State v. Roan

[Cite as State v. Roan, 2020-Ohio-5179.]
COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA
STATE OF OHIO, :
Plaintiff-Appellee, :
No. 108917
v. :
KELLY ROAN, :
Defendant-Appellant. :
JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION
JUDGMENT: REVERSED AND REMANDED
RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: November 5, 2020
Criminal Appeal from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
Case No. CR-18-629154-A
Appearances:
Michael C. O’Malley, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting
Attorney, and Jeffrey Schnatter and Theodore E. Parran,
III, Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys, for appellee.
Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C., and Eric C. Nemecek, for
appellant.
LARRY A. JONES, SR., J.:
Defendant-appellant, Kelly Roan, (“Roan”) appeals from his
convictions on three counts of rape. For the reasons that follow we reverse and
remand for a new trial.
In 2018, Roan was charged with four counts of rape. The matter
proceeded to a trial by jury at which the following evidence was presented.
Roan and C.H. were coworkers at University Hospitals and had
known each other professionally for a few years. Roan had his medical license and
was employed as a resident. C.H. was employed as a nursing assistant. On
December 15, 2017, Roan and C.H. separately attended a holiday party at a
colleague’s apartment. At the party, they consumed alcohol and played drinking
games together. According to Roan, they flirted, including tickling that other
witnesses described as “playful wrestling” with Roan on the floor and C.H. on top of
him, and dancing or “grinding” on one another. Roan testified he drank six beers
and took a couple shots at the party. C.H. testified she drank enough to be drunk
but did not black out.
When the party ended in the early morning hours of December 16,
2017, Roan and C.H. went back to Roan’s apartment. Roan and C.H. watched
television on the couch and began “making out.” According to Roan, C.H. told him
she wanted to go upstairs to where his bedroom was located. C.H. testified she was
fully clothed, wrapped herself in a blanket, and immediately went to sleep. Roan
testified that he took his clothes off and they began making out. He tried to take
C.H.’s pants off and she told him “No. Stop,” so he stopped. Roan testified they
both fell asleep and did not wake up until later that morning.
According to C.H., she woke up in the middle of the night on her
stomach. C.H. testified she was now “completely naked” and Roan was on top of
her penetrating her from behind. Throughout the entire investigation, pre- and
post-indictment, and pretrial processes up until C.H. testified at trial, the allegation
was that Roan penetrated C.H.’s anus by force or threat of force. C.H. testified at
trial, however, that he penetrated her vagina, not her anus.
C.H. testified that after this occurred she went back to sleep and
woke up again around 11 a.m. She laid in Roan’s bed for two hours until Roan woke
up. When Roan woke up, they began kissing and touching. Roan penetrated C.H.’s
vagina with his finger. She performed oral sex on him. Later, she asked him to
drive her home and gave him her phone number.
C.H. texted Roan the next day, asking him if he remembered what
happened at his apartment. Roan replied that they “didn’t do anything.” C.H.
responded “that’s only because I woke up. I woke up very early in the [morning] to
you trying to have sex * * *.” Roan again replied that “nothing actually happened.”
Over the next two weeks, C.H. entered into a “voluntary outpatient
rehab program.” On January 1, 2018, C.H. went to the Cleveland Police
Department and filed a report about the incident. Subsequently, she met with
Detective Brian Kellums (“Detective Kellums”) who investigated C.H.’s allegations.
On August 28, 2018, Roan was charged with four counts of rape, all
felonies of the first degree: one count of rape in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(c)
and three counts of rape in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(2), alleging anal
penetration, digital penetration, and fellatio. As mentioned, Roan’s case proceeded
to a jury trial. Pursuant to Crim.R. 29, the court dismissed Count 3 ─ the R.C.
2907.02(A)(2) rape count that involved fellatio ─ and the jury found Roan guilty of
the remaining three rape charges.
The court sentenced Roan to the minimum term of three years in
prison.
It is from these convictions that Roan now appeals, raising the
following assignments of error for our review; further facts will be discussed under
the assignments of error:
I. The state failed to introduce sufficient evidence to sustain the
convictions in violati[on] of Dr. Roan’s constitutional right to due
process of law as guaranteed by Article I, Section 10 of the Ohio
Constitution as well as the Fourteenth Amendment to the United
States Constitution.
II. Dr. Roan’s convictions are against the manifest weight of the
evidence.
III. The trial court erred by allowing the state to elicit improper
testimony in violation of the Ohio Rules of Evidence and Rules of
Criminal Procedure, thereby depriving Dr. Roan of his constitutional
right to due process of law and a fair trial as guaranteed by Article I,
Section 10 of the Ohio Constitution as well as the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Unites States Constitution.
