17
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463 MOTION TO DISMISS OF RESPONDENTS JUDGES OF THE TENTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS MICHAEL. DEWINE (0009181) Ohio Attorney General ANTHONY COCKROFT #469-497 Lorain Correctional Institution 2075 S. Avon-Belden Road Grafton, OH 44044 Relator Pro Se SARAH E. PIERCE (0087799) * Counsel o f Record TIFFANY L. CARWILE (0082522) Assistant Attorneys General Constitutional Offices Section 30 East Broad Street, 16th Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215 Tel: 614-466-2872 Fax: 614-728-7592 s arah.pierce@ohio attorneygeneral. gov ti ffany. carwile@ohioattorneygeneral. gov Counsel for Respondents Judges of the Tenth District Court ofAppeals Original Action in Mandamus/Procedendo , ... f , ... ,.:'^; £ii'c. 'i€" CG i^ .Eif,,. f `i f1•^. =/U/fl^.t:.. ^iSi.- ^.l

ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    3

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO

State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT,

Relator,

V.

JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al.,

Respondents.

Case No. 2014-1463

MOTION TO DISMISS OF RESPONDENTSJUDGES OF THE TENTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

MICHAEL. DEWINE (0009181)Ohio Attorney General

ANTHONY COCKROFT#469-497Lorain Correctional Institution2075 S. Avon-Belden RoadGrafton, OH 44044

Relator Pro Se

SARAH E. PIERCE (0087799)* Counsel o f RecordTIFFANY L. CARWILE (0082522)Assistant Attorneys GeneralConstitutional Offices Section30 East Broad Street, 16th FloorColumbus, Ohio 43215Tel: 614-466-2872

Fax: 614-728-7592

s arah.pierce@ohio attorneygeneral. govti ffany. carwile@ohioattorneygeneral. gov

Counsel for RespondentsJudges ofthe Tenth District Court ofAppeals

Original Action in Mandamus/Procedendo

, ... f , ... ,.:'^;

£ii'c. 'i€" CG

i^ .Eif,,. f `i f1•^.=/U/fl^.t:.. ^iSi.- ^.l

Page 2: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO

State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT,

Relator,

V.

JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al.,

Respondents.

Case No. 2014-1463

Original Action in Mandamus/Procedendo

MOTION TO DISMISS OF RESPONDENTSJUDGES OF THE TENTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

Pursuant to Sup.Ct.Prac.R. 12.04(A)(1) and Civ.R. 12(B)(6), Respondents Judges of the

Tenth District Court of Appeals of Ohio hereby move this Court to dismiss Relator's petition for

a writ of mandamus andlor procedendo. A memorandum in support is attached.

Respectfully submitted,

MICHAEL DEWINE (0009181)Ohio Attorney General p

^ ^,Ij gA,^^ _SARAH PIERCE (0087799)

*Counsel of RecordTIFFANY L. CARWILE (0082522)Assistant Attorneys GeneralConstitutional Offices Section30 East Broad Street, 16th FloorColumbus, Ohio 43215Tel: 614-466-2872Fax: [email protected]. carwile@ohioattorneygeneral. gov

Counsel for RespondentsJttdges ofthe Tenth District Court ofAppeals

1

Page 3: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS' MOTION TO DISMISS

1. INTRODUCTION

Anthony Cockroft, an inmate, seeks a writ of mandamus/procedendo against the Judges

of the Tenth District Court of Appeals (hereafter "Respondent Judges"). Specifically, Relator

filed this action to compel the Respondent Judges to deter-mine whether the trial court's June 16,

2006 resentencing entry in his underlying criminal case is a final appealable order. As argued

below, Relator's complaint states no claim for which this Court may grant relief Accordingly,

Respondent Judges respectfully request that this Court dismiss Relator's complaint.

