State v. Wisby

2013 Ohio 1307
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 1, 2013
DocketCA2012-06-049
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 2013 Ohio 1307 (State v. Wisby) 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. Wisby, 2013 Ohio 1307 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Wisby, 2013-Ohio-1307.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO

CLERMONT COUNTY

STATE OF OHIO, :

Plaintiff-Appellee, : CASE NO. CA2012-06-049

: OPINION - vs - 4/1/2013 :

CHRISTOPHER S. WISBY, :

Defendant-Appellant. :

CRIMINAL APPEAL FROM CLERMONT COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT Case No. 2010CRB5320

D. Vincent Faris, Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney, David H. Hoffmann, 123 North Third Street, Batavia, Ohio 45103, for plaintiff-appellee

The Farrish Law Firm, Michaela M. Stagnaro, 810 Sycamore Street, 6th Floor, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, for defendant-appellant

PIPER, J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Christopher Wisby, appeals his conviction and sentence

in the Clermont County Municipal Court for violating a protection order.

{¶ 2} Wisby had a relationship with Danielle Mullis that lasted five years, and

produced two children. However, the couple separated and Mullis sought and obtained

multiple protection orders against Wisby. On September 15, 2010, the court issued a Clermont CA2012-06-049

protection order whereby Wisby was prohibited from contacting Mullis or coming within 500

feet of her. Wisby attended the September 15, 2010 hearing, and was personally served

with the order the next day by a deputy who read Wisby the terms contained in the order.

{¶ 3} On September 21, 2010, Wisby made contact with Mullis as she was leaving

the Regency Beauty Institute where she was taking classes. Wisby, who was the front-seat

passenger in a gold van driven by his grandmother, approached Mullis as she was getting

into her Mother's car, and yelled for Mullis to "just give me the kids, just give me the kids."

After a minute, Wisby's grandmother drove away.

{¶ 4} Wisby was charged with violating the protection order and the matter

proceeded to trial. Wisby requested a jury trial, but the trial court denied such after finding

that Wisby failed to properly file a jury request. The trial court held a bench trial, and found

Wisby guilty. The trial court sentenced Wisby to three years of community control, 40 hours

of community service, a $100 fine, and one day in jail, with credit for time served. Wisby

appealed his conviction and sentence to this court, arguing that he had been denied his right

to a jury trial. This court reversed Wisby's conviction and sentence, finding that he had been

denied his right to a jury trial. State v. Wisby, 12th Dist. No. CA2011-05-044, 2012-Ohio-227.

{¶ 5} Once the case was remanded, Wisby had a trial by jury, which was presided

over by a different judge than the one who held the bench trial and sentenced Wisby the first

time. The jury found Wisby guilty, and the second judge sentenced Wisby to 180 days in jail

with 150 days suspended, four years of community control, and a $250 fine. Wisby now

appeals his conviction and sentence, raising the following assignments of error:

{¶ 6} Assignment of Error No. 1:

{¶ 7} THE EVIDENCE WAS INSUFFICIENT AS A MATTER OF LAW AND/OR

AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE TO SUSTAIN APPELLANT'S

CONVICTION. -2- Clermont CA2012-06-049

{¶ 8} Wisby argues in his first assignment of error that his conviction is against the

manifest weight of the evidence and is not supported by sufficient evidence.

{¶ 9} Manifest weight and sufficiency of the evidence are quantitatively and

qualitatively different legal concepts. State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 386, (1997).

When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence underlying a criminal conviction, an appellate

court examines the evidence in order to determine whether such evidence, if believed, would

support a conviction. State v. Wilson, 12th Dist. No. CA2006-01-007, 2007-Ohio-2298. "The

relevant inquiry is whether, after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the

prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime

proven beyond a reasonable doubt." State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259 (1991), paragraph

two of the syllabus, superseded on other grounds.

{¶ 10} While the test for sufficiency requires an appellate court to determine whether

the state has met its burden of production at trial, a manifest weight challenge examines the

inclination of the greater amount of credible evidence, offered at a trial, to support one side of

the issue rather than the other. Wilson, 2007-Ohio-2298.

In determining whether a conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence, the court, reviewing the entire record, weighs the evidence and all reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of the witnesses and determines 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. Cummings, 12th Dist. No. 2006-09-224, 2007-Ohio-4970, ¶ 12.

{¶ 11} While appellate review includes the responsibility to consider the credibility of

witnesses and weight given to the evidence, "these issues are primarily matters for the trier of

fact to decide since the trier of fact is in the best position to judge the credibility of the

witnesses and the weight to be given the evidence." State v. Walker, 12th Dist. No. CA2006-

04-085, 2007-Ohio-911, ¶ 26. Therefore, an appellate court will overturn a conviction due to -3- Clermont CA2012-06-049

the manifest weight of the evidence only in extraordinary circumstances to correct a manifest

miscarriage of justice, and only when the evidence presented at trial weighs heavily in favor

of acquittal. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d at 387.

{¶ 12} "Because 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." Wilson, 2007-Ohio-2298 at ¶ 35,

citing State v. Lombardi, 9th Dist. No. 22435, 2005-Ohio-4942, fn. 4.

{¶ 13} Wisby was convicted of violating a protection order in violation of R.C.

2919.27(A)(1), which prohibits a person from recklessly violating the terms of any issued

protection order. According to R.C. 2901.22(C),

a person acts recklessly when, with heedless indifference to the consequences, he perversely disregards a known risk that his conduct is likely to cause a certain result or is likely to be of a certain nature. A person is reckless with respect to circumstances when, with heedless indifference to the consequences, he perversely disregards a known risk that such circumstances are likely to exist.

{¶ 14} After reviewing the record, Wisby's conviction is not against the manifest weight

of the evidence, and is otherwise supported by sufficient evidence. The jury heard evidence

that a protection order was issued, that Wisby was present at the September 15, 2010

hearing where the court granted the protection order, and that he was personally served with

the order and made aware of its terms. According to the terms of the protection order, Wisby

was prohibited from having contact with Mullis and could not come within 500 feet of her.

The jury heard evidence that Wisby made contact with Mullis when he demanded that she

give him their children, during which time Wisby was within 500 feet of Mullis. Based on this

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