IV. The trial court erred by failing to order that the transcripts of the
grand jury proceedings be produced for inspection, disclosed to the
defense and/or otherwise maintained as part of the record.
Standards of Review ─ Sufficiency and Manifest Weight of the Evidence
Crim.R. 29 mandates that the trial court issue a judgment of acquittal
where the prosecution’s evidence is insufficient to sustain a conviction for the
offense. Crim.R. 29(A) and sufficiency of the evidence require the same analysis.
State v. Taylor, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 100315, 2014-Ohio-3134, ¶ 21, citing
Cleveland v. Pate, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 99321, 2013-Ohio-5571. The test for the
sufficiency of the evidence involves a question of law for resolution by the appellate
court, to determine whether, after construing all reasonable inferences in favor of
the state, any reasonable trier of fact could find that the state presented evidence to
prove each of the material elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. State
v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 386, 678 N.E.2d 541 (1997). 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. Vickers, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 97365,
2013-Ohio-1337, ¶ 17, citing State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259, 574 N.E.2d 492(1991).
A sufficiency analysis is different from that undertaken in
determining whether a conviction is against the manifest weight of the evidence.
Thompkins at paragraph two of the syllabus. In considering a manifest-weight
claim, the appellate court “review[s] the entire record, weighs the evidence and all
reasonable inferences, considers the credibility of witnesses and determines
whether in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the jury 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. Martin, 20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175, 485 N.E.2d 717(1st Dist.1983).
The criminal manifest weight-of-the-evidence standard addresses the
evidence’s effect of inducing belief. State v. Wilson, 113 Ohio St.3d 382, 2007-
Ohio-2202, 865 N.E.2d 1264, ¶ 25, citing Thompkins at 386. Under the manifest
weight-of-the-evidence standard, a reviewing court must ask the following
question: whose evidence is more persuasive — the state’s or the defendant’s?
Wilson at id. Although there may be legally sufficient evidence to support a
judgment, it may nevertheless be against the manifest weight of the evidence.
Thompkins at 387; State v. Johnson, 88 Ohio St.3d 95, 723 N.E.2d 1054 (2000).
When a court of appeals reverses a judgment of a trial court on the basis that the
verdict is against the manifest weight of the evidence, the appellate court sits as a
“thirteenth juror” and disagrees with the fact finder’s resolution of the conflicting
testimony. Wilson at id., quoting Thompkins at id. Additionally, in a case tried by a
jury, only a unanimous appellate court can reverse on the ground that the verdict
was against the manifest weight of the evidence. Thompkins at 389, citing Ohio
Constitution, Article IV, Section 3(B)(3).1
As shown above, we employ a different standard of review when
considering whether the state provided sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction
1Conversely, a unanimous appellate court is not required to reverse on the ground
that there was insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction. See Thompkins at id.than when determining whether the conviction is against the manifest weight of the
evidence. In sum, a reviewing court can find that there is sufficient evidence to
support a conviction but also conclude that the conviction was against the manifest
weight of the evidence.
Sufficiency of the Evidence
Roan was convicted in Count 1 of rape in violation of R.C.
2907.02(A)(1)(c), which states that:
No person shall engage in sexual conduct with another * * * when * * *
[t]he other person’s ability to resist or consent is substantially
impaired because of a mental or physical condition * * * and the
offenders knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the other
person’s ability to resist or consent is substantially impaired because of
a mental or physical condition * * *.
Additionally, Roan was convicted in Counts 2 and 4 of rape in
violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(2), which states that “[n]o person shall engage in
sexual conduct with another when the offender purposely compels the other person
to submit by force or threat of force.”
Counts 1 and 2 originally charged Roan with rape by anal
penetration. After the state presented its case, the prosecutor motioned the court to
amend the indictment to charge Roan with vaginal rape. The court granted the
state’s motion. Thus, in short, Count 1 charged Roan with vaginal rape while C.H.
was substantially impaired, Count 2 charged Roan with vaginal rape by force or
threat of force, and Count 4 charged Roan with rape by digital penetration (Count
3, fellatio, was dismissed pursuant to Crim.R. 29).
On appeal, Roan argues that the state “failed to present sufficient
evidence of penetration as alleged in Counts 1 and 2 of the Indictment.” Roan
further argues that the state failed to present sufficient evidence that Roan
“purposefully compelled C.H. to engage in sexual conduct (i.e., digital penetration)
through the use of force or the threat of force” as charged in Count 4 of the
indictment. The state contends that “there is ample evidence to support a rational
trier of fact’s decision that penetration occurred.”