II. STATEMENT OF FACTS

On May 10, 2004, Relator was found guilty of aggravated robbery, aggravated murder,

and tampering with evidence and was subsequently sentenced. Relator's Compl. at 2; see also

Respondents' Ex. 1.1 On Relator's direct appeal from his conviction, the Tenth District Court of

Appeals ("Tenth District") affir-aned the trial court's decision. Respondents' Ex. 1, ¶ 4.

Pursuant to State v. Foster, Relator was resentenced on June 1, 2006, and a journal entry was

filed on June 16, 2006. Id., ¶¶ 4-5.

Following his resentencing, on July 19, 2006, Relator again appealed, and the Tenth

District once again affirmed the trial court's decision. Compl. at 4. The issue of the post-release

control portion of Relator's sentence was not presented to the Tenth District in that appeal.

Respondents' Ex. 1, ¶ 6.

Documents attached to or incorporated into the complaint may be considered on a motion todismiss pursuant to Civ.R. 12(B)(6) without converting the motion into one for summaryjudgment. State ex Yel. Crabtree v. Franklin Cty. Bd. of Health, 77 Ohio St.3d 247, 249, 673N.E.2d 1281 (1997). Here, Relator makes direct reference to his various appeals and attaches theTenth District's April 17, 2014 decision to his petition. Because the attached copy is incomplete,Respondent Judges attach a complete copy of the April 17, 2014 decision at Respondents'Exhibit 1, for the Court's convenience.

2

Page 4: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

On March 4, 2013, Relator filed a motion for resentencing with the trial court, arguing

that the trial court failed to impose a mandatory term of post-release control during the 2006

resentencing hearing. Compl. at 4. The trial court denied Relator's motion. Id.

Relator appealed the trial court's denial of his motion to the Tenth District, arguing that

his sentence did not appropriately reflect that a mandatory tenn of post-release control had been

imposed. Id. at 2. In his reply brief, however, Relator also claimed that his June 16, 2006

sentencing entry was not a final appealable order and that he was therefore entitled to a de novo

resentencing. Id.

The Respondent Judges issued a decision on April 17, 2014, reversing Relator's sentence

and remanding his case for a limited resentencing on the terms of his post-release control.

Respondents' Ex. 1, ¶ 23. Since an appellate court only rules on assignments of error, Relator's

clairn regarding the appealability of his sentencing entry, was not considered by the Tenth

District. Id., ¶¶ 10-11.

On. August 21, 2014, Relator filed the present action seeking a writ of mandamus to

compel the Respondent Judges to determine whether the trial court's June 16, 2006 resentencing

entry is a final appealable order.

111. ARGUMENT

A. Standard of Review

A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which a court can grant relief

challenges the sufficiency of the complaint itself, not evidence outside of the complaint.

Volbers-Klarich v. Middletown Mgmt., Inc., 125 Ohio St.3d 494, 2010-Ohio-2057, 929 N.E.2d

434, ¶ 11. When considering the factual allegations of the complaint, a court must accept

incorporated items as true and the plaintiff must be afforded all reasonable inferences possibly

derived therefrom. Mitchell v. Lawson Milk Co., 40 Ohio St.3d 190, 192, 532 N.E.2d 753

3

Page 5: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

(1988). Finally, a court must find that the plaintifFs complaint does not provide relief on any

possible theory. Civ. R. 12(B)(6); State Auto. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Titanium Metals Corp., 108 Ohio

St.3d 540, 2006-Ohio-1713, 844 N.E.2d 1999, ¶ 8.

B. Relator's Request for a Writ of Mandamus Must Fail Because He CannotSatisfy All of the Requirements for a Writ to Issue.

A writ of mandamus will only issue when three requirements are met: (1) the relator

must have a clear legal right to the requested relief; (2) the respondent must have a clear legal

duty to perform the requested relief; and (3) the relator must have no adequate remedy at law.

State ex rel. Van Gundy v. Indus. Comm., 111 Ohio St.3d 395, 2006-Ohio-5854, 856 N.E.2d 951,

¶ 13, citing State ex rel. Luna v. Huffman, 74 Ohio St.3d 486, 487, 659 N.E.2d 1279 (1996).

