State v. Walker ( 2016 )


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  • [Cite as State v. Walker, 2016-Ohio-3499.]
    IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
    THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT
    SENECA COUNTY
    STATE OF OHIO,
    CASE NO. 13-15-42
    PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE,
    v.
    DEVIN J. WALKER,                                          OPINION
    DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.
    Appeal from Seneca County Common Pleas Court
    Trial Court No. 15-CR-0191
    Judgment Affirmed in Part, Reversed in Part and Cause Remanded in Part
    Date of Decision: June 20, 2016
    APPEARANCES:
    Kenneth J. Rexford for Appellant
    Angela M. Boes for Appellee
    Case No. 13-15-42
    WILLAMOWSKI, J.
    {¶1} Defendant-appellant Devin Walker (“Walker”) brings this appeal from
    the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Seneca County entering a
    judgment of guilt on drug offenses and sentencing him to prison.               Walker
    challenges 1) the denial of his motion for acquittal and 2) the effectiveness of his
    counsel. For the reasons set forth below, the judgment is affirmed in part and
    reversed in part.
    Procedural History
    {¶2} On September 16, 2015, the Seneca County Grand Jury indicted
    Walker on three counts:        1) Trafficking in Heroin in violation of R.C.
    2925.03(A)(2)/(C)(6)(e), a felony of the first degree; 2) Aggravated Trafficking in
    Drugs in violation of R.C. 2925.03(A)(2)/(C)(1)(a), a felony of the second degree;
    and    3)   Aggravated     Trafficking    in   Drugs     in   violation   of     R.C.
    2925.03(A)(2)/(C)(1)(c), a felony of the second degree. Doc. 1. All three of the
    counts contained a specification that they occurred in the vicinity of a juvenile and
    that there was property subject to forfeiture. 
    Id. A jury
    trial was held from
    November 17, 2015, until November 19, 2015. Doc. 45. At the conclusion of the
    trial, the jury entered verdicts of guilty to each of the charges and the
    specifications. 
    Id. {¶3} On
    November 23, 2015, a sentencing hearing was held. Doc. 49. The
    trial court determined at that time that the second and third counts of the
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    indictment were allied offenses of similar import and merged for the purpose of
    sentencing. 
    Id. Neither party
    objected to this finding, and the State elected to
    proceed to sentencing on Count Two. 
    Id. The trial
    court then sentenced Walker to
    an aggregate prison term of fifteen years. 
    Id. Walker then
    filed a timely notice of
    appeal. Doc. 56. On appeal, Walker raises the following assignments of error.
    First Assignment of Error
    The trial court erred in denying the defense motion for acquittal
    as to the element of the claim of a juvenile being in the vicinity.
    Second Assignment of Error
    [Walker] was denied the effective assistance of counsel when
    defense counsel failed to effectively counter the State’s DNA
    evidence.
    Third Assignment of Error
    [Walker] was denied the effective assistance of counsel when
    defense counsel in no way sought suppression of the fruits of a
    warrantless arrest of [Walker].
    Fourth Assignment of Error
    [Walker] was denied the effective assistance of counsel when
    defense counsel introduced hearsay evidence as to what Richard
    Wade had said without the ability to confront Mr. Wade.
    Trial Testimony
    {¶4} At trial, the State presented the testimony of seven witnesses. The
    first was Officer Brandon Bell (“Bell”) of the Fostoria Police Department. Bell
    testified that on July 30, 2015, he was notified by dispatch that a woman at a
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    residence called and said there were some people involved in illegal activity at her
    residence and she wanted them removed. Tr. 106. When Bell arrived at the
    residence, he met Crystal Dayton (“Dayton”) who told him there were two men
    living in the residence with her and that they were selling narcotics from the
    residence. Tr. 106-107. Dayton then escorted Bell into the home and showed him
    a scale in the kitchen cupboard.   Tr. 107. In the living room area, Dayton picked
    up a pair of khaki cargo pants and pulled 2 to 3 bags of pills from the pockets. Tr.
    107. Underneath the pants were two cell phones. Tr. 108. Bell instructed Dayton
    to put the drugs back in the pockets and to put the pants back on the floor where
    she found them. Tr. 109. Bell then contacted the drug task force to get a warrant.
    Tr. 112. According to Bell, Dayton indicated that the pants belonged to a person
    known to her as “Moes”. Tr. 112. Later the man identified as “Moes” arrived at
    the residence with a female, who was later determined to be 17 years old. Tr. 113-
    115. The police detained both within 20 feet of the drugs, though the drugs were
    behind a closed door. Tr. 115.