In State v. Falkenstein, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 83316, 2004-Ohio
2561, ¶ 16, this court held that “evidence of slight penetration, entering the vulva or
labia, is sufficient to support a rape conviction.” The Falkenstein Court further held
that “there was sufficient evidence that could lead a rational trier of fact to conclude
that appellant penetrated the victim by placing his penis on the outside of the
victim’s vagina.” Id.C.H. testified that she was asleep and woke up to Roan penetrating
her with his penis while lying on top of her. Ohio courts have consistently held that
a victim’s testimony alone is sufficient to support a rape conviction. State v.
Blankenship, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 77900, 2001 Ohio App. LEXIS 5520, 11 (Dec.
13, 2001). “[T]estimony, if believed, is sufficient to prove each element of the
offense of rape. There is no requirement that a rape victim’s testimony be
corroborated precedent to conviction.” (Citation omitted.) Id. Furthermore, this
court has held that “sleep constitutes a mental or physical condition that
substantially impairs a person from resisting or consenting to sexual conduct.”
State v. Clark, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 90148, 2008-Ohio-3358, ¶ 21. Thus, C.H.’s
testimony alone can provide sufficient evidence of substantial impairment rape
pursuant to R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(c). While Roan’s testimony contradicts C.H.’s
testimony that this event occurred, when reviewing whether a conviction is
supported by sufficient evidence, we look to whether the state presented sufficient
evidence, not whether that evidence was rebutted by the defense. Thus, upon
review of the state’s evidence, namely C.H.’s testimony that Roan penetrated her
vagina while she was sleeping, we find sufficient evidence to convict Roan of
substantial impairment rape in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(c).
Turning to the rapes in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(2), Roan argues
that there was insufficient evidence of force or threat of force. Force is defined in
R.C. 2901.01(A)(1) as “any violence, compulsion, or constraint physically exerted by
any means upon or against a person or thing.”
C.H. testified that she “was describing [Roan] forcing his penis inside
me” when she woke up the first time. According to C.H., she pushed Roan off of her
and jumped out of bed. As to the next count of rape, C.H. testified that Roan
digitally penetrated her vagina. According to C.H., she did not move other than to
“try to squeeze my legs closed and cross them.” C.H. testified as follows about what
happened next:
But he does ─ his fingers do go inside of me. * * * At that point, I kind
of realized the only way that this is going to end and I can go home is if
he gets what he wants at that point, because then I realized he’s
completely naked. * * * I was just still, and I was trying to cross my legs
and hope that the body language would make him realize that this isn’t
what I want. * * * I just remember just wanting to leave, just being ─
wiggling and just uncomfortable.
Ohio courts have held that force may be established when the victim
testifies that she resisted the defendant during the rape. See State v. Zimpfer, 2d
Dist. Montgomery No. 26062, 2014-Ohio-4401, ¶ 48; State v. Miller, 9th Dist.
Summit No. 27048, 2015-Ohio-279, ¶ 37.
Additionally, this court has held the following regarding forcible
rape: “Force need not be overt and physically brutal, but can be subtle and
psychological. As long as it can be shown that the rape victim’s will was overcome
by fear or duress, the forcible element of rape can be established.” State v. Fowler,
27 Ohio App.3d 149, 154, 500 N.E.2d 390 (8th Dist.1985).
Here, viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the
prosecution, C.H.’s testimony was sufficient to support Roan’s convictions for rape,
and his first assigned error is overruled.
Manifest Weight of the Evidence
It bears repeating that although there may be legally sufficient
evidence to support a judgment, we may still find that it is against the manifest
weight of the evidence. After a thorough review of the record, we find merit to this
assignment of error.
On appeal, Roan argues that “the multiple inconsistencies and
pervasive credibility issues plaguing C.H.’s testimony renders the trier of fact’s
decision against the manifest weight of the evidence.” Specifically, Roan argues
that C.H.’s trial testimony that Roan raped her vaginally is inconsistent with C.H.’s
informing law enforcement that Roan “penetrated ─ or, at least attempted to
penetrate ─ her anus * * *.” Roan also argues that evidence introduced at trial
regarding C.H.’s actions and conduct during the time period at issue in this case are
inconsistent with someone alleging nonconsensual sex. According to Roan, the
“inconsistencies and contradictions throughout the trial of this case are sufficient to
undermine confidence in the outcome.”
C.H. testified that she worked a 12-hour shift on the day of the party.
According to C.H., she drank enough alcohol that she “was drunk,” but she did not
black out, and remembered “the party very well.” Roan testified that he and C.H.
were flirting at the party and did not kiss until they were back at his apartment.
Although C.H. denied she was flirting with Roan, multiple witnesses confirmed his
account. When the party broke up in the early morning hours, Roan invited C.H.
and another coworker to his apartment to “keep on drinking.”2
Once at his apartment, Roan and C.H. sat on the couch and began to
“make out.” According to both Roan and C.H., the kissing was mutually initiated.