Because Relator camiot meet any of these requirements, his mandamus action nlust fail.

Relator has no legal right to the relief he requests, and Respondent Judges do not have a

legal duty to perform it. The appealability of Relator's June 16, 2006 sentencing order was not

at issue in his most recent appeal before the Respondent Judges. Respondents' Ex. 1, ¶ 11.

Relator included his appealability argument in his reply brief, but not as an assignment of error

in his initial appellate brief. The Respondent Judges rule "on assignments of error only, and will

not address mere arguments." Ellinger v. Ho, 10th Dist. No. 08AP-1079, 2010-Ohio-553, ¶ 70,

citing In re Estate of Taris, 10th Dist. No. 04AP-1264, 2005-Ohio-1516; see also App.R.

12(A)(1)(b). Therefore, Respondent Judges did not have a legal duty to consider the arguments

Relator made in his reply brief.

Further, a writ of mandamus will not issue to control judicial discretion. State ex rel.

Avety v. Union County Court of Common Pleas, 125 Ohio St.3d 35, 201.0-Ohio-1427, 925

N.E.2d 969, ¶ 1, quoting State ex rel. Dreamer v. Mason, 115 Ohio St.3d 190, 2007-Ohio-4789,

874 N.E.2d 510, ¶ 12, ("Mandamus will not lie to control judicial discretion, even if that

4

Page 6: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

discretion is abused."); R.C. 2731.03. Here, Respondent Judges appropriately exercised their

discretion to rule on Relator's assignment of error regarding his resentencing, and not on

Relator's argun-ient coneerning the appealability of his 2006 sentencing entry. For these reasons,

Relator does not have a clear legal right to the relief he seeks, and Respondent Judges do not

have a clear legal duty to grant it.

Finally, relief in mandamus is precluded by the availability of an appeal. State ex rel.

Ervin v. Barker, 136 Ohio St.3d 160, 2013-Ohio-3171, 991 N.E.2d 1146, ¶ 10. Here, Relator

had the ability to appeal the Tenth District's April 17, 2014 decision to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Because Relator had an adequate remedy at law by way of appeal, his request for a writ should

be dismissed.

C. Relator's Request for a Writ of Procedendo Must Fail Because He CannotSatisfy All of the Requirements for a Writ to Issue.

Relator also seeks a writ of procedendo against Respondent Judges. For a writ of

procedendo to issue, three requirements must be met: (1) the relator must have a clear legal right

to the requested relief; (2) the respondent must have a clear legal duty to perform the requested

relief; and (3) the relator must have no adequate remedy of law. State ex rel. Sawicki v. Court of

Common Pleas of Lucas Cty., 126 Ohio St.3d 198, 2010-Ohio-3299, 931 N.E.2d 1082, ¶ 11. A

writ of procedendo is appropriate "when a court has either refused to render a judgment or has

unnecessarily delayed proceeding to judginent." State ex rel. Bd. of State Teachers Ret. Sys. of

Ohio v. Davis, 113 Ohio St.3d 410, 2007-Ohio-2205, 865 N.E.2d 1289, ¶ 34. Relator requests a

writ of procedendo but entirely fails to support his claim. Relator does not allege that

Respondent Judges have either refused or unnecessarily delayed rendering a pending judgment.

No further issues remain unresolved before Respondent Judges in Relator's most recent appeal.

Therefore, Relator's action for a writ of procedendo must fail.

5

Page 7: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

IV. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, Respondents Judges respectfully request this Court dismiss

Relator's complaint.

