State v. Spires , 2023 Ohio 665 ( 2023 )

[Cite as State v. Spires, 2023-Ohio-665.]
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS
TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO
BROWN COUNTY
STATE OF OHIO, :
Appellee, : CASE NO. CA2022-06-005
: OPINION
- vs - 3/6/2023
:
JOHN SPIRES II, :
Appellant. :
CRIMINAL APPEAL FROM BROWN COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
Case No. CRI2020-2138
Zac Corbin, Brown County Prosecuting Attorney, and Mary McCullen, Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.
Bryan Scott Hicks, for appellant.
S. POWELL, P.J.
{¶ 1} Appellant, John Spires II, appeals from his conviction in the Brown County
Court of Common Pleas after a jury found him guilty of three counts of first-degree felony
felonious assault and one count of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm on or near
prohibited premises. For the reasons outlined below, we reverse and remand this matter
to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Brown CA2022-06-005
Facts and Procedural History
{¶ 2} On July 1, 2020, the Brown County Grand Jury returned a multi-count
indictment charging Spires with the four above-named offenses. The charges arose after
Spires twice brandished an AR-15 style firearm and fired multiple gunshots towards three
peace officer victims, Deputy Brandon Asbury, Deputy Michael Myers, and Corporal Ryan
Wedmore, during an incident that took place on June 22, 2020 in and around Spires' home
located in Brown County, Ohio. Spires' attack eventually concluded after one of the officers
shot Spires in the hip and in the leg, thus necessitating Spires to surrender before he bled
out.
{¶ 3} On April 18, 2022, a jury rendered a verdict finding Spires guilty. A few weeks
later, on May 9, 2022, the trial court sentenced Spires to serve a total, aggregate term of a
mandatory minimum 18 years in prison, less 672 days of jail-time credit. In so doing, the
trial court ordered Spires to serve consecutive mandatory prison sentences of seven,
seven, and four years for the three counts of first-degree felony felonious assault, with a
concurrent 24-month prison term for the third-degree felony count of discharge of a firearm
on or near prohibited premises.
{¶ 4} Prior to issuing its sentencing decision, the trial court noted the "psychological
injury" one of the officers suffered as a result of Spires' attack was "palpable" given what
was depicted on the three officers' body cameras. The trial court also noted its concern "as
it relates to responding officers trying to do their job" and expressed its belief that "this type
of an interaction with a citizen is reprehensible, not acceptable." Following these
comments, the trial court then made the following consecutive sentence findings pursuant
to R.C. 2929.14(C)(4)(b):
The Court will find that consecutive sentences are necessary to
protect the public from future crime and to punish the offender,
that they are not disproportionate to the seriousness of his
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conduct or to the danger he poses to the public. And,
furthermore, that at least two of the multiple offenses, remember
we had two different shootings that day, are two different
occasions, and the harm caused by the multiple offenses as so
u[n]usual that no single prison term adequately reflects the
seriousness of the offender's conduct.
The trial court thereafter incorporated those same consecutive sentence findings within its
judgment entry of sentence.
Spires' Appeal and Two Assignments of Error
{¶ 5} On June 2, 2022, Spires filed a notice of appeal. This court held oral argument
on Spires' appeal on February 13, 2023. Spires' appeal now properly before this court for
decision, Spires raises two assignments of error for review.
{¶ 6} Assignment of Error No. 1:
{¶ 7} THE COURT ERRED IN IMPOSING MANDATORY TIME.
{¶ 8} In his first assignment of error, Spires argues the trial court erred by ordering
the prison sentence he received for each of the three counts of first-degree felony felonious
assault be served as mandatory prison time. The state concedes, and we agree, that the
trial court erred in this regard.
{¶ 9} R.C. 2903.11(D)(1)(b) specifically states that, where the victim of a felonious
assault is a peace officer, the trial court shall impose a mandatory prison term only if the
peace officer victim suffered serious physical harm as a result of the commission of the
offense. State v. Carnahan, 3d Dist. Defiance No. 4-14-02, 2015-Ohio-1185, ¶ 16. The
record in this case is silent as to whether any of the three peace officer victims, Deputy
Asbury, Deputy Myers, or Corporal Wedmore, suffered serious physical harm as a result of
Spires' conduct in this case.1 The trial court therefore erred by ordering the prison sentence
1. R.C. 2901.01(A)(5) defines "serious physical harm to persons" to include "[a]ny mental illness or condition
of such gravity as would normally require hospitalization or prolonged psychiatric treatment."