C.H. testified that after about 15 minutes she told Roan that she was tired and
wanted to go upstairs to sleep. Roan testified C.H. told him she wanted to go
upstairs to his bedroom so when they got upstairs he got completely undressed
because he thought they were going to “go further.” C.H. testified that “I’m pretty
Ultimately, the coworker decided not to go to Roan’s apartment.
2
sure as soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.” To the contrary, Roan testified
they were both very much awake, laying side to side, and began kissing. He
testified as follows about what happened next:
Eventually, I thought we were going TO that next step and I started to
remove her pants, at which point she told me “No.” * * * I stopped.
* * * I went to bed. * * * I woke up.
Roan denied he was ever on top of C.H. in the middle of the night,
took off her clothes or pulled down her leggings, or penetrated her with his penis.
C.H. alleged that she fell asleep with all of her clothes on and
wrapped herself up in an electric blanket but woke up “completely naked” on her
stomach to Roan penetrating her vagina with his penis. She pushed him off,
jumped out of bed, got back into the bed, and fell back asleep. She testified that she
could have left but decided not to: “I was scared. I didn’t know what to do,” even
though she had her phone with her and had used Uber earlier in the evening. When
asked if Roan did anything to make her think she could not leave, C.H. answered,
“No.”
C.H. testified that after the first assault she went back to sleep and
woke up sometime around 11:00 a.m. Roan was still sleeping and C.H. stayed in
the bed until he woke up two hours later. When asked, C.H. said she did not try to
leave or use her phone. Roan testified that when he woke up,
C.H. was still there. We started talking, just making small talk. We
laid in bed for two and a half hours or so talking. * * * we talked about
work. We talked about [how] she has pet rats, it was brought up, and
she was showing me photos of them on her phone.
***
After laying there for a bit, we began kissing again, and that lasted
maybe three minutes or so, at which point she then removed the covers
and started performing oral sex on me.
***
So while she was performing oral sex on me, I put my fingers in her
vagina.
C.H. admitted the oral sex was consensual; she stated that the
quickest way to “satisfy” Roan so she could leave was to perform oral sex on him.
Asked if he forced himself upon C.H., Roan answered, “Absolutely
not.” According to Roan, C.H. took her own leggings off in the morning saying she
was warm, and she never crossed her legs or resisted him in any way.
C.H. asked Roan for a ride home. As they were getting ready to leave
his apartment, Roan asked C.H. for her cell phone number and she gave it to him.
About two hours after Roan dropped C.H. off, he texted her and they conversed
about him going to the gym. Later that evening, C.H. initiated a text conversation
by texting Roan a picture of a fast food beverage cup, joking that it was better than
going to the gym. The next evening C.H. called Roan, but he did not answer the
call. Instead, he texted C.H. C.H. told Roan she wanted to talk about what
happened “the other night and if you remember.” Roan replied: “I do barely
remember that, but nothing actually happened. I’m sorry, I was wasted, and I know
that’s not a good ‘excuse.’ We can still talk if you want.” When asked what he
meant by his reply, Roan testified that he was apologizing for his attempt to take off
her pants when they first went up to his bedroom.
Roan eventually called C.H.: “I discussed with her that, you know,
we were kissing, making out. I thought we were going to take that next step and go
further and I tried to remove your pants and you said no, and that was the end of
it.” Roan testified that C.H. did not dispute any of this, and he thought they were
on good terms. He told her they should get together and get some drinks or dinner.
Roan testified that he first heard about C.H.’s allegations over ten months later, in
September 2018, when he was indicted with four counts of rape. Up until the actual
trial began, it was his understanding that C.H. accused him of trying to “penetrate
her anus.” The first time he heard an allegation of vaginal penetration was when
C.H. testified at trial, almost a year and a half after the alleged assault occurred.
With respect to Counts 1 and 2, C.H. never informed law enforcement or the
prosecutor’s office that the alleged incident involved vaginal penetration; rather, as
evidenced by the recorded interviews and the indictment, C.H. consistently
maintained that Roan penetrated ─ or attempted to penetrate ─ her anus:
Defense Counsel: And you have never ─ just so I’m clear, you never
told Detective Kellums, “vagina,” correct?
C.H.: Yes.
Defense Counsel: You never told that first officer “vagina,” either, did
you?
C.H.: No.
Defense Counsel: So the first time we heard that from you, we,
collectively, is here today, correct?
C.H.: Yes.
***
Defense Counsel: And I’m going to ask you, [C.H.], to read out loud
the parentheses I have from line 3 through line 5.
C.H.: “And the next thing I remember is being woken up with, like,
this sharp pain on my backside, my butt area.”