Respectfully submitted,

1VIICHAEL DEWINE (0009181)Ohio Attorney General

SARAH PIERCE (0087799)*Counsel of Record

TIFFANY L. CARWILE (0082522)Assistant Attorneys GeneralConstitutional Offices Section30 East Broad Street, 16th FloorColumbus, Ohio 43215Tel: 614-466-2872Fax: [email protected]. carwile@ohioattorneygeneral. gov

Counsel for RespondentsJudges of the Tenth District Court ofAppeals

6

Page 8: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a true copy of the foregoing was served by regular U.S. mail on

September 16, 2014, upon the following:

ANTHONY COCKROF'I'#469-497Lorain Correctional Institution2075 S. Avon-Belden RoadGrafton, OH 44044

Relator Pro Se

SARAH PIERCE (0087799)Assistant Attorney General

7

Page 9: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

0A103 - E38

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

State of Ohio,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

M4[SQ®0aMr

^a.O^'Nr

nrLQ

r0N^

0^0

c^^

CLss.

0

0C).00^^0s^

^

V.

Anthony Cockroft,

Defendant-Appellant.

D E C I S I O N

No. 13AP-532(C.P.C. No. 03CR-6715)

(REGULAR CALENDAR)

Rendered on April 17, 2014

Ron O'Brien, Prosecuting Attorney, and .Kirnberiy M. Bond,for appellee.

Anthony Cockroft, pro se.

APPEAI, from the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas

O`GRADY, J.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Anthony Cockroft, appeals from a judgment of the

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas denying his March 4, 2013 motion for

resentencing. Because postrelease control was not properly imposed, we reverse and

remand this matter for resentencing in accordance with the law and this decision.

I. BACKGROUh1D

{¶ 2} In 2003, appellant was indicted for aggravated robbery, in violation of R.C.

2911.01, aggravated murder with specifications, in violation of R.C. 2903.o1, attempted

murder, in violation of R.C. 2903.02, and tampering with evidence, in violation of R.C.

2921.12. A jury found appellant guilty as charged in the indictment.

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 10: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA103 - E39

No. 13AP-532 2

{^ 3} The trial judge orally pronounced appellant's sentence on May 13, 2004.

Pertinent to this appeal are the following comments regarding postrelease control:

I do have to advise you with respect to at least when you arereleased from the institution, you will have a period of post-release control.

If there is a period of post-release control, which I believethere Nvill be, if you commit any violations while you are onpost-release control, the sentence could be extendedadministratively as part of that sentence. The extensionwould be for a maximum of one-half the prison termdepending on what the post-release control will be at thattime.

If you commit any felony offenses while you are on post-release control, any sentence that court would impose wouldrun consecutive.

(Tr. Vol. IV, 163.) A judgment entry journalizing appellant's sentence was filed on May 19,

2004, stating in pertinent part, "[a]fter the imposition of sentence, the Court notified the

Defendant, orally and in wvriting, of the applicable periods of post-release control

pursuant to R.C. 2929.19(B)(3)(c), (d) and (e)." (R. 154.) The record does not reflect that

appellant received a "Prison Imposed" notice. That notice advises a defendant of the

imposition of postrelease control. It includes details such as the length of the term,

whether the term is mandatory, and the consequences for violating postrelease control.,

The only other document in the record from 2004 that refers to postrelease control is a

"Disposition Sheet," which is signed by the trial judge and dated May 13, 2004, but is not

signed by appellant or appellant's trial counsel. On that form, a check mark appears next

to the indication: "Defendant notified of Bad Time and Post Release Control In [sic]

writing and orally." (R. 162.) The words "Post Release Control" are circled.

{¶ 4; Appellant filed a direct appeal to this court. He did not raise, nor did this

court consider, any issues regarding the postrelease control portion of appellant's

sentence. We affirmed the trial court's judgment in 2005. State v. Cockroft, ioth Dist.

1 See State v. Williarrrs, ioth.Dist. No. ioAP-1135, 2oii-Ohio-6231, ¶ 4-6, for a description of the "PrisonIniposed" notice used in practice before the Franklin Coutity Court of Comnion Pleas. The notice may besigned by a defendant on the date of sentencing. See id. at ¶ 4-5; State U. Williams, 196 Ohio App.3d 505,2oii-Ohio-4663, ¶ 4(ioth Dist.); State v. Ragland, ioth Dist. No. 13AP-451, 201.4-Ohio-798, ¶ 16.