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Spires received for each of the three counts of first-degree felony felonious assault be
served as mandatory prison time. See State v. Merriweather, 12th Dist. Butler No. CA2016-
04-077, 2017-Ohio-421, ¶ 60 (trial court erred by ordering appellant's prison sentence for
felonious assault be served as mandatory prison time where the circumstances set forth in
R.C. 2903.11[D][1][b] did not apply). Accordingly, finding merit to Spires' argument raised
herein, Spires' first assignment of error is sustained and this matter must be reversed and
remanded to the trial court for resentencing.
{¶ 10} Assignment of Error No. 2:
{¶ 11} THE IMPOSITION OF CONSECUTIVE SENTENCES WAS INVALID.
{¶ 12} In his second assignment of error, Spires argues the trial court erred by
ordering the prison sentences he received for the three counts of first-degree felony
felonious assault be served consecutively to one another. However, when considering our
holding above sustaining Spires' first assignment of error and finding this matter must be
reversed and remanded for resentencing, we find Spires' argument challenging the trial
court's decision to impose consecutive sentences in this case has been rendered moot and
need not be considered. See App.R. 12(A)(1)(c) (requiring this court to decide each
assignment of error and give reasons in writing for its decision "[u]nless an assignment of
error is made moot by a ruling on another assignment of error"). Therefore, because Spires'
challenge to the trial court's decision ordering the prison sentences he received for the three
counts of first-degree felony felonious assault be served consecutively is now moot, we will
not consider Spires' second assignment of error.
Conclusion and Instructions to the Trial Court Upon Remand
{¶ 13} For the reasons outlined above, we reverse and remand this matter for
resentencing. Upon remand, the trial court shall hold a resentencing hearing where it will
sentence Spires anew in conformity with Ohio's sentencing structure. This includes the trial
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court again considering the relevant statutory factors set forth in R.C. 2929.11 and 2929.12
prior to issuing its sentencing decision.
{¶ 14} During this hearing, the state shall be given the opportunity to more fully
develop the record as it relates to what harm, if any, the three peace officer victims, Deputy
Asbury, Deputy Myers, or Corporal Wedmore, suffered as a result of Spires' conduct. So
too shall Spires be given the opportunity to refute any such attempt made by the state to
develop the record in that regard. We find this necessary because, pursuant to R.C.
2929.14(C)(4)(b), consecutive sentences can be imposed where the trial court finds
consecutive sentences are necessary to protect the public from future crime or to punish
the offender; that consecutive sentences are not disproportionate to the seriousness of the
offender's conduct and to the danger the offender poses to the public; and where:
[a]t least two of the multiple offenses were committed as part of
one or more courses of conduct, and the harm caused by two
or more of the multiple offenses so committed was so great or
unusual that no single prison term for any of the offenses
committed as part of any of the courses of conduct adequately
reflects the seriousness of the offender's conduct.
{¶ 15} The trial court shall also comply with the Ohio Supreme Court's recent
decision in State v. Gwynne, Slip Opinion No. 2022-Ohio-4607, should it again decide to
impose consecutive sentences in this case. In Gwynne, the Ohio Supreme Court noted
that a trial court's consecutive sentence findings "are not simply threshold findings that,
once made, permit any amount of consecutively stacked individual sentences" or
"consecutive sentence stacking." Id. at ¶ 1, 13. "Rather, these findings must be made in
consideration of the aggregate term to be imposed." Id. at ¶ 1. That is to say, when a trial
court "makes the statutory findings under R.C. 2929.14(C)(4) for consecutive sentences, it
must consider the number of sentences that it will impose consecutively along with the
defendant's aggregate sentence that will result." Id. at ¶ 12.
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{¶ 16} For example, whether consecutive sentences are necessary to protect the
public is "completely dependent on whether the defendant's criminal history demonstrates
the need for the defendant to be incapacitated by a lengthy term of incarceration." Gwynne,
2022-Ohio-4607, at ¶ 15. A trial court cannot make this "necessity finding" without
considering the overall prison term that it will be imposing, "not whether any hypothetical
consecutive sentence might be necessary or proportionate". Id. at ¶ 15, 17. This is why,
when imposing consecutive sentences, a trial court must consider "each sentence on
individual counts that it intends to impose consecutively on the defendant and the aggregate
prison term that will result." (Emphasis added.) Id. at ¶ 14.
{¶ 17} Judgment reversed and remanded.
HENDRICKSON and M. POWELL, JJ., concur.
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