Defense Counsel: And you can agree with me that nowhere on this
page does it say “vagina,” correct?
C.H.: Correct.
Defense Counsel: And nowhere in that audio did you hear that, did you?
C.H.: Correct.
Detective Kellums confirmed that the first time he heard C.H. claim
vaginal penetration was during her trial testimony. Asked if C.H. told him that she
was vaginally raped, Detective Kellums replied, “No, she never used those words.
* * * She never used the word ‘vagina.’” Detective Kellums testified that based on
C.H.’s allegations that she awoke to a pain in her backside, he believed she was
describing anal sex. In his report, the detective used the word “anus.”
C.H.’s testimony regarding the second alleged incidence of sexual
assault, which formed the basis for Count 4, is likewise problematic. C.H.
maintained that she woke up before Roan and did not know what to do. She
testified that she did not want to engage in sexual conduct after waking up that
morning, but that testimony is inconsistent with her actions and related testimony,
including her admission that she was voluntarily kissing Roan while he was digitally
penetrating her vagina and that she ultimately decided to perform oral sex on him,
asked him to drive her home after the assault, gave him her cell phone number
before she left his apartment, and continued to engage in text conversations with
him.
Specifically, Roan testified that when they woke up they talked for an
hour or so in bed before kissing again and then C.H. took her clothes off, stating she
was warm, and performed oral sex on Roan. While C.H. was performing oral sex on
Roan, he testified he put his fingers in her vagina.3
Following the alleged assault, C.H. continued to communicate with
Roan, including exchanging multiple text messages. During these text exchanges,
Roan denied anything inappropriate occurred at his apartment; C.H. did not
dispute his account.
In addition, C.H. initially denied speaking with Roan over the phone
after the alleged assault but had to revise her statement when confronted on cross-
examination with cell phone records confirming the call. Roan testified that during
that phone call he discussed the night with C.H. and she did not dispute that he
stopped when she told him “no.”
Likewise, although C.H. initially testified that she entered alcohol
treatment because of the sexual assault, she later admitted ─ after being confronted
with transcripts of her interviews with Detective Kellums ─ that she decided to
enter the program prior to the date of the alleged assault due to a family history of
3Again, the trial court granted defense counsel’s motion for a directed verdict on
Count 3, the rape count involving fellatio, but the jury convicted Roan of Count 4,
the rape count involving digital penetration.
alcohol abuse and an incident where she drove drunk. Finally, C.H. admitted that
her decision to report the alleged assault to the police was prompted by seeing
pictures of Roan at a different party that were posted to social media.
C.H.’s explanation of what occurred in the middle of the night, which
was that Roan penetrated or tried to penetrate her anus, but changed to penetration
of her vagina during C.H.’s trial testimony, lacks credibility. While C.H. testified
that she was asleep, fully clothed and wrapped in a blanket, but awoke “completely
naked” to Roan raping her, she also testified that she repeatedly continued to
engage in very intimate consensual sexual activity with him. See State v. Schmidt,
8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 88772, 2007-Ohio-4439, ¶ 46 (finding insufficient evidence
to convict the defendant of sexual battery).
While we recognize that this is a sensitive issue, upon review, we find
that this is the exceptional case where the evidence weighs heavily against the
conviction; thus, Roan’s convictions are against the manifest weight of the evidence.
Roan’s second assigned error is sustained. However, as we
previously mentioned, an unanimous concurrence of all three judges on the court of
appeals panel reviewing the case is required in order to reverse a judgment on the
weight of the evidence, when that judgment is the result of a jury trial. Thompkins,
78 Ohio St.3d at 389, 678 N.E.2d 541. Because our decision to reverse based on the
weight of the evidence is not unanimous, Roan’s conviction is not reversed based on
this assignment of error.
Expert Testimony
In the third assignment of error, Roan argues that the trial court
erred when it allowed the state to elicit improper testimony from Detective
Kellums with regard to C.H.’s disclosure of the alleged rapes.
“The admission or exclusion of relevant evidence rests within the
sound discretion of the trial court.” State v. Sage, 31 Ohio St.3d 173, 180, 510
N.E.2d 343 (1987). Lay witness opinion testimony is “limited to those opinions
which are (1) rationally based on the perception of the witness and (2) helpful to a
clear understanding of his testimony or the determination of a fact in issue.”
Evid.R. 701.
Evid.R. 702, on the other hand, governs expert witness testimony,
and it states, in pertinent part, as follows:
A witness may testify as an expert if all of the following apply:
(A) The witness’ testimony either relates to matters beyond the
knowledge or experience possessed by lay persons or dispels a
misconception common among lay persons;
(B) The witness is qualified as an expert by specialized knowledge,
skill, experience, training, or education regarding the subject
matter of the testimony;
(C) The witness’ testimony is based on reliable scientific, technical, or
other specialized information.