    {¶5} On cross-examination Bell testified that although he had gone to the
    apartment to remove people Dayton wanted to leave her residence, when he
    arrived, there was no one in the apartment. Tr. 122. Bell stayed to investigate
    after Dayton told him about the drugs. Tr. 122. Bell also testified that there were
    other items of clothing near the pants, but he did not know who owned them. Tr.
    125. Bell also admitted that both he and Dayton had handled the bags of drugs
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    without gloves. Tr. 128-29. At no time did Dayton tell Bell that she had seen
    Walker with the drugs. Tr. 139.
    {¶6} Dayton testified second for the State.    She testified that she had first
    met Walker, whom she knew as “Moes”, approximately two weeks before July 30,
    2015. Tr. 142. During July of 2015, she was living in the residence with her
    boyfriend, Charles Puryear (“Puryear”). Tr. 142. When she called the police, it
    was to remove Puryear and Richard Wade (“Wade”) from the home because they
    were dealing drugs. Tr. 143. Dayton testified that she took Bell into the home,
    showed him the scale, and then picked up the pants and began pulling drugs out of
    the pocket. Tr. 144-45. Dayton was unable to initially recall who owned the pants
    at trial, but after refreshing her memory with her prior statement was able to do so.
    Tr. 145-46. According to Dayton, Walker was wearing the pants the last time she
    saw him. Tr. 147. Dayton also testified that she had seen the girl with Walker the
    first time he came to the residence. Tr. 148.
    {¶7} On cross-examination Dayton testified that she called the police after
    she asked Puryear and Wade to leave the residence, but they had refused. Tr. 151.
    She also admitted that she had met someone she knew as “Wood” who was related
    to Wade and Puryear and that he had been at the residence a week before the
    police were called. Tr. 153. Dayton testified that she called the police because
    she knew that they were selling drugs and she was a “recovering addict”. Tr. 154.
    However, she admitted that when she called the police, she did not tell them about
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    the drug activity. Tr. 158. Before she called the police on July 30, 2015, she had
    called Puryear, whom she believed was at the apartment, and asked him to leave.
    Tr. 160. When he refused, she told him she was calling the police. Tr. 160.
    Neither Puryear nor Wade were present when she arrived at the apartment. Tr.
    160. Dayton indicated that although she believed that Walker had spent the night
    of the 28th at the residence, she did not know when he left or what he was wearing.
    Tr. 162. Dayton also testified that she had never seen Walker with drugs and did
    not know why she told Bell that Walker was selling drugs. Tr. 166, 174. The only
    people she saw with drugs was Puryear, Wade, and “Wood”. Tr. 174. Dayton
    admitted that when she called the police, she was under the influence of heroin
    and was using it daily at that time. Tr. 167-68. Dayton testified that she believed
    Walker would be coming to the apartment to get drugs because while she was
    speaking with Wade and texting Wade about the police being there, he indicated
    that he would send Walker to the residence to pick up the drugs. Tr. 176. These
    communications were in the context of an argument she was having with Wade
    about him not returning to the residence and not continuing to help pay the rent on
    the residence. Tr. 176-177.
    {¶8} Detective Sergeant Donald Joseph of the Seneca County Sheriff’s
    Department testified that he took the drugs to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation
    (“BCI”) for identification. Tr. 189. Megan Koentop (“Koentop”) testified that she
    was a forensic scientist in the drug chemistry section of BCI. Tr. 192. She
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    identified the items brought to her for investigation as follows: Item 1 was 19.74
    grams of heroin; Item 2 was 42 pills of oxycodone; Item 3 was six tablets of
    oxycodone; Item 4 was 1.13 grams of heroin; Item 5 was 9 tablets and various
    tablet pieces of oxycodone; and Item 6 was 35 tablets of oxycodone. Tr. 202-203.
    Koentop testified that for Item 2, the bulk amount would be 15 pills, but there
    were 42 in the bag. Tr. 204. For Item 6, the bulk amount would be 30 tablets and
    the bag contained 35. Tr. 205.
    {¶9} Detective Gabriel Wedge (“Wedge”) testified that he was employed
    by the Fostoria Police Department, but was assigned to the Seneca County Drug
    Task Force. Tr. 210. On July 30, 2015, Bell contacted him about suspected drug
    trafficking. Tr. 212. Based upon what Bell told him, he obtained a search warrant
    and executed it at the residence. Tr. 213. Wedge identified photographs of the
    scene as well as items found during the search. Tr. 214-15. Wedge testified that
    finding scales, baggies, a broken plastic spoon, and multiple cell phones were
    indications of drug trafficking. Tr. 219-20. Wedge indicated that the approximate
    street value of the drugs found in the residence would be $5,500. Tr. 222. The
    amount of the drugs found would not typically be seen in a personal use case. Tr.