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 11: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA103 - E40

CVC°)LOC®0acr)

^a0Nrtir

^

®C^w:30t^0

^v^aCL

0

00.O0a

0Uc

c

LL

No. 13AP-532 3

No. o4AP-6o8, 2005-Ohio-748 ("Cockroft I"). Subsequently, in In re Criminal

Sentencing Statutes Cases,1®g Ohio St.3d 318, 2oo6-Ohi0-2109, ¶ 35, the Supreme Court

of Ohio remanded the case to the trial court for resentencing pursuant to State v.

Foster,log Ohio St.gd 1, 2oo6-Ohio-856.

{¶ 5} On June 1, 2oo6, the trial court held a new sentencing hearing pertaining to

the aggravated robbery, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence charges. The

trial court imposed the same sentences that it originally imposed. The trial judge did not

mention postrelease control during the hearing. A judgment entry iournalizing

appellant's sentence was filed on June 16, 20o6. That entry began by restating the

contents of the May 19, 2004 sentencing entry in its entirety.2 'I°he only language

regarding postrelease control was the above-quoted language from 2004. There is no

other documentation in the record referencing postrelease control.

6} Following the resentencing, appellant again appealed to this court and we

affirmed. State v. Cockroft,loth Dist. No. o6AP-752, 2007-Ohio-2217 ("Cockroftll'). No

issues regarding the postrelease control portion of appellant's sentence were raised or

considered. Id. The Supreme Court refused the discretionary appeal. State v. Cockroft,

115 Ohio St.3d 1412, 2007-Ohio-4884.

{¶ 7} On Vlarch 4, 2o13, appellant filed a motion for resentencing with the trial

court arguing the court failed to impose a mandatory term of postrelease control during

the 2oo6 resentencing. The trial court denied appellant's motion. From that judgment,

appellant filed the instant appeal.

II. ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

{¶ 8} Appellant presents us with the following assignment of error for our review:

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT DENIEDAPPELLANT'S MOTION FOR RE-SENTENCING: WHERETHEREIN IT WAS SHOWED THAT A MANDATORY TERMOF POST-RELEASE CONTROL HAD NOT BEEN IMPOSED.

III. DISCUSSION

{T 9} Initially, we note appellant is proceeding pro se and "Ohio courts hold pro

se litigants to the same rules and procedures as those litigants who retain counsel."

2 The trial court clianged some of -the language from present to past tense.

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 12: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA143 - E41

NCl)0Qa

T

n.0cli^

^

0C^(/1

0U®

^v^va.n.

0

0U00

0v

^LL

NO. 13AP-532 4

Williams v. Lo, loth Dist. No. o7AP-949, 2oo8-OhiO-2804, ¶ 18, citing Whitehall v.

Ruckman, loth Dist. No. o7AP-445, 2oo7-Ohio-678o, ¶ 21. With that in mind, we must

address the inconsistency between appellant's merit brief and his reply brief. In

appellant's merit brief, he argues the trial court failed to properly impose postrelease

control during the 2oo6 resentencing. Thus, he requested the following relief:

Appellant respectfully request [sic] that this Appellate Courtvacate the trial court's denial of Appellant's Motion For Re-sentencing and remand this matter to the trial court for denovo sentencing.

(Appellant's brief, 3.)

1^1 10} In his reply brief, appellant argues that the June 16, 20o6 sentencing entry

is not a final appealable order. He changed his request of this court to the following:

Clearly the trial court's June 16th re-sentencing journal entrydoes not constitute a final appealable order: therefore thisappeal must be dismissed, with an accompanying order to thetrial court ti [sic] issue a final appealable order: Whereappellant is entitled to be present in accordance withCrim.R.43(A).

(Appellant's reply brief, 3.)