Roan also alleges a violation of Crim.R. 16(K), which states as
follows:
An expert witness for either side shall prepare a written report
summarizing the expert witness’s testimony, findings, analysis,
conclusions, or opinion, and shall include a summary of the expert’s
qualifications. The written report and summary of qualifications shall
be subject to disclosure under this rule no later than twenty-one days
prior to trial, which period may be modified by the court for good
cause shown, which does not prejudice any other party. Failure to
disclose the written report to opposing counsel shall preclude the
expert’s testimony at trial.
Roan argues that Detective Kellums’s testimony about C.H.’s
delayed reporting of the rape was improperly admitted at trial because it was an
expert opinion and the detective was not qualified as an expert witness nor did the
state submit a written report pursuant to Crim.R. 16(K). Roan further argues that
Detective Kellums’s “testimony had the practical effect of improperly bolstering the
veracity of C.H.’s allegations by opining that her actions were in line with
individuals who were victims of sexual assault.”
Roan’s counsel objected to the admission of Detective Kellums’s
testimony; therefore, this court reviews for harmless error — ‘“a standard
significantly more favorable to the defendant.”’ State v. Perry, 101 Ohio St.3d 118,
2004-Ohio-297, 802 N.E.2d 643, ¶ 15, quoting United States v. Curbelo, 343 F.3d
273, 286 (4th Cir.2003). Under the harmless-error-standard, the state bears the
burden of showing that “the error did not affect the substantial rights of the
defendant.” (Citation omitted.) Perry at id.In State v. Morris, 141 Ohio St.3d 399, 2014-Ohio-5052, 24 N.E.3d
1153, the Ohio Supreme Court characterized the harmless error rule as a way “to
forgive technical mistakes” and set out a three-part analysis to determine the effect
(if any) of the error: (1) “[T]here must be prejudice to the defendant as a result of
the admission of the improper evidence at trial”; (2) “an appellate court must
declare a belief that the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt,” i.e.,
that there was “no reasonable possibility that the testimony contributed to the
accused’s conviction”; and (3) “in determining whether * * * the error is harmless
beyond a reasonable doubt, the court must excise the improper evidence from the
record and then look to the remaining evidence.” Id. at ¶ 24, 27-29. As to the third
prong, the court suggested that harmless error cases involve ‘“overwhelming
evidence of guilt or some other indicia that the error did not contribute to the
conviction.”’ Id. at ¶ 29, quoting State v. Rahman, 23 Ohio St.3d 146, 151, 492
N.E.2d 401 (1986), quoting State v. Ferguson, 5 Ohio St.3d 160, 166, 450 N.E.2d
265 (1983), fn. 5.
The Morris Court emphasized that the proper focus of the inquiry is
‘“not to sit as the supreme trier of fact, but rather to assess the impact of this
erroneously admitted testimony upon the jury.”’ Morris at id., quoting Rahman at
id., fn. 4. In other words, “an appellate court must consider both the impact of the
offending evidence on the verdict and the strength of the remaining evidence after
the tainted evidence is removed from the record.” Morris at ¶ 33.
Detective Kellums testified that at the time of trial he had been a
police officer for over ten years and a detective in the sex crimes unit for over two
years. He had worked on over 200 sexual assault cases and had received special
training in the investigation of sexual assaults. He further testified:
Prosecutor: Now in your personal experience in terms of a victim of a
sexual assault reporting the sexual assault, have you experienced an
array of times between immediate reporting versus delayed?
Detective Kellums: Yes, sir. Often, it’s years before disclosures are
made.
***
Prosecutor: You mentioned it can be from immediate disclosure to
years?
Detective Kellums: Yes, sir.
Prosecutor: Have you spoken with victims of sexual assault that have
not reported it immediately?
Detective Kellums: Yes, sir.
Prosecutor: Have you learned reasons that cause people to delay in
reporting sexual assaults?
***
Detective Kellums: Often the victims will express to me * * * fear.
Prosecutor: Fear of what?
Detective Kellums: Fear of coming forward for various reasons;
shame, sometimes it’s just the trauma of the event. They don’t know
how to process it right away.
Prosecutor: Did you have a conversation with [C.H.] about the delay
in her reporting what occurred between Kelly Roan and her in his
apartment and her reporting to the [police]?
Detective Kellums: I did.
Prosecutor: And what were some of the ─ did you learn from [C.H.]
what caused that delay in her?
***
Detective Kellums: Yes.
Prosecutor: Were the reasons that [C.H.] articulated to you that
caused her delay consistent with things that you have heard from
other victims of sexual assaults?
