State v. Weaver , 2013 Ohio 2486 ( 2013 )

[Cite as State v. Weaver, 2013-Ohio-2486.]
COURT OF APPEALS
HOLMES COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
STATE OF OHIO JUDGES:
Hon. William B. Hoffman, P. J.
Plaintiff-Appellant Hon. John W. Wise, J.
Hon. Craig R. Baldwin, J.
-vs-
Case No. 12CA16
TERRA WEAVER, nka TERRA KAMP
Defendant-Appellee OPINION
CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Criminal Appeal from the Municipal Court,
Case No. CRB 9800173
JUDGMENT: Reversed and Remanded
DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: June 14, 2013
APPEARANCES:
For Plaintiff-Appellant For Defendant-Appellee
STEVE KNOWLING BRIAN L. SOMMERS
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY LOGEE, HOSTETLER, STUTZMAN
164 East Jackson Street & LEHMAN
Millersburg, Ohio 44654 2171 Eagle Pass
Wooster, Ohio 44691
Holmes County, Case No. 12CA16 2
Wise, J.
{¶1} Appellant State of Ohio appeals the decision of the Holmes County
Municipal Court, which granted Appellee Terra Weaver’s post-sentence motion to
withdraw a prior no contest plea. The relevant facts leading to this appeal are as
follows.
{¶2} On April 20, 1998, appellee was charged by complaint in the Holmes
County Municipal Court with one count of domestic violence, a misdemeanor of the first
degree under R.C. 2919.25(A). On April 24, 1998, appellee appeared before the court
and entered a plea of no contest.1 The trial court found appellee guilty and ordered her
to pay court costs; a thirty-day jail term was suspended on a number of conditions,
including that appellee attend and complete the Family Lifeskills program.
{¶3} On October 18, 2011, more than thirteen years later, appellee moved to
withdraw her no contest plea “on the basis that while [appellee] waived her right to
counsel at the time of entering her plea, [appellee] never discussed this matter with an
attorney or sought the advice of counsel prior to her entry of a plea and consequently
[appellee] was not fully aware of all the consequences of entering a plea to the charge
of Domestic Violence. * * *.”
{¶4} The trial court scheduled an oral hearing. The State of Ohio raised a
number of objections to appellee's motion at the oral hearing.
{¶5} The trial court granted appellee's motion to withdraw her no contest plea
on November 28, 2011.
1
We note the record contains a document, dated April 24, 1998, stating: “I, Terra L.
Weaver, have been offered the opportunity to apply for legal services on my behalf and
do hereby decline the offer.” However, no record of any Crim.R. 11 colloquy from 1998
has been provided.
Holmes County, Case No. 12CA16 3
{¶6} The State of Ohio thereafter obtained leave under App.R. 5(C) and
appealed to this Court. Appellant asserted in its sole assigned error that the trial court
had abused its discretion in permitting appellee to withdraw her plea of no contest. On
June 18, 2012, we reversed the trial court's decision of November 28, 2011 granting
the withdrawal of appellee’s plea, and remanded the matter for proceedings consistent
with our accompanying opinion. See State v. Weaver, Holmes App.No. 11CA023,
2012-Ohio-2788 (“Weaver I”). Appellee did not file an appeal with the Ohio Supreme
Court.
{¶7} The trial court thereupon set the matter for a hearing on September 19,
2012. The trial court stated at the commencement of said hearing: "This is 98 CRB 173
on a motion for the original motion [sic] was to withdraw her original plea and the Court
granted that and then we are here because the Court of Appeals basically said there
was not enough evidence on the record [.]" Tr. at 2. Appellee was then permitted to
again testify about the circumstances surrounding her decision to enter a no contest
plea in 1998.
{¶8} On October 11, 2012, the trial court issued a judgment entry granting
appellee’s motion to withdraw her plea under Crim.R. 32.1.
{¶9} On October 17, 2012, the State of Ohio filed a notice of appeal and a
request for leave to appeal under App.R. 5(C). This Court granted leave to appeal on
November 21, 2012. The State of Ohio herein raises the following sole Assignment of
Error:
{¶10} “I. THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY REOPENING
DEFENDANT-APPELLE'S (SIC) PRIOR CR 32.1 MOTION, HOLDING A SECOND
Holmes County, Case No. 12CA16 4
EVIDENTIARY HEARING, AND AGAIN GRANTING SAID MOTION AFTER THIS
COURT HAD REVERSED THE TRIAL COURT'S INITIAL GRANTING OF
DEFENDANT'S MOTION AND REMANDED TO REINSTATE HER CONVICTION.”
I.
{¶11} In its sole Assignment of Error, Appellant State of Ohio challenges the trial
court's granting of appellee’s motion to withdraw her 1998 no contest plea following our
decision in Weaver I.
{¶12} Crim. R. 32.1 states, “A motion to withdraw a plea of guilty or no contest
may be made only before sentence is imposed; but to correct manifest injustice the
court after sentence may set aside the judgment of conviction and permit the defendant
to withdraw his or her plea.”
{¶13} The law of the case doctrine has been applied in appeals pertaining to
plea withdrawal motions. See State v. Cvijetinovic, Cuyahoga App.No. 82894, 2003-
Ohio-7071; State v. White, Cuyahoga App.No. 81368, 2003-Ohio-178. “[T]he doctrine
of the law of the case * * * establishes that the ‘decision of a reviewing court in a case
remains the law of that case on the legal questions involved for all subsequent
proceedings in the case at both the trial and reviewing levels.’ ” Pipe Fitters Union
Local No. 392 v. Kokosing Constr. Co., Inc., 81 Ohio St.3d 214, 218, 690 N.E.2d 515,
1998-Ohio-465, quoting Nolan v. Nolan (1984), 11 Ohio St.3d 1, 3, 462 N.E.2d 410.
The doctrine of the law of the case “functions to compel trial courts to follow the
mandates of reviewing courts.” Hubbard ex rel. Creed v. Sauline (1996), 74 Ohio St.3d
402, 404, 659 N.E.2d 781, quoting Nolan, supra.
Holmes County, Case No. 12CA16 5
{¶14} In reviewing the procedural history of this matter, we surmise that the trial
court interpreted our June 18, 2012 reversal and remand “for proceedings consistent
with this opinion” as opening the door to hearing additional evidence on appellee’s
Crim.R. 32.1 motion. However, in our June 18, 2012 decision we clearly held that
appellee had failed to establish that a manifest injustice had occurred when she
entered her no contest plea in 1998. See Weaver I at ¶8. Under the doctrine of the law
of the case, the allowance of further proceedings in contravention of our prior holding
was erroneous and warrants reversal.
{¶15} Accordingly, Appellant State of Ohio’s sole Assignment of Error is
sustained.
{¶16} For the reasons stated in the foregoing opinion, the October 11, 2012
decision of the Municipal Court of Holmes County, Ohio, is hereby reversed and
remanded with directions to the trial court to enter judgment denying appellee’s motion
of October 18, 2011 to withdraw no contest plea.
By: Wise, J.
Hoffman, P. J., and
Baldwin, J., concur.
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JUDGES
JWW/d 0603
Holmes County, Case No. 12CA16 6
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR HOLMES COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
STATE OF OHIO :
:
Plaintiff-Appellant :
:
-vs- : JUDGMENT ENTRY
:
TERRA WEAVER, nka TERRA KAMP :
:
Defendant-Appellee : Case No. 12CA16
For the reasons stated in our accompanying Memorandum-Opinion, the
judgment of the Municipal Court of Holmes County, Ohio, is reversed and remanded for
entry of judgment consistent with this opinion.
Costs assessed to appellee.
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JUDGES