    219.
    {¶10} Wedge later got another search warrant to search the phones found at
    the scene, as well as a phone taken from Walker when he was arrested. Tr. 233.
    The records from the LG phone found at the scene disclosed Facebook chats
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    between “D.Moes East” and several other people. Tr. 236. These messages used
    terms such as “beans” which is slang for prescription pills, “perks” indicating
    Percocet, “beanie babies” indicating a bag of pills, and saying he was “back on
    deck” meaning he had items to sell. Tr. 238-241. The phone also contained a
    video showing a large amount of money and a hand spreading the money out. Tr.
    243. A second video found on the phone showed Walker driving a car. Tr. 295.
    {¶11} When Walker arrived at the scene, he had a large amount of cash in
    his wallet, a Lucas County Adult Probation Department Card in the name of
    “Devin Mosley”, which was another name used by Walker, and a paystub showing
    that he had year to date earnings from a construction company for $1,974. Tr.
    216-17. Walker was accompanied by a 16 year old girl when he came to the
    residence. Tr. 215. Walker was immediately arrested upon opening the door and
    at that time, the juvenile with him was within 30 feet of the drugs in the residence.
    Tr. 244.
    {¶12} On cross-examination, Wedge testified that prior to that day, the drug
    task force had heard of Wade, but had no knowledge of Walker. Tr. 246. Wedge
    admitted that although he had overheard Dayton arguing with Wade about the
    money used to pay the rent, he had no knowledge of any text messages. Tr. 251-
    52. During the conversation he overheard, there was no mention of drugs at all.
    Tr. 252. Wedge also had no information to indicate that Dayton had been in
    contact with Walker. Tr. 251. Before executing the search warrant, the officers
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    waited approximately an hour to see if anyone would come to get the drugs. Tr.
    253.   Just before they began packing everything up, Walker arrived at the
    residence. Tr. 253. Wedge also admitted that although Walker’s pay stub showed
    a limited year to date income, Walker was working through the union so could
    have worked for multiple contractors. Tr. 262. Wedge also admitted that although
    he knew Puryear and Wade were trafficking drugs from the apartment and that
    Bell and Dayton had touched both the pants and the bags of drugs without gloves,
    the only DNA sample submitted was Walker’s. Tr. 285-87. Wedge testified that
    some of the incriminating messages with the slang for drugs were from 2014. Tr.
    267. Finally, Wedge testified that he had no knowledge of when the videos on the
    phone were filmed or by whom. Tr. 296.
    {¶13} Detective Charles Boyer of the Tiffin Police Department testified
    that he transported DNA samples to the crime lab in Mansfield Ohio for DNA
    processing.   Tr. 207-209.    Dawn Fryback (“Fryback”) was a DNA forensic
    scientist with the Mansfield Police Forensic Lab.          She testified via video
    deposition and identified Exhibit 1 as her report. The report indicated that Walker
    could not be excluded from the DNA mixture on the pants. Ex. 1. The probability
    of a randomly selected individual being included for statistical calculation was 1 in
    592,400. 
    Id. However he
    was excluded as the major donor as that came from a
    female profile not identified. 
    Id. Walker also
    could not be excluded from the
    DNA mixture taken from the plastic bags, though that mixture contained the
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    presence of at least three individuals. 
    Id. The Exhibit
    showed that probability of a
    randomly selected individual being included for statistical calculation was 1 in
    1,984. 
    Id. The only
    DNA profile submitted for comparison belonged to Walker.
    
    Id. {¶14} After
    Fryback’s deposition was played, the State rested its case and
    the exhibits were admitted without objection. Tr. 303-306. Walker then made a
    motion for acquittal, which was denied. Tr. 307-310. Walker then presented the
    testimony of two witnesses.          The first witness was Emily Rodriguez
    (“Rodriguez”), who was the female with Walker when he was arrested. Tr. 316.
    Rodriguez testified that she was a friend of Walker and that she had ridden with
    Walker and Wood the week before and dropped Wood off at the apartment. Tr.