Detective Kellums: Yes.
On redirect, the state elicited additional testimony from the
detective:
Prosecutor: Did you locate the text messages of a conversation
between Kelly Roan and [C.H.]?
Detective Kellums: Yes, sir.
Prosecutor: Those text messages, are they consistent with what [C.H.]
explained to you happened inside of Kelly Roan’s apartment that
night?
Detective Kellums: Yes, sir.
Prosecutor: In fact, it confirms that Kelly Roan never denied anything
that [C.H.] had said?
Detective Kellums: Yes, sir.
Defense Counsel: Objection.
Court: Overruled.
It is undisputed that the state never sought to have Detective
Kellums qualified as an expert witness nor did the state provide an expert report
pursuant to Crim.R. 16(K). Under the circumstances of this case, we find that the
trial court admitted Detective Kellums’s testimony in error.
Detective Kellums gave improper opinion testimony regarding the
consistency of statements C.H. and Roan made to him when compared to their text
messages. Detective Kellums essentially opined that C.H. was a credible witness
because her story was consistent and Roan was not a credible witness because he
“never denied anything that [C.H.] said” in her text messages. It was within the
province of the jury as the trier of fact to make a credibility determination, a role
the detective impermissibly usurped. We find that the trial court committed error
by allowing this testimony to reach the jury, and accordingly we must consider
whether the error was harmless.
In determining whether Roan suffered prejudice by the admission of
the testimony, we note that the state presented Detective Kellums as its
investigating detective, highlighting the detective’s career with the Cleveland Police
Department and the amount of sexual abuse cases he had handled.
Turning to the second part of the analysis, we cannot say that this
error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt or that there was no reasonable
possibility that the testimony contributed to Roan’s conviction. This case involved
a credibility battle without independent corroborating evidence of sexual assault.
We find that Detective Kellums’s testimony improperly bolstered C.H.’s testimony,
thereby impermissibly tipping the scales towards a guilty verdict.
Finally, under the third part of the analysis, we have already
determined that the manifest weight of the evidence does not support Roan’s
convictions for rape. This is not a case where the evidence of guilt was strong or we
have confidence that the error did not impact the outcome.
In light of the above, the third assignment of error is sustained.
Roan’s convictions are reversed and the case is remanded based on our sustaining
the third assignment of error.
Grand Jury Transcripts
“In Ohio, the long-standing tradition of grand jury secrecy is well
pronounced in case law.” State v. Greer, 66 Ohio St.2d 139, 146, 420 N.E.2d 982(1981). Pursuant to Crim.R. 6(E), grand jury transcripts may be disclosed “when
so directed by the court preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding,
or when permitted by the court at the request of the defendant upon a showing
that grounds may exist for a motion to dismiss the indictment because of matters
occurring before the grand jury.”
The Ohio Supreme Court has further held that “if the defendant is
able to demonstrate a particularized need, i.e., where the surrounding
circumstances indicate a probability that the failure to disclose the grand jury
testimony will deprive the defendant of a fair trial, grand jury proceedings may be
disclosed.” State v. Lawson, 64 Ohio St.3d, 336, 345, 595 N.E.2d 902 (1992).
“The question of whether a particularized need exists is within the discretion of the
trial court.” State v. Grewell, 45 Ohio St.3d 4, 9, 543 N.E.2d 93 (1989).
Roan argues that there is a “particularized need” for these
transcripts because “C.H.’s testimony that the allegations underlying counts 1 and
2 of the indictment concerned vaginal ─ as opposed to anal ─ penetration.”
According to Roan, the indictment, police reports, and “discussions, frankly, have
centered around the idea that [C.H.] was anally raped.” But at trial, C.H. testified
that Roan vaginally raped her. Roan argues that defense “[c]ounsel was
undoubtedly surprised and prejudiced by the disclosure, and the court’s failure to
order production of the transcripts ─ or at least conduct an in camera review of the
materials ─ constituted an abuse of discretion sufficient to warrant a reversal of
the convictions.”
Based on our resolution of the second and third assignments of
error, we find this assignment of error to be moot. See App.R. 12(A)(1)(c). Upon
retrial, defense counsel may certainly motion for release of the grand jury
transcripts and the court can determine whether disclosure is warranted pursuant
to Crim.R. 6(E).
Judgment reversed based on the third assignment of error; case
remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
It is ordered that appellant recover from appellee costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the
common pleas court to carry this judgment into execution.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule
27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
LARRY A. JONES, SR., JUDGE
ANITA LASTER MAYS, J., CONCURS:
PATRICIA ANN BLACKMON, P.J., DISSENTS
WITH SEPARATE DISSENTING OPINION
PATRICIA ANN BLACKMON, P.J., DISSENTING:
I respectfully dissent from the majority’s opinion in this case.