{¶ 11} The appealability of the June 16, 2oo6 sentencing entry is not at issue in

this appeal. Furthermore, the arguments in appellant's reply brief are confusing and they

fall outside the parameters of his assignment of error. "[T]his court rules on assignments

of error only, and will not address mere arguments." Ellinger v. Ho,loth Dist. No. o8AP-

1079, 2o1o-Ohio-553, ¶ 70, citing In re Estate of Taris, lotli Dist. No. 04AP-1264, 2005-

Ohio-1516, ¶ 5. Accordingly, the arguments in appellant's reply brief will not be

considered.

{¶ 12} Pursuant to his single assignment of error, appellant argues that the

June 16, 2oo6 judgment entry journalizing his June 1, 2oo6 resentencing is void because

the trial court failed to properly impose a mandatoiy term of postrelease control at

resentencing. Thus, appellant contends the trial court erred in denying his motion for

resentencing. We agree that error occurred.

}¶ 13} We recognize, "when a judge fails to impose statutorily mandated

postrelease control as part of a defendant's sentence, that part of the sentence is void and

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 13: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

0A103 - E42

No. 13AP-532 5

must be set aside." (Emphasis sic.) State v. Fischer, 128 Ohio St.3d 92, 2o1o-Ohio-6238,

¶ 26 Furtherrnore, "a void postrelease control sentence is not precluded from appellate

review by principles of res judicata and may be attacked at any time." State v.

Quintanilla,loth Dist. No. 13AP-388, 2013-Ohio-5711, ¶ 10, citing State v. Billiter, 134

Ohio St.3d 103, 2012-Ohio-5144, ¶ lo.

{¶ 14} In this district, we have "applied a 'totality of the circumstances' test to

determine whether or not the defendant was properly notified of post-release control."

State v. Boone, loth Dist. No. 11AP-1054, 2012-O1-iio-3653, ¶ 25, quoting State v.

Williams, loth Dist. No. 1oAP-1135, 2o11-Ohio-6231, ¶ 23; State v. Jordan, loth Dist. No.

13AP-666, 2014-Ohi0-1193, ¶ to. Based on that approach, we have concluded "the trial

court sufficiently fulfilled its statutory obligations when, taken as a whole, its oral and

written notifications, including those at the sentencing hearing, properly informed the

defendant of post-release control." State v. Wilcox,loth Dist. No. 13AP-402, 2013-Ohio-

4347, ¶ 4, citing State v. Clark, 2d Dist. No. 2012 CA 16, 2013-Ohio-299, ¶ 59, citing

Boone at ¶ 18, citing State v. Mays, loth Dist. No. 1oAP-113, 2o1o-Ohio-46o9, and State

v. Townsend,loth Dist. No.1oAP-983, 2011-Ohio-5056; Jordan at ¶ 1o.

{¶ 15} After reviewing our precedent in this area, we find that the circumstances in

this case are substantially similar to the circumstances in State v. Williams, 195 Ohio

App.3d 505, 2o11-Ohio-4653 (lath Dist.), such that our analysis in that case guides our

actions here. In Williams, we concluded that the trial court did not properly impose

postrelease control. As in this case, the original sentencing entry in Williams stated, "

'[a]fter the imposition of sentence, the Court notified the Defendant, orally and in writing,

of the applicable periods of post-release control pursuant to R.C. 2929.19(B)(3)(c), (d)

and (e).' " Id. at ¶ 2. During the sentencing hearing, the trial judge orally advised the

defendant of a mandatory period of postrelease control, but did not tell him the length of

that period or inform him of the potential sanctions for violating postrelease control. Id.

Additionally, the record did not reflect that the defendant received a standard "Prison

Imposed°" notice, which would have advised him of the imposition of postrelease control,

the length of the term, and the consequences for violating postrelease control. See id.; see

also Williams, 2o11-Ohio-6231, at ¶ 4-6 (describing the "Prison Imposed" notice).