    314. At that time, Wood borrowed some clothes from Walker that were in the car,
    including the cargo pants. Tr. 314. Rodriguez testified that she had never been in
    the residence prior to the day of the arrest and that she had never seen Walker with
    drugs. Tr. 319. According to Rodriguez, Walker was working through the union
    in Lucas County as a commercial roofer. Tr. 315. On the day of the arrest, they
    were going to Fostoria to visit Walker’s niece and then go shopping. Tr. 313.
    They stopped at the residence to pick up some belongings of Wood at the request
    of his family as he had died. Tr. 313. Walker got the keys to the residence from
    the family and that was the first stop they made after arriving in Fostoria. Tr. 317.
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    {¶15} On cross-examination Rodriguez testified that she was 17 years of
    age at the time of the trial. Tr. 321. She admitted that she and Walker had just
    recently started dating. Tr. 322. She indicated that on the night of the 28th when
    Dayton said he was in Fostoria, Walker was with her in Toledo. Tr. 316. She was
    with Walker when he spoke to Wood’s family, but Walker went to get the keys
    without her. Tr. 327-28. She also admitted that she did not know why Wood
    would go to Fostoria, and then suddenly decide to stay without any clothes
    necessitating his borrowing clothes from Walker. Tr. 326.
    {¶16} The final witness was Dannell Williams (“Williams”) who was
    Rodriguez’s mother. Tr. 331. She testified that Rodriguez and Walker started
    spending time together in June of 2015. Tr. 332. She never saw any indication
    that Walker was involved in any drug activity. Tr. 332. On July 28th, 2015,
    Walker was at her house. Tr. 332. On July 30, 2015, Rodriguez told her that she
    and Walker were going to Fostoria and then shopping. Tr. 333. She did not know
    that Rodriguez had previously been to Fostoria with Walker. Tr. 334. On cross-
    examination, she admitted that she was unaware of Walker’s Facebook messages
    referencing drugs. Tr. 337. Following this testimony, Walker renewed his motion
    for acquittal, and it was again denied. Tr. 340-341.
    Sufficiency of the Evidence
    {¶17} Walker’s first assignment of error alleges that the evidence was
    insufficient to prove the specification that Walker trafficked in drugs in the
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    presence of a juvenile. When reviewing a question of sufficiency of the evidence,
    an appellate court determines whether, after viewing the evidence in a light most
    favorable to the prosecution, a rational trier of fact could find the essential
    elements of the crime charged proven beyond a reasonable doubt.           State v.
    Blanton, 3d Dist. Marion No. 9-15-07, 2015-Ohio-4620, 
    48 N.E.3d 1018
    .
    {¶18} Walker was charged with three counts of trafficking in various drugs,
    all a violation of R.C. 2925.03(A)(2).
    (A) No person shall knowingly do any of the following:
    ***
    (2) Prepare for shipment, ship, transport, deliver, prepare     for
    distribution, or distribute a controlled substance * * * when   the
    offender knows or has reasonable cause to believe that          the
    controlled substance * * * is intended for sale or resale by    the
    offender or another person.
    R.C. 2925.03(A)(2). A review of the evidence shows that the State presented
    evidence that drugs were found in the pockets of pants owned by Walker. The
    plastic bags containing the drugs and in the pockets contained a mixture of DNA
    on it from which Walker could not be excluded. There were also two cell phones
    found that were connected to Walker and a large sum of money found in the pants
    and on Walker’s person.      One of these phones showed messages related to
    Walker’s Facebook account indicating drug transactions.         The phone also
    contained videos of an unidentified hand spreading a large amount of money out
    and a video of Walker driving a car. There was also testimony that Wade, one of
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    the people alleged to be trafficking drugs, had indicated that Walker would be
    coming to pick up the drugs. Wedge testified that the amount of drugs found in
    the pants was a bulk amount seen for sales. Additionally, the large amount of
    cash, the multiple cell phones, and the content of the messages were typical of one
    trafficking drugs. Given all of the testimony and exhibits, the evidence was
    sufficient to show that Walker had been in contact with the drugs found in the
    pants, that it was an amount that would be more than for personal use. From the
    evidence, a reasonable juror could infer that at some point in time, Walker had
    either prepared for shipment, assisted in the transport, delivered, or prepared for
    distribution the drugs in the pants and that he had knowledge that they were to be
    sold. Thus, the evidence is sufficient to support the convictions for trafficking.