Rather, I would affirm the jury convicting Dr. Roan of rape. In my opinion, this is
not the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily against the
convictions.
First, the issue regarding whether C.H. was raped vaginally or anally
appears to be a misunderstanding rather than an inconsistency. Asked if C.H. told
him that she was vaginally raped, Detective Kellums replied, “No, she never used
those words. * * * She never used the word ‘vagina.’” Detective Kellums testified
that, based on C.H.’s allegations that she awoke to a pain in her backside, he
believed she was describing anal sex. In his report, the detective used the word
“anus.” After hearing C.H.’s testimony that Dr. Roan had penetrated her vagina
from behind with his penis while she was sleeping, Detective Kellums testified that
he was mistaken in his belief that C.H. was describing anal sex when she reported
the rape.
I would find that C.H.’s use of the word “backside” when she
reported the incident to the police is not necessarily inconsistent with her trial
testimony accusing Dr. Roan of vaginal rape. When C.H. woke up, she was lying
on her stomach, and Dr. Roan was on top of her penetrating her from behind. She
described a pain in her backside because that is where the assault was coming
from. There is no evidence that C.H. specifically told Detective Kellums that Dr.
Roan penetrated her anally. This is not a case where the victim expressly alleged
anal rape to the police and then changed her story to allege vaginal rape at trial.
Given these circumstances, C.H.’s trial testimony regarding vaginal rape is not
unbelievable or incredible.
Second, in my opinion, the court did not err by admitting Detective
Kellums’s testimony about C.H.’s delayed reporting of the rape. The incident
occurred on December 16, 2017, and C.H. reported it to the police 16 days later on
January 1, 2018. This short delay happened during the Christmas season, and
C.H. testified that she went into an alcohol-related rehabilitation program during
this time. While at rehab, she disclosed what happened with Dr. Roan in a group
therapy session. According to C.H., “through that process, I realized that the best
decision would be to go to the police and do the right thing and speak up and say
something.” C.H. reported the crimes on the first day of the New Year.
In State v. McKee, 91 Ohio St.3d 292, 296-297, 744 N.E.2d 737(2001), the Ohio Supreme Court recognized:
It is consistent with [the] emerging view of Evid.R. 701 that courts
have permitted lay witnesses to express their opinions in areas in
which it would ordinarily be expected that an expert must be qualified
under Evid.R. 702. * * * Although these cases are of a technical
nature in that they allow lay opinion testimony outside the realm of
common knowledge, they still fall within the ambit of the rule’s
requirement that a lay witness’s opinion be rationally based on
firsthand observations and helpful in determining a fact in issue.
These cases are not based on specialized knowledge within the scope
of Evid.R. 702, but rather are based upon a layperson’s personal
knowledge and experience.
In State v. Mathis, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 107365, 2019-Ohio-3654,
this court reviewed and found admissible testimony from a social worker “about
the manner in which sexually abused children disclose the nature of their abuse
based on her experience with such cases.” Id. at ¶ 61. The Mathis Court concluded
that the social worker’s
“opinion that it is ‘pretty common’ for sexually abused children to
disclose the abuse in a ‘long-term disclosure’ was based on her
firsthand experience of over 22 years and approximately 2,000 cases.
* * * Moreover, her opinion here was helpful to determination of a fact
at issue in this case, namely, whether Mathis assaulted the victim in
the manner she described despite the inconsistency between her
initial and subsequent statements.
We note that in no point in her testimony did the social worker offer
an opinion about whether the victim was telling the truth, nor did she
offer an opinion about whether Mathis was the perpetrator.
Id. at ¶ 63-64.
Detective Kellums testified that he had worked on over 200 sexual
assault cases and had received special training in the investigation of sexual
assaults. His testimony did not offer an opinion as to the veracity of C.H.’s
allegations, other than to say, in his experience, her reasons for the delayed
disclosure were consistent with other delayed disclosure cases.
This court has held that “[w]itness credibility becomes the most
important issue in [a] he-said-she-said rape case.” State v. McSwain, 8th Dist.
Cuyahoga No. 105451, 2017-Ohio-8489, ¶ 37. The pivotal issue here is consent,
and that turns on whether the jury believed C.H.’s or Dr. Roan’s testimony. The
jury found that Dr. Roan used force to penetrate C.H. with his penis while she was
sleeping and with his fingers while she was awake. I believe we must be mindful
that witness credibility and the weight of the evidence are primarily matters for the
trier of fact to consider. State v. DeHaas, 10 Ohio St.2d 230, 231, 227 N.E.2d 212(1967).
Accordingly, I would not disturb the jury’s verdict in this case.