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 14: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA1o3 - E43

No. 13AP-532 6

{¶ 16} The trial court subsequentlv held a resentencing hearing but did not orally

advise the defendant about postrelease control. WiIliams, 2oiu-Ohio-4653, at ¶ 4, 16.

The judgment entry issued following resentencing stated, " '[t]he Court previously notified

the Defendant, orally and in writing, of the applicable periods of post-release control

pursuant to R.C. 2929.19(B)(3)(c), (d), and (e).' " Id. at ¶ 5. The record did not reflect

that the defendant signed a'"Prison Imposed" notice at the resentencing hearing. Id. at

¶ 4. Following our review of the law and the record, this court concluded that the trial

court in Williams did not properly impose postrelease control at either the original

sentencing or the resentencing. We remanded the case for resentencing limited to

properly imposing postrelease control.

{¶ 17} In the case at bar, the original sentencing entry has the exact same language

pertaining to postrelease control as the original sentencing entry in Williams, 2o11-Ohio-

4653• The content of the judgment entries commemorating both individual's resentencing

is substantially similar. Appellant's entry restates, verbatim, the "applicable periods"

language from the original entry. Williams' entry harkened back to the original

sentencing and quoted the "applicable periods" language from the original entry in part.

Neither appellant nor Williams received an oral notification regarding postrelease control

during resentencing, and neither record contains a'"Prison Imposed" notice.

{¶ 18} The oral notification appellant received during his original sentencing is

different than the notification Williams received. Appellant was advised that he would be

subject to postrelease control following his release from prison. However, at the original

sentencing, the court was unclear about the mandatory nature and term of postrelease

control. Furthermore, at his resentencing, the court made no pronouncement regarding

the mandatory nature of postrelease control and the terms. As this court noted in

YtT%lliam.s, citing the Supreme Court of Ohio's opinion in State v. Bloomer, 122 Ohio St.3d

200, 2oo9-®hio-2462, "when [the] trial court failed to notify the offender of the

mandatory nature of the post-release control term and of the length of that term and to

incorporate such notification into its sentencing entry, 'the court failed to satisfy the most

basic requirement of R.C. 2929.191 and our existing precedent.' " 147illiarns, 2o11-Qhio-

4653, ¶ 15, fn. 2, quoting Bloomer at ¶ 69. 'The Williams couit went on to note the

significance of a "Prison Imposed" notice:

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 15: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA1o3 - E44

No.13AP-532

As an alternative to an oral notification made during thecourse of the hearing in which the trial court personallyadvises the offender of postrelease control, this court hassometimes relied upon the use of the "Prison Imposed" noticeto meet the requirement that appellant be notified at thesentencing hearing of the imposition of postrelease control* * {. See State v. a'tlays, loth Dist. No. 1oAP-113, 2010-0hio-46o9; State v. Chandler, loth Dist. No.1oAP-369, 20lo-Ohio-6534, State v. Easley, loth Dist. No. IoAP-5o5, 2o11-Ohio-2412; and State v. Cunningham, loth Dist. No. IoAP-452,2011-Ohio-2045. We have also determined that this samenotice can work in conjunction with the judgment entry toprovide the required notice.

7

Id. at ¶ i6. One of our more recent decisions shows this remains true. Jordan at ¶ 11-13.

}¶ 19} The same cannot be said about the "Disposition Sheet" that appears in the

record in this case. V1Te have identified a disposition sheet in past cases; however, it has

not been relied on in deterxnining whether a defendant was properly notified of

postrelease control to the same extent as the "Prison Imposed" notice. Compare Jordan

and I4Tilliams, 2o11-Ohio-4653, to Mays and State v. Addison, loth Dist. No. 1oAP-554,

2o11-Oh10-2113, ¶ 16-17; see also Boone. Moreover, although the "Disposition Sheet" in

this case indicates, via a check mark and the trial judge's signature, that appellant was

notified of postrelease control in writing and orally, that statement is not supported by the

record as a whole. See Williams, 2o11-Ohio-4653, at ¶ 18. Therefore, we conclude that

the trial court failed to properly impose postrelease control at either appellant's original

sentencing or at resentencing. That part of appellant's sentence is void and must be set

aside.

