravated robbery, felonies of the first degree, in violation of R.C. 2911.01(A)(1) and (C) with firearm specifications in violation of R.C. 2941.145(A); one count of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree, in violation of R.C. 2903.11(A)(2) with a firearm specification in violation of R.C. 2941.145(A); and one count of complicity to tampering with evidence, a felony of the third degree, in violation of R.C. 2923.03(A)(1) and/or (3) and R.C.2921.12(A)(1) and (B).

{¶ 3} On November 21, 2001, appellant entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment. The matter proceeded to a jury trial which commenced on February 4, 2002. On February 8, 2002, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts except count two, one of the three counts of aggravated robbery with a firearm specification, in which the jury found appellant not guilty. On March 13, 2002, a sentencing hearing was held. Pursuant to the March 14, 2002 judgment entry, the trial court sentenced appellant to a term of nine years as to count one, aggravated robbery, and three years as to the firearm specification, with the terms to be served consecutively; nine years as to count three, aggravated robbery, and three years as to the firearm specification, with the terms to be served consecutively to one another and to those of count one; seven years as to count four, felonious assault, with its firearm specification merging with count three, to be served consecutive to all other sentences; and four years as to count five, complicity to tampering with evidence, to be served consecutive to all other sentences, for an aggregate term of thirty-five years.

{¶ 4} The facts emanating from the record are as follows: on September 29, 2001, at approximately 1:30 a.m., two men entered a Dairy Mart, located at 606 North Park Avenue in Warren, Ohio, Trumbull County. Robert Clemons ("Clemons"), who was working at the Dairy Mart, testified that the taller man carried a gun and wore a green coat and a ski mask. Clemons stated that the taller man was white, which he was able to determine from viewing his hands since the man was not wearing gloves. The shorter, stockier man was also white, based upon Clemons's determination, wore a black coat and a shirt wrapped around his head and face. The taller man ordered Clemons to open the cash register and stated "[y]ou know the routine, Bob, big bills first." Clemons, in fact, had been robbed fourteen previous times. After Clemons handed over about $60, the taller man also demanded cigarettes, specifically Newport 100s in a box. The two men then fled on foot. Clemons directly contacted the police. A couple of days later, Clemons quit his job. The robbery was captured on videotape. Clemons was subsequently unable to make a positive identification in a police lineup.

{¶ 5} A second occurrence took place on October 2, 2001, at approximately 1:00 a.m., at G.E.M. Food Mart ("G.E.M."), a convenience store located at 860 Parkman Road, in Warren, Ohio. Daoud Muntaser ("Muntaser"), owner of G.E.M., testified that he was outside of G.E.M. talking with a friend when he was approached by a tall white man who put on a ski mask and held what appeared to be a .38 revolver. Muntaser stated that he was able to see the white man's face for a few seconds, before he put on his ski mask. The armed man demanded Muntaser's money and Muntaser stated that he had none. While reaching into his pocket to get his cell phone, Muntaser testified that the robber must have thought that he was reaching for a gun, and thus, fled on foot with no money. After viewing a photographic lineup, however, Muntaser was unable to identify the subject.

{¶ 6} Another robbery was also committed on October 2, 2001, which occurred at approximately 1:14 a.m. at Dairy Mart, located on the corner of North Leavitt Road and Parkman Road in Warren, Ohio. Gary Howard ("Howard") was an employee of this Dairy Mart and was working when the robbery occurred. According to Howard's testimony, a tall, white man wearing a ski mask entered the store and demanded money. Howard said that he was able to determine that the man was white due to the large eyeholes in his mask. Howard stated that the man carried a small revolver and was wearing a gray and white plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and surgical gloves. At first, Howard thought that the man was joking, until he fired a bullet into the lottery machine just behind where Howard was standing. Howard then opened the cash register and began handing over one and five dollar bills, but the robber grabbed the twenty dollar bills and the drop envelope and left the store. Howard then went to look out the store window and the robber fired a second shot at the window. Hoping to get a license plate number, Howard followed the robber out the front door. The robber turned and fired a third shot at Howard, which hit Howard in the arm. Before leaving the store's property, the robber fired a fourth shot from his gun. The robber then fled on foot. Howard was transported to the hospital by ambulance, was hospitalized for three days, and still has the bullet inside his body. Howard missed two weeks of work, and later returned under restrictions imposed by his doctor.

{¶ 7} The events of this last robbery were captured on videotape. Approximately two weeks after the robbery, Howard viewed a photographic array in which he identified an individual that "resembled" the robber. The first bullet fired toward the lottery machine was not found by the police who examined the scene, but rather was discovered toward the end of November 2001, by the store manager.

{¶ 8} On October 4, 2001, appellant was arrested on unrelated charges and booked into the Trumbull County Jail. During the course of his incarceration, appellant had several conversations with a fellow inmate, Parrish M. Henderson ("Henderson"). According to Henderson's testimony, appellant told him about his armed robbery spree. Henderson stated that appellant told him that he robbed a Dairy Mary and shot the clerk, who thought that he was joking. Henderson also testified that appellant mentioned his aborted robbery at the G.E.M. store where he tried to rob an "Arab guy." Also, Henderson stated that appellant told him that he wore a ski mask during the robberies. Henderson approached the police regarding appellant's descriptions of the robberies. While in jail, Henderson agreed to wear a wire during future conversations with appellant. However, there were no further discussions about the robberies.

{¶ 9} Sergeant Gary Vingle ("Sergeant Vingle"), who is employed in the criminal investigations division of the Warren City Police Department, was the lead investigative officer in these robberies. Sergeant Vingle submitted the videotapes of both Dairy Mart robberies to NASA where they were slowed and compared side by side. Still photographs were then taken from the videos. Sergeant Vingle noticed similarities in the tennis shoes worn by the suspect during both robberies and confiscated a similar pair from appellant's personal belongings at the Trumbull County Jail.

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Related

State v. Williams, 2008-T-0101 (3-27-2009)
2009 Ohio 1435 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2009)
State v. Cook, Unpublished Decision (2-14-2004)
2004 Ohio 793 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
2003 Ohio 6093, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-williams-unpublished-decision-11-14-2003-ohioctapp-2003.