    {¶19} In addition to the trafficking conviction, Walker was also convicted
    of specifications for trafficking in drugs in the vicinity of a juvenile. “An offense
    is ‘committed in the vicinity of a juvenile’ if the offender commits the offense
    within one hundred feet of a juvenile or within the view of a juvenile, regardless of
    whether the offender knows the age of the juvenile, whether the offender knows
    the offense is being committed within one hundred feet of or with view of the
    juvenile, or whether the juvenile actually views the commission of the offense.”
    R.C. 2925.01(BB). There is no dispute that at the time of arrest, Rodriguez was
    under the age of 18, thus making her a juvenile. There is also no dispute that at
    the time of arrest, Rodriguez was within 100 feet of the drugs. However, this
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    alone is not sufficient to show that Walker committed the offense of trafficking in
    drugs in the vicinity of a juvenile. Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable
    to the State, the best that can be said is that Walker had arrived at the residence
    with the intent of transporting the drugs. If this had occurred, he would have
    committed the act of trafficking in drugs in the vicinity of a juvenile. This is not
    what happened. Instead, he was immediately arrested upon opening the door. No
    drugs were found on him when he was searched. The drugs in question were
    under the control of the police at all times when the juvenile was within 100 feet
    of the drugs. There was no evidence presented that Rodriguez, or any other
    juvenile was in the vicinity at the time Walker prepared for shipment, shipped,
    transported, delivered, prepared for distribution, or distributed the drugs. Dayton
    testified that she had seen Rodriguez previously, but also testified that she had
    never seen Walker with any drugs. What the State showed in this case, as it
    relates to the juvenile specification, is that Walker was intending to commit a
    crime in the vicinity of a juvenile. The mere intent to commit a crime is not
    sufficient to prove that Walker actually did commit a crime. The statute requires
    that the crime be committed in the vicinity of the juvenile, not merely planned.1
    Since there was no evidence presented that the crime of trafficking in drugs
    occurred in the vicinity of a juvenile, the evidence was not sufficient to support the
    1
    If Walker had been allowed to pick up the pants with the drugs in the pocket and exit the residence before
    being arrested, he would have transported the drugs in the vicinity of a juvenile. Instead he was arrested
    before he could commit an offense in the vicinity of a juvenile.
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    finding that the underlying offenses of trafficking in heroin and oxycodone were
    completed in the vicinity of a juvenile. The first assignment of error is thus
    sustained.
    Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
    {¶20} The second, third, and fourth assignments of error all claim that
    Walker was denied effective assistance of counsel.
    In evaluating whether a petitioner has been denied effective
    assistance of counsel, this court has held that the test is “whether
    the accused, under all the circumstances, * * * had a fair trial
    and substantial justice was done.” State v. Hester (1976), 45 Ohio
    St.2d 71, 74 O.O.2d 156, 
    341 N.E.2d 304
    , paragraph four of the
    syllabus. When making that determination, a two-step process is
    usually employed. “First, there must be a determination as to
    whether there has been a substantial violation of any of defense
    counsel's essential duties to his client. Next, and analytically
    separate from the question of whether the defendant's Sixth
    Amendment rights were violated, there must be a determination
    as to whether the defense was prejudiced by counsel's
    ineffectiveness.” State v. Lytle (1976), 
    48 Ohio St. 2d 391
    , 396–397,
    2 O.O.3d 495, 498, 
    358 N.E.2d 623
    , 627, vacated on other
    grounds (1978), 
    438 U.S. 910
    , 
    98 S. Ct. 3135
    , 
    57 L. Ed. 2d 1154
    .
    On the issue of counsel's ineffectiveness, the petitioner has the
    burden of proof, since in Ohio a properly licensed attorney is
    presumably competent. See Vaughn v. Maxwell (1965), 2 Ohio
    St.2d 299, 31 O.O.2d 567, 
    209 N.E.2d 164
    ; State v. 
    Jackson, 64 Ohio St. 2d at 110
    –111, 18 O.O.3d at 
    351, 413 N.E.2d at 822
    .
    State v. Calhoun, 
    86 Ohio St. 3d 279
    , 289, 1999–Ohio–102, 714 N .E.2d 905. The
    failure to prove either 1) a substantial violation or 2) prejudice caused by the
    violation makes it unnecessary for a court to consider the other prong of the test.
    State v. Anaya, 
    191 Ohio App. 3d 602
    , 2010-Ohio-6045, 
    947 N.E.2d 212
    , ¶ 25.