{¶ 20} The state contends "there is no 'void' sentence problem" in this case because

both the 2004 and 2oo6 sentencing entries notify appellant of the "applicable periods" of

postrelease control. (Appellee's brief, 4.) The state misapplies our precedent with regard

to "applicable periods" language. It is established in this district that "post-release control

may be properly imposed when * ' * 'applicable periods' language in the trial court's

sentencing entry is com.bined with other written or oral notification of the irnposition of

post-release control." (Emphasis added.) State v. Rayland, loth Dist. No. 13AP-451,

2014-Ohio-798, ¶ 17, citing State v. Darks, loth Dist. No. 12AP ,578, 2013-Ohio-176, ¶ 12,

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 16: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA103 - E45

No. 13AP-532 8

citing State v. Myers, loth Dist. No. 11AP-9o9, 2012-OhiO-2733, ¶ 11; Townsend at ¶ 7-

14; State v. Holloman, loth Dist. No. 11AP-454, 2o11-01iio-6138, ¶ ii. The other written

and oral notifications in this case are simply deficient.

{¶ 21} As a result, appellant contends that he is entitled to de novo resentencing.

He is mistaken. Both appellant's original sentencing and resentencing occurred before

July 11, 20o6, which was the enactment date of R.C. 2929.191. R.C. 2929.191 "provides

courts with a procedure to correct post-release control errors. x* * In 2009, the Supreme

Court held that R.C. 2929.191 only applies retrospectively to those offenders sentenced

after its July 2oo6 enactment." Wilcox at ¶ 6. Thus, R.C. 2929.191 does not apply to

appellant. In Wilcox, we observed:

In Fischer, the [Supreme Court of Ohio] considered sentenceslacking post-release contrc,l notification that were imposedprior to the effective date of R.C. 2929.191. In so doing, thecourt determined that such sentences were only partially void,and could be corrected to properly impose post-releasecontrol with a limited sentencing hearing. * ## Therefore, asentence lacking post-release control notification does notentitle a criminal defendant to a de novo sentencing hearing;rather, the defendant is entitled to be resentenced only on thepost-release control portion of his or her sentence.

Id. at 17, citing Fischer at ¶ 10, 28-29. Accordingly, appellant is only entitled to be

resentenced regarding the postrelease control portion of his sentence.

{1[ 221 Finally, we note "that an individual sentenced for aggravated murder is not

subject to post-release control because that crime is an unclassified felony to which the

post-release control statute does not apply." Id. at ¶ 1o, citing State v. Clark, 119 Ohio

St.3d 239, 20o8-Ohio-3748, ¶ 36, citing R.C. 2967.28. However, "[w]hen a defendant has

been convicted of both an offense that carries mandatory post-release control and an

unclassified felony to which post-release control is inapplicable, the trial court's duty to

notify of post-release control is not negated." Id., citing State v. Brown, 8th Dist. No.

95086, 2011-0hio-345, ¶ 8, citing State v. Z aylor, 2d Dist. No. 20944, 20o6-0hio-843.

IV. CONCLUSION

{¶ 23} Accordingly, appellant's assignment of error is sustained to the extent

explained above, and the judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas is

Respondents Exhibit 1

Page 17: ANTHONY COCKROFT MICHAEL. DEWINE JUDGES OF ......IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO State ex rel. ANTHONY COCKROFT, Relator, V. JUDGE AMY O'GRADY, et al., Respondents. Case No. 2014-1463

OA103 - E46

No. 13AP-5329

reversed. We remand this case for resentencing limited to properly imposing postrelease

control as part of appellant's sentence consistent with the mandates of the law and this

decision.

Judgment reversedand cause remanded with instructions.

BROWN and DORRIAN, JJ., concur.

Respondents Exhibit 1