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    {¶21} In the second assignment of error Walker claims that counsel erred
    by failing to counter the State’s DNA evidence. Walker argues that his counsel
    should have challenged the DNA test results establishing that the pants were likely
    his and establishing that he likely had contact with the drugs.      However, in
    addition to the DNA connecting Walker to the pants, there was testimony from
    Dayton that she had seen Walker wearing the pants and the State presented a
    photograph taken from one of the phones found at the scene showing Walker
    wearing the pants. Thus, even if Walker’s attorney had successfully raised doubts
    about the DNA test results, there was additional evidence to support the
    connection obviously made by the jury.
    {¶22} Walker also argues that counsel was ineffective for not arguing that
    the level of probability on the DNA taken from the plastic bags containing the
    drugs and found in the pants’ pockets was too low to state with any certainty that
    Walker was the one who had handled the bags. This evidence, along with the fact
    that the DNA sample was a mixture of DNA belonging to multiple people, was
    known by the jury. Knowing the exact identity of others who may have had
    contact with the bag would not necessarily have changed the outcome of the case.
    DNA comparison in cases like this merely shows who may have had contact with
    an item and who definitely did not. The fact that Wood, Wade, or Puryear may
    have also touched the bags would not mean that Walker did not. Reasonable
    jurors could still have concluded that the pants belonged to Walker and that the
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    drugs found inside the pants’ pockets were also Walker’s. Thus, the alleged errors
    argued by Walker were not substantial violations of Walker’s rights and were not
    likely to have changed the outcome of the case. The second assignment of error is
    overruled.
    {¶23} In the third assignment of error, Walker claims his counsel was
    ineffective for not moving to suppress his arrest and the items found during the
    search of his person incident to arrest. “[T]he failure to file a motion to suppress
    constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel only when the record establishes that
    the motion would have been successful if made.” State v. Brown, 12th Dist.
    Warren No. CA2002-03-026, 2002-Ohio-5455, ¶ 11.
    {¶24} Walker challenges his arrest claiming that the officers lacked
    probable cause to arrest him without a warrant.        “When a felony has been
    committed, or there is reasonable ground to believe that a felony has been
    committed, any person without a warrant may arrest another whom he has
    reasonable cause to believe is guilty of the offense, and detain him until a warrant
    can be obtained.” R.C. 2935.04. The evidence as known by the officers in this
    case is that 1) there was a pair of pants which had drugs and a large amount of
    cash in the pockets, 2) the pants allegedly belonged to someone known as “Moes”,
    3) “Moes” was allegedly coming to pick up the drugs, 4) Walker then arrived and
    was identified as “Moes” by Dayton.        The officers suspected that the bags
    contained in the pants pockets were drugs that were being trafficked and had
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    reason to believe that the drugs belonged to the man identified as “Moes”. The
    officers thus had reasonable grounds to believe that a felony had been committed
    and that “Moes”, aka Walker, was the person guilty of that offense.             The
    knowledge of the officers at the time provided probable cause to arrest Walker.
    Therefore, it is unlikely that any motion to suppress the arrest of Walker would
    have been successful. The third assignment of error is overruled.
    {¶25} Finally, Walker claims that his counsel was ineffective for
    introducing the hearsay statement regarding Wade stating that Walker would be
    coming to get the drugs. This statement was used to show that Walker was
    engaging in drug trafficking in the vicinity of a juvenile in that she would be
    present when he removed the drugs from the premises. However, as discussed
    above, no evidence was presented that Walker committed the offense of
    trafficking in drugs in the presence of a juvenile and the specifications are not
    supported by sufficient evidence. The evidence in support of the convictions for
    trafficking in drugs is the identification of the ownership of the pants by both the
    testimony of a witness and the DNA on the pants, the drugs found in the pants’
    pockets, the multiple phones, the large amounts of cash found in the pants’
    pockets and on Walker, the messages from the phones, the videos from the phone,
    and the DNA found on the baggies containing the drugs. This evidence outside of
    the statement made by Wade was more than sufficient for a reasonable juror to
    conclude that Walker had committed the offense of drug trafficking. Without an
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    effect on the result of the case, an alleged error by counsel does not rise to the
    level of ineffective assistance of counsel.   The fourth assignment of error is
    overruled.
    {¶26} Having found error prejudicial to the appellant, the judgment of the
    Court of Common Pleas of Seneca County is reversed as to the findings that the
    crimes were committed in the vicinity of a juvenile. The judgment of the Court of
    Common Pleas of Seneca County is affirmed in all other aspects. The judgment is
    reversed and the case is remanded for resentencing.
    Judgment Affirmed in Part,
    Reversed and Remanded in Part
    SHAW, P.J., Concurs in Judgment Only
    ROGERS, J., concurs.
    /hls
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